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The original was posted on /r/Ultralight by /u/dietcar on 2025-06-27 20:44:49+00:00.
Hey everyone, I’ve spent a lot of time backpacking, camping, and traveling in remote spots over the years, and I built a little tool I think backpackers would find useful. I made it mostly for myself because, as far as I can tell, nothing quite like it exists – and honestly, I just wanted to see if I even could make it. I figured I’d share in case it helps others too.
Basically, you send a regular text (SMS), including via satellite if your phone supports it, to an AI agent that can look up all sorts of real-time info from the broader internet and send it back to you. Some examples:
- weather forecasts (for your coordinates or any location)
- wildfire reports (I haven’t specifically tried this yet, but it’s possible)
- recent trail conditions or reports
- news, wikipedia, top reddit posts even, if you’re bored
- even just random questions like “what berries grow in Washington?” or “how many calories in a ramen brick?”
No app, account, or internet needed. It works over free satellite messaging on newer iPhones as well as phones with T-Mobile T-Satellite, which work AFAICT anywhere in the US with a clear view of the sky.
I know part of the joy of backpacking is being off-grid, but there’ve been plenty of times I wished I could quickly check something, like if the lightning was going to let up before an exposed pass, or simply what’s going on in the world while I’m out for a few days.
Anyway, this started as a personal side project that actually turned out kinda awesome. I didn’t see any rules against sharing links and hope I’m not breaking any: https://texxa.me/
I would love any feedback or ideas too – is this something you’d use?