Logger John
Challenging for those without experience...
I've been using motorcycle focused communicators for years and it stood to reason that the back-country human powered world would get something similar. The fact that Sena is a leader in this space doesn't forgive their missteps with this product. There is a learning curve to these systems and it's made a worse by not having a paper manual of instructions to reference. The provided manual is a single page with some button pushes for operation but nothing to show best practices for mounting the unit, the microphone, the speakers, and making them provide the sound quality Sena is known for. My Sena Outrush 2 motorcycle helmet comes with a manual and it's in my tank bag for reference all the time. A laminated cheat card for outdoor enthusiasts would be a cheap way to keep them happy.
It's supposed to be "all in the app" that one must download to their phone. There are a variety of key strokes, button pushes if you will, that must be done to turn on, to pair, to answer a call, change volume, turn off, etc. Since there are only four buttons, one dedicated to the mesh intercom (separate phone download required for guidance), it's off-putting to be forced to enlarge every page on the phone app manual to try to figure out what one is doing. This is the type of product where muscle memory has to be learned and then, every season, re-learned. Having a document, other than on the phone, makes this process easier and more permanent.
Turning it on means pushing the center and the '1' button, same for turning off. Pairing with my Google Pixel phone was the easiest part of the process. Everything else took time to learn and then, without a handy manual, took time to remember and make cheat notes about what does what. My motorcycle experience helped, I've reviewed about 30 different comms systems in the last three years, but doing this review reminds me that not everyone has more than one experience nor will they be moving the unit from one helmet to another with seasonal changes.
The mounting options were a bit clunky and that is in large part due to the type and style of helmets. Motorcycle helmets have clean surfaces to mount things to and many have channels inside the helmet for wire routing, actual speaker pockets and options for a clean install that doesn't leave wires loose and at risk. The user should plan to spend an hour or two thinking about the install before committing to it. Making sure that everything is secure and in place before hitting the pow.
On the positive side, sound quality is good but wind rush may still be an issue. On the bike we wear ear plugs which counter intuitively improves the sound from the speakers. This may be something for snow sports helmet wearers to consider. If you don't wear a helmet, you're actually out of luck with this product. I'm not going to make a point about helmet versus no-helmet, but there really isn't a way to wear this without a bucket on your head.
Sena is one of the top two players in this business. Compared to many of their offerings, this is priced reasonably. There are, however, other options that are weatherproof and come with different mic setups and mounting options as well as motorcycle units that would have the same level of weather protection. I'm not suggesting forgoing the Sena option, just be prepared to find the PDF of the manual, print the relevant pages and make cheat notes for you and your friends running the same thing.
