REVIEW of Packtalk Outdoor from Cardo

The Intercom System

Listening to music and being able to make hands free phone calls are great options.

But, in my opinion, the Intercom system is the most interesting function, since it offers a completely new social skiing experience.

Whit the intercom system, I think there are four really interesting use cases.

• Skiing with friends in a group

• Skiing with kids as a family

• A ski instruction tool

• When filming

Skiing in a Group of Friends

I have tried the intercom function many times, when I was ski instructing a group of my skiing students, and when Stine and I were filming and doing social skiing.

In all cases it was very helpful to talk about directions, stopping points, when to go to the restaurant etc. while we were skiing.

Another very cool thing was the spontaneous sharing of excitement and fun routes down the hill. When for example one member of the group hit a cool little jump or a series of great turns and had outbursts of excitement that everybody could hear and see.

It was also very cool to be able to communicate to the people behind you if there were icy paths or other things they may wanted to avoid as well as lanes of good snow, they could ski towards.

No More Yelling!

One very significant change in the way we communicated was that we talked calmly to each other. Without the intercom system, you would normally have to get close and yell to make sure the other members in the group could hear what you wanted to say.

We often found ourselves just talking calmly to each other while skiing, which was nice.

I was actually surprised how much I liked skiing with it and being able to talk to each other

It was one of those things you have never really noticed you missed until you have it and experience how nice it is.

Skiing as a Family

A special case of skiing in a group is skiing with kids.

This is awesome and Packtalk Outdoor has some groundbreaking potential here.

Safety and practicalities

With Packtalk Outdoor you can easily guide your kids to stop at specific places or go in a certain direction while you are skiing.

You can also guide them to slow down with a wider plough or a longer turn, or steer around upcoming obstacles.

If you loose sight of each other because your kid spontaneously stray off on a fun route, it will be easier for you to know what is going on.

You can communicate and find each other again, as long as nobody is behind a solid obstacle in the terrain. And if someone falls you will know right away.

This will definitely add to the experience of safety.

It will also be nice for the kids to be able to tell when they need some sort of help, need to go to the bathroom or want to have a hot chocolate break.

Sharing the fun moments

As a father I am also aware of the value of experiencing and sharing your child’s joy first hand. You will hear each other laugh and you can come up with spontaneous suggestions for routes and fun moves as you go.

I didn't know my daughter was singing while she is skiing, but she does, and it is absolutely adorable.

Of course skiing together is something you do with each other, but with Packtalk Outdoor you will get a much more shared experience and feeling.

A Ski Instruction Tool

As a ski instructor I was a bit skeptical at first about using Packtalk when teaching a group. I guess it had to do with the fact that it was different from how I would normally teach.

But, when I thought about it, it actually sounded like a really helpful tool, so I was definitely curious about how it would work.

And the conclusion?

It was simply awesome! And the students loved it!

Here is what was great about it:

• I was able to explain what I did, when I was demonstrating, so the students had an even better idea of what to do.

• The students could ask me before they went, if they needed any additional explanation or refreshment of their focus points.

• I could guide and instruct them while they were skiing. And it was truly amazing to see them change their skiing real time, when I was talking to them. And they could feel the positive change too.

  Sometimes all the instruction happened while I was demonstrating and they were skiing, so it was just confirmation and celebration when they came down to me.

  This is awesome!

This procedure leads to less waiting time and more skiing time, because much of the explanation and coaching happen while we are skiing.

Now, I use Packtalk Outdoor every time I teach, if possible.

Filming with Packtalk Outdoor

In Inspirational Skiing we obviously film a lot, and our Packtalks have made it a whole lot easier for us to coordinate.

No more waving to signal start of recording and less stopping to talk about the next shot. We could do that while I was going up in the lift.

Thats why you will see me skiing with Packtalk Ski (an early and outdated model with a boom mic) and Outdoor in some of our How to ski videos.

Generally, using video to see your own skiing can be a very powerful tool for ski improvement. It can also be quite a brutal eye opener. But having a visual baseline can be a great step towards better skiing. And Packtalk definitely made the process of filming smoother for us.

When seeing yourself on video, you also need to know what to look for. I suggest you have a look at our how to ski videos and our how to ski guides, to get an understanding of what you should be doing. Hold that up against what you are doing in your videos and try to adjust.

Music Feature

The sound quality is really good, when listening to music. It felt like I was surrounded by music, which was pretty awesome.

Because of the open speakers you are normally able to hear important sounds in your surroundings, when you are talking over the Intercom.

When listening to music, this might change if you crank up the volume. So please be careful and make sure you are not causing any danger because you cannot hear your surroundings.

Phone Feature

Taking a phone call with Packtalk is easy. You just push any button and the call goes through.

For me, it didn’t feel good to talk on the phone while I was skiing. Talking on the phone often required more attention than the natural skiing chat over the Intercom system about stopping points, warning of icy paths and direction and so on. 

But it was really nice to be able to take hands free phone calls in the lift or at the restaurant. And the sound quality was really good. 

Don’t worry. The people connected via Intercom won’t be able to hear you when you are talking on the phone.

The Look and Design

Whether you like the look of the PackTalk or not is of course a very subjective matter.

Personally, I found Packtalk Ski a bit too big and clumsy, so I was really pleased to see the upgrade in design, when I saw Packtalk Outdoor.

Unboxing Packtalk Outdoor

What's in the box?

 Installation

Cardo claim that the units will fit almost any helmet by using one of the two options. You can either use:

• The glue plate

• The V-strap Mounting Clamp

Here is what you need know to help you chose the right solution for you.

The Glue Plate

The glue plate is a more permanent solution (although it is possible to resolve the glue and get it off again). You do have the option of sliding the cradle on and off, which is great if you want that for some reason.

Before mounting, make sure you test the location of the plate, so that the cradle and unit does not get too much in the way or collide with the lane of the goggle strap.

How strong is the glue?

The glue is supposed to be strong enough to withstand any situation on skis.  

I did however sacrifice myself (involuntarily) to test this with my own helmet, and I did manage to hit it hard enough into firm snow that it came off (Gif below).

I am stress testing how big an impact the unit can take. Both skier and unit are fine.

Cardo was surprised that I managed to hit the plate completely off the helmet since it is designed to take motorcycle falls.

And I was impressed that Packtalk still worked perfectly after the hit. And the skier? He felt it a bit for a few days and now he is just fine.

The V-strap Clamp

This is a great option if you don’t want the more permanent glue plate solution. The v-strap clamp can be placed on v-strap on your helmet.

During my testing, I was teaching around 50 different skiers, so I got to test this clamp solution with a broad variety of helmets. It worked perfectly with almost all helmets. With the 1- or maybe two helmets that caused trouble, we just placed the unit in a pocket, which worked well for a day.

But if you plan for a more regular use, I would definitely go with the glue plate option.

Weatherproof

On their website Cardo claim that the unit is IP67 water and dust proof, which mean that it offers “Complete protection against ingress of dust and airborne particles and protection against water and liquids, up to and including immersion in up to one meter of water”. Cardo puts it this way:

“No matter what you throw at it, your waterproof Packtalk Outdoor will take the beating and keep you connected. Rain, snow, sun, mud or dust.”

…so of course we had to throw these things at it (watch the video)... and it worked just fine afterwards.

The Verdict - Should You Buy Packtalk Outdoor?

During our testing, we found, that there are so many situation where it is both fun and helpful to be able to talk to each other while skiing.

Packtalk Outdoor has now become a stable in my skiing setup, and I actually feel a bit handicapped when I am skiing without it and I am not able to communicate with the skiers I ski with.

Overall, the technology works really well, and as soon as you have gotten to know it, charging, mounting and turning the system on, becomes routine.

In my opinion, you should consider buying Packtalk Outdoor if:

• You would love to be able to talk with your friends while skiing and share the skiing experience that way.

• You are a family who would love to connect and share your skiing experience closer with each other.

• You are a ski instructor wanting to have the opportunity to talk to your students while you do your demonstration, right before the ski and when they ski.

• You are part of a film crew – or want to use video of yourself to improve your skiing – and you want a more smooth filming process.

Cardo have some pretty cheering reviews on their website.

I hope you found this review helpful.

If you have any questions about Packtalk please feel free to send me an email on [email protected], and I will do my best to answer them for you.

Have a nice day and see you on the slopes!