A software product manager from North Vancouver has come up with a company he hopes might save some lives.

Ryan Reilly's new business, All Adventure, rents out Garmin inReach Minis — a satellite communicator that acts as an emergency tool for people who get lost in the outdoors, where cell service isn't always available.

The devices cost hundreds of dollars to buy, and also include a monthly fee. But Reilly hopes more people will use them if they can rent one for cheaper.

"We don't expect to be wildly profitable but it's something we feel is an important gap in the marketplace," he said.

The cost of a new device starts at around $400, but Reilly rents them for $50 for three days, or $80 for a week.

Reilly refers to the devices as personal locator beacons because he says that's what they are commonly known as.

However he admits that, technically, personal locator beacons only send out a one-way SOS and don't offer two-way communication like his devices do.

The Garmin InReach mini is a satellite communication device that provides emergency communication in the backcountry. (All Adventure)

All Adventure is an online company. Reilly mails the device to clients and at the end of the day or week, the client mails it back.

Some clubs like the BC Mountaineering Club rent out devices like personal locator beacons to their members. And Reilly says there are U.S. and Australian companies that rent the devices online

But he says he doesn't know of any B.C.-based companies offering the same service to his target market — weekend warriors who take on longer, more adventurous backcountry adventures once or a few times a year.

North Shore Rescue recommends satellite devices as one of the 10 items to bring on a hike.

Team leader Mike Danks says a business that makes them more accessible is "a really great idea" because a lot of places in the backcountry have no or spotty cell service.

"This is one more tool that will definitely make a positive difference in your hike," Danks said.

However, Danks also warns that having a personal locator beacon doesn't absolve hikers of the responsibility to be prepared for the conditions and to let someone know where they'll be.

"That's another tool in the toolbox," he said. "It doesn't mean that you can go out there unprepared."