Cardo PACKTALK Outdoor Helmet Communication System, Great for Ski, Snowboard and Cycling (Black, Single Pack)

First off, I was really interested in the Milo, but they weren't shipping when I needed them to (I don't know if they're even shipping yet 4/2023). I decided to go with the Cardo because; the price is the same, they're ready to ship, & Cardo has a good history of similar products in the motorcycle world. I'm glad I went this way.The system works as advertised. You can talk hands free across some pretty good distance. I had no issue synching up 5 units together & all of us talking to one another. I've used this skiing & it lasts all day out on the hill. When I power it down it says that there is still 50% battery. Once the units are all paired together, they will re-pair when powered up next to each other the next day.The unit has controls on it that are easy to access & manipulate with ski gloves on, there's also voice command but I didn't really use it that much. But once you learn what buttons do what command, it's pretty intuitive.This has no built in speaker, so you need to use the provided speaker/mic. They really only fit in the ear pads of a helmet, so you'll need to have that. They do provide stick on options but I don't know where you might mount them on a helmet. Maybe if you have an old pair of headband style headphones, you could rig it up into that. Maybe Cardo will make something.The alternative is to use the plug in jack, where you can plug in a pair of corded headphones with a mic so that you get the full function. IT DOES NOT WORK WITH CORDED HEADPHONES WITH A VOLUME UP/DOWN BUTTON!!! So no apple headphones. I picked up a pair of in ear Sony headphones that work with it.You typically mount it on the side chin straps of the helmet, but a sticky tab is provided for a full face helmet. The clip would work on a backpack strap as well if you don't wear a helmet.To get the most out of it; play music, answer phone calls, adjust the volume levels, etc., you need to pair it with your phone & the app. If you have more than one, I'd suggest pairing & updating with each persons phone so that you don't end up having issues figuring out which unit is paired with your own phone.Once paired, it's really great to listen to music in the background of the entire conversation. Your own music only plays for your unit, not everyone else's.Limits: While skiing, having a hill or mountain blocking caused the units to cut in & out at about a 1/2 mile. If there was someone with another unit between, it helped add strength & distance to the connection. There were no issues with trees, it was really just limited by piles of earth. One annoying thing is the length of the announcement when 'group connection is lost'. If you're apart from your group, but just on the edge of it, you'll jump in & out of the connection, & you'll keep getting announcements. I also wish it worked with apple headphones. One last thing is the delay. It's not an issue if you're away from each other, but riding up the chairlift you hear yourself talk back to you because you get picked up by other mics & you hear the person twice (like an echo) because you hear their voice direct, then the transmitted voice. Not a big issue, easy to just mute your mic or mute the conversation, but something you might not expect.I'm seeing another unit advertised at a much cheaper price point, but it's still in the kickstarter phase so who knows if that gets off the ground. The cardo is ready to ship & it works. I really like using it & it's going to be Christmas/birthday gifts for the rest of the family that skis & boards. I highly recommend these, but your milage may vary depending on the company you keep.

The only exception i don’t like is that when you have an incoming call it doesn’t say who it is.. other than that.. it’s amazing, cold weather didn’t really bother the battery life too much while on the snowmobiles.Quality of sound is great. And I like that I can listen to music as well..My other gripe is the microphone cable length…. Could be longer or have the wire alongside the two speaker wires.. less strain on the cable and would be tucked away easier with the foam padding inside the helmet.

Just bought a "dual pack" for a recent ski trip. Bluetooth was never cutting off or noisy. The quality of the sound is impressive. In a clear line, I was connected with no issues for almost 3/4 of a mile (I did not test for longer distances).Very convenient to alert members of your group of other skiers passing by, especially savages.On the expensive side but worth every penny and will definitely expand with another pair.Buttons are big, easy to use even with mittens and are very intuitive and responsive.When you're close by, mute the mic to avoid delay/echo. With a minimum of 10 feet, the delay is not an issue.The mic is very good and completely blocking wind noise and most of the ski scraping sounds.Battery life was excellent, about 8+h despite listening to music all day longI cannot emphasize more the clarity of the sound.The added benefit to use this in other settings, such as hiking, kayaking, etc, should clinch the deal for those outdoor enthusiasts that might be on the fence due to price.Recommended without reservations.

First year snowboarding and this made the experience 10x better, being able to communicate with friends or family on the mountain is really nice, especially at different skill levels and get separated from the group, I picked up snowboarding pretty quick and was faster than my friends and got separated, but with the cardo I was able to locate them only a couple minutes later. It doesn’t work as good if you’re on separate trails but overall a great experience.

Set up was as easy as designed and the quality is worth the money I will be buying more to create a bigger group for my students as I am a snowboarding instructor #cmfer

My brother and I ski together and these are great for talking to each other. He is better than I am so sometimes I lose sight of him. Now all I have to do is ask him which direction he went and he lets me know. The JBL speakers sound awesome. I am able to listen to music and talk to my brother at the same time. The roller dial is quick for turning the volume up and down. You can even mute your mic so when we are on the lift together we don’t have an echo.My two cons for these are:1) I bought the two pack and my battery does not last as long as his. Buy the end of skiing last trip my headset said it was at 5% and his was at 25%. He also listens to music and we turned them on at the same time.2) These are suppose to have a feature where you can say Hey Cardo, turn the volume up, or turn the volume down, or ask what the battery percentage is and it will respond accordingly. This feature never works, on either of our devices. We have both tired and we never get a response.