Rocky Talkie 5 Watt Radio | Reviewing the newest mountain walkie talkie

Last updated: November 22, 2024

Using the Rocky Talkie 5-watt Radio while skiing.

The 5 Watt Radio's 1800 mAH battery can last up to 5 days on a charge, even when temperatures drop well below freezing. That's good news for those of you looking for a reliable communication device for winter adventures. 

Five years since launching the Mountain Radio, its flagship rugged walkie talkie, Colorado-based Rocky Talkie now has a second, more powerful GMRS model for adventurers to consider: the aptly named 5 Watt Radio. So how does the Rocky Talkie 5 Watt Radio compare to its older sibling? And how does the 5 Watt Radio perform in the mountains it was designed for? We got our hands on a pair of 5 Watt Radio units and put them to the test. 

Rocky Talkie 5 Watt Radio at a glance

  • MSRP: $180 per radio
  • Band: GMRS (5 watt power for increased range) 
  • Weight: 9.1 oz 
  • IP67 waterproof rating
  • 5-day battery life
  • Shatterproof LED display
Rocky Talkie 5 Watt Radio in backcountry wilderness

The 5 Watt Radio communicated well in our first test, even when separated by more than a mile in mountainous, high-alpine terrain. 

Rocky Talkie, born in the Colorado Rockies

Rocky Talkie’s aim is simple: to provide reliable communication for outdoor adventurers, especially when and where remote backcountry locations have typically hampered such communication. The Denver, Colorado-based company launched its first rugged walkie talkie - the 2-watt FRS Mountain Radio - in 2019. Their second, and newest, offering is the 5 Watt Radio, which utilizes GMRS to achieve better range in many (but not all) conditions. Unlike the Mountain Radio, the 5 Watt Radio is IP67 waterproof and boasts a larger battery capable of up to 5 days of use on a single charge, even in subzero temperatures. It’s also heavier than the Mountain Radio, which may factor into your purchasing decision. A full side-by-side comparison of the two models is below.

While we're talking about the brand, it's prudent to mention co-founders Bryce Jones and Alex Page's commitment to sustainability and backcountry safety. Rocky Talkie is a Climate Neutral Certified Brand, which means it adheres to the rigorous standards established to measure the company's annual carbon footprint, to reduce its emissions and environmental impact, and to invest in carbon credits to offset its emissions. Rocky Talkie also donates $2 from every radio sold to search and rescue teams across the country. To date, that adds up to more than $150,000 in donations to the volunteer-based agencies that save countless lives each year. 

Unboxing the Rocky Talkie 5 Watt Radio

Rocky Talkie walkie talkies (say that five times fast) are sold individually, so unless you’re adding to an existing set or purchasing one to communicate with friends or family who already own some, prepare to put at least two units in your online cart. Oh, Rocky Talkie is almost exclusively a direct-to-consumer brand, meaning you can purchase them at RockyTalkie.com and only a handful of local outdoors shops (here's the full list of retailers). You certainly won’t find them at REI, Backcountry, Amazon, EVO or any other big-box online and in-person retailers. 

One of our favorite features of Rocky Talkies is their simplicity - in terms of packaging, hardware, accessories, and user experience. Open the box (recently updated to 100% recycled cardboard) to find the 5 Watt Radio unit with steel gator clip pre-attached. The unit’s shorter 7.5 cm antenna is also pre-attached. Included standard with the radio is a longer 17 cm antenna, a spiral leash with carabiner, a USB-C charging cable, and a quick start guide. That’s it. Rocky Talkie sells a number of accessories for both of its models - we’ll get to those in a minute. 

Using the Rocky Talkie 5 Watt Radio

Power on your Rocky Talkie 5 Watt Radio and the shatterproof LED screen comes to life, displaying channel number, privacy code (subchannel), signal strength, and the other settings you can enable, including TX Beep, radio lock, dual channel watch, high (5 watt) or low (0.5 watt) power, and weather mode. 

Rocky Talkie 5 Watt Radio LED screen

The 5 Watt Radio's LED screen is bright and easy to read, even under direct sunlight. 

Rocky Talkie packs a lot of functionality into these rugged little units, and this is where your quick start guide (as well as Rocky Talkie’s website and instructional videos) will come in handy. That said, it’s incredibly intuitive to power on two Rocky Talkie units, set them to the same channel, and push-to-talk as with every other two-way radio you’ve ever used, dating all the way back to your childhood. Learning and understanding some of the more detailed functionality, however, will take a bit of practice before it becomes second nature. 

Our first venture with our 5 Watt Radios was a backcountry hike in the Eagles Nest Wilderness in Colorado’s Summit County. Our small group split into two at the trailhead and took opposite routes to reach the planned meeting point a couple miles into the designated wilderness area. At nearly 10,000 feet in elevation and separated at times by more than a mile (as the crow flies) as well as a high, rocky ridge, our units communicated with one another nearly without a hitch. On only a couple transmissions was the talking garbled, something we can confidently attribute to the geographic conditions of our hike.  

Rocky Talkie 5 Watt Radio vs Mountain Radio

Range isn’t the only factor to consider when deciding between the 2-watt Mountain Radio and the 5 Watt Radio. In fact, there may be instances when the longer range capabilities of the 5 Watt Radio simply aren’t necessary for how, when and where you’ll use your walkie talkies. 

Before we get into some specific examples, here's a quick comparison of the two:

5 Watt Radio
Mountain Radio
MSRP
$180
$110
Weight
9.1 oz
6.5 oz
Power
5 watts (GMRS)
2 watts (FRS)
Battery life
Up to 5 days
Up to 4 days
Waterproof
Yes
No
License needed to operate
Yes
No
NOAA weather mode/alerts
Yes
No
Dual channel watch
Yes
No

Now, for the real-world use cases.

If fast, lightweight travel (ultrarunning, perhaps?) is important to you, the 2.6-ounce weight savings on the Mountain Radio may be reason enough to save $70 per unit. Similarly, if your primary uses of a two-way radio involve line-of-sight communication with a rock or ice climbing partner, for example, the extended range possibilities of the 5 Watt Radio may not be necessary.

On the flip side, we'd absolutely recommend the more powerful 5 Watt Radio for skiing, mountaineering, watersports (because of the IP67 waterproof rating), etc. 

Here are Rocky Talkie's activity-by-activity recommendations:

Rocky Talkie Mountain Radio and 5 Watt Radio recommendations by sport


Understanding GMRS vs FRS two-way radios

Most consumer-grade walkie talkies (aka two-way radios) rely on FRS radio service to communicate with one another. FRS, or Family Radio Service, uses license-free frequencies in the range of 462 to 467 MHz, which are part of the Ultra High Frequency (UHF) band. There are a total of 22 authorized channels on the FRS, and all are available to use by the general public. Importantly, FRS radios use a maximum of 2 watts of power and must have a permanently affixed antenna. 

GMRS radios, on the other hand, can use a maximum of 50 watts of power. Because output power is a key determining factor in a two-way radio's potential range, this fact alone is why a GMRS radio such as Rocky Talkie's 5 Watt Radio can achieve greater range than a 2-watt radio like Rocky Talkie's Mountain Radio.  

FRS and GMRS radio services are regulated by the Federal Communications Commission

Like FRS radios, GMRS radios also are authorized to use the 22 channels in the 462 to 467 MHZ range. But GMRS radios are permitted to use eight repeater channels, bringing their total number of channels to 30. They're also allowed to have detachable antennas. This is why Rocky Talkie's 5 Watt Radio comes standard with both a 7.5cm antenna and a 17cm antenna for "moderately improved range" and better weather channel reception.

Here's an easy-to-follow article from Rocky Talkie on understanding walkie talkie range: https://rockytalkie.com/blogs/rocky-talkie-blog/understanding-walkie-talkie-range

Available accessories for your Rocky Talkie

Both the 5 Watt Radio and the Mountain Radio can be accessorized with waterproof handheld mics. We haven't tested them yet on the 5 Watt Radio, but we can already see the potential usefulness for handheld mics during a lot of outdoor activities, including river sports, skiing and snowboarding (both backcountry and resort), mountaineering, and hunting. 

Replacement batteries are available for both models as well, as are USB power adapters. You can also grab a dashmount for the 5 Watt Radio. 

Shop all accessories here: https://rockytalkie.com/pages/other-gear

Kid tested, kid approved

When you're not putting your Rocky Talkie 5 Watt Radio through the ringer on adult adventures, they're a pretty bombproof option for keeping the kids entertained around camp. 

If you want to test the durability of a product, just give it to a kid. Because Rocky Talkies tout their ruggedness (drop-resistant design, shatterproof LED screen, waterproof to 1 meter, etc.), and because walkie talkies are simply irresistible to children, we happily handed ours to the little ones during a recent extended weekend in Estes Park, Colorado and Rocky Mountain National Park.  

Over a three-day stretch, our 5 Watt Radios were dropped on rocks, took brief swims in Fall River and were subjected to all manner of abuses a couple of adventurous mountain kids could throw their way. The end result: a minor scuff or two on our radios but ear-to-ear grins on our kids' faces. We can also attest to the impressive battery life on these units. A couple days of near nonstop use didn't require a single charge on either 5 Watt Radio. 

Are Rocky Talkies compatible with other two-way radios?

In a word, yes. Both models of Rocky Talkie - the Mountain Radio and the 5 Watt Radio - are compatible with other FRS and GRMS radios. That’s because they all utilize the same UHF frequencies. Of course, you’ll need to match the channel and privacy codes (subchannels) being used by all the radios you want to communicate with. It really is that simple. 

Are Rocky Talkies worth it?

Our iPhones have become so integral to our daily lives, both indoors and outdoors, that it begs the obvious question: Do you really even need two-way radios anymore? And if so, do you need to spend upwards of $400 on a pair of walkie talkies akin to the Rocky Talkie 5 Watt Radio? 

If you regularly spend time outdoors doing activities where reliable two-way communication is important for the safety of the participants, then the short answer is yes, Rocky Talkie two-way radios are worth the peace of mind. Factor in their ease of use, rugged construction, extended battery life in even sub-freezing conditions, and IP67 waterproof rating, and we can strongly recommend the Rocky Talkie 5 Watt Radio for any outdoor adventurer.  

About the Author Brent B.


Favorite Activities: Mountain biking, trail running, snowboarding, splitboarding, climbing 14ers, traveling
Home mountains: Gore Range in Summit County, Colorado
Home resort: Copper Mountain
Day job: Digital content manager

Brent is a recovering journalist who has spent the past 10 years in corporate communications and content strategy for health care systems. He lives with his girlfriend and two daughters in the mountains of Colorado.