OutdoorGearLab

The S in the Backcountry Access Tracker S stands for Simple, but this beacon still has all the features that most backcountry travelers are seeking while keeping the intuitive design that the Tracker beacons are known for. It's housed in a low-profile casing, great for those who prefer to carry their beacon in a zippered pants pocket. We were continually impressed by its speed and prowess, especially for the price. All of our testers loved how straightforward this beacon was to use, and appreciated the fast processor speed. One of our favorite things was how precise it was during the bracketing stage of the search, for both experienced and novice users alike. 
While this not a dealbreaker, we didn't love the multiple burial function where it only suppressed one signal for one minute. Most of the time this won't present a problem, but in certain situations, it can create confusion and certainly takes a little more practice to become adept with. Additionally, the model we tested didn't quite live up to BCA's stated range. While more range is great, it still provides the 40-meter search strip that the majority of rescuers are going to use and that most avalanche educational intuitions are teaching. Still, we think the pros far outweigh the cons, and if you're looking for the best beacon for the money, look no further than the Tracker S.   
Read more: Backcountry Access Tracker S review

amazon.com

expert-review

BCA 'Tracker S' Avalanche Beacon Review: First Look

The BCA Tracker4 is the latest of BCA's long line of tried and true Tracker beacons. The Tracker4 picks up where the Tracker3 left off, but most of its differences are external, with the T4 being tougher, offering a better display, and easier to operate controls than the T3. The functionality of these two beacons is nearly identical. The Tracker4 is one of the fastest and easiest to use beacons on the market. Its processor speed is among the absolute quickest and its precision during the bracketing stage proved to be among the best. These attributes are likely why this beacon consistently produced some of the quickest rescue times for 1-2 beacons and was the absolute fastest in the hands of newer or less practiced users.  
The only thing we didn't love about the Tracker4 is its multiple burial functionality. It works for 3 or more beacons &#40;about 5% of real-world avalanche scenarios&#41;, but it takes a little more skill than other models. This is because it can only mark/flag one beacon at a time while searching for the next. Additionally, it automatically "unmarks" the first beacon after 60 seconds. This does have some advantages but is generally more difficult for less practiced users, and even its slick big picture mode couldn't quite make up for it. Its range was also just so-so, not terrible, but nothing to write home about either. Still, when searching for 1-2 beacons, this model repeatedly proved it was among the absolute fastest and easiest models we tested. 
Read more: Backcountry Access Tracker4 review

Switchback Travel | Best Avalanche Beacons of 2022-2023

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stamped

The Mammut Barryvox S is an excellent beacon for more advanced users who demand a lot from their beacon and are more likely to take full advantage of a fully-featured beacon's capabilities. This model is fast at finding a single burial but takes a little more practice in the fine search. It really excels in complex multiple burials, where its prowess is literally unmatched. It sports numerous options and features to help customize it to its user's tastes and preferences, and sports the longest overall range and widest search strip width of any model we tested.
While this model is excellent for professionals and experienced users, it's likely just too much beacon for novices or less experienced backcountry travelers. These users can easily get away with a less expensive model since many of the advanced features would never be used. Its capabilities also equate to a slight increase in complexity, which is unhelpful for less experienced individuals when racing against the clock to save a friend's life. The Barryvox S also takes more practice to achieve precision during the bracketing stage. This model is best for advanced users and pros who will take advantage of its many features, gigantic range, and unparalleled ability to manage even the most complex multiple burial rescue scenarios. 
Read more: Mammut Barryvox S review

yotpo

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bazaarvoice

The Arva Neo Pro is a professional-level beacon that will appeal to those wanting an advanced beacon for more complex rescues but at a very reasonable price. No other similarly priced model offers an analog mode, the ability to toggle between signals, or as long of a maximum range for the price. The Neo Pro is quite intuitive overall and our test team found it to be among the top-performers at nearly every stage of the search except for the fine search.
In the fine search, it just took more practice to come right over the top of the buried signal while making our brackets. This likely has something to do with its directional arrows disappearing at 3m instead of 2m, but also some to do with the beacon itself. It isn't that the Neo Pro isn't capable of producing precise brackets &#40;smaller, given the depth&#41;, but it took more practice to be proficient when directly comparing it with other beacons searching for the same buried signal. With that said, for more practiced or advanced users, the Neo Pro is a top-tier pro-level beacon that happens to be priced more in line with the "all-around" transceivers on the market. 
Read more: Arva Neo Pro review

Avalanche Transceiver Comparison