Set up your safety network

Add your emergency contacts

Go to Dashboard → Settings (⚙) → Emergency → Contacts.

Add the email addresses of the people who should be notified if you go overdue. These are typically family members, a close friend, or a trip coordinator — people who know your planned route and can coordinate a response.

Recommendations:

• Add at least two contacts in case one email bounces or is missed
• Tell your contacts in advance that they may receive an alert from alerts@trailkeep.com — ask them to add it to their contacts now so it doesn't land in spam
• Include a phone number for each contact under Emergency → Personal so rescuers have an additional way to reach them

Add your personal emergency information

Go to Dashboard → Settings → Emergency → Personal.

Fill in the details that emergency contacts and rescuers may need: blood type, medical conditions, medications, next of kin, and any other information relevant for SAR.

This data is visible on your shared trip page when the trip is in an overdue/SOS state — it is private otherwise.

Create your trip and set the dates

Both the safety timer and the calendar alert require a trip end date to be set. If no end date is set, no alert fires.

Create your trip in Trip Planner → New trip, and set:

• A start date — the day you leave the trailhead
• An end date — the day you plan to return

Be realistic with the end date. An alert fires when the end date passes and the trip has not been marked complete — if you set the end date too early, your contacts will receive a false alarm.

Configure the safety timer (Pioneer / Pro)

Go to Dashboard → Settings → Emergency → Safety Timer.

Set the check-in interval — how many hours between your daily check-ins before an alert fires. The default is 24 hours. Recommended values:

What "check-in" means: completing a day in the Trip Planner (tapping "Complete day") resets the timer. The timer resets from the moment of completion — not midnight. If you complete Day 1 at 7 PM, the 24-hour window runs until 7 PM the following day.

The timer only starts when you start the trip (tap Start in the control panel). It does not run during planning.

Download or print your Safety QR

Go to Trip Planner → Safety QR (the QR code icon in the control panel header).

The Safety QR is a permanent code linked to your account — it always reflects your current trip status. You only need one, but you can share it multiple ways:

• Print the A5 card — the print format includes the QR, the URL, the Trailkeep logo, and a short explanation of how to use it. Leave a printed copy with your emergency contacts before you leave.
• Save to your phone — screenshot the QR and save it as a lock screen widget or in your photos.
• Share the link — the URL under the QR can be bookmarked or sent by text. Anyone with the link can see your trip status.

Start your trip

When you are ready to depart, tap Start in the Trip Planner control panel.

This activates:

• The safety timer countdown (Pioneer/Pro)
• The shared trip link (anyone with the link can now see your active trip)
• Trip chat

The Start button is only available once an end date is set.

Check in each day on trail

At the end of each day, tap Complete day in the Trip Planner. This:

• Marks the day as done
• Resets the safety timer countdown
• Optionally captures your current GPS location (requires a mobile signal)

GPS capture is optional — tap the location prompt only if you have signal and want to record your position. If you skip it, the timer still resets.

Complete the trip when you return

When you are safely back, tap Complete in the control panel. This:

• Marks the trip as completed
• Stops all timer alerts
• Removes Trail Companions from the notification list (their emails are deleted)
• Updates the shared trip page to show "completed" status

Do this as soon as you are back — your emergency contacts will see the status update immediately on the shared page.