Safety system overview
How Trailkeep's safety features work together and what each component does.
The Trailkeep safety system is a layered approach to keeping people informed about your status on trail. It is designed to require minimal action from you once set up, and to work even in areas with intermittent cell service.
Trailkeep's safety features supplement — they do not replace — standard wilderness safety practices. For remote routes with extended periods of zero cell coverage, carry a dedicated satellite communication device (Garmin inReach, SPOT, or a PLB) in addition to using Trailkeep.
The four components
Emergency contacts
Add up to two emergency contacts (primary and secondary) with their name, email, and phone number. These are the people who receive an alert email if your timer fires, and whose contact details are shown on your trip page when an alert is active.
Emergency contacts are set in Account settings → Emergency tab.
Safety QR
A permanent QR code linked to your trip status. Leave it on your car dashboard, share it digitally, or print a wallet card. The QR page shows different information depending on your current trip status — minimal detail while you are okay, full trip details if you are overdue.
Learn more about the Safety QR →
Auto-timer
An automatic overdue alert system. The timer runs while your trip is active, and fires an email to your emergency contacts if you do not check in within the configured window. How precisely the timer works depends on your account tier:
- Free accounts — alert fires when the trip end date passes without the trip being completed
- Pro / Pioneer accounts — the timer resets each time you complete a day on trail, using a configurable window (24, 36, 48, or 72 hours)
Learn more about the auto-timer →
Trail Companion
A way for people you meet on trail to opt in to a single overdue notification. When someone scans your Safety QR while your trip is active, they can enter their email to be notified if your timer fires. Their email is deleted automatically when your trip ends.
Learn more about Trail Companion →
Who sees what
| Normal state | Alert / overdue state | |
|---|---|---|
| QR page scanner | "Trip Active" status, Trail Companion opt-in form | Full trip details (redirects to shared trip page) |
| Emergency contact | Nothing (passive until alert fires) | Alert email with trip link; clickable phone and email on trip page |
| Trail Companion | Nothing (opted in, waiting) | Single alert email with trip link |
Privacy
In normal state, your Safety QR page confirms you are active on trail but reveals nothing about your route, itinerary, or personal details. Full trip details — including your emergency contacts, personal details, and medical notes if provided — are only visible when an alert is active. This is intentional: the page gives rescuers everything they need in an emergency while keeping your data private otherwise.
Setting up
Before your trip:
- Go to Account settings → Emergency tab
- Add at least one emergency contact (name, email, phone)
- Optionally fill in personal details and medical notes — these appear on the shared trip page if an alert fires
- Open the Safety section in the dashboard and generate your Safety QR
- For Pro accounts: configure the auto-timer timeout duration (24h, 36h, 48h, or 72h)