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Hiking clubs
Trailheads rarely have signal. Everyone signs the waiver and names an emergency contact before the group leaves the lot, even in the rain.
The leader carries every emergency contact up the mountain.
A pocket-sized box makes its own Wi-Fi wherever you meet. Everyone scans a code, and the sign-in sheet opens on their own phone: waiver, contact info and emergency contacts in about a minute. No app, no account, no cell service, no clipboard.
How it works
Built for the parking lot, the beach and the grange hall: anywhere people gather before heading out.
The leader opens the lid. The box starts its own Wi-Fi in about 30 seconds, with no internet needed. It runs on its own battery or from any USB power bank.
People point their camera at the sticker on the box. Their phone joins, and the sign-in sheet opens by itself. Returning members find their details already filled in.
Each person checks the waiver, signs with a finger and taps Sign in. The leader sees everyone on a PIN-protected page and saves the list to their phone.
On the phone
Nothing to install on either side. It all opens in the phone's own browser.
Have a great hike!
Your phone goes back to its own network.
Then erase the trip from the box. Your group's details don't linger.
14 of 14 answered · private
Who it's for
If you've ever passed a soggy clipboard around a trailhead, or typed up a sign-in sheet you could only half read, this is for you.
Trailheads rarely have signal. Everyone signs the waiver and names an emergency contact before the group leaves the lot, even in the rain.
High-risk trips need a signed release from every person before teams split up. The leader can see at a glance who hasn't signed.
For informal races and club time trials, sign-in and the waiver happen at the start line, with notes for distance or wave.
New riders sign the release at the coffee-shop start. If someone goes down 30 miles out, the sweep rider already has the emergency contact and medical notes.
At the lake or the beach, every swimmer is signed in with an emergency contact before anyone gets wet.
Kayak, canoe and SUP groups and outfitters can collect waivers at the launch, where boats and paper don't mix.
Trail crews, beach cleanups and tree plantings. Partner agencies often need a signed waiver and a list of who was there.
Parents sign for minors at drop-off on their own phones, with a guardian signature. Chaperones carry the roster into the woods.
Boot camps, yoga and run clubs take drop-ins every week. New faces sign the waiver without downloading an app.
Birding walks, foraging classes and wilderness first aid often meet where the road ends.
Volunteers check in at the staging area, often in a dead zone, with their phone number and emergency contact.
Fairs, camps and retreats at sites with weak or no service still need participant releases.
What you get
Each sign-in is complete and readable. There's no bad handwriting and nothing to type up afterward.
Why a box
Paper gets wet. Online forms need signal. Apps need downloads. Pocket Sign-in needs only a phone camera.
| The problem | With Pocket Sign-in | |
|---|---|---|
| Paper sheets | Rain, smudges and illegible handwriting. Someone has to type it all up. | Typed by each person, saved on the box, ready to download. |
| Online forms | No signal where you meet. "Fill it out beforehand" means half the group doesn't. | Works with no cell service at all. |
| Sign-in apps | First-timers won't install an app or create an account for one outing. | Scan, sign, done. No app and no account. |
| A shared tablet | One device, a line of people, and a tablet to charge and keep dry. | Everyone signs at once on their own phone. |
Private by design
It's in field testing now with a hiking club in Oregon, at trailheads where phones show no bars.