Last updated on December 9th, 2024 at 11:11 am
We have spent a lot of time putting some of our best Walkie Talkies through their paces to find out which two-way radios are the best for Sports & Leisure time, be that camping, hiking, extreme spoorts, road trips, organising groups, cycling, hiking, park run, film production, festivals, kids use or whatever else you can think of.
We’ve tried to keep the specifications and the prices or all the Walkie Talkies in this article within the price reach of an individual or enthusiast user, although many of these radios are also suitable for small organisations or business to use in the right circumstances, so we will highlight advantages and disadvantages where appropriate.
Table of Contents
Why use Walkie Talkies?
Walkie Talkies, or Two Way Radios have been around for almost a hundred years now and are still relevant today. Using the free-to-use public radio frequency (PMR446) it is possible for any level of user to simply pick up and use a radio to communicate with any other person in range on the same sub-channel.
For instant communication Walkie Talkies are often a better solution than mobile phones as they allow you to broadcast your message live, so that anyone within radio range on the same channel can hear you speaking. You could have a large amount of people separated into groups and it’s easy to communicate with all of them at once at the push of a button.
PMR 446 Licence Free for Public Use
All of the radios listed below are compatible with the PMR 446 Radio Frequency which is free to use by all; for public and commercial use within European countries including the United Kingdom.
The Walkie Talkies listed here are all compatible with each other, so by way of example, it is possible to buy one set for the kids and a higher grade set for your own usage – so long as both radios are PMR446 and set to the same channel, they will be able to communicate with one another.
What range can I expect to get?
With PMR 446, it is possible get up to 10Km with absolute clear line of sight, but in an urban or heavily wooded environment, you can expect to get anywhere from a few hundred meters to that 10K mark – it really depends on the line of sight and the obstacles that might block the radio signals in the local environment.
With the PMR446 frequency for public use specification, the power output legally has to be fixed to a maximum of 500mW, so paying for a more expensive radio won’t necessarily get you more range as almost all PMR 446 radios output at this wattage. Bigger aerials can technically help pick up fainter signals so this is a feature worth considering, although portability becomes an issue when you make aerials bigger.
What are the walkie talkies here good for?
We’ve dedicated this blog to Sports & Leisure, so the two-way radios / Walkie talkies you see here are suitable for the following types of activities:
- Hiking
- Camping
- Holidays
- Sports such as Skiing, Biking Climbing, Extreme Sports etc
- Fishing, Hunting
- Road trips, Short-range Car-to-car comms for passenger use
- Comms for kids
- Event organising such as Park Run, village fetes, small festivals etc
- Farms shops & Garden Centres
- Small businesses – Restaraunts, Stock rooms etc
Profesional Grade Radios for Industry
We will be writing a separate article for higher-grade radios for Security, Construction sites, Ports work soon, but in the meantime, if you’re looking for Professional Grade Two-Way Radios, you can browse our range here.
Without further ado, here are our picks for the best walkie talkies for sports & leisure use….
The Best Walkie Talkie for extreme sports –
Skiing, snowboarding, boating, fishing etc
Cobra AM1055 FLT
The first thing you notice about the Cobra AM1055 FLT‘s when you have them in your hand is how chunky and formidable they feel, despite their light weight.
Cobra have designed these radios to be IPx7 rated, which means they are completely waterproof, can be immersed up to one metre for 30 minutes withought failing. Not only that, the AM1055’s have been designed to float should they be dropped in water.
With their chunky antenna the signal pickup on these was we found nice and clear so are more cabable in challenging conditions.
Extra features include vibrate alerts, flashlight and USB charging, the Cobras can also be powered by 3 x standard AA batteries.
We think the Cobras are the best radios for more challenging environments such as mountains for skiing, climbing, or onshore / near shore boating activities.
Key Features
- Rated to IPx7 Waterproof up to 1 metre
- Float in water
- Tough construction
- LED Torch integrated
- Vibrate alert
- USB Charging
- Rechargeable batteries included
- Can be powered by x3 standard AA batteries
- Belt clips
- Hands-free speaker
- Headset port (2.5mm)
- 7 Channels – 121 Privacy Codes
Perfect for
- Mountains
- Skiing
- Snowboarding
- Boating
- Fishing
- Climbing
- Extreme Sports
- Fishing
- Hunting
- Boating
The Best Walkie Talkies for Road Trips, Cruise Ships, Families
Motorola Talkabout T62 – Twin Pack
The Motorola TALKABOUT T62’s are a high quality PMR446 radio that are perfect for people who need two-way radios to stay in touch with family, friends or colleagues during road trips and activities, such as camping or caravanning. With included rechargeable batteries and USB micro charging ports, plus compatibility with standard AA batteries, you’ll always have the use of your radios if you have spare batteries on hand.
The interface is easy to use and selecting channels and sub channels is a cinch. There’s a 2.5mm headset jack, so for those who would like to keep their hands free, then it’s possible to plug in optional headsets, or mics etc.
We like these and think they’re great quality radios, ideal for road trips, cruise ships and family outings.
Key features
- High Motorola build quality
- Backlit display
- USB Charging
- Rechargeable batteries included
- 16 Channels – 121 Privacy Codes
- Headset port (2.5mm)
Perfect for
- Road Trips
- Families
- Cruise Ships
- Hiking
- Camping
- Caravanning
The Best Walkie Talkies for Camping
Motorola TALKABOUT T82 – Twin Pack
If you have a little more to spend and need bit extra splash protection to use your radios for camping and maybe even night time or hiking, then the TALKABOUT T82 Walkie Talkies have a few extra features for you to consider, including digital backlit display, built in LED torch and IPx2 rating to protect from water splashes. There’s a 2.5mm headset port on these radios so it is possible to add in headsets or speaker / mics if needed.
These feel physically more substantial than the T62’s, but if you do have a little more to spend, then they are indeed an excellent option.
We like these, and think they’re great quality radios, ideal for road trips, cruise ships, family outings, organising small club events or keeping in touch at festivals or fetes etc.
Key features
- High Motorola build quality
- Splashproof IPx2
- Backlit display
- LED Torch
- USB Charging
- Rechargeable batteries included
- 16 Channels – 121 Privacy Codes
- Headset port (2.5mm)
Perfect for
- Road Trips
- Families
- Cruise Ships
- Hiking
- Camping
- Caravanning
- Club Events
- Festivals
Best alternative
The best Walkie Talkies for Kids – Garden, Play etc
Motorola TALKABOUT T42 Walkie Talkies
The Motorola TALKABOUT T42’s are a small sized easy to use radio perfect for kids to use, or even as a cost-effective starter radio for camping, caravanning, hiking etc. Compatible with simple AAA batteries, which are easy to find in most shops, the Motorola TALKABOUT T42 are a simple, straightforward radio anyone can use.
We found them easy to set-up and think that kids would find them fun and easy to use – the colourful plastic makes them that much more attractive and of course easier to spot if dropped in the grass.
Key features
- Portable size
- Bright colours
- Easy to use
- 16 Channels
- AAA Batteries
Perfect for
- Keeping in touch with kids at the beach, in the garden, walks in the woods etc
- Play
- Camping
- Caravanning
- Home / Garden use
- Cruise Ships
Also available as a triple pack with three different coloured radios
The Best Walkie Talkies for Outdoors
Wet weather use, Groups, Farms, Activity centres, Events etc
Motorola TALKABOUT T82 Extreme Walkie Talkies – Quad Pack
With all four radios stored in a hard case, it is easy to keep these radios together as a set when not in use. The T82’s certainly feel like they’re were built as a rugged tough radio, so they’re definitely built to last. They and have an IPx4 rating so they are water resistant to rain and splashes and perfect to use outdoors whatever the weather!
The radios come with rechargeable batteries and charge via a micro-USB cable but can also be powered by standard AA Batteries. The LED display can also be hidden to prevent snoopers hijacking your channel which can be useful in busy places where other radio users may be present.
Being a quad pack, the T82’s are perfect for organising groups of people whether that be a local outdoor club, or people who work outdoors and need to keep in contact on farms etc these suit perfectly, the included earpieces and mics also allow you to hear more clearly and privately what is being said so can be useful for security purposes etc.
Key features
- Quad pack
- Weatherproof to IPx4, can be used outdoors in the rain
- LED Torch
- Hard Carry case
- Comes with earpieces & mics for each radio
- USB Charging
- Monitor two channels
- Rechargeable batteries included
- Can be powered by standard AA batteries
- 16 Channels -121 privacy codes
- Headset port (2.5mm)
Perfect for
- Hiking, Camping, General Outdoors
- Sports: Skiing, Snowboarding, Climbing, Biking etc
- Event organising
- Park Run
- Festivals
- Fetes
- Farms
- Garden Centres
TALKABOUT T82 – Twin Pack – with clip-on speaker mics
The Motorola T82 are also available as a twin pack and come with clip-on speaker microphones which you see being used by police and security – these can be particulaly useful for people who need to keep hands free, yet hear all that is being said clearly and audibly.
Perfect for
- Cycling
- Event Organising
- Garden Centres
- etc…
TALKABOUT T82 – Twin Pack – Standard
The Motorola TALKABOUT T82 Walkie Talkies are also available as a standard twin pack with no accessories so if you do need that extra waterproofing, but none of the extra bits, then these are a great option.
Perfect for
- Adding to and expanding an existing set of TALKABOUT T82 EXTREME Radios
- Outdoor use
- Hiking – wet weather
- etc…
The best budget Walkie Talkies
Cobra AM245 Walkie Talkies – Twin Pack
Cobra are an American company well known for making quality two-way radios and if you’re looking for a very cost effective set of portable radios to get you started, then the Cobra AM245 Twin Pack are in our opinion a great place to look.
The AM245‘s are pocket sized, so great to keep on hand – using the European & British standard licence Free frequency of PMR446 with up to 5km range, they are equally at home in a small business or keeping in touch with the kids on the beach. The AM245 Radios are suppplied with rechargable batteries and a micro USB cable to keep them topped up. It’s worth noting that they can also be powered using standard AAA batteries.
If you’re looking at starting using Two Way radios (or need a set for the kids), but don’t want to go all in with a more expensive feature packed set, then the Cobra AM245’s are an amazing place to start.
Key features
- Low cost
- Small size
- Lightweight
- Rechargable batteries
- 4 Hour battery life
- Great build quality
- Battery saving tech
Perfect for
- Home / Garden
- Keeping in touch with kids at the beach, in the garden, walks in the woods etc
- Camping, Caravanning
- Hiking
- Holidays
- Cruise Ships
Also recommended:
If you like Cobra radios and are looking for a set with more features then check out the AM655 and AM855 radios linked below.
The Best Walkie Talkies for events – High end use
Pro use crossover
Mitex PMR446 Xtreme2 Licence Free Walkie Talkie – Twin Pack
Technically speaking, we’d usually class these as a pro level radio, but it is rare indeed for pro level radios to be sold as twin packs so we though it worth dropping this pair of Mitex radios here as an option for people looking for a higher-grade of comms.
Rated at IP66, these radios are completely sealed from dust and can be submerged in water to up to 1 metre for at least three minutes without suffering damage, so these are perfectly at home in extreme environments, bad weather, snow, sand etc etc.
With larger batteries than the other radios in this list, at 1500 mAh the Mitex PMR446 Extremes can be relied on for long periods of use.
PMR446 standards dictate that radios must not exceed a maximum power threshold of 500 mW, so there’s not generally a range advantage of buying more expensive radios, however the longer antennae here do help pick up those fainter signals transmitted at longer distances.
We’d recommend these radios for outdoor sports clubs, small organisations, or even home users who just want a top quality PMR446 Two-Way radio.
Key features
- Weatherproof to IP66, can be submerged, used outdoors in the rain, dust
- Rechargeable batteries included
- 16 Channels -121 privacy codes
Perfect for
- Sports Clubs, Organisations
- Skiing, Snowboarding, Climbing, Biking etc
- Event organising
- Park Run
- Festivals
- Fetes
- Farms
- Garden Centres
- Film Production
Best alternative
Project Telecom Everyday Licence Free Two-Way Radio – PMR446
Conclusion
We hope you’ve found our Walkie Talkies buyers guide useful in giving you some good ideas to what you can look for in each radio. We have lots of other radios in stock, from high end radios for Port, Construction or Security use, all the way to Kids radios for play, and everything in between.
If you need further advice you can call our team any time during office hours on 0161 737 9898, or drop us an email using the contact from on our website and we’ll be happy to help.
What is PMR446?
To learn more about what the PMR446 Radio Standard is and why it had been adopted in Europe and further you can read our explainer article below.
We answer more detailed questions such as where you can use PMR446 Radios? What sort of Range you will get from PMR 446 Radios? …and how much you can expect to pay for certain types of PMR 446 radio.