8 Best Long Range Walkie Talkies (Review) in 2020

The Motorola MH230R provides clear communication over hill and dale up to 23 miles. While that distance will vary as it does with all walkie talkies, the MH230R holds up its end of the bargain far better than most. You don’t need to be on the Bonneville Salt Flats on a clear day to achieve long-range effective communications. And it performs just as well in short range situations that overwhelm many a lesser walkie talkie like crowded malls and amusement parks.

The Motorola MH230R is an outstanding long range walkie talkie that’s surprisingly powerful and clear even over great distances. If you plan on going camping or backpacking, apart from bringing a compass, you should have a pair of these with you so no individual or group is ever out of range of the others. Just make sure you bring along plenty of alkaline backups and you’ll be good to go for a long weekend. 

While the Uniden Submersible is an outstanding walkie talkie that will provide you excellent range in less than perfect conditions, 50 miles is probably pushing it a bit. 25 miles in open country though is not and that’s about 23 more miles than you’ll get out of poorly engineered units. The Uniden Submersible is a great looking unit that’s a treat to hold and all readouts are clear as day.

There were times we were able to get 20+ miles out of these units and other times, particularly in the city, when the effective range was reduced to about a mile. All in all this walkie talkie is very easy to operate. The buttons are clearly marked, well laid out and easy to use and we appreciate that you can completely submerge these units and they’ll pop straight back up ready to go. Range and submersibility alone make these an excellent value. Be sure to also check out our list of the best emergency radios for more great items like this.

BaoFeng may not be a name familiar to many but they’ve been rising steadily through the ranks of quality walkie talkie manufacturers in recent years. Their BF-888S is a prime example of how far they’ve come and a fine indication that with a few additional years under their belt we may be talking about them as one of the outstanding walkie talkie makers out there. This unit is compact and comfortable, has plenty of range and, considering you get 6 units, is extremely affordable.

Outstanding small touches like the emergency flashlight demonstrate that the engineers at BaoFeng are thinking on their feet. It’s the kind of thing that augurs well for the rest of the walkie talkie. Overall the unit is tough as nails and really easy to hold firmly. The most serious drawback is the controls layout, which almost seem like an afterthought. Beyond that the BaoFeng BF-888S is well worth the investment.

The Motorola Talkabout series, including this MT352TPR, all provide outstanding battery performance and that’s what you want from a walkie talkie. The battery here uses a handy USB charger and also has a mini USB charger for those times you’re on the road, so don’t forget to bring a portable power bank. While not completely waterproof the units are water resistant and dust resistant so there should be no problems with outdoor operation. We never achieved 35 miles but on a clear day in the open country we did manage just over 18 which in itself is pretty outstanding.

The Motorola MT352TPR Weatherproof walkie talkie is more weather resistant than weatherproof. Still, you won’t have any trouble with it on rainy days in the woods when you want to stay in touch with everyone. Battery performance alone is almost worth the price of admission but build quality, design and toughness are also first rate and argue in favor of this walkie talkie.

The Luiton LT-188H 10 watt walkie talkie is a model of efficiency that’s well designed and well-balanced with plenty of power to achieve its advertised 10-mile effective range. That may actually be the most accurate range assessment of any long range walkie talkie on the market and is certainly achievable in open country in good weather.

The LT-188H walkie talkie is that rare piece of tech that does just about everything it says it will. It is a genuine long range walkie talkie, has many desirable, convenient features and is a steal at the cost of 2 large pizzas. Features like the built in flashlight, power saving mode and button lock are things we look for in a walkie talkie and we’re happy to say the Luiton has them all. Our handy guide to the best emergency blankets features more great products like this.

While you’d be hard-pressed to actually achieve 35-mile communication with this MR350TPR walkie talkie, you’ll get 20+ in open country on good days and that’s nothing to sneeze at. The practical range within busy city limits is considerably shorter and depends largely on where the communicants are located. That said this is a great walkie talkie for camping trips and the built in flashlight always comes in handy in the camping tent after dark.

While this walkie talkie has some minor build flaws that can’t be ignored, such as the fairly fragile belt clips, other features like the easy to read illuminated display and built-in flashlight offset any downside. The fact that you can expect to get 10+ miles under normal (not ideal) conditions in open country is a major plus and the sound quality is typically excellent most of the time. An ideal walkie talkie for campers and hikers, but mountain rescue teams may want something with a stronger clip.

The BF-888S Plus is that most curious of tech objects that is intended as an upgrade to an earlier product but not a replacement. That said, this 888S Plus is an outstanding walkie talkie. You’re not going to get 20+ miles out of it but you will get 5 on a good day in open country which is typically all the average person would ever need and then some.

Technically the BF-888S Plus marks an advance over earlier models of the 888S, but aesthetically the unit has taken a major step backward. We’re also not sure what BaoFeng has against illuminated displays but it’s a bit annoying. That said the walkie talkie delivers from the point of functionality and that’s what really matters. For the price of an extra-large deluxe pizza you can have this high-quality walkie talkie that will likely last you for years.

The LXT500VP3 from Midland is a true long range walkie talkie which, under ideal circumstances, will provide an effective range of more than 20 miles. Under less than ideal circumstances in the open country you can expect perhaps 1/2 that range and in the city center it will be reduced to 1 or 2 miles. The LXT500VP3 fits neatly into the palm of your hand and operation is a cinch.

Overall a quality product that delivers on more of its promise than most walkie talkies on the market. It’s beautifully built, tough as nails, provides reliable communication even under difficult circumstances and the energy conservation feature is one all walkie talkies should adopt. For the price you can do no wrong with this outstanding Midland walkie talkie.