I need:
The ability to be connected with more than 1 other radio
Good range in thick woods
A reliable connection
Enough channels so no one can eavesdrop
weatherproof
Silent operation
compatible with a throat mic
Usually most people use a set of GMRS radios such as these for paintball and airsoft: http://www.buytwowayradios.com/products/midland/midland-gxt-760-vp4.aspx
We have a lot of throat mics for them as well: http://www.buytwowayradios.com/Products/Accessories/Midland-Accessories.aspx#Headsets
There is not much you can do about people listening to you on them though. GMRS radios may no longer use scrambling and have a limited number of channels.
900MHz radios though have a lot of channels and are hard to snoop on because of it. Here is a 900MHz radio you might like: http://www.buytwowayradios.com/products/trisquare/trisquare-tsx-100-2vp.aspx
Here are some throat mics for them: http://www.buytwowayradios.com/cat/2-Way-Radios/Accessories/TriSquare-Accessories.aspx#Headsets
Here are all the TriSquare radios we carry: http://www.buytwowayradios.com/Products/TriSquare/TriSquare-Two-Way-Radios.aspx
They are water “resistant” to a limited degree, but very few radios are truly waterproof. You can turn off the roger beeps, etc… as well.
For a 900MHz radio that is more rugged, a lot of people like this on from Motorola: http://www.buytwowayradios.com/products/motorola/motorola-dtr410.aspx
We have throat mics for it as well: http://www.buytwowayradios.com/Products/Accessories/Motorola-DTR-Accessories.aspx
Most people use GMRS radios because they are very common, and everyone seems to have one. If you use a 900MHz radio, they will only work with other 900MHz radios. Something to keep in mind if need to communicate with different people.
Yes but ive heard that the TriSquare’s do not work well with more than one other radio
We have not heard of any problems using a group of TriSquare radios together. If you want privacy that is just about the only practical way to go. GMRS is popular, but eavesdropping is very easy.