Garmin Inreach

[Knobbies]

I’m looking into getting a satellite messenger + GPS. Does anyone have any experience with the Inreach Mini and/or Inreach Explorer? I’m curious to know how navigation on the Mini, paired to a phone, compares to that of the Explorer.

[whitlers]

I have the mini. I use the Gaia App on my phone for GPS and use the Garmin Earthmate app as a backup. I dont know much about the explorer but there is a new one out that you can get BRMB for .

[RyoTHC]

Currently run the garmin 66I, wouldn’t change it now. 2in1 is way handier and I don’t find phones and apps to be reliable once you get off the beaten trail currently. If you’re going to road hunt and camp at rec sites it should be sufficients..

[Wentrot]

The explorer works great. No experience with the mini but I know that when pairing the explorer to the Earthmate app it works excellent as well. I’m sure the mini paired to your phone would do just as well. Being off the beaten path has nothing to do with reliability as they are connected via Bluetooth-you don’t require service. No need to really step up to the 66I unless you require BRMB for road hunting purposes.

[RackStar]

I use inreach mini , but not for its gps purposes. It has great maps when sync to iPhone , but I prefer to have a second gps that takes regular batteries for long trips. It also doubles as backup.

[Rye]

I have the explorer, and I appreciate the ability to use the device stand-alone without the need for my phone - both because it’s a bit more convenient, and because I’m not relying on two things both having a battery charge. Using the explorer through my phone is identical to using the mini with the phone, and I have no complaints about that, but the little bit of extra cost for the stand-alone capability was worth it to me.

[RyoTHC]

The explorer works great. No experience with the mini but I know that when pairing the explorer to the Earthmate app it works excellent as well. I’m sure the mini paired to your phone would do just as well. Being off the beaten path has nothing to do with reliability as they are connected via Bluetooth-you don’t require service. No need to really step up to the 66I unless you require BRMB for road hunting purposes.

off the beaten path comment was referring to the phone and their durability and reliability or lack there of.

you aren’t going to drop and smash your garmin. Or get it wet and ruin it, the batteries don’t die insanely fast when “roaming” and fare much better in the cold. As said, if you are off the beaten path you likely shouldn’t be trusting a smart phone or an app for your safety. Nothing beats a compass and map but a purpose made gps unit is worlds better and safer than using a phone. Just because it works doesn’t make it the best idea.

Great for for casual hunters ofc.

[jlirot]

I want a 66i - but that's a lotta scratch...

Maybe Santa will bring me one.

[Blockcaver]

I’ve been hunting off the beaten path using a GAIA basic $20 app package I got back in 2015. Still haven’t broken an iPhone but have had 5 Garmin GPS failures prior to switching to the app. And I carry the phone everyday vs the GPSs that were only used 20% of the days or whatever. I find the phone 10x easier to use than a GPS and the aerials/map layers are superior.

I do agree you need to keep the phone warm and have a way to charge it. My shirt pocket suffices
for the warmth and charging is a small $19 Walmart charge pack if going backpacking. Good luck!

[Knobbies]

Thanks for the info guys! I’m a minimalist so I’m going to give the Mini + phone a shot.

[weed782]

The Mini is awesome! get it. I've used it on several multi day trips up to 2 weeks. Battery life is good. I always take a solar charger too. Charges my phone several times without putting it on the sun. The combo of Mini, cell phone and solar charger is the business.

[whitlers]

off the beaten path comment was referring to the phone and their durability and reliability or lack there of.

you aren’t going to drop and smash your garmin. Or get it wet and ruin it, the batteries don’t die insanely fast when “roaming” and fare much better in the cold. As said, if you are off the beaten path you likely shouldn’t be trusting a smart phone or an app for your safety. Nothing beats a compass and map but a purpose made gps unit is worlds better and safer than using a phone. Just because it works doesn’t make it the best idea.

Great for for casual hunters ofc.

Interesting. I didn't know hiking into the mountains for days on end chasing mule deer with my phone as a GPS made me a casual hunter. That's good to know. I'll be sure to update my resume. Thanks tips...

[todbartell]

66i is wicked

[Ron.C]

Cabelas had the Inreach Mini on sale right now for $369 plus one month free rebate.

[tipper]

Have the in reach but you're better off with a sat phone. Can't stand texting and when shit hits the fan it's nice to have a voice conversation.

[Knobbies]

Alright, ended up grabbing the mini. It worked very well paired to the phone, vastly preferred the phone app interface over that of the standalone unit. One thing I learned: if left active indoors, battery life is abysmal, about 8 hours. With a clear view of the sky, a 12 hour hunt day only knocked it down to 87%. Probably known to most of you GPS users but it was new to me. Also, I found the maps on Earthmate fairly limited compared to the paper backroad mapbook I was cross referencing with. Any tips on getting more accurate/up to date maps on the phone? Being able to definitively know the MU and identify crown land would be amazing, if such a system exists.

[boxhitch]

watching with interest
also looking for best maps to download in Earthmate and how its done for out-of-service use

[whitlers]

As I said earlier. The Earthmate app is hurting when it comes to maps. I find using my phone with Gaia GPS with BRMB is excellent for navigation. I use the Mini for backup nav and the messaging. The Mini on it's own should not be considered a GPS for backcountry navigation. The maps are too primitive.

As for battery I turn it on at intervals when I want to check in or double check where I am at. Lasted me 4 days recently using it here and there.

[RiverOtter]

Have the in reach but you're better off with a sat phone. Can't stand texting and when shit hits the fan it's nice to have a voice conversation.
In theory, I'd agree, but I've seen enough dropped calls and 20 minutes out of an hour actual service to not have much faith in a sat phone.
At least with an Inreach it keeps launching your text at the satellite until it goes through. Having your gps coordinates attached to your text is another advantage over a sat phone. Size, weight and battery life make an Inreach a no brainer, unless we're talking about a base camp setting. Regardless, I'd still want an Inreach for backup.

[walks with deer]

i carry the inreach..i even text myself when j find a pocket

[wsquared]

Just a heads up, down load the Garmin connect app onto phone or Garmin express onto computer and check for updates for the Inreach. Should do this before each trip, and also send test message to those you keep in contact with. Had a little glitch with this on a Sheep hunt Oct.10-15, would have saved me a bit of grief once I got home. This was the only small issue( not getting a response to a message I sent, even though they sent a response), in the 2 years I've had one.

[Knobbies]

As I said earlier. The Earthmate app is hurting when it comes to maps. I find using my phone with Gaia GPS with BRMB is excellent for navigation. I use the Mini for backup nav and the messaging. The Mini on it's own should not be considered a GPS for backcountry navigation. The maps are too primitive.

As for battery I turn it on at intervals when I want to check in or double check where I am at. Lasted me 4 days recently using it here and there.

Whitlers, just so I’m clear: are you using Gaia GPS with a digital BRMB branded map downloaded onto it, or are you using Gaia GPS with default maps and comparing your location to a physical (paper) BRMB? If it’s the former, is that something that’s available with the regular or premium subscription? Premium is $50 per year which seems pretty steep considering they specify US-only huntimmaps, property boundaries etc. Getting that kind of data for BC would be the holy grail.

[whitlers]

Whitlers, just so I’m clear: are you using Gaia GPS with a digital BRMB branded map downloaded onto it, or are you using Gaia GPS with default maps and comparing your location to a physical (paper) BRMB? If it’s the former, is that something that’s available with the regular or premium subscription? Premium is $50 per year which seems pretty steep considering they specify US-only huntimmaps, property boundaries etc. Getting that kind of data for BC would be the holy grail.

Gaia with a digital download of BRMB. I think it cost me $35/yr I'll have to look into it. Works great and is very accurate.

[albravo2]

I've been an InReach user since they first came out. I've upgraded a couple times and have one of the newer models now but I don't recall the model. One thing I would be wary about with the mini is I've always had some difficulty, through each model I've owned, with messages that will come in to the unit but won't make it all the way onto my phone.

I've wasted enough ours with InReach tech support over the years that I haven't bothered trying to troubleshoot the problem, I just read my incoming messages on the unit and send messages from my phone. That wouldn't be possible with the mini.

[Roots]

FYI, the mini is currently on sale at Cabelas.ca for $369.99

https://www.cabelas.ca/product/112561/garmin-inreach-mini-satellite-communicator