Inreach. Mini2 or Messenger+

I have a Messenger (not +). Great for texting and weather reports. Not designed for navigation, really. Tho it can give me coordinates of where I am, so I can find myself on my paper maps.

Cheers

If you are using the app, then the phone’s gps is probably as good or better than the one in the Garmin. I use Gaia, but there are other apps that will also work well. If you are worried about the phone as a failure point the larger screen on the mini makes it better in that regard.   The messenger on the other hand has a better antenna and battery life.

I’m still using an original Mini and have thought about upgrading, but I can’t justify it (yet). The hiking guy just showed an image of a new Mini (3?), and I think they are overdue to refresh it. That being said, I think the mini 2 is $150 off now.

I got the Messenger+. It was also marked down $150. From what I’ve read, with the better antenna and extra power, i stash it a little better. .After looking at the Explorer app.  I’d probably would have been happy with the Mini 2. My old eTrex still works. I’d rather see it on my phone.

I used the 67i on my AT thru hike (similar antenna to mini) and my wife had the messenger+

The messenger+ had difficulty communicating unless it was oriented face up (difficult to do while hiking). If I knew this prior, I would have gotten her the mini. That being said, the battery life on the messenger+ is very good.

I’m waiting for a phone that can communicate directly to satellite which would obsolete the mini/messenger

Waiting for a phone. That was my plan, but it’s taking it’s time. I wanted a better GPS. I didn’t realize that I have to pay extra for tracking. Voice texts and pictures aren’t counted as regular texts.  REI is supposed to have a good return policy. Sounds like the mini 2 is a better deal.  Or wait and get the 67i.

Easy return at REI. Ordered the Mini 2. Even if a Mini 3 comes out, I wouldn’t want to pay full price. The 2 will do.  Thanks all.

Mini 3

I don’t think I’m missing out on anything the inreach 2 doesn’t have. A color screen that I won’t use except for the menu.. Voice texting and pictures cost extra. If I upgraded, I’d get a regular gps.

“I’m waiting for a phone that can communicate directly to satellite which would obsolete the mini/messenger.”

That day is now. Newer iPhones (14 and higher, I believe) can message, SOS, and share location via satellite (Globalstar). The service is free for 2 years after activation. Another option is T-Mobile’s “T-Satellite” service, which is 15$ per month and, in addition to above, adds satellite data to authorized apps (e.g. Caltopo, Weather). The cool thing about the service is that you do not have to be on a T-Mobile plan. You can just add the T-Satellite service as a second eSIM and continue to use your current plan for talk & cell data.

As an iPhone user myself, I’m not up-to-date on Android phone’s satellite capabilities, but it’s probably similar and you could also use the T-Satellite service.

I currently have a Zoleo, but I’m thinking of dropping it. My only hesitation is that an iPhone isn’t the most durable and since I use it for other things (e.g. photos, nav confirmation) I need to be mindful of battery use. A good phone case and external battery fix most of that, but still having a dedicated device for SOS seems wise.

Sorry, but I’m team android.  Even if androids are inferior :)

Maybe at some point sense will come to me but not yet.

It seems like garmin is fighting a losing battle.  No reason to upgrade their product with new features.  When phones all have satellite capability, and it becomes common, which we’re close to, there will be no reason to own an inreach.

Like my garmin gps which is sitting in a drawer.  Basically, a brick.  I should give it to the goodwill. Or a museum :)

I was feeling responsible for a couple days. I believe in helping S&R do their job. Older guys get lost on shorter trails…I’ll probably give it to my granddaughter. I’ve used a GPS for off trail. Making routes after studying the maps. I really don’t do that anymore. I stick to the trails. For the discount price, I’ma gonna try it. To Garmin’s credit, my eTrex still works. I still squint to read the screen, except now, I need readers. The company is having a heyday with their popularity. Investors will invest. When it slows down, they’ll invest elsewhere. A couple good bubbles is all they need to get through life. Then Garmin will go the way of Fisher. Pioneer?  Lowrance. Sell the name and move on. Waiting for the next big thing. Next big bubble. A.I. navigation. What a mess.

I have Mini 1 and iPhone 14. The satellite messaging on the iPhone is cumbersome to say the least. You have to spin around to lock on to the satellite nearby-then hold that once you get the green locked signal. One a good day is sends the message in about 45 seconds from when it was started. On bad days/areas it attempts to send and after 45-60 seconds it says you need to wait for the next satellite and you start the whole process over. In camp with time to burn-this isn’t the end of the world, especially if you have wide clear path-you can send many messages once you lock on. While hiking in varying terrain, tree cover, canyons, it’s maddening having to stop and track the satellite until message has been sent. With the Inreach, barring deep canyons or thick tree cover, it’s send it and forget it-keep hiking and the message will go through in varying times-not much babysitting.

So for me, for now, I still take Inreach on every hike/backpack trip and use the phone at camp for check ins as to not use up my Inreach messages-but it’s no replacement as of yet.

So, phones aren’t there yet.  Still need inreach.  Thanks

I just use the inreach when I get to camp for the night, then send a satellite message with my location.   So S and R can find my half eaten body if a mountain lion half eats me.

Sometimes, I can turn on the inreach and it finds satellites and I can send message in 10 minutes.  Other times it takes a couple hours.  Sometimes I’ll forget that it’s acquiring satellites and I leave it on over night.  Uses up about 50% of the battery.  None of that disqualifies the inreach, it’s very useful.  I can work with it’s delay.

I do worry a bit about the touchscreen, especially in bad weather.  I too have the original Mini and iPhone 14 and resisted upgrading to the Mini 2. I guess I’ll wait to hear if the battery and antenna are significantly better. That would sway me more than the touchscreen or photo/voice capability.

The baked in satellite messaging on iPhones relies on Globalstar’s network, which currently has 24 satellites. T-Mobile’s T-Satellite service, which can be easily added to an iPhone, uses Starlink’s satellite network, which currently has 650 satellites. Big difference. Sending a message with T-Sat is very quick with no fuss.

Bob, just like the Garmin watches, you can still do everything with buttons.

I personally don’t think phones are quite there yet.  I saw an internal demo from the team responsible for the iPhone sat-comms showing how it all works. Very impressive. I still feel Garmin inReach is the gold standard. That could change. It just hasn’t yet.

Mini 2 and Mini 3 seems to have the same battery claims, which are much better than the Mini 1.

@Jerry I noticed that when my Mini 2 is trying to connect to the sats. is chews through battery too. Once connected, it seems to use much less.

Mini 3 and 3 Plus just announced. Can’t believe I’m saying this but probably worth it and the first real “game changer” update

I’m waiting for the ImPeach45.

I don’t ever use tracking with my inreach but use the preset messages throughout the day for last known location checkins. I guess I could do the same by dropping a pin with iphone messages connected to T-Mobile Starlink satellites? With this service there is way more flexibility in the number of messages you can send, and locations you’re at without your garmin device and not backpacking. But I do like the insurance you get with Garmin, though is that even necessary as long as I’m not engaging in reckless behavior?  https://www.garmin.com/en-US/p/906397/#overview

Charlie, that’s the rub. Cellphone sat coms are just getting going. I haven’t used them yet (my phone is a S23 Ultra without satcom capabilities), but they are in their infancy and from user reports, seem very flaky and iffy in use. I’m sure they’ll get better. That aside, my OG Inreach has been dropped off cliffs, accidentally floated down muddy rivers, left in the sand and is always on my person. Phones break all the time. Extraction/rescue insurance can be purchased outside of the Garmin ecosystem, but I don’t know what they cost etc and you still need the big red button if your you break your body.

IMHO this is the first real upgrade of the Inreach Mini platform: 3x transmit power, better GPS, way better Iridium NEXT Certus modem, multimedia, speech to text/command, bypassable touch screen, maps (although limited for now).

If Starlinks works as well in the backcountry as it did on an international flight I was on last year I think we’re past the iffy and flaky stage. And I don’t want to jinx myself but I’ve taken many spills and never damaged my phone. It’s almost always tucked away and with the right protection they’re pretty durable unless a direct screen contact with a rock I imagine. But I hear you. The paranoia in me always wants a backup plan, just wish it didn’t cost so much money for the device and ongoing costs.

Starlink is the future for sure. It rules the world as far as current overall satellite data. Whether it will rule Direct to Cell (DTC) is another matter, although I think it will become the standard. Sat coms on phones have a whole different set of requirements and challenges and SpaceX has been working on the spectrum leases to do just that and has over 400 DTC sats orbiting now. My money is they will rule this space in the next few years. But the next few years is not today heh.

Main issue I can see is lack of a dedicated, physical extended antenna on todays smartphones.