Garmin 010-01735-10 inReach Explorer+, Handheld Satellite Communicator with Topo Maps and GPS Navigation

It has worked as it should. I do a lot of hiking and 4-wheeling in the back country. My wife cried with relief when I got it. I am still working on understanding how it works. It is my current understanding that the only way for someone to get a text to the garmin is by responding to one that i have sent.

I have been looking at GPS units for well over 2 years. I finally saved up enough and purchased this unit. Usually, when I am backpacking I am in areas where there is sporadic to no cell signal. I think the unit is simple and intuitive to navigate and use. It holds a charge and does exactly what it says it does. I usually take a screenshot of the weather before heading on any trips and have found being able to get realtime weather forecasts a day or two after I have started my trip can really change what I plan for the day. I have been out twice when the forecast said partly cloudy with little to no chance of rain and pulled the weather forecast from this unit a day later which said t-storms within a given timeframe. Knowing that I needed to hump it if I wanted to stay dry. The texting feature works well, sometimes it can take 15-20 mins to send the message as the unit is looking for satellites. Family/Friends are able to follow along on my hikes and see where we are real time and how fast we are moving. I chose this unit specifically for the onboard maps. Last year, my phone fell out of my pocket as I was climbing over a fallen tree and the screen hit a rock. The phone was ruined. I couldnt use or see anything on the screen. If that would have happened earlier in the trip, I would have had to spend more time with my map making sure I was headed on the right trail. The unit is completely independent but connects to your phone for convenience. The earthmate app works great and I can do almost everything through my phone. This gave my family piece of mind while I am backpacking for multiple days and that alone was worth its weight in gold.

Love this device although it is important to note that you CANNOT load maps onto it like you can other Garmin devices. It has access to a lot of maps and detail from Garmin but if you want to load, say, a set of maps with snow mobile trails on it, you cant.

My truck was snowbound after my GPS sent me down an unpaved back road in Readsboro Vermont. There was no cell service for 15 miles .I Needed a cable wrecker. Used it to text friend for help.

Love this unit and dont leave home without; its fast, reliable, great on the battery and once its got a connection, it works extremely well time and time again. Ive used it for messaging, for tracking, for orienting, for geocaching and for a backup in case of an emergency (havent had to use the SOS feature [yet]). This is the same quality as every Garmin unit, and a brand I trust my life to. Yes, plans could be a bit more cost-friendly, but its priceless in the end when you think about what it accomplishes!

Quick set up!

Ive always used Garmin gps units for hiking and for my car ( before MAPS app).

My Garmin Inreach Explorer has given me a sense of security when out of range of cellular communications. I know that Im only a text message away from a friend coming to help. And, if I have an emergency, help is just a push of a button away. I feel so strongly about the usefullness of the Inreach Explorer that I have asked the company that I work for consider its use. We have since ordered 40 and will more than double that number soon. If you or your employees find yourself alone and outside of cell service even occasionally, you should consider this product. Before having the Explorers available, our employees would notify our dispatchers of their possible return time before heading to remote locations where they knew they would be outside of radio and cell service. The intent was that if they didnt check back in that someone would go look for them. Now were in the modern age, and our employees are able to communicate with their supervisor and each other at all times.

Well done Garmin. The maps are not as detailed as I expected but the whole point of this device was comms in the back country where theres no cell service and it will do the job nicely. Setup was not hard. Signed up for a 14$mo data package to get started, with a 24$ yearly fee. I will increase the package features as we go hiking and drop it back, or stop service when we arent using it.

Hiking, wilderness backcountry trips