Garmin 010-01879-00 InReach Mini, Lightweight and Compact Satellite Communicator, Orange

I had been using a spot device and after getting a 225 dollar renewal charge from spot I had enough. I used this on a 5 day trip in the sierra Nevada mountains. It was small enough to wear on my pack strap which made it easy to check out miles for the day. Battery life wasnt bad in tracking mode I recharged it off a solar charger but I think it could have gone two days in tracking mode. miles traveled was dead on with the map trail mileage. Pairing the unit with a iphone and sending a message was pretty easy.

Got the Garmin InReach Mini for a 7 night backpacking trip in the Eastern Sierra. Wanted to be able to receive weather updates and to be able to call for help if needed. Did not have to use the SOS function but it brought piece of mind to myself, my hiking buddies and my girlfriend (who was not with us) just in case someone got hurt. The texting function on the device was a little difficult to figure out but you can sync with your phone and text like normal. Super easy. Lightweight and compact. Battery lasted 5 days or so and it charged up quickly with the battery pack I brought. Very happy with the purchase!

No matter where I am, this just displays Wait for GPS for hours until it gets a signal. Once it has a signal, the text messaging rarely works and can take hours or days to send.

El equipo hace lo que promete, sin embargo para quien desee comprar de mensajería ilimitada les cuento que el tiempo de envío o recepción del mensaje lleva un periodo de 8 minutos a 12 minutos entre cada uno. Osea seis mensajes por hora.

So far I have only used it for kayak fishing so haven’t tested under the trees of the Florida trail yet. Bought it for backup during emergencies and so honey bunny would know where I was. Some of the tech could use a refresh, but works flawlessly so far.

Buon prodotto utile

I used this in the back country of Yosemite on a solo backpack trip. Definitely recommend practicing with it before you go! Interface within app to phone is much easier to use than just using the device itself for texts. Set up your phone book before hand and send practice texts to them to make sure it’s working. I quickly reached my limit of 20 texts in the plan I selected. You might consider how nice it will be to receive messages from your friends and family and maybe get a plan with a higher allowed number of texts. (Texts you receive may be broken into more than one text if it is long… tel your people to keep messages short!)

I have owned my in reach mini for over 2 years. I chose the garmin unit for size, ease of use with phone earth mate app, two way communication, and lifetime cost savings (the ability to turn off monthly service fee during months we do not use meant equal cost at 18 months…lower cost every month after compared to competitor). I use it primarily for backpacking but also for motorcycle riding. I bought it for the sos feature which thankfully I have never had to use. I have used it for tons of other reasons…checked weather on a thru hike (80% chance of rain at one lake, 20% on the other side of the mountain where we comfortably WATCHED the storm), checked fire report when we awoke to smoke so thick we couldn’t see the lake we were camped at (no fire nearby, just blowing in from CA and WA), alerted family to change in plans, used usgs map function to find a lake in fire damaged area where the trail was completely undetectable (in reach knows where I am, the 1970s usgs map knows where the trail USED to be), scouted route when we got off trail in an area that was more downed trees than actual trail, messaged food drop support to alert to arrival time, messaged dog sitter to get dog off the trail when he was struggling with the heat, set waypoint to mark where we parked or set up camp when wandering off trail….and lots more. It holds a charge for 5 days of hiking as I use it (ping every 10 mins, message home when arrive at camp, turn off until we hit trail next day). When I’ve been overdue or decided to ride straight thru without break … my family can pop onto tracking and see where I am. I know 2 people who HAVE used the sos function ( mountaineering rescue and a motorcycle crash in remote Idaho)… both had great response time for aid. It’s been a game changer for my backpacking and I wouldn’t leave home without it.

This product was my “big”gift to my husband.

Took a little time to set it up but after it does everything its supposed to. Great safety device to take along on hiking and motorcycle trips.