Garmin inreach

[Citytaz]

Good day everyone

As the territory i will be hunting can at times be out of cell range i am looking for a GPS / emergency back up to communicate with.

Any one use the Garmin Inreach product? Any concerns or issues?

[triguy]

Hi
Just thought i would pass along my experience with my spot. I carried a Gen 3 for years. No issues, worked well and sent everytime. Upgraded to new version to send and receive texts. I got the model that does not pair to my phone. I just wanted a stand alone version for simplicity. Has functioned flawlessly for a year. This winter while ski touring but still with cell reception I get a call from SAR asking if everything is ok? False SOS sent canceled and carried on. Called spot to ask if i had done something wrong with handling the device? They were not sure but said lets get you a new one! They sent one by overnight courier. So i'm happy with the product and customer service.

[Torkdiesel]

Originally Posted by Citytaz

Good day everyone

As the territory i will be hunting can at times be out of cell range i am looking for a GPS / emergency back up to communicate with.

Any one use the Garmin Inreach product? Any concerns or issues?

I’ve been running them the last 8 years now. Zero issues, other then a few minor delays due to operator error.
That’s 8-10 units, 4000-6000 messages per season on average. I wouldn’t dream of using anything else.

A few people will complain about messages not sent or received, I’ve never had one that wasn’t operator error in 40,000 plus messages sent/received

[35 whelen]

I have the 66i ,still have not used much but no problems texting or sending messages.

[Knotter]

Nice features on this one. Wait until it's on sale. Very easy to use, 3 preset messages that don't add to your totals so long as no one sends a reply.

the gps functions of the 66i are hands down better than the old inreach but not as smooth as what you are used to with google, or gaia, etc.

[Citytaz]

Thanks for the feedback.

I have heard that in some cases the connection to the satellite could be sketchy and not reliable.

Every thing i have researched has made me think that is very isolated cases and that is why i am looking for other users feedback / comments.

[marky_mark]

Satellite communication is great
Mine went into sos on a bighorn hunt and they sent a helicopter to come find us
We just finished a big climb to our spotting location too

[jayquiver]

Originally Posted by marky_mark

Satellite communication is great
Mine went into sos on a bighorn hunt and they sent a helicopter to come find us
We just finished a big climb to our spotting location too

did you put it in SOS mode or did it malfunction?

[nimrod]

I also have a Garmin mini, no issues all with this, but zoleo satellite unit is cheaper available in Alberta and sends texts over wifi or cell or satellite ,just not sure on the battery life. Im now thinking about this to have 2 units in back country.

[Jjolg123]

My Zoleo lasts 5 days without turning it off and thats with pretty steady use. Also charges us quick via battery pack

[kurthunter]

I have a Garmin inreach and it is amazing. Use it to pair with your phone. The maps are not that good but for emergency communications there is nothing better. Been using it for 2 years now and love it. Peace of mind pre set messages are awesome and allow your family to see where you are on a map.

Worth every penny when you look at the country we hunt in anything can happen!

[Huk]

Never had to use the SOS, thankfully, but it's nice having the option and knowing that it works.

It's great for waypoints, although as others have said the stock maps aren't the best.

The biggest thing for me is the communication with my wife. It gives her piece of mind especially when I'm on solo trips. The pre-set messages is a wonderful thing. I can also let her know if plans change and I need to switch up locations, or extend the trip.

All in all, I would definitely recommend.

One word of caution, I haven't heard great things about the battery life in the mini version.

I've got the full size and keep it turned off until I go to use it. I don't think I've ever gone below 80%, and that was on a 5 day trip. It's impressive.

[Citytaz]

I an confident from the comments that the purchase of the Garmin Reach Explorer plus is a good buy. Thanks everyone for the feedback.

[Jason Bourne]

I have the inReach SE and its great. I see you are considering the Explorer +. Buddy from work bought one yesterday and apparently they are on sale right now. $150 off i believe.

[Citytaz]

Yes, im getting a decent price for mine.
Good time to look for sales.

Now if i could find ammo for a 264 Win Mag that would be a bonus

[beansgunsghandi]

The Garmin inReach mini is great, a big step up from the Spot and old inReach devices. Used it globally with no hassles, good battery life and function with the App on your phone to message. The Spot messaging system is a royal PITA to use compared to the Garmin. I've had to use the rescue function twice for other parties, make sure to put someone who is heads up in the "receive SOS" message list, especially if you hunt/whatever in areas a long way from roads. That way they can contact rescue and make sure you get the proper sort of rescue, not an ambulance sent to the closest trailhead as has unfortunately happened a couple of times. Seems like their dispatchers are getting better, but still a good thing to do. Oh, and if you hit the SOS leave the unit on--if you've just turned it on it can take up to five or ten minutes to get a solid GPS position lock, so the SOS signal you send may be off by a long way. They will also message you to confirm the SOS, make sure you have their App loaded up on your phone, it works great. Messaging directly off the mini or other units sucks, the App is the way forward if you message much. HTH, happy trails.

[marky_mark]

Originally Posted by jayquiver

did you put it in SOS mode or did it malfunction?

It malfunctioned
It was powered off and had the lock engaged
Google says it can happen
I guess I just have to be more aware of it’s orientation in my pack when I put it down

[Sportsman]

Originally Posted by Torkdiesel

I’ve been running them the last 8 years now. Zero issues, other then a few minor delays due to operator error.
That’s 8-10 units, 4000-6000 messages per season on average. I wouldn’t dream of using anything else.

A few people will complain about messages not sent or received, I’ve never had one that wasn’t operator error in 40,000 plus messages sent/received

Same for us, we have 3 and they work amazing. They are working on a two way radio with the same technology, can’t wait to try those. It’s push to talk technology over the iridium network with texting as well.

[marky_mark]

Originally Posted by Sportsman

Same for us, we have 3 and they work amazing. They are working on a two way radio with the same technology, can’t wait to try those. It’s push to talk technology over the iridium network with texting as well.

That would be pretty sweet

[BigJon]

Originally Posted by marky_mark

It malfunctioned
It was powered off and had the lock engaged
Google says it can happen
I guess I just have to be more aware of it’s orientation in my pack when I put it down

Which InReach model was it? I have the “mini” and know several others with it as well and have never heard of that.

That would suck though and could make for an awkward conversation re:billing...

[marky_mark]

Originally Posted by BigJon

Which InReach model was it? I have the “mini” and know several others with it as well and have never heard of that.

That would suck though and could make for an awkward conversation re:billing...

It was one of the explorer models
Works great when you pair it with your phone but if you push on that button hard enough. It can activate it even if it’s locked and in my case, powered off

[OL_JR]

I have the first gen inreach and mostly use it for sheep hunting. Never an issue, sometimes it takes a little longer for messages to go through depending on area but it always works and being able to send and receive is a must imho.
Started out with a Spot that only sent one way and long story short that can cause more issues than having nothing at all if it decides to not send, trust me . I know that the Spot devices have made some substantial upgrades over the years but the inreach works so well I don't see any reason to gamble on anything else.

[deerfarmer]

I have a Zoleo and it is fantastic. Subscription fees are very reasonable. If you are looking for sat communication in the back country they are pretty hard to beat I think.

Whatever you end up choosing I would find one that uses the iridium satellit network as you will have more reliable coverage and service.

[Deer_Hunter]

Originally Posted by marky_mark

It was one of the explorer models
Works great when you pair it with your phone but if you push on that button hard enough. It can activate it even if it’s locked and in my case, powered off

I keep my inReach in a padded zipped case - was originally an old-school cell phone case but fits the inreach perfectly

I always worry about setting the dam thing off

On the plus side it is very cost effective and nice to have limited messaging ability for muti-day trips without the cost of the sat phone

[marky_mark]

Originally Posted by Deer_Hunter

I keep my inReach in a padded zipped case - was originally an old-school cell phone case but fits the inreach perfectly

I always worry about setting the dam thing off

On the plus side it is very cost effective and nice to have limited messaging ability for muti-day trips without the cost of the sat phone

I learned to keep the buttons pointing inwards
So that they aren’t exposed to rocks