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

The GPS and location tracking is lousy, set-up and syncing not intuitive at all and customer support is non-existent. Unless youre buying this product for the SOS functionality, save your money.

I have spent several years carrying an Inreach and it is hard to believe how unreliable this device is. Updating firmware is a nightmare. Syncing, nightmare. User Interface is clunky. Getting a computer to both use the sync/update software and actually see the device plugged in via USB is a nightmare. You can either go with a less robust satellite beacon or go full satellite phone - either is a more reliable alternative.

Perfect solution when you are fishing in remote areas with no cell service.

Folks, Garmin products are okay. But, the cost of the inReach service is ridiculous. You either have to pay a hefty monthly bill or an annual contract. I went with the annual contract. After 6 months, I decided that I didnt really need the service (particularly in the winter). I called to cancel. Turns out that they are going to bill me one large lump sum for the months I didnt use. I know, seems simple. If you are reading this review, you will be thinking what I did 6 months ago...its cheaper to just go with the yearly plan. But in reality, it is kind of a rip-off. Garmin should be ashamed of themselves for the cost of the service. You pay a premium for the unit, but that is only the beginning of the cost. Over years, this will compound into one of the more expensive investments. Buyer beware...you are getting ready to go down the rabit-hole!

Was near the Arctic Circle for a few weeks and the unit worked well for a few days, although the text messages at times would be delayed a few hours it seems. I had no means to recharge the unit so I would shut it down to conserve battery. After about 5 days I no longer was able to shut it off and it went dead. Upon return to civilization I recharged and still could not shut it off and eventually it even wouldnt turn on. Going through a replacement with Garmin and that psrt has been excellent.

I have not used the item yet but I did activate the yearly subscription, and love the size and weight feels feather light, perfect for my mountain biking adventures.

Yo estuve buscando un teléfono satelital que tuviera cobertura en todo el mundo o al menos en America, sin embargo encontré que los teléfonos eran bastante austeros, que el servicio era muy costoso y que muy pocos tienen cobertura global. En el Garmin InReach Explorer+ encontré un GPS con mapas topográficos de todo el mundo, servicio de SOS mundial y SMS satelitales en todo el mundo, además está en español. Lo único que le falta para ser un teléfono satelital es poder hacer llamadas, pero la mensualidad de aproximadamente $11.00USD es mucho más accesible.

Disappointed because when we went to register the product we found out it had been registered and used by someone else and was being sold as a new product. We were unable to register it unless the previous owner deactivated so we had to send it back.

I pre-ordered this, so Ive had it for two weeks now and taken it on 5+ hikes. Very solid performance for navigation, tracking, and messaging. Seamless integration with the smartphone app so you can use your smartphone screen to look at your map and do messaging. You can even use voice dictation of messages. Great options for managing your battery life. Easy for others to track you and message you (with your permission) using a web browser. Appears pretty bounce-proof so far. I had a couple of contacts with customer support for user questions -- one was handled over the phone, one by email -- both very satisfactory. Im tempted to give it five stars, but the memory capacity is limited for tracking points and waypoints, so if you want to import a long route (like the PCT) or have many waypoints to store, you run over the limit. As a result, its not really a single solution for a long trail, but has to be supplemented with other apps. I have not had any GPS issues with my unit. The location information has been extremely accurate for me.

Great tool, I have been starting with the very first InReach for Mobile back in 2013, then used the InReach SE and now the Inreach Explorer+. Its the perfectly reliable outdoor communication and rescue tool. Any mountainbiker, windsurfer, kiteboarder, sailor, expedition people etc should have one. There are more enhanced dataplans available by protegear.com with a dedicated email address for your InReach and some smartsafety features with deadmans switch.