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

This was purchased as a gift for my husband who goes back country snowmobiling a lot. It’s nice that he can keep in touch and I know where he is in case of an emergency!

I originally had the SPOTX but ended up returning it and going with the mini. I found that the satellite coverage for the SPOTX was poor and that about 90% of my messages were undeliverable. With the InReach Mini it worked great. For fun I brought both devices out to a remote fishing spot. The SPOTX never sent a message out, the inReach had no issue. If you are from this area of B.C., I suggest getting the inreach.

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.

I love the idea of this device but in execution is is very s l o w... It can take 15 to 20 minutes to get a message out and confirmation back, thus negating any functional use of their manned SOS features. It has problems getting a satellite connection, even in a very open sky. If I had an emergency in even a lightly wooded area I am concerned that the SOS request might not make it out. And finally, following all the instructions for a firmware update from Garmin my unit became nonfunctional and even their factory reset did not work. The unit was 14 months old (2 months out of warrantee) so they kindly, yup, those were the support staffs actual words, kindly shipped me a replacement. The replacement was an obviously well used and worn refurbished unit. I dont know how long it will last but it seems to me that if your update bricks my unit unrecoverable it is not unreasonable for me to expect you to repair it or replace it with a unit of similar value. Live and learn. Dont make my mistake, look elsewhere.

This was easy to set up and connect to my phone. The account setup was easy. Still figuring through the features, but it will be very useful in the travels I do. I bought one for me and one for my husband.

Easy to use, small and easy to carry

It does what it is supposed to do.

A must for my Overland travels, and worth every penny.

I purchased this for an overland trip through BLM land in Southern Utah (Grand Staircase, Alstom Point), about 100 miles of off roading and hiking.

What a great product to take out in the gulf. Great piece of mind!