Garmin inReach Mini Review: No More Missed Calls

Hey, I've been using my Garmin inReach Mini for over 8 months now and wanted to share my thoughts. I purchased the unit, and pay for it monthly. The article is pretty upbeat with not much negative to say, because I've genuinely had zero bad experiences (except for an Iridium outage a few days ago?). Enjoy.

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Do you answer calls from unknown numbers? I certainly don’t. Neither did that hiker who got lost in Lake County, CO a few days ago. Authorities tried to call him, he received the calls, yet he didn’t answer them because he didn’t know who was calling!



You never want to be lost in the woods relying on cell service. With the amount of readily available, and relatively inexpensive, satellite communicators on the market, you don’t have to. More importantly, when you lose cell service, you need to have a backup.

Satellite communicators come in different forms, though some of the more popular options are the Garmin InReach line and the Somewear Labs Global Hotspot. Both run on the Iridium satellite network, and when I was looking at purchasing a satellite communicator, it came down to the inReach Mini and the Somewear Hotspot, and I’m sure others are in the same situation.

I’ve been using the inReach Mini for almost a year now. Firstly, why did I choose the Mini over the Somewear Hotspot?

Although the Hotspot is less expensive, it is dependent on a separate device — your phone. It has no independent functionality. In a scenario where I am using satellite communication to reach someone, I want to have redundancy. The Garmin inReach Mini can be used as a hotspot — through the Earthmate app — or as a standalone communicator. That made the increased price worth it for me. If you are comfortable relying exclusively on your phone, then perhaps the Somewear Labs Hotspot is the way to go for you.



With that in mind, it’s fitting that I discuss the Mini’s durability first. Frankly, the device is pretty much invincible. I either have it clipped to a piece of my trucks dashboard, banging around as I cruise over terrible washboard roads, or on the front of my hiking pack, where I have taken a few tumbles. The device is practically unscathed except for a few scratches on the rubbery material that it’s built out of. It is IPX7 waterproof rated, which means it can withstand 30 minutes under 3ft of water. That also means it’s pretty well sealed against dust. All the ports on the device have flaps that plug them tightly.

My only concern, longterm, is battery degradation. It happens to all electronics over time, though in the past year that I’ve had the device, I’ve had no problems. Unfortunately, Garmin will not replace the battery in the InReach, nor is it user accessible. A questionable choice on such a durable and (hopefully) long lasting device.

On the topic of the battery, so far the battery life has been impressive — though a bit less than advertised. I have my Mini set up to send a tracking point every 10 minutes, Garmin claims with that setup it can last 90 hours. I’ve found it to be closer to 72 hours. Simply change that 10 minute tracking time to 30 minutes, and the battery life expands exponentially.



The inReach Mini can also log your location locally for later upload every 1, 2, or 5 minutes. This is separate from the tracking points that are uploaded for friends or family to view. They can later be uploaded to MapShare through the InReach Sync program — though I rarely use this feature.

As I’ve mentioned before, there is a companion app for the Mini. It’s called Earthmate, and technically speaking, it’s impressive. I’ve had no bugs or errors or crashes, it loads quick, and has a pretty simply UI. If using the app, the inReach acts more as a hotspot rather than a satellite communicator itself. I really enjoy having the option to use my phone in partnership with the device or use the device on its own. It’s far easier to send messages through the app than letter-by-letter with the Mini, and the weather forecast (see below) is much easier to read.

The inReach Mini can provide you a 3 day weather forecast through the satellite connection at the cost of 1 text message for a basic weather forecast, or $1.00 for a “premium” forecast. I’ve found the basic forecast to work adequately.



But perhaps the biggest reason you’re considering an inReach, and ultimately the reason why I bought mine, is because of the SOS feature. In the event of something catastrophic, you lift the cap and press the SOS button. You’ll then be connected to the Garmin-powered International Emergency Response Coordination Center. A fancy name, but in practical terms, a dispatch center that contacts the appropriate authorities and can communicate with you both ways. This is NOT available without a subscription.

As for pricing, the unit itself cost me $350. That seems to be what it’s going for now, but with Black Friday and Christmas, you might be able to snag it for less.

There are 3 different subscription plans: Safety, Recreation, and Expedition.



Without a subscription, the unit is basically dead weight. Make sure you factor in the cost of the subscription when deciding whether to purchase the inReach Mini or competing devices.

Personally, I use the Recreation plan on a month-to-month basis. When I am not traveling, I pause the subscription. For the Recreation plan, you have to use the Mini over 8 months to save money vs the Annual subscription.



In summary, whenever I go hiking, camping, or go anywhere for an extended period without cell service, I take my inReach Mini. Frankly, the only downside to the unit is the subscription cost. In my mind, there are levels of importance in your safety equipment. There are mandatory things, such as a knife, shovel, and a first aid kit. Then there is the second layer, things that you can go without but will make your life much easier or safer. I think the inReach, and all satellite communicators, fall into that second category. If you don’t have a way to communicate outside of cell signal, it’s not worth cancelling your next camping trip. But it is worth thinking about sooner rather than later.

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Screenshot/Bill Rutton @ ExPo

Since writing this article a few days ago, I saw that there was a messaging outage on Oct. 25 due to the Iridium network. I've never seen this happen before, and hopefully it doesn't happen again. But definitely worth mentioning.

Thanks for reading.

 

Thanks for sharing. After a pretty scary 8 hour mountain biking incident last February I've considered one of these myself.

My main need back then was communication to my friends in town—not necessarily SOS at the time, but I didnt have phone reception since I was deep in a chaparral canyon. What I can't seem to understand with this Garmin is if can it support outgoing and incoming messages using the satellite?

 

I'm probably ordering one of these now. Thanks for posting. I was originally looking into cell boosters but haven't really heard them being effective in the areas where I'd need one to work, so this is great.

 

Hey, thanks for reading. Yes, the Garmin and others (Somewear Labs mainly) can message through the satellite connection. With the Garmin, you have 10 messages a month on the cheapest plan, or 40 on the Recreation one which is what I use.

Deep in a canyon? Hard to say. It really depends on where the satellites are at that moment. But I'd say you have a good chance. Same with tree cover.

 

No problem. Cell boosters definitely have their purpose. The Garmin and the boosters are for different scenarios. If you are somewhere with no cell service, the Garmin is a great alternative for texting. If you are trying to work or stream video somewhere with a bar or two, the booster would be what you want (as the satellite connection is only for tracking/weather/messaging)

 

This is exactly what I'm looking for. I don't care about data for streaming and stuff - and I download maps for offline use before I head out.

 

When my wife started long-distance hiking in 2016, the (then Delorme) inReach was one of the first things we added to her kit. She'd never been off-grid in her life, much less walking for 75-150 miles between areas of cellular reception or trail access. It has been a great way to keep the worry-warts (mom, other family members) satisfied that she's OK, and for me to monitor progress to coordinate the end-of-trail pickup (which may vary by +/- a day from original plan based on conditions or other factors). It has been invaluable just for that. And coupled with GAIA maps pre-downloaded to a mobile phone, and printed paper topo maps of the area, and it would be really hard to get lost and not be found.

THEN, last year, in the middle of the Glacier Peak wilderness, her and her hiking partner encountered a stranded and hypothermic hiker. It had been raining for two days, low 40's at night, most of his wet gear was ditched in a ravine, and he was disoriented, lost, and 30 miles from any reasonable pickup point with no way to communicate with the outside world. Because she wasn't 100% sure his condition at first (and didn't want to freak out the entire family thinking it was her that was in trouble), she didn't use the SOS feature but instead reached out to me directly via message. From there, I was able to contact SAR and coordinate between her and SAR (long story, but there are apparently legal complications preventing SAR from communicating directly with a PLB user if the user did not activate the SOS) to get a helicopter extraction in to get him safely out. Without her having a PLB and using it, he would very likely have ended up being another sad statistic.

I WILL say that in comparing the older inReach SE that she had up until last winter (we gave it to our older daughter to use for her adventures), and the newer Mini, there are some trade-offs with the Mini. We've found that signal strength is noticeably compromised in the Mini, to the extent that sometimes a location can take 10-15 minutes to lock in when the inReach SE (which her hiking partner still has) will lock in within a minute or two. Similar issues sometimes with sending messages, and we've had a number of times when messages do not send coordinates with them at all (usually the first message of the day). It's also less intuitive to use directly on the device (smaller screen, less control buttons, less information displayed). Where it does have the advantage is on the weight and size - it can be easily clipped to a shoulder strap (or even the back of a pack) and forgotten about. And once it has a good "saturated" lock, if it is kept active and used at regular intervals (we typically use 30 or 60 minute tracking to preserve battery life over 5-8 day trips), then it will grab subsequent locks much faster (but still slower than the SE).

I would say that if you are less worried about ultra-compact size and weight, and more worried about signal strength in less-than-ideal GPS conditions, I would strongly consider the SE+ or finding a used delorme inReach SE.

On other thing to add - currently, Garmin limits how many "users" you can have on a "master" account to two people. In this setup, each user has their own account, but you can "assign" a device to either account as the current active user so that there are specific contacts, pre-configured messages, and map tracking for each user. This means that I have an account, and my wife has an account (under a single subscription), and we can transfer the device back and forth (you have to sync the device to a computer or to the network to enable the transfer). But I cannot add my daughter in there as an additional device user, and cannot "share" the same device to her or add her device (our old one) to my account and then activate it for her. So in that regard, trying to manage multiple people and/or multiple devices is a pain in the ass...and the only alternative is to set up a "business plan" that is meant for larger organizations like SAR or outfitters/guides.

 

Great info. Thanks, Casey.

 

Won't go into the back country without it.

 

@TRDFerguson you’re a tech guy, just skip the garmin and get your hands on one of those new starlink phones. You can test it out for us

originally tagged a @ turdferuson. Whoops!

 

You mean be one of Elon’s beta testers? Lol, I want something that’ll actually work when I’m dying in the middle of nowhere… but now I’m going to research this

 

Might not work to get a call back home for someone to come get you, but I'm pretty positive you'd be able to get an AMZN drone to drop you some new tundra parts or Whole Foods to do a food delivery

 

Alright, I'm in.

 

I rarely ever leave the house but I wanted to tell you I appreciate you taking the time to write such a detailed review. If we ever get to the point where we travel more, this will definitely be a consideration.

 

Excellent write up. Ranks right up there! Well worth the cost. On my Black Friday/Prime day wish list.

 

Nice write up! I’ve had one for the last 6 or so years that I bring hang gliding. It was required for the National competitions, got it, and actually wish I had got one sooner for flying up here in New England (it can get sketch af).
Knock on wood havent had to use it but nice to know its there when we do dumb shit.

 

High quality writeup, thank you.

I just purchased a zoleo a few weeks back, worked great so far.

 

Great info. Thanks for sharing

 

Thanks guys! I appreciate it

 

I have one and it is great to have use mine primary for whitewater boating.
Having a Garmin watch it does irritate me that I am unable to activate a SOS from the watch and unable to call/send text via satellite from the watch that's operating on similar software.

 

I have one of these and it's invaluable for peace of mine while out of service. Both because I can reach someone if something goes awry but more importantly, my wife can reach me if there's an emergency at home.

 

I hunt alone a lot. I bought one of these two years ago. Goes with me all the time. Gives my wife peace of mind, and gives me insurance against a fluke accident. They happen, no matter how good you are in the mountains.

The most sobering one I saw, I was descending a steep canyon while hunting chukar. A large boulder, about 2-3 foot in diameter gave way as I was using it for a hand hold. It caromed off of my leg and rolled down the hill. Had my foot been trapped, it likely would have 1) broken my leg and 2) pinned me underneath of it. I would likely be coyote shit right now.

 

Wife and I are discussing this. We will probably go with the InReach Mini, but I was curious if anyone has tried this on their iPhone
https://apps.apple.com/us/app/iridium-go/id808207315

Edit - never mind, looks like you still need the separate Iridum Go! device.

 

Great review, thanks! I’m looking at the inreach explorer so I get the nav option as well.

 

look what came from REI. Must be a sign..