in reach vs in reach mini

[rbljack]

YOu have a pretty good recap from the info above. Mini is a stand along GPS. Battery life depends on what you plan to use it for primarily. It has great battery life if you primarily use it for communication assistance when cell service isn't great. You can change the settings to improve battery life in the setting screens. I use mine for that purpose mainly (back up GPS and Communication/SOS ability). I do mark key points before or during a hunt. I use ON-x with my phone as the primary GPS, and the key waypoints marked on the mini are for back up. If you want to save weight and plan to use your phone with ON-x or something similar, , then the Mini for sure. Mini will Bluetooth to the phone for quicker texting, but then there is a bit more battery drain if used often. The Mini can do stand alone texting, but its tedious putting together a message. I don't have the larger version, but if you planned to use the Garmin as your primary GPS, take the weight penalty so you can view larger screen on the maps, etc. The mini has basic features, but lack the detailed map function. Hope that helps. My set up is the Mini, a Garmin GPS watch that I mark the waypoints for truck and camp, phone with ON-x, battery bank for recharges, and yes..i also carry a compass.

 

[KBC]

Damn looks like I should have got the mini although the new one they have out is tempting since I can ad my map card into it.

 

[Mule3006Elk]

I don't like the mini. The nav screen is nice especially when it's cold, windy, dark, and it's hard to think straight. My hunter partner had a difficult time using the device when he really needed it. For me a few ounces isn't worth it. The nav screen makes it easy to use even when the mind isn't thinking clearly. FWIW.

 

[Southern Lights]

Having the backup GPS in the Explorer with ability to set waypoints, camp locaiton, etc. is gold. I have had my phone GPS not work but the Explorer came through.

I also carry a standalone dedicated PLB. The inreach is too unreliable in dense bush or very wet weather to get a signal out constantly. If you got in an area with dense cover your inreach may not make it out like a dedicated PLB would (PLB is much higher signal strength).

Also you didn't ask but I'll add anyway, I get about 4 days of tracking on the full size inreach with points dropped every 20 minutes or so (turned off at night in camp) and a couple messages a day (weather and OK messages). After that they won't send any more as they reserve the last 20%(??) of battery life for PLB/emergency signaling. So just because the ads say X days, just know it's not really true. You can't really use the last part of battery.

 

[Tbone58]

The mini is smaller and it doesn’t have a built in gps. I use onx on my phone it’s more user friendly. I use the Earthmate app to text from my phone to the mini and the mini sends the messages. The app has a map, gps, compass, and the texting ability.

 

[sivart]

are you sure? Some guys are telling me that the mini has gps?