Inreach advice please

[muddydogs]

I was not impressed with Gaia and I tried to be as I think the $100 for all 50 states from ONX is kind of a rip off. But there a sat this spring trying to look at my maps on the phone with Gaia only to have it not load maps, not load my way points and just run like crud. This wasn't the first time, in fact it was the third time out with the app and the third time the same problems occurred even after I called Gaia support and did everything they told me to do.
So there I sat on this hill in AZ this spring with 2 bars on my phone and me being pissed at Gaia. I decided to see what I could get done with ONX maps and only two bars of service. Well it took a while but I was able to get the ONX app loaded to my phone and right away from even the basic map load that comes with the app download I could tell ONX was going to be better. A day later setting in a restaurant I was able to use there WIFI and download the full map package that I needed. Spent the rest of my hunt in map heaven never having a problem with the ONX app. Once I got home I saved my waypoint and track files from Gaia to a file then transferred them to ONX, canceled my Gaia subscription and deleted the Gaia app from my phone.
My opinion is if you have an Inreach then get ONX app on your phone, if you don't want ONX then just stick with the Garmin Earthmate add that comes with the Inreach as the Earthmate app is way better and more reliable then Gaia. Earthmate dosn't have landowners and all the layers but the maps load and the app just plain works when you need it to unlike Gaia.
I don't know anything about Basemap but I would be leery of it until its tested more, I hate to say it as I was a critic of ONX for a few years but in the end ONX just works, flows well and has a ton of features.

 

[corncob]

I was not impressed with Gaia and I tried to be as I think the $100 for all 50 states from ONX is kind of a rip off. But there a sat this spring trying to look at my maps on the phone with Gaia only to have it not load maps, not load my way points and just run like crud. This wasn't the first time, in fact it was the third time out with the app and the third time the same problems occurred even after I called Gaia support and did everything they told me to do.
So there I sat on this hill in AZ this spring with 2 bars on my phone and me being pissed at Gaia. I decided to see what I could get done with ONX maps and only two bars of service. Well it took a while but I was able to get the ONX app loaded to my phone and right away from even the basic map load that comes with the app download I could tell ONX was going to be better. A day later setting in a restaurant I was able to use there WIFI and download the full map package that I needed. Spent the rest of my hunt in map heaven never having a problem with the ONX app. Once I got home I saved my waypoint and track files from Gaia to a file then transferred them to ONX, canceled my Gaia subscription and deleted the Gaia app from my phone.
My opinion is if you have an Inreach then get ONX app on your phone, if you don't want ONX then just stick with the Garmin Earthmate add that comes with the Inreach as the Earthmate app is way better and more reliable then Gaia. Earthmate dosn't have landowners and all the layers but the maps load and the app just plain works when you need it to unlike Gaia.
I don't know anything about Basemap but I would be leery of it until its tested more, I hate to say it as I was a critic of ONX for a few years but in the end ONX just works, flows well and has a ton of features.

Can you share if you’re using iPhone or android? I’ve never had an issue with Gaia at all and either have my hunting and snowmobile partners.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[dla]

I have the Inreach Explorer and really love the texting capabilities and sense of security of the S.O.S, however the actual GPS functions, although work, are in my opinion leaving a lot to be desired. I dont want to drop another $400 on a GPS so I was wondering if guys are just using their smartphones and apps primarily like GAIA and OnX by downloading the area maps before going in. Have these proven to be accurate and useful?. Thank you.

I use the InReach Mini and OnX. I got OnX for 1 state (Idaho) for $20 on sale. Works great offline on my old Samsung Note 4. The Earthmate map is pretty primitive compared to OnX, but good enough for casual viewing. I think there is a way to ship waypoints from Earthmate, via kml, to OnX, but I've not fiddled with it.

BTW, I used SPOT for 12 years before switching to InReach. The main feature advantage with InReach is the ability to talk to other InReaches.

 

[Mule3006Elk]

iphone with onX using off grid maps.
InReach for texting, mark a few waypoints as backup (truck) in case phone dies/lost, and worst case scenario SOS.

 

[Theringworm]

I do all of my scouting, waypoints etc through my Garmin BaseCamp program on my laptop. Mark way points etc and then transfer over to my InReach. Have used it for years. In addition I have downloaded the Birdseye satellite imagery and the OnX map which I overlay onto the other maps. Couldn’t be any simpler to use IMO. Not saying it’s the best, but BaseCamp has been solid For me. One device for EVERYTHING.

 

[Buglebrush]

I got an inReach Mini specifically because I use my iPhone and Gaia for mapping. I find it's much, much better using that as a mapping platform, and then I'm only using my InReach battery for the emergency purposes. Plus I can readily use the Gaia web version on my computer for scouting and review.

I also bring a small (smaller than my iPhone) Anker charger with me so I can charge my iPhone or InReach if needed, just in case.

This is exactly what I do. Best system in my opinion.