InReach Explorer+, InReach Mini, or Zoleo?

[Vandy321]

UPDATE: SpotX failures last week

We had a crew member get sick on Tuesday...heat/dehydration. We got him back to feeling pretty good with water and snacks and sent him back to camp. He was instructed to message my SPOT via his SPOT so we could continue to work. My SPOT with direct skyview or very limited tree cover (dead whitebark) failed to send 4 message. After resending them, the messages were not received on coworker's device. Coworker sent several messages stating he was feeling great and was going to take a nap. I never received those. Having not received his messages I walked the 4 miles back to camp to confirm he was good. Coworker received my messages nearly 7 hours AFTER they were sent and I still haven't received his.

5 or 6 years ago we had basic SPOT devices fail to send the "check-in's" repeatedly. I started using my personal DeLorme (preGarmin).

I vote NO CONFIDENCE in SPOT devices. If it's not a Garmin/DeLorme I don't want anything to do with it!!!

I've had the same with the mini inReach, wife was getting my messages the next day...so much for garmin being the savior.

Zoleo hasn't failed to send yet.

 

[MThuntr]

I've had the same with the mini inReach, wife was getting my messages the next day...so much for garmin being the savior.

Zoleo hasn't failed to send yet.

good to know. I see Zoleo uses Iridium satellites so that's a good option to consider. My Delorme's battery is getting pretty weak so I'll have to look into Zoleo a lot more. Thanks for the heads up!

I think a lot of SPOTs failure is associated with their satellite system.

 

[Vandy321]

good to know. I see Zoleo uses Iridium satellites so that's a good option to consider. My Delorme's battery is getting pretty weak so I'll have to look into Zoleo a lot more. Thanks for the heads up!

I think a lot of SPOTs failure is associated with their satellite system.

The Garmin seems to be a programming issue, at least if you listen to garmin, they blamed the failures on the cell phone provider on the other end...it's always nice to pass the buck I guess. They lost my support and my business.

Haven't had the zoleo long eough to say either way, but it's sent from some places in cover/draws that I don't think the inReach wouldn't have.

Similar price points, worth looking into anyways.

 

[Fatcamp]

My Zoleo from Blackovis is lost in the FedEx wastelands. So sad.

 

[Soj51hopeful]

Does anybody know if you can share onX waypoints via any of these satellite communicators?

 

[Vandy321]

Does anybody know if you can share onX waypoints via any of these satellite communicators?

No, but why not just send/text an actual 10 dig waypoint and your buddy can type it into OnX

 

[Soj51hopeful]

Ok, didn’t think of that. I’ll have to look into that I haven’t tried manually putting coordinates into onX. Thanks!

 

[buckwalleye]

Dumb question probably, as I have no experience with these devices. I’m hunting with a buddy that uses a bivy stick. If I get the zoleo, I assume we can communicate? Can all these difference devices work together? Example- hunting buddy #1 has an inreach, hunting buddy #2 has a spot, hunting buddy #3 is in town just using his phone, hunting buddy #4 has a zoleo. Can they all text amongst themselves?


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[westernarcher]

Can pictures be sent with zoleo? I've had InReach for years now and heard zoleo will send sms text which InReach won't.

 

[Vandy321]

Can pictures be sent with zoleo? I've had InReach for years now and heard zoleo will send sms text which InReach won't.

No pics

 

[bojangles808]

Going to bump this up. Bought a inreach explorer plus last year with the thought that I would only need it a couple hunts a year where I don't get service and would activate it for that. Mostly for piece of mind for wife and baby during day hunts if I break a leg or something solo and I liked that I could have maps on it. Also liked that I didn't need my phone for it. Never opened it yet or activated. Then I realized zoleo was getting some hype so Im looking now at that option as I got a deal on the inreach and it seems supply is limited and I could get my money back. However looking at plans though, is the big draw with the zoleo that you can suspend your account outside the fall, typical hunting season? And if you use it year-round minimum monthly fee for the zoleo is still 20$ a month? If I go with the basic Garmin plan annually it's 12$ a month(annual safety plan). I got a new hunting spot and I don't have cell service so now it looks like I'll need this year-round so I think I want to stick with Garmin unless I'm missing something?

 

[CoStick]

Going to bump this up. Bought a inreach explorer plus last year with the thought that I would only need it a couple hunts a year where I don't get service and would activate it for that. Mostly for piece of mind for wife and baby during day hunts if I break a leg or something solo and I liked that I could have maps on it. Also liked that I didn't need my phone for it. Never opened it yet or activated. Then I realized zoleo was getting some hype so Im looking now at that option as I got a deal on the inreach and it seems supply is limited and I could get my money back. However looking at plans though, is the big draw with the zoleo that you can suspend your account outside the fall, typical hunting season? And if you use it year-round minimum monthly fee for the zoleo is still 20$ a month? If I go with the basic Garmin plan annually it's 12$ a month(annual safety plan). I got a new hunting spot and I don't have cell service so now it looks like I'll need this year-round so I think I want to stick with Garmin unless I'm missing something?

I run the base $12 year round. During hunting season I might get a 25-35 dollar bill for overages, but overall the base covers me and I carry the mini much of the time.

 

[Marbles]

Going to bump this up. Bought a inreach explorer plus last year with the thought that I would only need it a couple hunts a year where I don't get service and would activate it for that. Mostly for piece of mind for wife and baby during day hunts if I break a leg or something solo and I liked that I could have maps on it. Also liked that I didn't need my phone for it. Never opened it yet or activated. Then I realized zoleo was getting some hype so Im looking now at that option as I got a deal on the inreach and it seems supply is limited and I could get my money back. However looking at plans though, is the big draw with the zoleo that you can suspend your account outside the fall, typical hunting season? And if you use it year-round minimum monthly fee for the zoleo is still 20$ a month? If I go with the basic Garmin plan annually it's 12$ a month(annual safety plan). I got a new hunting spot and I don't have cell service so now it looks like I'll need this year-round so I think I want to stick with Garmin unless I'm missing something?

That is my understanding. I keep my inReach and my wife's active year round. I looked at the Zoleo and BivStick and did not want the monthly cost.

 

[18B3PW]

All three devices are on sale right now and I need to pick up a satellite communicator for a trip in the fall. I've done a fair amount of research on these and I'm trying to identify which one would be best for me. I'll be using my phone with OnX for maps and will have a battery backup for my phone, and maybe even a solar charger.

The InReach Mini is $300 at the moment. I've read a lot of good things about this device as it has what is needed without extra weight or unnecessary features. However, I've also read that some people have delays in sending or receiving messages, which is one of the main purposes of it. This option is the lightest at 3.5oz but also has the lowest battery life of the three at 50 hours

The Zoleo is $150 on sale right now. This is the new kid on the block, and like the Mini connects via Bluetooth to your phone for messaging. I haven't heard any negative reviews about this and aside from the initial purchase being cheaper, the rate plans are slightly better too. The battery life is the best at 200 hours and its weight is right in the middle of the two InReach options at 5.3oz. If activated before June, it comes a year of Gaia maps, but I don't know how beneficial this would be if I have OnX. At half the price of the Mini it seems like a great option, but if my phone ever dies, it becomes just an SOS device with no way to send or receive text messages.

The InReach Explorer+ is $350 currently. Is it best just to get higher end inReach with the GPS? Does the "Two is One, One is None" saying apply with these devices and its best to have a back up mapping device and a stand-alone communication tool if the phone craps out? Or does this have a lot of features, weight and cost that a person doesn't need.? The battery life is 100 hours on the default setting. It is the heaviest of all three at 7.5 oz.

I really don’t know which one I should get. The Zoleo is a great price and has the features I need, with the exception of not being able to text using the device itself, if my phone ever dies. However, I’m not sure if that will ever be an issue as I’ll be carrying a backup battery for my phone. In my opinion the Mini solves the one concern I have with the Zoleo and can still be used as a stand-alone texting device if my phone dies. Then I start thinking, hell, if I’m paying $300 for the Mini, why not just pay another $50 for the Explorer+ and have the backup GPS even though I likely will never use that feature unless my phone and backup battery both run our of juice. I haven't considered the Explorer SE, as it appears to have less features than the Explorer+ and isn't on sale.

What am I missing or failing to consider? What are your experiences with theses devices? Which device would you get, knowing what you know about them?

Explorer all the way.

 

[Voyageur]

I agree with what others have recently posted above. I have an Explorer+ and keep it activated year round with the base plan. This past fall rather than bump my plan up to the next level I decided to just stay with the base plan and see what happened as far as overage charges went. My use ranged from 2 weeks in AK to various jaunts in the western US ranging from 2+ weeks in length down to weekend trips. This strategy worked well and as of now I plan on doing the same in 2022.

 

[mtwarden]

I use my Mini year round. Minimum a couple times a month. I'm on the cheapest year round plan. A few months I might go over, but the bill is still pretty cheap.

I've only had one issue with mine over the last three years- my wife was getting the email notification, but not the text message (I send both). One phone call to Garmin got that squared away.

It's been super handy when plans change (I've had my wife pick me up at different trailheads and on different days), when you get something down and can get buddies to help pack meat, reassuring my spouse that everything is fine and obviously in an emergency (knock on wood never needed for that).

One modus operandi I've changed is now I keep the Mini on when afield (typically not tracking, but on). If you take a bad spill or some other event that doesn't allow you to turn the unit on- SAR can still ping the ping unit (if it's it on) and get a location. Having the unit on (and not tracking) takes very little battery- as in it will last days.

 

[BluMtn]

Has anybody tried the ZoleoX w/Bluetooth yet. I am looking for one of these units mentioned just have not figured out which brand to go with yet. Looking at having one when I take groups on multi-day SxS rides, when I hike into the back country, and hunting. The problem is the more you read the more you get confused, because you can find 1,000 reviews good and bad for all of them. This whole thing reminds my of trying to buy a hunting pack. LOL

 

[Jbxl20]

I think any of these are fine. This sept in Colorado our group had 2 Zoleo’s, a garmin mini and I had an Explorer plus. None of us had any issues sending or receiving messages to each other or to family back home. I ended up selling my explorer plus just because I didn’t need/use the maps. I have my phone plus maps on my garmin watch. I ended up buying a ZOLEO on sale around thanksgiving and haven’t had any issues sending and receiving messages. The only down side is the $20 a month for a minimum of 3 months for a basic plan. When on sale for $149 It’s still cheaper in the short term than a garmin mini with a contract. I like the screen on the mini but my explorer also had a bigger screen and I used my phone to type messages anyways.

 

[StillBald]

FYI: Garmin just introduced the inReach Mini 2. Looks exactly the same, costs $400 (and good luck finding any in stock), but has a longer battery life, charges via USB-C, uses more satellite networks, and they added an electronic compass. Plus a couple of other small features and interface improvements. I nearly bit on a low priced inReach on eBay last week-- but I'm definitely on board for the Mini 2 if for no other reason than at least it'll finally use the same USB connection as my other gear.

 

[BBob]

FYI: Garmin just introduced the inReach Mini 2. Looks exactly the same

I have one on the way. I decided to upgrade from the original mainly for battery life. I spend a bunch of time solo and with the increased battery life I should be able to let it run constantly and longer than the original. We shall see....

So far none of us with the mini's have had any comm issues sending messages to and from home or to each other in the field. It's generally been a pretty quick response either direction.