Inreach Explorer+ Question

[MooseKnuckle]

I am looking into purchasing an inreach explorer+ but have read a lot of reviews that bring into question as to whether they are really worth all the haste and problems. Multiple reviews say that the gps tracker doesn’t work without a service, they don’t work well in wooded areas, setup is a major pain in the a**, the service is expensive, and so on.

You gentlemen with these units, what has been your experience? Have you had any of these issues? Are they worth all the hastle? Please enlighten me.

 

[trophyhill]

I love mine! Never had an issue. I pay the 60 bucks and get unlimited text for a month or 2. The map is similar to my 60CSX GPS and always get a good signal. I Bluetooth it to 1 of my phones so texting is a snap. Emojis and all if using the Bluetooth. Typing a text on the InReach itself is a pain in the azz though.

If you are sharing camp with others, and they have an InReach, it's pretty darn nice. Last year, I texted my buddy who was hunting the same unit but a different location, and shared my location with him and that I had just arrowed a monster. He packed up his camp and helped me find him.

 

[tjihrig]

My experience with the Garmin Inreach. Great piece of equipment but horrible customer service. If you purchase one, make sure you call and physically talk to a human to activate and reactive the device. The website is literally set up to steer you away from finding out how to suspend your service. It is also designed to make you think you’ve suspended your service only to get a bill the next month. This has happened to me 3-4 different times.


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[Pgohil]

I am looking into purchasing an inreach explorer+ but have read a lot of reviews that bring into question as to whether they are really worth all the haste and problems. Multiple reviews say that the gps tracker doesn’t work without a service, they don’t work well in wooded areas, setup is a major pain in the a**, the service is expensive, and so on.

You gentlemen with these units, what has been your experience? Have you had any of these issues? Are they worth all the hastle? Please enlighten me.

I've been running an explorer plus for 3 years and this year upgraded to the mini. I don't understand where there's any hassle involved at all. Yes it is an electronic device and there is a small learning curve. And as far as services, you do have to have a Garmin account and pay for a subscription yearly or monthly. And the GPS part will work without a service, but the main goal of an inreach is the satellite communication. It's GPS capabilities are secondary. If you use OnX or Gaia or any other software on your phone for GPS tracking it will probably do a better job. Heavy forested areas do take a little bit longer for messages to go out and come back, but they do without problem.


Thanks for coming I've never had to use the SOS function on mine and pray I never do. But the security of knowing that it's there if I need it is very comforting. Plus it's comforting to know that everything's okay back home and my wife and kids know that when I'm alone in the backcountry I am also okay. It's me it's a no-brainer. With the low cost point and peace of mind it rains I put it in the same class as a fall restraint harness when bow hunting from a tree stand. Just my 2 cents

PGohil

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[Dakota Dude]

I've had one for two years. Setup is not a PITA. Do not buy this unit if you plan on it being your only source of GPS. It's GPS functions are bad. The messaging service is pretty expensive, but you can keep costs down by using the "free" texts. I love mine and use OnX for gpsing. My Garmin Oregon trail doesn't leave the house anymore.

 

[trophyhill]

Interesting to hear some of that. I cancel service and activate it with no issues. When I first got it, I called CS and I was up and running in a short time. I thought they did great! And it wasn't someone from India or the Philippines on the other end. It was an American

 

[Jkr61]

We used the SOS service a few weeks ago. Unfortunately we lost a family member to a heart attack. The service and professionalism that Garmin did though was invaluable. From the time the sos was sent till a sar team and a helicopter arrived was about an hour. If we hadn’t had the Garmin it would’ve added another hour to go get phone service. It didn’t help in this situation but I will have it with me anytime I don’t have phone service. Such as the 5 day raft trip we are doing this week in Gates of Lodore. The service may cost money but when i need it I won’t care how much I’ve spent. The texting is nice for communication with the outside world but pairing it with a phone makes it much easier to use.
My .02 is if you go in places without phone service these type of devices can save your life or the life of someone you love.

 

[Ucsdryder]

This is the first time I’ve heard any issues. I’m on year 6 or 7 now. Activate in August, deactivate in December. Pretty easy, but some people are technologically challenged.

 

[cnelk]

Not one issue for me in several years of use here.
I most always have a subscription - a minimal plan most of the time, unlimited in the fall.
I did suspend service during the lockdown and activated it again with no issue.

Hell, even the weather app in the InReach is awesome.


The EarthMate App actually saved my hunt last year when OnX decided to dump my points and tracks on my phone

 

[Mighty Mouse]

I've been using an inReach Explorer+ since 2017 and have been happy with it. Initial setup and activation didn't seem any more difficult than any other electronic device.

I typically activate the "Safety" plan ($15/mo, $0.50/message after the first 10) 1-2 months out of the year for checking in with my wife while hunting and suspend service the rest of the year. I may opt for the $65/mo plan with unlimited messaging for my elk hunt this year since I'll likely be sending/receiving more messages than usual to communicate with my hunting partners (who also have inReaches) while we're away from camp during the day.

Basic GPS functionality still works when the subscription isn't active. Tracking (i.e., automatically sending your location at specified time intervals and logging the locations to your Garmin account) requires an active subscription, but you'll still be able to view your current location on the map, view your coordinates, get distance/heading to a specified point, and create waypoints without an active subscription.

Like any satellite device, sky-obscuring terrain features such as heavy timber and deep canyons can make it difficult to get/keep a signal, but the overall signal reliability of my inReach has been on par with other satellite devices I've used.

My one sub-par inReach experience was last fall when it gave me occasional trouble sending messages. My wife got every message I sent her, but the ones I tried to send to my dad were hit and miss. From what I've read, my issues may have been caused by out-of-date firmware. I now make it a point to check the firmware version every time I reactivate service and update if necessary.

 

[JohnnyB]

I’m not particularly tech savvy but I didn’t have any issues getting mine setup a couple years ago. I also have no issues when it comes to suspending my plan and reactivating a couple times a year. There has never been a time I needed customer service so I can’t say anything about it.

When it comes to loss of signal, deep and steep canyons seem to have an impact more than trees. If I lose gps signal on the inReach, I would have lost it on any other system because they are all using the two big satellite systems.

It has been a great comfort to my family to be able to communicate while I am hunting alone. It has been helpful for some business communications that would have otherwise prevented me from being out of reach. It also has the draw back of making it possible to reach me when I don’t want human interaction. All in all, one of my most useful and reliable gear purchases.

 

[mxgsfmdpx]

I’m heading into the wilderness on Thursday and won’t be back until Monday. Has anyone heard if they are back up and running after the cyber attack on their network? Taking my 66i out for the first time.

 

[MooseKnuckle]

Would it be better to get the explorer+ or the mini and use Gaia mapping instead of the garmin mapping?

 

[rayporter]

activated the safety plan in 2016 and would not be with out it. it has never failed me.

 

[GregB]

I have the non gps version and use onX and a Garmin. I was setting trail cameras this weekend and my radiator blew out in the middle of nowhere. I limped the truck back to a road decent enough for a tow truck used the inreach to message my wife to look up a tow company in the nearest town and then and then messaged the tow company what happened and my location. Saved me a long hot walk back to civilization. Sometimes it takes while to send a message if there is a thick canopy overhead or it’s cloudy. Set up was easy I can Bluetooth to my phone for messages. It has been well worth it in my opinion.

 

[bloominonion]

Following... I'm about to buy one still deliberating the Explorer vs the Mini + OnX.
I lucked out, but I was out camping with the family and my battery light started turning on and off because my alternator went out. Luckily we got someone to help us charge up the battery at a campground, but if it was 15 min either way I would have been stuck in the middle of nowhere with the wife and kids and been walking a few miles to service.

 

[Whiskey_Fish]

My mini lives in the dash of my truck year round. I’m in a non service area at least 3-4 times a month. I have not once wished j had the full size unit vs the mini. I’ll never go back to navigating on a garmin unit, the phone is better in nearly every regard.


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[sneaky]

I am looking into purchasing an inreach explorer+ but have read a lot of reviews that bring into question as to whether they are really worth all the haste and problems. Multiple reviews say that the gps tracker doesn’t work without a service, they don’t work well in wooded areas, setup is a major pain in the a**, the service is expensive, and so on.

You gentlemen with these units, what has been your experience? Have you had any of these issues? Are they worth all the hastle? Please enlighten me.

Some people are just stupid and can't figure out a TV remote either. Those are the ones that leave the most reviews as well. I would say they're pretty much idiot proof... but some slip through the cracks. I've never had any issues with mine. It's an essential piece of gear if you hunt solo. Or, if you travel for work in areas outside of cell coverage.

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[sneaky]

Would it be better to get the explorer+ or the mini and use Gaia mapping instead of the garmin mapping?

Depends if weight and battery life are more important to you. The full size InReach has a longer battery life at the expense of more weight.

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[hunt1up]

Myself and two buddies did a drop camp moose hunt last year in AK. We split the cost of the Inreach+ and that thing is slick. We were able to text home and let family know that things were fine and it was our main source of communication with our transporter. Very easy to use for texting and emailing. I can't speak to the GPS functionality since we didn't need it for that hunt.