Inreach Mini or Something Better?

[treillw]

Thinking of pulling the trigger on a Garmin Inreach Mini with the memorial day sales coming up.

Think there is anything better coming out anytime soon? Anything better on the market now which would be worth considering?

Thanks!

 

[sneaky]

It's electronic. There's always something better coming. If you keep waiting you'll be asking that continuously. You just have to buy what's best at the time you really need it. My DeLorme InReach is several years old and does just fine.

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[rob86jeep]

I have been thinking the same thing but finally picked up an in reach explorer. I was torn between that or the mini but figured the battery life and back up GPS capability were worth the extra size/weight. I'm sure they'll come out with a mini size with full GPS and a better battery soon, but I needed something this year and didn't want to wait anymore.

 

[treillw]

Is the battery on the mini known to be bad? Can you put AA batteries in it or anything?

 

[sneaky]

Is the battery on the mini known to be bad? Can you put AA batteries in it or anything?

I think the mini doesn't take AA or AAAs. Internal battery only.

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[treillw]

Thats not great if the battery dies on you in the field.

 

[wymtnpounder]

Is the battery on the mini known to be bad? Can you put AA batteries in it or anything?

I havn't heard any issues with the battery being bad, the garmin tech I talked to made it sound like the mini would last a week with minimal communication. I use the old inreach se it works great for communication and battery lasts all week for me. I keep it off when not sending messages. They can all be recharged with a battery pack and cord if you're concerned.

 

[ozyclint]

I would like to get a mini but i'm not in immediate need for one. I'm hoping in the meantime that they come out with something similar that is easier to text with as a stand alone unit. Heard by itself it is cumbersome as it is.

 

[Boarmaster]

Im not presently in the need of one of these gizmos either but Im interested in watching how they progress as well.

 

[danarnold]

rei has both on sale, I'm trying to talk myself into the mini

 

[lvtuna]

Inreach explorer + owner. Key things I would like. The GPS to be color and touch screen. I want to be able to communicate in the back country easily without my phone or tablet synced. If a injury or mishap occurs. Only carrying one device would be nice. The ability of the inreach far out weighs my phone and GPS in the back country. I am usually solo.

 

[CraftyArcher]

The inreach mini is well worth the money! I've had no issues with the battery life either.

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[sneaky]

Inreach explorer + owner. Key things I would like. The GPS to be color and touch screen. I want to be able to communicate in the back country easily without my phone or tablet synced. If a injury or mishap occurs. Only carrying one device would be nice. The ability of the inreach far out weighs my phone and GPS in the back country. I am usually solo.

A color touch screen would absolutely kill battery life on it. You don't use any of the preset message settings for quick check ins? I hardly use my unit as a conversation piece, just a short message then off. I would bet that battery life would get cut down to 2, maybe 3 days if they did a color touch screen on them with everything else they do. You can only fit so many features and processor sizes into a unit that size and still have decent battery life. Would it be cool? Yeah, they'd sell a bunch, but on longer trips you'd have to carry backup batteries or battery pack. Gotta draw the line somewhere. Next, guys will be wanting to access their Instagram accounts from the backcountry. That's the stuff I'm out there to get away from.

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[Burnt Reynolds]

I’m leaning towards a mini. I always have my phone for hero pics lol, and downloaded maps. Back up gps is my compass. My primary objective is communication in the back country for wife check-ins or emergencies. I always have my solar or battery charger anyways.

 

[treillw]

How long to the batteries last if you check in say 3 times a day (which would be excessive).

The bad thing is, once the internal battery dies in a few years, you might as well throw the unit away if you can't replace it.

 

[Rob Patuto]

I just used a mini on an 8 day trip in the Frank Church. Turned it on for probably an hour each day. No battery issues, had a battery pack to recharge but I did not need it. It worked well

 

[WTFJohn]

How long to the batteries last if you check in say 3 times a day (which would be excessive).

The bad thing is, once the internal battery dies in a few years, you might as well throw the unit away if you can't replace it.

I've had an Inreach Explorer + for ~3 years and the battery life is still great (I use one or the other at least 2x/month). There are much older Delorme units out there that are still working as well; I wouldn't let that deter me from buying an Inreach. My newer Inreach mini has been great so far with battery life, I leave it on all day but only send/receive 1 or two messages. It's not a phone line for chatting; it's there for daily check-ins and 'oh shit' moments.

 

[ODB]

A color touch screen would absolutely kill battery life on it. You don't use any of the preset message settings for quick check ins? I hardly use my unit as a conversation piece, just a short message then off. I would bet that battery life would get cut down to 2, maybe 3 days if they did a color touch screen on them with everything else they do. You can only fit so many features and processor sizes into a unit that size and still have decent battery life. Would it be cool? Yeah, they'd sell a bunch, but on longer trips you'd have to carry backup batteries or battery pack. Gotta draw the line somewhere. Next, guys will be wanting to access their Instagram accounts from the backcountry. That's the stuff I'm out there to get away from.

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In use mine the same way. Preset messages, “at camp all good,” “morning,” “out hunting,”. That type thing. Set display to 10%, load in top of my pack and forget about it.

 

[Hockley]

I have the full size and love it. Yes the mini has substantial weight savings, but the backup full size GPS is worth the extra weight to me.

 

[ragz]

Any safety benefit of the explorer over the mini?