Inreach mini vs zoleo

[Muttman]

I’m needing a satellite communication device for Emergancy’s & staying contact with wife while in back country.
I’ve narrowed it down to Garmin mini inreach or the Zoleo!
I’m seeing the Garmin on sale which brings cost factor out of play now.
So I’m reaching out to Rokslide community on y’all’s thoughts & opinions????
I’ve never had a sat communicator, my buddy has the basic SPOT, but I would like to be able to communicate back & forth in case of emergency on either end.

Thanks in advance!!
Matt


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[BBob]

I don’t know personally because I don’t have a Zoleo nor do I know anyone that has one. I did find this review awhile back. The guy is well known so probably fairly reliable info.

Review: ZOLEO Satellite Communicator || Seamless messaging - Andrew Skurka

The satellite messaging market only has two players: SPOT and Garmin, with the latter getting most of the market share. For a product that’s now so ubiquitous and high-dollar (largely because of the subscription revenue), I’d like to see more brands competing and innovating in this space. Here’s...

andrewskurka.com

 

[AK Troutbum]

I don't have any experience with the ZOLEO, but I bought my 1st sat. com. (Garmin mini), this past year and have used the heck out of it. It does seem to have a few quarks here and there, like sometimes the messages (at least the messages that I get sent to me), don't always seem to be in chronological order. I don't know why that is, and it's not a huge deal, but it has happened to me a few times.

 

[Rob5589]

Major downside IMO is the lack of being able to communicate directly from the unit. Lose Bluetooth connection, phone dies, other communication issues, etc; it is useless other than SOS.

 

[nastynick]

I have an inreach mini and it’s worked really well for me. I don’t care for the setup or plan from garmin but the device works and held a charge for a long time. I think Randy Newberg had a Zoleo video posted recently.

 

[swehrman]

Major downside IMO is the lack of being able to communicate directly from the unit. Lose Bluetooth connection, phone dies, other communication issues, etc; it is useless other than SOS.

That's not true. You can send check in messages to a group of preselected contacts from a button on the device.

-- Scott

 

[claybreaker]

I bought the Zoleo this year and used it in CO. I like it, for what I needed it fit the bill great at a lower price point for both the unit AND the service. I didn't care for auto tracking which it doesn't have. My usage is primary checking in to home, sending text or msg to friends.

My group talked about how neat it would be to be able to have reliable comm between each other in the backcountry. But I was the only one with a Sat comm device for the group this year. So I did comms to back home for everyone.

Be sure to evaluate the plans as you eval the devices.

 

[Rob5589]

That's not true. You can send check in messages to a group of preselected contacts from a button on the device.

-- Scott

You're correct and I should have clarified. While it does have a couple presets just in case of the scenario I described, it still does not offer the communication capability on an InReach

 

[AK Troutbum]

You may already know this but REI has a sale on the inreach mini for $250.


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[J Dubaya]

I dont have any experience with Zoleo, but my Garmin InReach is fantastic and I have used it many times to checkin with the Family... Dont have to pair it with my phone unless I want to send specific detailed messages, and is reasonably priced for using during the hunting seasons. I really like the options to do as needed.

 

[Kevin_t]

I’ve had good luck with the mini and my wife really appreciates it . I have no experience with the zoleo however that being said , I’m pretty deep in the Garmin ecosystem ( fenix , alpha for dogs etc ) so I’d likely choose that myself


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[Marbles]

Zoleo uses the Iridium network like the inReach. Iridium is a hard requirement for me due to truly global coverage, unlike Globalstar (what SPOT uses). I like my inReach mini, but don't know enough about the Zoleo to compare. Two things jump out at me though.

The inReach is pretty clunky without a smart phone, but still retains full messaging function, this does not appear to be the case with the Zoleo.

The Zoleo gets a dedicated number, which is nice, the inReach does not. So you have to plan a little more for someone to be able to contact you.

 

[Marbles]

I don't have any experience with the ZOLEO, but I bought my 1st sat. com. (Garmin mini), this past year and have used the heck out of it. It does seem to have a few quarks here and there, like sometimes the messages (at least the messages that I get sent to me), don't always seem to be in chronological order. I don't know why that is, and it's not a huge deal, but it has happened to me a few times.

This is because the inReach mini only checks messages once an hour and 10 minuets after you send a message (or if you manually force a check). The result is everything sent to you in the intervening time gets shuffled together as the system does not log the time a message was sent, only when it was received.

 

[rayporter]

i carry a Garmin inreach explorer quite often. a short hike or a long trip or a long ride. i dont always carry the phone and it saves wt. my phone is dies all the time and the battery on the in reach lasts for a week.

i leave it on the cheap plan year round.

who sends 250 messages a month out in the field?

 

[Roosterstraw]

I went with zoleo due to ease of use, dedicated number, better plans. They are suppose to come out with an update that will provide live tracking.

 

[backcountryBlake]

I HAVE A GARMIN IN REACH MINI THAT I BOUGT AND USED ONE ON HUNT AND NOW IM SELLING IT, I FYOU ARE INTERESTED

 

[Muttman]

Thanks for all the input y’all!
With all your comments & more research I’ve decided I’m gna buy the zoleo. I always have my phone on me for picture taking, so that doesn’t affect my decision!

Much appreciated!!

Matt


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[5peataz]

Zoleo seems like the way to go!

 

[Elkchaser24x7]

I bought the Zoleo this year and used it in CO. I like it, for what I needed it fit the bill great at a lower price point for both the unit AND the service. I didn't care for auto tracking which it doesn't have. My usage is primary checking in to home, sending text or msg to friends.

My group talked about how neat it would be to be able to have reliable comm between each other in the backcountry. But I was the only one with a Sat comm device for the group this year. So I did comms to back home for everyone.

Be sure to evaluate the plans as you eval the devices.

Just researching both for the best fit.
Question - Can you message to you hunting partner in the backcountry if you your using the same system between units? If so is there a lag time or is it instant?

 

[BBob]

Just researching both for the best fit.
Question - Can you message to you hunting partner in the backcountry if you your using the same system between units? If so is there a lag time or is it instant?

If you and your buddy (or crew) are both (or all) on an inReach you message each other directly using your inReach addresses. Someone can't message you directly from a phone unless you send them a message first so they can respond. Now with inReach to Zoleo, Zoleo to inReach would you be able to message the other in any way???

Edit: I read above Zoleo has a dedicated number so in theory the inReach user could message the Zoleo first and then go from there? I also assume that since the Zoleo has a dedicated number two Zoleo users would just communicate directly with those numbers?