Inreach on outside of pack. Why?

[Dos Perros]

I keep mine handy so I can see the last time it checked for messages. The phone won't tell you that. Sometimes in canyons or heavy timber it doesn't get a great signal and it's nice to know if your buddy that said he'd message didn't message or you just haven't received it.

I'll mention that this last fall messaging seemed almost instantaneous, very fast, and had no signal issues like in some years/places previous.

 

[Skerhunter]

Mine is strapped to my shoulder if im having signal issues with getting messages in/out and I’m expecting a message (finding partner).

Or When ONx craps out and I need to use it for navigation in the dark.

The rest of the time it’s in my lid and not even turned on.

 

[cnelk]

I keep mine handy so I can see the last time it checked for messages. The phone won't tell you that.

Mine does. I bet yours does too

 

[cnelk]

You should be able to set the listen interval to whatever setting you want.
Constant - uses most battery
2 min
5 min
Or whatever the device says

 

[Dos Perros]

Mine does. I bet yours does too


View attachment 826600

Ooo that must have been included in an update I haven't noticed.

I'll still keep it in my bino pouch because it's there if I need it. I have a family that depends on me and if keeping it somewhere is arbitrary I'll keep it where it's most handy. I have it on a tether so I can't lose it. If I do lose it I can ping it remotely for a location and go and recover. And if it's gone for good oh well I can buy a new one.

 

[ganngus]

I keep my inReach mini on carabiner on the shoulder strap of my bino harness. I've experienced many times where I can't get service if it is covered or antenna is not pointing to the sky. Having it carabineered on my bino shoulder strap means I will always have it with me and that the antenna will be unobscured.

 

[TaperPin]

I’ve had a coworker call 911 while I was on international vacation because my cell phone was turned off to avoid crazy roaming fees. It was too traumatic for them to not be able to instantly reach me. *chuckle*

That would be funny enough, but I had recontoured part of the yard and excess dirt was piled along one side of the house visible through the front gate. It could have covered a body I suppose. The young officer who drew the short straw and drove by to do a welfare check left a series of increasingly urgent and excited phone messages throughout the week - it felt like a crazy ex was blowing up my phone. It must have been a big let down when we landed and I was alive and they didn’t have to bring cadaver dogs to the house.

That experience, and how attached our grandson is to his favorite security blankie, lets me completely understand why folks walk through the woods with pistol drawn and finger on the SOS button. The world is a scary place.

 

[AKsam]

I heard a story here in AK of a guy rolling his wheeler and getting pinned underneath. Story goes that he survived the rollover, but succumbed to either injuries or the elements at some point afterwards. The haunting part of the story is that there was evidence he was desperately trying to reach the inReach on his wheeler (scratches in the mud/dirt). Whether this is an urban legend, or some version of the truth, still a remote possibility I'd like to avoid.

 

[displacedtexan]

I try to keep mine in reach, where even if I do fall or whatever happens where I can't get into my pack. Freak things happen.

Typically left shoulder strap of a pack/bino harness.

How in h*** did hunters get by without dying right and left in the woods back in the day prior to electronics and everything else now available to save your sorry ass?

If I have something with the potential to help in what would have been a hopeless or nearly so situation a few decades ago, I figure I might as well use it...

 

[fmyth]

My Inreach is in a Mystery Ranch Holster attached to my pack shoulder strap. If I need it I want to be able to grab it quickly not dump the entire pack looking for the damn thing. It's been attached there for a dozen or more hunts and doesn't have a scratch on the screen. When I am not hunting I pull it from the pack and take it on UTV rides. The MR holster does a great job of protecting it.

 

[Mtndawger]

Lots of good points to ponder. I acquired an in reach for hunting 2023 season so that I can let my wife know if I might be home late. I carry it in my pack. I am generally not worried too much about a life threatening emergency unfolding rapidly, but am getting older and i don't have quite the strength, agility I used to have. My phone is in my mid layer chest pocket for onx reference and sos if needed. I don't like having more than a bino pack on my chest when hunting. And anything strapped to the outside of my backpack is vulnerable to breakage, loss or whatever so i generally avoid that. This is just me, but my general way of thinking is informed by 45 years of adventuring, hunting, canoeing, backpacking, mountaineering, back country skiing in environments from northern canada, to the north Cascades, to southeast alaska, to colorado and wyoming rockies. Rule number one is don't get so wrapped up in the moment that you make bad choices or do risky things without a general plan. Rule 2 is know how to survive if you get into it. We never go out without having to means and knowledge to survive if something goes down. Accepting a certain amount of risk is part of the allure of the endeavor isn't it? I see our local search and rescue going on a hundred missions a year bailing people who went out into the backcountry with no skills, knowledge or awareness.. Don't be that person. In closing, I see too many people substituting technology for knowledge and awareness to bail themselves out of trouble. Sure, have the Inreach and if it makes you feel safer have it accessible, but don't short change yourself into taking all of the adventure out of it either.

 

[180ls1]

Mine is in my pack but I also have my phone with Sat texting in my pocket. This is "good enough" in my book.

I wonder what % of scenarios people who have used SOS would have not been able to had it been in/on their pack.

 

[Jake Larsen]

It stays on my bino harness for many reasons. I hunt a lot in griz country. I drop my pack for basically every stalk/call sequence when archery hunting. Taking a crap, around camp, ect. A griz encounter could happen at any time. Crossing rivers/creeks with the pack straps undone in case you fall in and need to ditch it so you don’t drown. Stalking in cliffy terrain when a bad fall is possible.

Why not keep it handy? As others have pointed out, the families of those who died (possibly preventably) before this technology was invented would give anything to have their loved ones back.


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[Read1t48]

Some of you sound fortunate enough to have never experienced a catastrophic injury either personally or third-party, in a remote wilderness with no cell coverage. As a solo hunter, the biggest component in my pack is my first aid kit. It’s stored right inside the top zipper above my food or anything else. A tourniquet is set on the outside of my pack for quick access and can be deployed with one hand. My Inreach is a full-size version… the heavy bulky one, but the kind you can text from directly when your phone quits working or goes wonky. The ability to treat yourself if you are able, and having the proper knowledge and equipment to do so, is much more important than an in reach. Even if your location can be immediately identified, search and rescue or help could still be hours away. If the injury is catastrophic, you will most certainly die with or without an in reach if you cannot treat yourself. An InReach cannot only bring help, but it gives you the assurance and peace of mind following an injury to keep you mentally focused. Without focus, you lose control, increase the likelihood of severe shock, and you make irrational decisions that can be costly. I don’t pack fears. I definitely don’t look like a member of a SOF unit. I only take what’s necessary and everything has a purpose. Some of the best lessons in life are learned the hard way. Those, you never forget.

 

[FAAFO]

Some of you sound fortunate enough to have never experienced a catastrophic injury either personally or third-party, in a remote wilderness with no cell coverage. As a solo hunter, the biggest component in my pack is my first aid kit. It’s stored right inside the top zipper above my food or anything else. A tourniquet is set on the outside of my pack for quick access and can be deployed with one hand. My Inreach is a full-size version… the heavy bulky one, but the kind you can text from directly when your phone quits working or goes wonky. The ability to treat yourself if you are able, and having the proper knowledge and equipment to do so, is much more important than an in reach. Even if your location can be immediately identified, search and rescue or help could still be hours away. If the injury is catastrophic, you will most certainly die with or without an in reach if you cannot treat yourself. An InReach cannot only bring help, but it gives you the assurance and peace of mind following an injury to keep you mentally focused. Without focus, you lose control, increase the likelihood of severe shock, and you make irrational decisions that can be costly. I don’t pack fears. I definitely don’t look like a member of a SOF unit. I only take what’s necessary and everything has a purpose. Some of the best lessons in life are learned the hard way. Those, you never forget.

That’s unacceptable. Your first aid kit should be strapped to you. Especially when you’re stalking a buck with your bow

All joking aside, I find it interesting how many people have their Inreach on at all times. I turn mine on rarely. One of the main reasons I do such remote hunts is to be as disconnected as possible. Seems like so many people are afraid to be disconnected and maybe get a some security having their messenger so close to them at all times.

 

[FAAFO]

In my pack.
My phone with the app [ and OnX] is always more handy and since you can send SOS from the phone, why have both handy?

Also, you can send an SOS with the power being off the InReach

This. I have my phone handy in my pocket only to take pics but it does have the app too.

Seems like the majority use the app but still have the device strapped to the outside. Just seems reckless and something that could easily be lost.

 

[Jake Larsen]

That’s unacceptable. Your first aid kit should be strapped to you. Especially when you’re stalking a buck with your bow

All joking aside, I find it interesting how many people have their Inreach on at all times. I turn mine on rarely. One of the main reasons I do such remote hunts is to be as disconnected as possible. Seems like so many people are afraid to be disconnected and maybe get a some security having their messenger so close to them at all times.

Mine is tuned off for all but about 15 minutes a day. I send one “check in” message per day, a preset. Doesn’t mean I don’t keep the thing on me at all times. I do some sketchy stuff sometimes while hunting and backpacking. I did the same sketchy stuff before I had an Inreach. Now it’s available. It’s the least I can do for my wife and kids at home.

I know what you mean about some people being tethered to “connectivity” though. I’ve hunted with a few guys who are texting throughout the day with theirs. It annoys me a bit, but more than anything, I think it’s taking away from their experience.

That being said, If it makes you feel like a real badass because you’re brave enough to keep yours in your pack, then you do you


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[j3h8]

This. I have my phone handy in my pocket only to take pics but it does have the app too.

Seems like the majority use the app but still have the device strapped to the outside. Just seems reckless and something that could easily be lost.

You obviously have your opinion decided about those who carry their InReach in an accessible location. Is there some version of "I carry it where I carry because of X" that's going to somehow change you mental state on the issue?

To me your biggest concern seems to be losing a few hundred dollars when the device mysteriously vanishes from where it's stored. That's simply what I take away from your responses.

 

[WTFJohn]

For some, hunting and being out of touch for a few days a year is an adventure & story to tell.

For others, having two cell carriers on the same phone + an inreach is how you keep things going day to day, year-round. Zero social media related to that.

Inreach goes in bino harness pocket tethered on a section of gutted 550 cord during hunting seasons.

 

[limpet]

I heard a story here in AK of a guy rolling his wheeler and getting pinned underneath. Story goes that he survived the rollover, but succumbed to either injuries or the elements at some point afterwards. The haunting part of the story is that there was evidence he was desperately trying to reach the inReach on his wheeler (scratches in the mud/dirt). Whether this is an urban legend, or some version of the truth, still a remote possibility I'd like to avoid.

I know an owl hooter that was pinned under her atv. She had an inreach on her shoulder strap and was barely able to reach it but managed to hit the sos. If she’d had it inside her pack she’d have been stuck there atleast an extra 12 hours before a search party would go look for her because she’d just started her evening shift. It can happen.