expiredphoinix | Staff posted Feb 11, 2025 10:37 AM
Item 1 of 4
Item 1 of 4
expiredphoinix | Staff posted Feb 11, 2025 10:37 AM
$296.90*: Garmin inReach Mini 2 Compact Satellite Communicator at Amazon
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Our community has rated this post as helpful. If you agree, why not thank Gregg1
Thanks for the heads up
If nothing else, 2 is 1 and 1 is none. Can't hurt to have multiple means of rescue if you're in the back country.
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If nothing else, 2 is 1 and 1 is none. Can't hurt to have multiple means of rescue if you're in the back country.
1. Sending a message from the device is hard, it takes forever. You're better off having some canned messages.
2. Battery life if not great depending on how long you're using it, how long it tries to connect to send/receive (more on this below)
3. It can take 5 seconds to send or receive a message or it can take an hour. It depends on where you are in relation to the satellites. Sometimes you get messages send before you sent yours. An actual back and forth conversation can be very challenging and frustrating. This can lead to keeping the device on longer and this battery life is affected.
4. The app is not modern, not great at all, but I guess gets the job done. But it shows me that they're not investing in this line of products. oh, also, sometimes the app shows that a message was not sent but the person received it. that's annoying
5. Tracking...this is most important to me. You can set it to come on and send out your coordinates every so often and then disconnect. In the mountains you move slowly and you don't advance a great deal in say 15 minutes. A loved one can have access to a map and track your progress. Of course, a rescue team could use this if needed if they get the link from your loved one. This doesn't drain your battery nearly as much.
6. There is a monthly subscription option and you can turn it off when you don't need the device. If you spend much time in remote areas, you'll likely keep it on. If you go on big trips 1-2 times a year, keep it off in between.
All in all, this serves its purpose in remote areas and could not be replaced by a phone "today". It's not just about connectivity, but it's also about charging. In my case, it makes a difference if I carry 60lbs vs 70lbs on my back. I only take with me a foldable solar panel and a 10k battery pack. I can't charge my phone every single days and if I kept it on, that would be needed. Not to mention that in cold climates, phones struggle a lot more.
Just my 2c
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