inReach® Mini 2, Satellite Communicator, Orange

UPDATE: just returned from a RawHyde off-road motorcycle training, course where Instructors repeatedly emphasize the need to wear This on your body as you ride. (and to never ride alone) All people in the course fell at least once in the very challenging training exercises. with one fall, My foot was pinned below my bike, but luckily not injured due to my good boot. If I were out alone, I don’t know what I would’ve done as I needed others to shift the bike weight to get my foot out From under the motorcycle Prior review : As a 70 year-old going on hikes in the local mountains with friends and adventure motorcycle rides. I am at risk for injury far from assistance. This is an essential item as my cell phone service is often spotty to absent. Hope I never need to use it, but I have tried all it features But the SOS good for letting others know where you are and texting from remote locations. Not as easy to use as cell phone texting but functional. As the screen is tiny, I don’t think it would work well as a GPS mapping device, but it does display your location and coordinates.

These are perfect for my grandson while he’s out hunting. They’re reliable, easy to use, and give great peace of mind for parents. Durable and practical—highly recommend!

I have always been a fan of Garmin products. I have used them throughtout myilitary career and in my civilian career. We watched alot of YouTube hikers and did alot of research prior to our hike which is and kept us out of cell service for several days. Several of the seasoned hikers had the Mini clipped to their bags and spike highly of it. You do have to pay for the service. I don't remember which one I subscribed but it allows for limitless check in messages. There are pre-determined messages. You can select the individuals you want to receive the messages when you set up. I would send a message prior to starting my day and another when I was done for the day. You can also send out perusal message and get weather updates. But the sole purpose of the Mini is to be able to call foe emergency services when needed. There is an SOS button. I never pushed it nor did I ever need to so I can't give details about who receives that message. I felt confident having it and my loved were able to track my progress. I would recommend clipping one to your bag before heading out.

I purchased this for backpacking so my wife would not be so worried about me when I am in the back country. It has all the features I needed and wanted. It was easy to set up and get working. The SOS feature was the number one reason my wife and I wanted it, if I have an accident or medical emergency I can hit that button and it connects me directly to the Garmin center. From the GPS they know exactly where I am to send help. It communicates via text either through the device or you can type in the message in your phone when is connected to the device via Bluetooth. If you set it up for tracking you can set up for it to ping the Gamin System which will make it possible for your loved ones to be able to track you as you travel. There is an activation fee and a monthly service fee which can be turned off if you are not going to be using it for a while. They battery life is very good but you should carry a USB charging battery depending on how long you will be out. For me this is a must for peace of mind for my and my family.

Observations, wins and loses from an experienced Inreach fan. We hike around the world and this is our SOS device. We had the Mini V1 for 5 years, and used it for check-ins on thru hikes. These are rugged and have great battery life, but the v1 was painfully slow and hard to get sat fix. What wins with this one: They have substantially improved speed / sat. performance for every aspect of this device, especially messages. The fix is tons faster. The screen seems better, and the "test service" feature is new/awesome too. The messenger app looks better but I've not asked our emergency contacts to install it yet. The other "Quiet" win is the subscriptions you can use after upgrading from the v1.0 many won't know about. You can now pause your account but *keep* your SOS feature available. For us this means we will pause it for routine hiking, and enable it ($8/month) it only when overseas. Versus the v1.0, which required the $15 sub and could not be paused with SOS, the device will pay for itself in around 9 months. When paused, non-SOS features are off (such as weather reports and routine "check in' type messaging)... I'm sure this is a response by Garmin to the fast-evolving cell-phone based satellite communications wave that's happening. What sucks bad: You cannot use this as a standard GPS logger with apps like GaiaGPS or AllTrails, which feels like a ecosystem-greed gate more than a technical concern. So I will still need to keep using my Qstarz logger + GPS spoofing app setup when I had hoped to elimiate a device from my pack. I don't want to use Garmin's map app, as it features none of the richness and sync features of Gaia.

Purchased a preowned model and it came in great condition. It functions as it should and is great for hiking when there is no service.

Absolutely love my mini garmin! Its perfect size is great for travel and easy to attach on my backpack. The battery seems to last for quite awhile. If turned off when not using it can last for weeks. The satellite signal works well and best to test out at home before starting your trip just to make sure. I ended up testing it out and sending test messages to family members. It says to connect as well to your phone with the Bluetooth feature. Make sure that you get the membership to allow the texting from the device and SARS assist when needed. 10/10 would recommend if you are not into the watch. Although I am thinking of the watch just because I would like to be able to track my trips rather than use an iPhone.

Wait to get this on sale!!! Got this for my dad that goes fishing in areas of no service. Great device that is relativity easy to use.

Excelente, yo lo uso para que mi familia me ubique cuando salgo en la moto, hay que comprar un paquete de emergencia, bajar una app de Garmin, nada difícil.

Really pleased. Bought this after having to be rescued by a helicopter in the USA where we had no signal at the scene of a medical incident and my wife had to drive off and leave me to get help. Tested in regularly in the US recently when out of mobile / cellphone coverage and it worked perfectly, linked to the relevant Garmin App on my phone - you do not need to have mobile / cellphone signal to do this, the device relays the message on the phone via Satellite. You do need an active subscription to the relevant Garmin service. It will not work without this. It is also NOT a personal locator beacon don't mistake it for one or assume it functions like one. This allows two -way comms.

Pues un elemento de seguridad muy útil para quien haga actividades en zonas sin cobertura. Resistente, pequeño y de calidad Garmin. Puedes enviar mensajes a contactos, compartir ubicación y enviar una señal SOS al centro de Garmin para que den la alarma a los servicios de auxilio de la zona en la que te encuentres. Este modelo a mí modo de ver es mejor que el mini 3 para actividades acuáticas por carecer de pantalla táctil y tener botones físicos. No me pareció difícil de configurar. Requiere suscripción.

Never be out of network again! This gives us peace of mind when we are hiking, skiing or camping in the backcountry. I bought the scuba case as well, and bring these on every scuba dive. From the most remote mountain tops, to the bottom of the sea, I can send a text, or alert search and rescue of my location. Amazing technology, and one of the most important pieces of safety equipment to have in your kit.

Bought this device which is advertised to have a 14 days lasting battery as well could reach up to 30 days. On top of the cost of the equipment I activated ($50) plus got a freedom plan ($25). Had read a few reviews complaining about the short battery of this device compared to the 14-30 days advertised but thought it was only bad luck. First hike using it, the battery last less than 2 days which is very disappointing, tested again the equipment at home and same thing battery didn’t last 2 full days. I returned the equipment asking for a refund that seems to be on the way and I called Garmin to see if the activation fee and 1st usage payment could be cancelled and the answer was NO. If you need a reliable equipment that the battery will last your weekend hiking, this is not the right one for you.