Garmin inReach Messenger

It’s taking me some practice to learn the features like track back. My quick messages didn’t go through, but probably something I did wrong in setup. I like being able to see my route & milage on my URL.

I have the inReach Messenger and should've got the inReach Mini 2. I brought this about 5 months ago. I "tired" to used it for my thur-hike last week. Messages would go through and I couldn't get them. I watch the tutorials on how to use it and nothing. It is what it is! I will be trying to sale it soon.

I've used this so far on two cycling trips. each time it allowed me to stay in communication with my friends and family even when well outside of cell service, and knowing that I could get help if needed, even in the worst of circumstances, give me the confidence to stay out longer and be more adventurous. I had no issues with phone connection so far, and the flexibility to turn my subscription on and off is great too.

Even with increasing apple satellite messaging abilities I think a dedicated messenger is great to have. Light and has a long battery life. I like that you can use it to charge other devices in a pinch. I understand why some are critical of this but the ability to charge a headlamp or phone when needed can be just as crucial as having an inreach and the battery life is long enough to do both. The cost of garmin plans have come down but is still a bummer

Does not work at the location it was purchased for.

Works great. Small and compact while still being able to send messages without the app if your phone dies or gets disconnected from the device. Battery lasts a long time with regular use.

It seems like garmin has gone to great lengths to make the device nearly impossible to share with your wife, son, daughter, or friend. Because they want you to purchase everyone their own device. By doing so the complexity of using it has rendered the device nearly useless. You need different apps for talking and tracking and the instructions are non-existent, unless you want to spend a couple hours searching the help site and user forums. Example- they don't tell you exactly how to use the garmin messenger app. So we assumed we both needed it on our phones to chat back and forth. Nope, that was a mistake because then the device couldn't decide which one of us it belonged to. It re-assigned itself over to my wife and when I really needed to use it in the backcountry, it was a failure. It just kept saying "assigning device to your account", or something, which it couldn't do because I had no cell service. I can't wait until satellite service for cell phones makes these expensive pieces of junk obsolete! If you are shopping for a satellite device I would recommend a different device. One that isn't so locked down by a greedy company. (Zoleo is what I'm swapping this garmin for)

I chose the InReach Messenger because it is more compact and has a more streamlined shape than the Mini. I found the reverse charging feature a nice bonus in case of emergencies. I have now taken the Messenger on adventures across desert trails, canyons, and open waters, usually on my harness or vest, and it has seamlessly tracked my whereabouts accurately, kept me in touch with loved ones thousands of miles away, and gave me a safety line always one button away. The basic plan costs about what you'd pay for a sixpack of beer, and it integrates perfectly with my Fenix and the iPhone. I have never used its limited screen since it's very cumbersome. The Garmin Explore website must be used for some administrative and browsing features. It uses a very dated user interface and it is extremely slow.

I bought this for a baja trip and it performed perfectly. Battery life is fantastic

This is my second inReach - replaced my original Mini with this. The Mini was actually very good - I used it to evacuate a guy from the Grand Canyon last spring - but I hated the Earthmate app and was quite disappointed that the Mini was effectively orphaned by Garmin in that ancient app. It would not communicate with my Garmin watch either. This fixes both problems - the Messenger app is much better and I get notifications on my watch. Battery life is better, it is a USB-C connection (rather than micro), it is almost as small, and still has a tiny screen if your phone dies in an emergency. I do wish the lanyard hole was larger and the device was more thoughtful about how you'd connect it/mount it/tether it to something else. Common to both devices is being on Iridium rather than Globalstar. I had a pair of Spots years ago and thought they were awful and unreliable with no for-sure confirmation that a message was received and many places in the world without coverage. InReach/Iridium is just solid and reliable everywhere. So those of you that think an iPhone is the cats pajamas for this, well it is on Globalstar. Enough said.