Thread: Garmin InReach Mini vs Spot Gen 4

Am trying to decide between the two, both have pros and cons and the subscription is about the same,

Cons:
Spot- One way message only, apparently can be somewhat patchy in it's communication with sats (although I don't know if that is actually true), seems to be a bit more of a pain in ass interface.

InReach mini- twice the cost, a lot of functions I don't necessarily need.

Pros:
Spot- much cheaper, probably do all I need

Mini- paired with smart phone/other garmin device does it all to some degree, actually shows message status.

Already have a stand alone GPS and also topo apps on phone, anybody have any thoughts/experiences to add?

Inreach mini.
Getting that reply message makes a big difference, like whether or not the chopper is coming to uplift you or not


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I have a mini and its not particularly user friendly. Maybe I'm getting old but even using it via the phone App I find it a time consuming exercise to sent a message and to read incoming texts. On the plus side that difficulty stops you from sending heaps of expensive messages I guess.

I find it somewhat confusing to know exactly what you will or won't get chaged for too... and worse, Garmin just put up their Annual Fee to $64. I wrote them an email asking them to reconsider that increase as it seems pretty unjustified to push through a 60% increase in their annual fees when nowhere in the developed world is anyone seeing a 60% increase in their service fees. CPI increases are in single digits... so what marketing muppet thinks a 60% increase can go without kickback?

Naturally I got a polite response telling me their costs had increased and they wanted to provide a quality service, blah, blah, blah... but of course they don't give a shit and I have no doubt they'll be hiking their fees again next year.

I'm really pleased I didn't go for a Garmin Chartplotter in the boat... I already had a bitch on for Garmin after installing a new transponder in a mates plane and finding out the bastards had changed their serial coms data to their own formate so now it doesn't talk to any of the other non-Garmin equipment in the panel. I've long been a Garmin fan but now... nah. Their arrogance is becoming unbearable.

As MSL stated above, it is good to get two way coms when you're a long way from civilisation so the mini does have that advantage. If you're going to use all the crumb trail features you might need to recharge it every 3 or 4 days so don't forget to take the charging cable.

Have a look at Spot X also. I've gone from Inreach to the Spot X as I like the full keyboard, have found it reliable and quick sending and receiving messages. They get a bit of a bad rap as don't seem to function as well in the US where most the reviews come from. Cheaper to run than an Inreach also.

In terms of using one strictly for emergencies, remember neither is a PLB.
Neither transmits a VHF radio signal that can be tracked and homed in on by either ground or airborne rescuers.

One case in the last 12 months out of Nelson, initial co-ordinates from an inReach were a measured 2.2 kilometres from their eventual position. It put the aircraft in the wrong catchment. Updated co-ordinates then put them within 1km, luckily the couple were spotted on the opposite ridge signalling with a torch. Had the helicopter been able to track the device directly the search time would have been greatly reduced.

The homing function of the VHF signal on a PLB will greatly aid rescuers finding the device under a dense canopy. In fact last year a lost KTI beacon that self activated where it fell was located buried in leaf litter in the Kahurangi National Park.

The ultimate will be PLBs with two way communication.
The messaging is a great feature but it is also important to understand their limitations.

I had a hunter requiring rescue from a steep valley at 4000' in the dark, last May. Broken femur.
The inreach was fantastic. I had a reply and constant updates within seconds of activating the rescue function and even got an eta of the machine to uplift injured party which was spot on.
It certainly helped calm and gave piece of mind to the injured party to know exactly what was going on. So unless you splash out for a satt phone it is the only other device that can reassure all concerned in a stressful situation.

Can't speak more highly of the service and the crew who carried out the rescue.

I can take it pretty much anywhere in the world and it works. I fail to see how it can send the wrong coordinates unless the unit wasn't given time to fix the position prior to activating the SOS function. I always get a fix at base camp or along intended route. Even with the unit turned off and on again it goes to last activated position. Common sense.

You can suspend the service and reactivate it anytime. Costs me approx 200 bucks a year including yearly subscription and I am in the mountains here and overseas 6 months of the year when there is no covid bullshit. I have used it in Australia and Nth America to keep regular contact with home.
Wouldn't go bush without it now. I have the mini and pair it with my phone. Make sure it is fixed to your pack or person as I had a kea steal mine for a bit last month while glassing.


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Oh for sure I understand the limitations, and I am aware it is not as effective as a stand alone PLB. However I would like to be able to let Wifey know I will be late/staying another night etc.

She would likely get SAR out before I ever need it purely because I couldn't let her know I was good. But I figure that the ability to send/receive messages for a slightly reduced location function is of more value to me personally.

I always carry multiple use items, including signaling.

Agree though.

Originally Posted by Ryan_Songhurst

Have a look at Spot X also. I've gone from Inreach to the Spot X as I like the full keyboard, have found it reliable and quick sending and receiving messages. They get a bit of a bad rap as don't seem to function as well in the US where most the reviews come from. Cheaper to run than an Inreach also.
Attachment 156551

Where did you find that @Ryan_Songhurst?

Instead of going through Garmin try Tony at TrackMe very helpful and does both InReach and Spot devices, they have a local call centre and Tony is based in Christchurch. He does a lot of sponsoring for multi sports events and does all our SAR stuff too

His plans are cheaper than Garmins too, he came up to Hanmer and did some training for our SAR group last week as we have just acquired two InReaches

Originally Posted by Preacher

Where did you find that @Ryan_Songhurst?

https://www.mobilesystems.co.nz/prod..._Way_Messenger

With any of these devices there's always the possibility of a failure. When they work then they work and as R93 said they're not going to send out the wrong coordinates but there is one case that was quite prominent when the Australian "superstar Instagram hunter" (man I hate that egotistical prick..) Adam Greentree set off an Inreach after a fall and it failed to send the SOS message, he did however manage to get it to send a normal message and sent instructions about his whereabouts etc. They're a handy tool for communication etc but would I rely on one 100% as an emergency beacon? Probably not.. But then, there's the same chance an actual PLB could fail to operate properly also so at the end of the day you need to back yourself as much as you can, hope for the best and prepare for the worst.

Just to add, I've had to use the SOS function on a spot device before and it worked perfectly, it was one of the older ones with preset messages so had no idea if it had worked at the time but within half an hour of setting it off there was a chopper above our location, due to the terrain and weather he couldn't land or even stay hovering in one spot but they put the searchlight on us and then managed to drop off a paramedic and a SAR member further up the ridge who came down and stayed with us untill we could be taken out. My wife had fallen down a bank into a river as we followed a track along the creek bank and she got hit in the thigh by a rock that came tumbling down the hill from above us somewhere on the way back to the car park from a weekend hunt and all the while it had been pissing down rain so we were racing the clock to get to the last river crossing before the river had raised too much. I had screamed at her to dump her pack as she couldn't stand up and I managed to grab hold of her just after she had done so. Her pack had all our clothes and tent etc as mine was full of meat. So we were soaked wet, it was freezing cold and raining and we were trapped between two rising rivers with no dry clothes or shelter, things went to shit pretty quickly that day so I'm glad the spot device worked.
I've also used my new device to have a full person to person txt conversation and explained to my staff how to fix a problem they had with an effluent pump on the farm whilst I was away in the hills so the communication thing is definately handy along with just letting significant other you are settled in for the night at the end of each day etc. Weather reports are also a great function.

I have the old Inreach, cant fault it. Never had to use the SOS function, hopefully never do. But being able to send and receive messages from anywhere to anywhere is where its at for me. Can call a helicopter, call home, if Im needed elsewhere I can receive messages every time I turn it on. Sometimes it take up to 10-15 minutes for a message to send, sometimes seconds, all depends on the satellites. And tho it may take a minute or 2 to type up a message, I dont need to spend the coin to get the new Mini that works with a cell phone - I head for the hills to get away from a cellphone so a few minutes in camp messaging mates or home is a small price to pay for keeping it simple. And a number of the helicopter companies are using Inreach for their drop off parties, and they monitor their messages all day long.

That spot x 2 way looks good!
I've got a inreach mini and likewise was pretty taken back when they whacked up the annual fee by so much. I was really hoping that with evolving technology and maybe some competition in this space, prices might come down if anything.

Every time I reactivate my subscription I think about just getting the cheapest option. But then remind myself that the extra safety feature of having non-stop tracking would chew through the extra charges. Have my plb on me as well when I'm in the hills, but I think the inreach, or whatever solution you go for adds an extra safety feature where it sends tracking info back to whoever you share with. So worst case scenario, you end up incapacitated, at least any rescue effort would have your last location on the tracking route to go looking for you.

If you're new to this technology, then just let whoever at home is keeping an eye out for any messages, that the service can be pretty sporadic at times, even in reasonably open bush where you can easily get a good gps lock, sometimes it seems to take forever for the download/upload thing to successfully complete. Or maybe I've just got a dodgey unit.