2 Way Satelite Communicator

Curious if anybody has tried a few sat com devices out there and what their thoughts were? Im looking at getting either a spot, or a garmin inreach device. I heard a few horror stories about the spot not working when the time came for it to perform its job. Just curious if anyone has had this happen to them with either device, and if anyone had any recomendations, even if it is some other brand. Thanks!

I have an inReach mini - it works great, and has 2-way texting via satellite so you can always get a message out. I originally bought it for paragliding tracking and SOS options, but it was just used for a winter week in Yellowstone and allowed for daily texting, since service is thin in the Lamar Valley. Not sure it's worth paying the monthly access fee for casual use ($15-$20 per month), but if you're going to bother with one, I'd definitely go with the inReach. I can't speak to Spot's reliability (or lack thereof), but the inReach has always been on point, the live tracking is great, and the 2-way texting is a big bonus.

I have the Garmin inReach. It's worked for me but I haven't been anywhere super remote (Sierra Nevada mostly). My main comment is to make sure you turn it on and have it connect to satellites somewhere with open exposure to the sky prior to even getting to the trailhead. I've found that if I forget to turn it on and I'm out in the backcountry sometimes it's taken awhile to gain connection to satellites.

I was the rep for inReach before (and a bit after) they were bought by Garmin.  I have used quite a few different devices and inReach is still the best.  subscription kind of sucks but it is worth it - plus, it's pretty flexible and very reliable.  I have used it all over the world with great success (borat accent!)

InReach works well. Sometimes it takes a while to send/receive messages but it works everywhere.

I'll be buying an inReach Mini as soon as possible. The Spot two-way unit is complete garbage.

+1 for the inreach. In an emergency, you really want to be able to tell them what's going on. If you're like me, you'll end up using the texting a lot casually too.

We had a non-emergency situation with a wildfire in the wind rivers that broke out near the trailhead a few hours after we embarked. We were able to get updates on the fire, enjoy our trip, and know that the fire was out and it was safe to go back to the trailhead at the end of our trip. Without the inreach, we might have had quite an epic and miserable trip.

+2 for inreach. used on an expedition to Aconcagua to keep the family updated via texts.

A major advantage of the InReach is that it uses the Iridium satellite network, which is more robust than the Globalstar network used by Spot. The problem with Spot is that a message can only be transmitted if a Globalstar satellite is in view of both the Spot device and a Globalstar ground station at the same time. Depending on your location or view of the sky such a satellite may never appear, no matter how long you wait. (That's why Spot doesn't work at high latitudes or in mid-ocean). The Iridium system doesn't have the same limitation, because Iridium satellites can relay messages between themselves. All you need is an Iridium satellite to be in view of your InReach device. There are 60+ Iridium satellites in various orbits, so even if your view of the sky is somewhat limited chances are that one will come into view at some point. You may have to wait but rarely more than 10-15 minutes or so.

+3 for InReach.
Just used it on a trip to Kathdin and it worked great. Family was able to track our progress and I was able to send them preset messages that we were safe every night. Luckily I didn't have to test the SOS feature. 

You have two separate threads for this discussion?

https://www.mountainproject.com/forum/topic/116584967/2-way-sat-comm#ForumMessage-116585464

Definitely the inReach. SPOT is nowhere close.

Anonymous wrote: Everyone who is voting fo the InReach, for clearity, which one specifically are you talking about?

Aren't there two primary Inreach devices - the Explorer+ and the Mini? I think people like both. Personally, I don't take my cell phone in the backcountry, so I use the Explorer+.  

FrankPS wrote:

Aren't there two primary Inreach devices - the Explorer+ and the Mini? I think people like both. Personally, I don't take my cell phone in the backcountry, so I use the Explorer+.  

Do you "love" typing out messages using the Explorer+?

Long Ranger wrote:

Do you "love" typing out messages using the Explorer+?

No, but I send so few messages (almost none) that it's worth not carrying my phone.

Anonymous wrote: Everyone who is voting fo the InReach, for clearity, which one specifically are you talking about?

Explorer+

FrankPS wrote:

No, but I send so few messages (almost none) that it's worth not carrying my phone.

Would preset messages work?

I'm kind of a weight weenie (and I don't have any inReach right now), so the Mini looks most attractive to me, personally. If I'm sending messages in the backcountry (a term using lightly here in CO), I'd probably reach for my phone first anyways, which I would be carrying as well.

Long Ranger wrote:

Would preset messages work?

I'm kind of a weight weenie (and I don't have any inReach right now), so the Mini looks most attractive to me, personally. If I'm sending messages in the backcountry (a term using lightly here in CO), I'd probably reach for my phone first anyways, which I would be carrying as well.

Yeah, for those people that normally carry a cell phone in the backcountry, the Mini makes sense. I don't take photos, so I don't carry my phone. I intend to use the Inreach Explorer+ primarily as an emergency device, with the occasional GPS use.

I think it's really just personal preference as to which device you use. I don't keep in touch with family, so preset messages won't get used by me ("I'm OK").

This topic is so heavily one sided, that I went ahead and bought the inreach mini. Every where i look, it seems to be the favored devoce hands down. Plus i love the fact that you can have a freedom plan, no commitment, only downside i seem to notice is the 50hr battery life for tracking but, you dont really need that feature going on. From what ive read, test it, turn it off, turn it on if you absolutely need it to save battery if thats what your worried about. Ill be back to give my two cents on the thing after i take it out and give her a test run. Thanks all who chipped in...

Anonymous wrote: Everyone who is voting fo the InReach, for clearity, which one specifically are you talking about?

Mini, you can save preset text messages so no need to type on it. Plus I carry my phone anyways so can basically turn that into the explorer using Bluetooth. $100 cheaper too. 

Got the device today, having hell activating the thing. I guess their is a major outage and is taking well longer than the 20 minutes it said it would take at max. Not a big deal, just thought that anyone who may read this should know that shit happens, and I suppose the only full proof thing you got, is your mental game.