inReach Mini Bundle on sale COSTCO

[Pivo]

249.99
https://www.costco.com/garmin-inreach-m ... 86688.html
REI too

Valid 11/13/20 through 11/30/20. While supplies last.

[wildwesthikes]

Same at REI, till I think 11/23.

[azbackpackr]

@wildwesthikes
I did really think I wanted one of those, but I have just read way too many bad reviews. I wouldn't mind hearing comments by people who own one, specifically the mini. I have seen the regular one work just fine. I have also seen a SPOT texting device break (broken switch) when it was practically new, so I wouldn't get a SPOT.

[Pivo]

@azbackpackr
I have used the tracking and texting features on my mini, without any issues. Thankfully I have never deployed the SOS feature.

[azbackpackr]

@Pivo
Thank you!

[outdoor_lover]

@azbackpackr
A lot of Canyoneers I know, use the Mini. Their most common comment was that Garmin doesn't care as much about Quality as DeLorme did.

[SJFL]

@azbackpackr
Do you know what the nature of those bad reviews is? Is it that it doesn't receive service? Is it that the battery life is poor? Is it that pieces spontaneously fly off of it? I am enticed by the sale...

[azbackpackr]

@SJFL
I read them on the REI website. I just looked down at the bottom of the page and told it that I wanted to see all the reviews with one and two stars. Mainly it seems that there is no satellite reception, even when standing out in the open, at times, for some users.

[00blackout]

I picked up the InReach (not the mini) couple months back and have had no issues with it at all. For me, I was looking for piece of mind knowing I do a lot of solo stuff.

[wildwesthikes]

@azbackpackr
The reason for all the 1 & 2 star reviews is because people think they are buying a cell phone. Seriously, people believe they are going to have a message go to space, bounce form space to a ground station, have it relayed to a cell site, then get a reply from their friend via the same path, in 1 second. When it doesn't work even half as well as their cell phone, they get mad and say they never get reception. Other times people bury their inreach in their pack or hang it where there are rocks overhead or other user errors where they again treat it like a cell phone. You wouldn't place a TV satellite dish under a rock alcove and expect to get a TV signal... Why would we expect different from any other satellite device?

I have used an InReach for a couple years now. The fastest I have sent & received texts was nearly as fast as a cell phone. Almost instantaneous. That was with tree cover. Other times it has taken as long as 10, 15 minutes. But it always works. 100% of the time.

My step dad did ground telemetry programming on the original Iriduim Satellite constellation back in the 90s. The military relies on it. I've discussed how the system works with him at length. I trust my life with it. Part of using this technology is knowing what it is capable of. Since the newer Iridium II satellites have been going up on Space X rockets over the past year, I have noticed messaging has gotten even faster.

There are legitimate issues with getting messages to AT&T phone customers. But that is an issue with AT&T actively blocking InReach location coordinates because AT&T has been trying to push their own location services. So it's a case of people blaming Garmin for an AT&T problem.

There are also legitimate complaints about the Explore Website and map routing. I would not use an InReach device for navigation except as a backup device. Other than that - as a consumer grade satellite communicator it does get the job done, reliably.

[chumley]

@wildwesthikes
It sounds like the company that makes this product needs to do a better job of communicating its capabilities to their customers. A disappointed user can be the result of a company setting unrealistic performance expectations or not clearly defining what their product actually does.

[azbackpackr]

@wildwesthikes
Thank you very much for taking the time for this explanation. @chumley good points as well.

[toddak]

Since my ResQLink PLB is about due for a battery replacement I thought I'd switch to the Mini to get the 2-way texting capability. Also $250 on Amazon at the moment.

[big_load]

A disappointed user can be the result of a company setting unrealistic performance expectations or not clearly defining what their product actually does.

It can also result from most people being idiots. Even so, I heartily agree with your statement.

[xsproutx]

@big_load Agree with this so much. The documentation does a very good job at laying out what to expect but we all know... most people don’t read the manual and have unrealistic expectations. I agree with every word of @wildwesthikes post. Disclaimer: I used to work for garmin, although in a different, but adjacent, division. Most of the complaints we saw were with people expecting much faster transfer times and the. Issues with ATT more recently. Transfer times are pretty good if you have the device on the outside of your pack and have clear line of site. Gets slower if you’re in deep forest or a in a canyon, but it’ll get there eventually unless you’re in a really weird spot.

With that said, I’ve actually switched to Zoleo. I do t need navigation for a separate device and it’s app is awesome. Same satellite network (iridium), lower initial price, lower mid range plan price, lower “hold” price, and the app is awesome. Can send messages that are 1000+ characters to someone else with the app and only counts as one message. Works great for my wife and I as I can settle in for the night and send what amounts as a short email to her describing my day with no issue. I back back to get away but there is also a lot of pleasure sharing my day/trip report with my wife that this makes possible. I usually go on two 1-2 night trips a month and then a few longer trips a year so it’s gotten a work out