InReach Mini
Why We Like The InReach Mini
We bring Garmin's InReach Mini along when "getting away from it all" includes going beyond cellphone reception. While we appreciate the lack of work emails, phone calls, and social media notifications when we're appreciating the great outdoors, there are some situations we like being prepared for. The ability to send an SOS to GEOS—Garmin-powered International Emergency Response Coordination Center—brings peace to our minds whenever we're biking, climbing, skiing, paddling, and backpacking off the beaten path. Our loved ones especially like the ability to send us messages on extended hut trips and mountaineering missions.
Details
- Compact satellite communicator for off-grid contact
- Two-way messaging allows texting, posting, and inReach communication
- SOS alerts triggers messages to GEOS in emergencies
- GPS tracking location shares with folks back home
- Global Iridium satellite network goes beyond cellphone coverage
- InReach weather forecasting gives detailed weather updates
- Impact-resistant housing water-rated to IPX7 standards
- Rechargeable battery gives up to 90 hours in default mode
- Please see size chart for complete list of technical features
- Item #GRM009K
- Housing Material
- plastic
- Technical Features
- see size chart
- Operating System
- Bluetooth, ANT+
- Battery Type
- rechargeable lithium ion
- Battery Life
- [10-minute track mode] 50 hours
- Dimensions
- 2.04 x 3.9 x 1.03in
- Claimed Weight
- 3.5oz
- Face Size
- 23 x 23mm
- Manufacturer Warranty
- 1 year
- Activity
- backcountry riding, backcountry skiing, backcountry snowshoeing, backpacking, canyoneering, flatwater paddling, gravel, hiking, mountaineering, river paddling, ski mountaineering, snowshoe hiking, snowshoe running, trail, trail running, travel
Reviews
Q&A
What do you think about this product?
Overall Rating
4 based on 1 ratings
Review Summary
Fits True To Size
Screen reader users: the following list provides a visual scale to illustrate the product fit. Please refer to the heading above for the fit type in text.Customer Images
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Selecting an option will reload the available reviews on the pageSeptember 20, 2020
Peace of Mind is...Small?
- Familiarity:
- I've used it several times
I bought this and received it before this weekend for a backpacking trip, and it was nice to have the peace of mind during the trip that if anything goes wrong, I could get help fairly quickly. I ran the test messages on this, and it worked quite well, and I even sent preset messages and received incoming messages as well. It was nice to be able to communicate with loved ones in the middle of nowhere, where there is no cell service. These messages though were quite delayed, and took quite a bit of time to send and recieve, but they did work in the end. You have to sign up at explore.garmin.com and pay for a plan in order to use the InReach Mini though. Signing up was an absolute pain, as it requires you to have a Garmin account, but you can't create one at explore.garmin.com, nor does it tell you that you need to do this before hand. When registering my InReach, it would always fail, saying invalid user name and/or password, even though I haven't entered those or created an account at any point before then. I had to go to a different part of Garmin's website, make an account there, and then I was able to setup my InReach Mini. Quite a painful process. Once I was over that hump though, the plans offered were rather flexible and priced nicely. My InReach Mini then started working without a hitch. The battery life of this thing also seems very solid, and the screen is very readable. I wouldn't use it for messaging directly though, it just doesn't have a great interface for that. Garmin's Earthmate app makes it very easy though to compensate for this, and you can pair it with your phone via Bluetooth to then send and receive messages with your phone, making it much easier to use for that. Supposedly it can also pair with a Garmin watch, but I don't have one of those. The thing that boggles my mind though is just how small it is. Communication with the Iridium satellite network, which covers the entire planet, through this tiny little device in my hand. It isn't cheap, but if you're going backpacking with no cell service, which would be most of the time, I easily recommend the Garmin InReach Mini. It works, it's tiny, and it'll give you some peace of mind because if things go horribly wrong, you can get help.
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July 15, 2021