inReach® Mini 2, Satellite Communicator, Orange

I took this little device on a canyon hiking trip in Utah to really put it to the test. Even with canyon walls towering over 100 feet, I was still able to get a solid connection. The speed varied depending on how deep I was, but it never failed to send a message. The screen is small but manageable—though if you have poor eyesight, it might be a bit challenging.It tracked me for the entire two-day trip, providing an excellent trip overview and, more importantly, peace of mind for my family back home. The build quality is impressive too—it handled scrapes and drops with no issues (including a few unintentional encounters with rocks while climbing).Subscription Note:Just be aware that some features require an active subscription. It’s not a deal-breaker since the core functions work well, but it is something to consider when factoring in the total cost.

These are perfect for my grandson while he’s out hunting. They’re reliable, easy to use, and give great peace of mind for parents. Durable and practical—highly recommend!

Purchased a preowned model and it came in great condition. It functions as it should and is great for hiking when there is no service.

Great little phone! Bought for my husband who is in the woods hunting and riding atv/snowmobiles. Had no issues receiving texts from him!

This is old-school performance on high-tech equipment. I bought this for outdoor adventures in areas that have no cell coverage. It is functional, but you have to imagine that you are living in the 20th century to meet performance expectiations.First, the setup and activation took nearly 2 days. Yes, 2 days. I set up my account, put the InReach outdoors with full view of the sky, and then waited... and waited... finally after numerous power cycles, and more waiting, it activated. The instructions said that the long activation time is not an indication of normal performance. Yeah, right.Then I went camping in a remote area for a week. I sent a preset message, had InReach in full view of the sky, sitting on a small table. I waited... finally the message showed as Sent after 20 minutes. Not impressed. Other messages took anywhere from 5 to 20 minutes to send; judging the replies was more difficult, but the quickest reply from a friend was about 30 minutes (this could have been due to the friend taking time to respond). Despite the slow performance, it never failed to send or receive a message.The subscription plans have Gotchas that are not advertised. The Freedom plan, aka "pay as you go" does not offer much Freedom. First, you have to pay $35 for each year you use the plan; so if you only use it one month every year, then it isn't $15, it's $50. And, contrary to what's advertised on the Garmin site, you DO get charged for the months that you do NOT use it (as of June 2022), I believe $5/mo. For those reasons, I just did the Annual plan. The short of it: For ONE month, you pay $105 over the course of a year - that's $105 for ONE MONTH of usage. For the Annual plan, you pay $178 over the year, which is $14.86 per month.For the type and amount of service you get, InReach can seem like a total rip-off. You need to decide for yourself if having 'service anywhere' justifies the cost. For me, it is, and it fits my budget.There are a few strong points of the Garmin InReach2 over other platforms. First, it is small. I mean tiny. It's easy to pack and carry, and you do not need anything else - no phone pairing required. Battery life is good, and it uses a built-in rechargeble battery. The phone app is decent, and you don't need service / internet to use it or pair it. Of course you need to have already downloaded the app, but that's obvious. The screen is small but easy to read, unless you have poor eye sight. Still, let's say you are older or farsighted and lose your reading glasses, the SOS button can be found and operated by feel, so there's always that.Some downsides: Preset messages require setup on a computer via the InReach portal. The rechargeable battery means that you can't use common batteries in a pinch, like AAAs or similar; and you need to have access to a USB-C charger.Complaints aside, if I knew all this before I bought it, I probably would have still bought it, mostly because I'm an electronics nerd.

The Garmin inReach Mini 2 is a must-have for anyone who spends time off-grid. The compact size makes it easy to clip to a pack or stow in a pocket, and the satellite connection gives peace of mind when cell service drops out. Messaging and SOS features work as advertised, though typing out custom texts can feel a little slow on the device itself. Battery life is excellent, lasting multiple days on a single charge with moderate use. For outdoor trips, hiking, or emergencies, it’s an investment worth making.

Lightweight, easy to use. Garmin is amazing in an emergency situation. Already used and literally, saved my son’s life. We will forever be grateful to this device and support provided by SAR and emergency response team at Garmin.

I like to go out for hours on end into the mountains without cell phone service to play with rattle snakes. For some reason my wife likes having me around and wants me to live to an elderly age so we can sit on rocking chairs on our front porch screaming at kids to get off of our lawn.This helps the chances of her dreams to come true should I end up needing assistance when out of cell phone coverage (biking, hiking, camping, playing with snakes etc) and require assistance (emergency or non emergency) I am able to get it. I like the idea of being able to send a text message to my wife "Honey, I ran over a snake, it got angry, bit one of my bike tires, can you please come get me" or being able to press the SOS button for our true heroes that rescue morons like me who might fall off of a cliff after being bitten by a den of rattle snakes.I know iPhones are able to send text messages over satellite but I still like having a tool that is built for the job. I hope to never use this and waste $7 a month for the basic plan, but if I ever do find myself in trouble, I know this will be worth every penny!

Muy bien pero los planes de precios son caros

Excelente, yo lo uso para que mi familia me ubique cuando salgo en la moto, hay que comprar un paquete de emergencia, bajar una app de Garmin, nada difícil.

Really pleased. Bought this after having to be rescued by a helicopter in the USA where we had no signal at the scene of a medical incident and my wife had to drive off and leave me to get help. Tested in regularly in the US recently when out of mobile / cellphone coverage and it worked perfectly, linked to the relevant Garmin App on my phone - you do not need to have mobile / cellphone signal to do this, the device relays the message on the phone via Satellite. You do need an active subscription to the relevant Garmin service. It will not work without this. It is also NOT a personal locator beacon don't mistake it for one or assume it functions like one. This allows two -way comms.

Pues un elemento de seguridad muy útil para quien haga actividades en zonas sin cobertura. Resistente, pequeño y de calidad Garmin. Puedes enviar mensajes a contactos, compartir ubicación y enviar una señal SOS al centro de Garmin para que den la alarma a los servicios de auxilio de la zona en la que te encuentres. Este modelo a mí modo de ver es mejor que el mini 3 para actividades acuáticas por carecer de pantalla táctil y tener botones físicos. No me pareció difícil de configurar. Requiere suscripción.

Excelente equipamento!