Share your experience with Garmin inReach Mini 2?

Thinking about purchasing one, but wondering if others have found it useful. Thanks!

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Volker over 2 years ago in reply to twolpert +2

I think a lot of users would prefer : one to rule them all (damned, where have I heard that before)!

Supplement: but that is from my user standpoint without any knowledge about Garmins intention about it…
9520687 over 2 years ago +1

I purchased my mini 2 last fall for backpacking trips with my 2 sons, 12 and 9. I wanted them to have a way to contact someone for help if I would die in the woods. We normally hike with someone that has…
twolpert over 2 years ago in reply to 4524118 +1

I believe you can still use the M2 with EITHER the Explore or the Messenger app. Explore is better for navigation. Messenger is better for messaging if you have a cell phone data connection.

For F/W updates…

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had garmin watches for a decade then switched to coros because garmin couldn't get its softward together. Now got an inreach mini 2 for a through hike and the garmin website is in error mode...keeps refreshing when i try to log in...what a frustrating piece of crap. i hate myself for wasting more money on garminl can't wait for Apple to get their service really up and running

0 twolpert over 2 years ago in reply to CONEHEAD76

There was a scheduled maintenance window for subscription services. Your attempt to activate may have overlapped that window.

To check the status of inReach services: https://status.inreach.garmin.com/

See the list of incident details at the bottom. I believe that's the only place that scheduled maintenance appears.

More importantly, use the button in the upper right corner to subscribe to email notices regarding outages - both problems and maintenance windows.

0 CONEHEAD76 over 2 years ago

replying to twolpert - thanks. I spent 30 min on the phone with Garmin today. The issue was a technical one on their end that caused my account to go wacky. They fixed it so I can now finish the activation process.

replying to 2494139 - a garmin messenger would be sufficient if you are just looking for SOS capabilities and communicating with friends. For mapping, All Trails & Gaia are easier for me to use. I did a lot of research and asked friends to share their experiences. Ultimately, no system is perfect. One friend said his wife got really scared when his garmin stopped sending signals on Everest (due to cold?) and another said about 4 of 5 texts go through, often with a delay.

0 Former Member over 2 years ago in reply to CONEHEAD76

CONEHEAD76 said:
One friend said his wife got really scared when his garmin stopped sending signals on Everest (due to cold?)

All electronic devices have an operating temperature range. Be aware of this range, understand windchill, and battery management.

Always test a unit under comparable conditions to where you want it to deliver communication.

Once the temperature approaches -4ºF/-20ºC you must limit the time an inReach device is out in open air.