I'm starting to plan a series of solo day hikes where I'll be away from phone coverage until I get back to lodging at night. I've ordered an inReach Mini 2 for peace of mind. I don't plan to broadcast my position with live-tracking etc. Just the check-ins a few times per day or, in the unlikely event, an actual SOS. I'll be using the cheapest intermittent recreational plan.
What I don't really understand is "best practice" for juggling this device and companion app(s) alongside Garmin Connect Mobile. My Forerunner 255 doesn't have mapping, inReach pairing capability, nor Garmin Explore compatibility. But I am familiar with its offline tracking of hikes from a year of ownership. I turn the bluetooth link on only after I get back to civilization to sync the stored tracks.
Does data spill between the Explore and Connect worlds? Is there utility in having the inReach also track my hike at the same time as my Forerunner 255? Or will this lead to some kind of duplicated mess in my Connect profile? Does tracking affect the satellite comms function, or does it already get its needed location fixes just by being turned on?
If I understand what I've ready so far, I need to do setup of subscription and contacts on the Explore website, and I need a phone app to sync those details to the inReach Mini 2. It sounds like the Explore app can do that and also the basic satellite messaging tasks, so the Garmin Messenger app seems redundant to me. But is the opposite also true? Can the Messenger app handle the device setup tasks without ever installing Explore? I prefer to keep a minimal set of apps to learn and maintain.
For background, I am the type who memorizes a route before I go, and I expect to complete a hike on that alone. Before smartphones and smartwatches, I often day hiked or mountain biked without carrying any maps. I did use USGS quadrangle maps when backpacking, but haven't done that in decades. I have good situational awareness and a pretty good eye for orienting myself and finding and following even faint trails. I use phone maps like a magically unfolding paper map. I don't use routing or turn-by-turn guidance.
All told, I don't see much point in the map function of the Explore app nor the inReach mini 2. If my phone is working, I think I'll stick to my familiar OSMAnd+ (with contour) and/or National Parks app offline maps. Maybe the inReach device maps are a third level backup if I get lost and my phone dies. My watch also has a breadcrumb trail in that case.
