Garmin inReach units

[47Jeepster]

One of the problems we've encounter while 4-wheeling in the Arizona area is limited cell phone reception. Since we do most off roads by our selves, that's a concern. My daughter has a 2012 Sport that has been modified with 2.5" lift, 35" tires, new gearing, and winch. And, my son has a 2017 JK Rubicon. Thus, I'm not lacking for recovery options, if I can just get in touch with them. BTW ... I leave a .gpx file for the trail we're taking in a DropBox file that they have access to ... and I tell them when and where we're going ... and hint at when we'll return.

My initial search has shown satellite phones to be expensive to buy and very expensive to use. Some of the units like "Spot" really call in the Calvary ... needs to be life threatening before one should use it. Plus, Spot is only one way communication. You're kind of left wondering if the call went out or not!

Looks like the Garmin inReach units are the only viable option for help when cell phone service is not available and it's not a real life threatening emergency.

Does anyone have experience with the Garmin inReach units? Am I missing something else?

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[Goin2drt]

Can't add to this but interested so I will subscribe.

 

[47Jeepster]

@Goin2drt

You might want to check out this review. Although it's aimed more towards hiking, the review can apply to Jeepers and seems to be very well done.

https://hikingguy.com/hiking-gear/in-depth-garmin-inreach-explorer-review/

 

[Goin2drt]

Thanks for the link. Seems pricey on the per month if you aren't using it a ton which we wouldn't.

 

[am1978]

InReach is Spot? Ummm, that’s like lighting off to USCG, but probably NPS, Dept of Interior elements. Are you really going to need that in the country? On the water, sure. On land, even if you’re broken—if not injured, WALK.

 

[NFRs2000NYC]

InReach is Spot? Ummm, that’s like lighting off to USCG, but probably NPS, Dept of Interior elements. Are you really going to need that in the country? On the water, sure. On land, even if you’re broken—if not injured, WALK.

Plenty of places in this country where walking out isn't possible, or recommended. If you are in the maze district in canyonlands, or running the white rim trail, you can be damn near 50 miles from the nearest paved road, which is another 50 miles from the nearest town or something of that sort. Sure you don't need this on the east coast, but plenty of places where it can literally save your life. If you have a 50 mile hike ahead of you, and only a gallon of water in the summer in Moab, you're going to have a really rough time.

 

[CanAmMick]

One of the problems we've encounter while 4-wheeling in the Arizona area is limited cell phone reception. Since we do most off roads by our selves, that's a concern. My daughter has a 2012 Sport that has been modified with 2.5" lift, 35" tires, new gearing, and winch. And, my son has a 2017 JK Rubicon. Thus, I'm not lacking for recovery options, if I can just get in touch with them. BTW ... I leave a .gpx file for the trail we're taking in a DropBox file that they have access to ... and I tell them when and where we're going ... and hint at when we'll return.

My initial search has shown satellite phones to be expensive to buy and very expensive to use. Some of the units like "Spot" really call in the Calvary ... needs to be life threatening before one should use it. Plus, Spot is only one way communication. You're kind of left wondering if the call went out of not!

Looks like the Garmin inReach units are the only viable option for help when cell phone service is not available and it's not a real life threatening emergency.

Does anyone have experience with the Garmin inReach units? Am I missing something else?

We have one! Works quite well. We purchased one in June when we purchased our Jeep. Here in Wyoming most of the places we go to have little or no cell reception. At our house without a cell booster there is no reception. When the weather is bad, no cell service even with the booster. We also purchased a cell booster for each of our vehicles. We’ve never used the SOS button, but have used it to send text messages. For that it works great. You can also allow others to follow where your going. It can also be be connected to your phone through Bluetooth.

It can get expensive depending on which plan you go with. Some just pay a monthly charge, which is cheaper if you will not going to be using it most of the year. I believe we paid somewhere around $350 for the year. I think there was a $20 dollar or so one time activation fee, then the fee for the plan you choose. There was also another fee to cover cost if you have to pay your rescue charges. I got that since I have a pacemaker.

We went with the Recreation plan, 40 text messages a month. That’s $24.95 x 12 months. If you pay only when you want to use it the cost for that plan is $34.95 for each month that you want it activated. There is one cheaper plan, and two that are more expensive. More info can be found here:

https://explore.garmin.com/en-US/inreach/

Hope this helps some. Let me know if you need anything else!

There is a link in each text message that take you to a map screen that shows your location.

If you want to see how a text message from it looks, pm you cell # and I’ll send you a text.

 

[CanAmMick]

InReach is Spot? Ummm, that’s like lighting off to USCG, but probably NPS, Dept of Interior elements. Are you really going to need that in the country? On the water, sure. On land, even if you’re broken—if not injured, WALK.

Walking for some would be ok, for others not necessarily. We drove the Hazelton Kaycee loop about a month ago. It’s only 94 miles, but it took us a little more than 9 1/2 hours. We did stop at a creek and eat lunch enjoying ourself for a little over an hour. A lot of the driving was 5-10 mph. Not an area that I would like to try to walk out of. We saw one other vehicle while on this trail, and it that was about 10 miles before we got back on the interstate. If you break down out here, your in for one heck of a walk, especially when it’s up in the high 90’s.

 

[47Jeepster]

@CanAmMick Thank you for the very detailed responses. It's very helpful. Think I'll head off to REI tomorrow to play with one.

I have a couple of Garmin Oregons, a Nuvi, and I'm working on adding Locus Map to an old smart phone ... yep, they all seem to go with us in the Jeep. Thus, I really don't need another GPS unit. But, the ability to communicate with someone in the cell phone dead zones is important to the enjoyment of our off road experience.

Since you have the recreation plan ($24.95), do you make the pinging to a website available to someone? As an emergency device, the safety plan ($11.95) seems more than adequate. However, for peace of mind for my kids, the ability to see where we are at and that we're still moving seems like a good feature for the extra expense. Yes/No?

Thanks for your service ... in the best branch ...

 

[47Jeepster]

Thanks for the link. Seems pricey on the per month if you aren't using it a ton which we wouldn't.

I had the same thought process when I saw the fee schedule. Mulled it over for awhile (a long while) and finally decided to look at it as insurance. Auto insurance on the Wrangler is about $1000 a year. Looking at the fee for the package that @CanAmMick has, that's about $300 a year. The expensive policy protects against the loss of a Jeep, while the cheaper policy protects against the loss of a life or two. Kind of melodramatic I know ... but in the heat of Arizona it's truthful.

There are a number of reviews on the inReach where folks have flatly stated that they would not be alive if they hadn't had the inReach unit. Very sobering ...

 

[CanAmMick]

@CanAmMick Thank you for the very detailed responses. It's very helpful. Think I'll head off to REI tomorrow to play with one.

I have a couple of Garmin Oregons, a Nuvi, and I'm working on adding Locus Map to an old smart phone ... yep, they all seem to go with us in the Jeep. Thus, I really don't need another GPS unit. But, the ability to communicate with someone in the cell phone dead zones is important to the enjoyment of our off road experience.

Since you have the recreation plan ($24.95), do you make the pinging to a website available to someone? As an emergency device, the safety plan ($11.95) seems more than adequate. However, for peace of mind for my kids, the ability to see where we are at and that we're still moving seems like a good feature for the extra expense. Yes/No?

Thanks for your service ... in the best branch ...

I’ve used Garmin gps for years. Think they are the best on the market.

Yes we have! It’s amazing what this thing can do. And having someone know exactly where you are can really help if something goes wrong. Besides the SOS, being able to send text is invaluable if there is no cell service.

My wife and I are both retired Air Force. She worked on missiles and then went into space launch and I worked on helicopters. Aim High!

 

[am1978]

One of the problems we've encounter while 4-wheeling in the Arizona area is limited cell phone reception. Since we do most off roads by our selves, that's a concern. My daughter has a 2012 Sport that has been modified with 2.5" lift, 35" tires, new gearing, and winch. And, my son has a 2017 JK Rubicon. Thus, I'm not lacking for recovery options, if I can just get in touch with them. BTW ... I leave a .gpx file for the trail we're taking in a DropBox file that they have access to ... and I tell them when and where we're going ... and hint at when we'll return.

My initial search has shown satellite phones to be expensive to buy and very expensive to use. Some of the units like "Spot" really call in the Calvary ... needs to be life threatening before one should use it. Plus, Spot is only one way communication. You're kind of left wondering if the call went out of not!

Looks like the Garmin inReach units are the only viable option for help when cell phone service is not available and it's not a real life threatening emergency.

Does anyone have experience with the Garmin inReach units? Am I missing something else?

If a Spot call goes out, it’s heard. By a lot of people.

Plenty of places in this country where walking out isn't possible, or recommended. If you are in the maze district in canyonlands, or running the white rim trail, you can be damn near 50 miles from the nearest paved road, which is another 50 miles from the nearest town or something of that sort. Sure you don't need this on the east coast, but plenty of places where it can literally save your life. If you have a 50 mile hike ahead of you, and only a gallon of water in the summer in Moab, you're going to have a really rough time.

then by all means.

 

[camprats]

We have carried one for several years. Never have needed it, but it sure gives peace of mind. We have the cheapest plan at about $12 per month. We are frequently out by ourselves, and often in very remote places doing trails for our website JeepTheUSA.com. We recommend you buy one if you Jeep alone.

 

[mikej]

We have carried one for several years. Never have needed it, but it sure gives peace of mind. We have the cheapest plan at about $12 per month. We are frequently out by ourselves, and often in very remote places doing trails for our website JeepTheUSA.com. We recommend you buy one if you Jeep alone.

BTW: I love your site!

 

[Ron_H]

InReach is Spot? Ummm, that’s like lighting off to USCG, but probably NPS, Dept of Interior elements. Are you really going to need that in the country? On the water, sure. On land, even if you’re broken—if not injured, WALK.

InReach and Spot are very different. Comparing them would be similar to comparing a smartphone (InReach) to a pager (Spot). With the InReach product, you are able to send a text message specific to your current needs of a situation. With Spot you send only one of a very limited number of pre-composed messages. In addition, Spot has proven to let people down when they are in need of their service. I will never use Spot again, very poor company and customer service. I plan on purchasing an InReach unit this fall.

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