HikeArizona.COM

Trying to pick between two systems for personal safety devices. All I'm looking for is a way for my family to keep tabs on me while I'm out and a way to call 911 on the off chance something happens to me. InReach seems to have the most votes over in my trail running group.

@SpiderLegs
I have an inreach mini, but don't ever turn it on...I just keep it in my backpack to be able to send an SOS in event of an emergency

It does have functionality for letting people track you while on a hike, but I don't use it and can't comment on how well it works

@SpiderLegs

I have an InReach Mini and take it with me on every hike regardless of length or location. I do use it to send tracking data which my wife can access and I also use it for SMS-style communication with family. I especially appreciate the latter as it allows me to stay connected with my wife on longer trips and gives her the peace of mind that I'm OK.

Given what it is I've found it to be surprisingly reliable. Signal can be iffy in some terrain (especially when southern horizon is compromised), but messages always get out eventually. I did notice that I had a signal blackout for a couple of hours each evening when in Aravaipa and I assumed that this was due to the orientation of the constellation with respect to the canyon's topography. From 7 - 9pm no messages. By 9:15 the thing would start beeping.

I looked at the Spot devices, but most of the feedback I was able to dig up wasn't as positive as InReach.

@SpiderLegs I've had a full-size inReach Explorer+ since... 2016 or something ridiculous. Mandatory piece of gear after a certain dayhike turned into an overnight turned into a rescue... details.

Anyways, it's okay. I've had issues w/ reception. Seems like a a few trees is enough to block communication at times, which can be problematic when resting near a spring and the wife is worried. The live map can be really cool (when it works) and family can see me hiking along a route (usually do 1h or 30m pings). The UI is super clunky, both on device and when trying to sync data. Have been thinking about upgrading to a more recent Mini in hopes that the reception is better (oh, and the Explorer's GPS capabilities is subpar compared to the app (and RouteScout)).

Short version: inReach Explorer+ works for me, but is a constant frustration. Mini may be better. Never used a Spot.

@jacobemerick

One nice thing about the Mini is that the day-to-day UI is via a smartphone app. Makes for a reasonably nice experience. If your phone dies you can still do everything via the on-device buttons but it's clunky. I've had similar reception issues, but clipping it to the upper part of a shoulder strap works wonders for reception as long as I'm moving. If I've picked a bad place to rest then all that improves it is moving a bit (usually less than 50ft).

I will say that it's not a great GPS device for recording a track in any sort of detail. The stats displayed on its screen can be off by a significant amount on a long hike and this is due to the relatively long recording interval. If I look back at past tracks online they are absolutely correct in terms of where I was, but don't have the resolution of every twist and turn like Route Scout or my Garmin watch.

Would be nice if they offered a lifetime plan for say $50 for the use of just the SOS function when/if emergency help was needed.

@hikerdw

hikerdw wrote:Would be nice if they offered a lifetime plan for say $50 for the use of just the SOS function when/if emergency help was needed.

For that you can get a PLB (personal locator beacon). Press the button and help shows up eventually. No fee beyond the cost of the device.

https://www.rei.com/c/personal-locator- ... agesize=90

@SpiderLegs
I've had spot devices for quite some time. I've overall been happy with them.
I'm not sure how the different plans for the 2 devices stack up against each other price wise.
Maybe time to check again

I do not have 2-way communication, but she can follow me on a map to see where I am.
I have 2 canned messages I can send to her
1) I'm hiking and doing OK
2) I've finished hiking for the day.

I've only had to push the SOS button once, but it was a life saver.
We had rescue workers and then 2 helicopters in about an hour.
[ triplog ]

Also use an in-reach mini and as others have recommended it does seem to be iffy with SMS communication (but that tends to be with the plan your choose in my experience) it's also far from being accurate in tracking your distance. I can confirm that if you're exploring a narrow deep canyon or in densely wooded areas, communication via SMS might be painfully slow, but as of last weekend I had very little delay in communicating with my wife while near Pinchot Cabin and in Dane Canyon.

One thing I have found interesting is the basic to intermediate service seems to be slow with SMS regardless of visibility of the sky. When I switched to the best plan they offered I noticed that my texts and communication had only short windows of delay in sending/receiving messages and the live tracking function seemed to work better...

retired my spot a couple years ago as for a few extra bucks the extra piece of mind could be a lifesaver.

spot uses the problematic Globalstar satellites vs Iridium for Inreach.

2 minute extreme tracking upgraded plan for inreach works well and 2 way sms is a godsend compared to spot.

I have had a SPOT gen 3 for about 5 years now. I use it to send a preprogrammed message to my wife to let her know I am still kicking it out in the wild for backpack trips and such. I have had about 95 percent success on sending messages, tree canopy or tight canyons can make the send out take longer. I have used this in multiple different States with success.. I like the ability for the sos function, although I have never needed to use it. It has basic tracking functions which I do not pay for, Route Scout is so superior that I have no interest in paying more for their upgraded tracking. Basic plan costs me about $140 a year for the subscription.

hikerdw wrote:Would be nice if they offered a lifetime plan for say $50 for the use of just the SOS function when/if emergency help was

Now why would they do that?

Yet another InReach vote.

I've had two generations of SPOT prior, then the first Delorme InReach, and now the Garmin InReach Mini.

Mostly just reiterating what's already been said, but the sat constellation with Iridium is much better, and that alone was reason enough to make the jump. The (at one time) unique 2-way capabilities were pretty huge too. The hardware form factor really comes into play for me, especially having transitioned more to mountain biking and less backpacking/hiking. Being able to clip that little bugger to just about anything means it always comes with me no matter what I'm up to. It's not always turned on, and rarely doing any tracking (I downgraded to the cheapest plan and have no regrets on that front either for my needs.) But it's there.

On mountain bike rides I'll usually turn it on because it also links up to my Garmin Edge 530 bike computer, so one more way to trigger an SOS (from the bike computer) in addition to by phone app, or by physical device button.

FWIW, it tracked my r2r2r trek a few years ago remarkably well. A little sketchy in the bits you might expect (corkscrew, box, etc.) but overall, well worth the price.

A little off topic but but I just noticed in the fine print for the Garmin InReach GEOS SAR coverage which I think is an optional extra fee that Expeditions, time trials, and/or record attempts--FKT's are NOT covered. I believe SPOT also using GEOS.

They define Expeditions as – An organized journey or voyage for a specific purpose; especially but not exclusively for exploration, or for a scientific or military purpose, and organized by a third party or an organized journey requiring a permit: • Scientific research • Filming of documentaries • Nature conservation, charitable and developmental projects •

Too bad for at least Arizona as I doubt this exclusion would apply to many SAR's which seem to be often tax payer funded but hopefully THIS IS a concern for the FKT crowd as well as all the social media influencers who get paid and/or generate revenue from their adventures.

The Garmin InReach & SPOT are also popular with the FKT crowd where the public can often track the progress of their record which is also used as some sort of confirmation of the FKT as I noticed the site lists a new woman's FKT for the GC approx 100 mile R2R at 25.5hrs on May 7 with Garmin tracking provided. This would be a concern If a medical helicopter is needed for a GC or other FKT attempt as those are billable vs NPS/military/police rescues which are typically not billed.

Saw a click bait video where a Canadian social influencer who won season 4 of Alone severely injured his hand with an axe during filming of his many OTHER public adventures in Canada but did not activate an SOS for a rescue on his Garmin InReach--wonder if he was concerned about being billed for the rescue?

https://www.geosresponse.com/assets/pdf ... ITIONS.pdf

Considering picking up an InReach soon. Sounds like the consensus is they work well enough and the SOS feature is the main selling point? The pricepoint/subscription costs are lame but it's much better than dying alone in the woods.
I'm curious how the InReach tracks compare to RouteScout? It would be nice to be able to save some phone battery as I'm usually taking pictures and playing music as well.

Of course I could scour the interwebs for reviews but I prefer HAZer feedback.

Purely my opinion, but RouteScout seems to record more accurate tracks than InReach (or any Garmin device), and I greatly prefer RouteScout for tracking and maps. Assuming you’re talking about an InReach mini, it’s a pretty small screen when you’re trying to navigate. However, the biggest factor for me is wanting to preserve the battery life of the device I would depend on in an emergency. I do 30 minute interval pings on my InReach to keep that battery life as long as possible. RouteScout does not drain much phone battery in airplane mode, and I take tons of pics and listen to music while hiking. I do carry a power bank on longer hikes so it’s easy to recharge either device if needed. For myself, RouteScout is more functional for hiking, and InReach is only for communication.

That makes sense, I like having RouteScout available since the app displays all of the information efficiently. It beats carrying a conventional GPS plus the InReach

@LindaAnn
Ditto.

As luck would have it, the InReach2 and Messenger are both $50 off at REI until 8/27. I read that InReach2 works with a phone in airplane mode while the Messenger does not. Guess that means I'm getting an InReach.