Garmin InReach Mini
Contributors to this thread:Equipment
From: Scout
21-Nov-18
Wondering if any of you have one? I turned 60 this year and hunt alone. My wife wants to be able to check on me. Is this the unit that would give us that ability?
From: tobinsghost
21-Nov-18
I luv it! No issues.
From: altitude sick
21-Nov-18
I have the full size and paired with a phone using OnX or another navigation app. And texting with the phone keypad is a great system. The mini would be even better IMO
From: rattling_junkie
21-Nov-18
We used it moose hunting this year in northern Manitoba. It was returned when we got back, wasn't good for our situation. Had to wait a long time while it was turned on to receive and send messages. Next year we will be using a satellite phone.
From: jerrynocam
21-Nov-18
I have the full size one and it’s great. Yes when you have the tracking turned on she will be able to see where you’re at. Also when you send her a message it will include your gps location. Sometimes I’m in an area with no cell signal so I text thru the inreach
From: Kurt
21-Nov-18
Love the full size one for the past two seasons. Would buy the Mini if purchasing one today. Mine works wherever I am at as long as you have a clear view of the sky, and even from inside the tent or on the truck dashboard. When you hunt in the north it is great for communicating with my wife, buddies, etc. And I find the guides and pilots really using and preferring InReach communications (written) versus SAT phones with the garbled messages that get scrawled down.
From: cnelk
21-Nov-18
My old DeLorme SE has been to Alaska, Wyoming, Nebraska, and all over Colorado without fail - hunting, fishing, scouting, and traveling where no cell reception
Love the weather feature, overall communication capabilities and pairing with my iphone.
Mini or full size, you cant go wrong
From: Ambush
21-Nov-18
Bought the Mini this past summer and used it in northern B.C. for two hunts. Very small and light and worked every time. I paired with my IPhone for very easy communication to anybody in my contact list. I have maps on my phone too , so carry it anyway. I’d buy it again.
From: Muddyboots
21-Nov-18
I have the full size SE, can't say anything about the mini. I was in Colorado this fall where there was no cell signal and messaged my wife each evening that all was well. She could, but don't think she did, look at where each message was sent from. It gave both of us a bit of comfort knowing I could trigger a signal (her or emergency folks) from essentially any place at any time. System works both ways, as she could also message me. I got the month at a time plan.
From: midwest
22-Nov-18
Gave my SE to a friend last fall. Will get the mini for this next fall.
Only issue I had was it kept unpairing from my phone so I'd have messages and not know it until I pulled the unit out of my pack. Very annoying.
From: Surfbow
22-Nov-18
My buddy had one this fall, it worked very well, my wife is going to require me to have one next year...
From: ElkNut1
22-Nov-18
My Son & I both have the mini, we have it blue toothed to our phones, slickest thing I've ever seen. It's opened up a whole new world!
When we hunted with the Vets this year I had 2 with me & called in a bull 4.5 miles back, we texted the 2nd group with the mini/Iphone combo, they were in the same area we were about 2 miles away & all met up to find & pack him out, man it was slick. I'd highly recommend it for that & it's navigation skills!
ElkNut/Paul
From: Panther Bone
22-Nov-18
Is the map screen/interface on the mini as detailed as the full size, for navigating?
From: sticksender
22-Nov-18
rattling_junkie, if you haven't already done so, you might want to try a Sat phone in the same areas, before you decide to go that route. If your InReach was slow to send/receive in the area, a Sat phone may not work at all. That's the biggest advantage to the InReach....in weak signal areas, it will keep trying to send your message until it sends it. Whereas a Sat phone needs a strong clear continuous signal to work. I've had poor results with Sat phones in hilly or mountainous or wooded areas. But I've rarely found a spot where the InReach won't send a message, even if slow.
From: mrelite
22-Nov-18
I used the Mini last summer scouting and half of Sept for my hunt in NM and it worked pretty darn good, there were a couple times that it took 10 minutes to send and receive texts but there were many texts that only took 30 seconds to get out and most responses were within a minute or so. I also made it a point to include the time sent on every message and my wife did the same just in case it took longer than expected, the last thing I want to do after a long day of hunting is to screw with texting so if it went past 10 minutes I just turned the unit off and checked it sometime the next day and the time stamp let me know when she sent hers. I also used it to text a buddy to come help pack out, worked out good for me!