That is Garmin Response. What’s your emergency?” I by no means anticipated to listen to these phrases throughout my gear testing of the Garmin inReach Mini 2, however inside 30 seconds of hitting the SOS button, I used to be linked to a dispatcher who instantly started coordinating rescue efforts. My expertise underscored the inReach Mini 2’s true worth — not simply as a tool for climate updates or staying in contact with family members, however as a dependable, life-saving instrument within the backcountry.

Garmin dominates the satellite tv for pc communicator market, and for good cause. The inReach Mini is a compact and light-weight orange beacon filled with important options. From location monitoring to two-way messaging and the all-important SOS operate, this palm-sized satellite tv for pc communicator has your again when issues go south.

Garmin inReach Mini 2 At a Look

Light-weight and compact, the Garmin inReach Mini 2 is definitely accessible always from my shoulder strap.

MSRP: $399.99 (not together with subscription plans)
Weight: 3.5 oz
Battery: Rechargeable 
Battery Life: As much as 30 days with various monitoring choices
Two-Manner Communication: Sure

Supposed Use

The Garmin inReach Mini 2 is designed for anybody heading off-grid (ahem, thru-hikers, we’re taking a look at you). Whereas its key operate is the emergency SOS connectivity, customers also can take pleasure in two-way texting with family members again residence, location monitoring through GPS, climate forecasts, and extra. 

Circumstance of Assessment

I entrusted my life to the Garmin inReach Mini 2 throughout a five-week thru-hike of the Colorado Path, the place I encountered diversified terrain, climate circumstances, and drastic altitude adjustments. Though I relied on the gadget primarily for climate forecasts and checking in with household, my testing additionally included a crucial emergency situation when a climbing companion’s extreme sickness on the path led me to press the SOS button.

Garmin inReach Mini 2 Options

Two-Manner Satellite tv for pc Messaging

The inReach Mini 2 lets you ship and obtain textual content messages via the Iridium satellite tv for pc community, even when out of cell service. Messages can both be despatched immediately from the gadget or by utilizing the Garmin Messenger app on a paired smartphone. Moreover, the Mini 2 now incorporates seamless messaging via wifi to permit customers to proceed conversations in the identical thread, even from the security of civilization. 

SOS Emergency Response

The important SOS button on the Mini 2 connects you to Garmin’s efficient 24/7 emergency response heart, which may coordinate a rescue in case of an emergency.

This function is simple to activate, however protected by a canopy to keep away from unintentional presses. Even while you intentionally press the SOS button, the gadget will affirm with you in your telephone earlier than sending out an official sign. When activated, a dispatcher responds rapidly, sustaining fixed communication till assist arrives. 

Communication with Garmin’s Emergency Response crew through the Garmin Messenger app was clear-cut and fast.

GPS Monitoring and Navigation

Garmin’s dependable monitoring permits carriers to share their real-time location through MapShare with family and friends, or use it for fundamental navigation within the backcountry. The gadget contains custom-made settings with monitoring intervals to stability battery life.

Climate Forecasting

The Mini 2 supplies climate updates, which may embrace fundamental and premium forecasts on your precise location or customized waypoints. This convenient function may also help keep away from harmful climate circumstances (see: intense afternoon thunderstorms in Colorado at excessive elevations), which is important in planning out your day.

Enhanced Battery Life

One of many Mini 2’s greatest enhancements over the OG Mini was in its battery life. With intermittent monitoring, the Mini 2 can last as long as 30 days relying on how regularly it’s used. For many customers, this implies turning it on at key factors of the day for messaging or monitoring with out worrying about it dying mid-trip. Even for these monitoring all day with heavy utilization, the Mini 2 will final a number of days earlier than needing a cost. 

Person-Pleasant Interface

The gadget’s interface is easy and straightforward to navigate with clearly marked buttons, options, and even directions for activating the SOS button. Though messaging immediately from the Mini is usually a bit tedious, the gadget is intuitive to make use of. Pairing it together with your smartphone enhances performance tenfold and makes it extra environment friendly for sending messages and navigating. 

close-up of garmin inreach mini 2 with screen on showing time, battery life, date, and one unread message

The Mini 2’s residence display screen offered plentiful info immediately from the gadget, and using the aspect buttons permits customers to seamlessly scroll via menu choices.

Key Variations Between Authentic Mini and Mini 2

Garmin launched a second technology of the ever-popular inReach Mini a number of years in the past, which included incremental updates to the primary mannequin. Most notably, the inReach Mini 2 boasts:

  • Prolonged battery life: In comparison with its predecessor, the Mini 2 lasts considerably longer between prices, reportedly as much as 3 times the battery life. Relying on the frequency of monitoring and exercise, Garmin reviews that the Mini 2 can final wherever between two and 30 days when in use. 
  • Refined consumer interface: With the Mini 2 being so, properly, mini, the tiny display screen obtained an improve from Garmin to make it extra user-friendly straight out of the field. Navigation and menu scrolling are reportedly extra intuitive than the primary version of the gadget.
  • TracBack: By no means received misplaced once more with an added automated track-back function. This routing possibility helps customers return to their start line, a brand new bonus for the Mini 2.
  • New app: The Mini 2 pairs with the Garmin Discover and Messenger app, versus the Earthmate app beforehand utilized by the Mini. For longtime Garmin customers, this could simply require one other new interface to be taught. 

Breakdown of Subscription Plans

Garmin’s inReach Mini 2 requires an lively satellite tv for pc subscription plan to unlock its full options, together with messaging, monitoring, and climate updates. Garmin affords three primary plan tiers — Important, Normal, and Premium — every catering to totally different consumer wants. These plans range by way of value and capabilities, and deciding on the fitting one will depend on how you propose to make use of the gadget, which will be overwhelming at first look.

As of September 2024, Garmin additionally simplified its service plans. All client plans are actually month-to-month (no annual contract possibility) and require a $39.99 activation price.

You’ll discover that the plan perks for all three tiers embrace totally different ranges of voice and photograph messaging. That is for customers of the brand new inReach Messenger Plus and doesn’t apply to the Mini 2 or another gadgets, which don’t help voice or photograph messaging.

Important Plan (previously Security)

The Important Plan is probably the most inexpensive possibility, however it’s a bit restricted by way of communication and monitoring. If you happen to solely want fundamental SOS capabilities and minimal messaging, this plan will work, however overage charges can rapidly add up when you exceed your allotted included messages.

  • Value: $14.99/month
  • Messages: 50 texts and climate forecasts included, $0.50 per extra message or request; limitless check-in messages
  • SOS: Limitless SOS messages with no extra prices
  • Monitoring: $0.10 per location request; no dwell monitoring included
  • Ultimate For: Customers in want of an inReach Mini 2 for infrequent check-ins or minimal use or primarily as an emergency communication gadget throughout sporadic weekend journeys or quick excursions.

Normal Plan (previously Recreation)

The Normal Plan is the candy spot for many customers, offering a extra beneficiant allowance of messages and limitless monitoring factors. It’s nice for individuals who want to speak with family members and wish dependable monitoring all through their thru-hike at an honest month-to-month price.

  • Value: $29.99/month
  • Messages: 150 texts and climate forecasts included, $0.50 per extra message or request; limitless check-in messages
  • SOS: Limitless SOS messages with no extra prices
  • Monitoring: Limitless 10-minute monitoring
  • Ultimate For: Weekend warriors or part hikers who need extra flexibility in messaging and monitoring with out breaking the financial institution

Premium Plan (previously Expedition)

The Premium Plan is Garmin’s top-tier possibility, offering limitless messages, monitoring, and climate reviews. I utilized this plan for the Colorado Path and located it greatest suited to these on prolonged journeys who want to remain in fixed communication and require frequent climate or location updates.

  • Value: $49.99/month
  • Messages: Limitless texts, check-ins and climate forecasts included
  • SOS: Limitless SOS messages with no extra prices
  • Monitoring: Limitless two-minute monitoring
  • Ultimate For: Via-hikers and long-distance backpackers who require steady communication, frequent location monitoring, and real-time climate updates for months on finish

Garmin inReach Mini 2 Execs

Small However Mighty

At simply 3.5 ounces, the Mini 2 is barely noticeable in your pack’s shoulder strap. But for a tiny gadget, it positive packs an enormous punch with all of the options it comes loaded with. For ultralight hikers who’re continually assessing weight and area, the Mini 2’s dimension is a big plus. A life-saving gadget that’s as massive as your palm? It’s laborious to get a lot mightier than that.

hiker selfie with garmin inreach mini 2 attached to backpack shoulder strap

I stored my Garmin inReach Mini 2 clipped on to my shoulder strap, which made it simple to tug climate forecasts or ship location pins whereas climbing.

Residence Is By no means Far Away

When dwelling on path and sleeping within the dust for weeks at a time, it’s good peace of thoughts to know that the help of family and friends will not be far off — nearly. My mother might probably vouch for this function greater than I might, however I loved updating my family members every evening once I made it safely to camp as a result of Mini 2’s dependable messaging.

Typically quick and reliable, most messages despatched in a single to a few minutes, even with tree or cloud protection. Nonetheless, in stormy circumstances, messages might take 20-Half-hour to ship. Most nights, I discovered I might even ship messages rapidly from the coated shelter of my tent.

No Cost, No Drawback

I primarily stored my inReach off whereas I used to be climbing through the day, solely utilizing its battery life to examine in once I left camp within the mornings and arrived safely within the evenings. Sometimes, my Garmin gadget was on for 3 to 5 hours per day to ship messages, occasional monitoring factors, and each day climate forecasts. With low to medium utilization, my gadget by no means wanted an additional cost between resupplies.

At my longest stint on the Colorado Path, my inReach survived six days of medium utilization with loads of battery to spare as I rolled into city. For these desirous to make the most of their Mini 2 for each day monitoring, I felt that my conservative use of the battery was probably overkill — and was impressed that such a small gadget might final for therefore lengthy.

SOS Performance

In a real-life scenario the place a climbing companion required evacuation, the SOS button was simple to entry. The gadget additionally requires you to verify your SOS activation, stopping unintentional presses. 

After activating it, Garmin Response contacted me inside 30 seconds to verify my emergency and guarantee me that assist was on the best way. They notified my emergency contacts, stayed in fixed communication with me for hours whereas native Search and Rescue groups have been being mobilized, and tracked my location with hourly check-ins as soon as my climbing companion and I self-evacuated. 

Dear … However Definitely worth the Funding

I contemplated including the price of the Mini 2 to my cons listing, however finally, I really feel that the gadget is a real funding into security on path. Buying the gadget itself prices practically $400, to not point out the month-to-month maintenance of an lively subscription plan, however within the grand scheme of a life-or-death scenario within the backcountry, these really feel like nominal bills.

For what you obtain, which is life-saving entry to go looking and rescue groups, plus dependable climate forecasts and peace of thoughts messaging family members, I’d by no means thru-hike with out an inReach once more. 

Moreover, Garmin simply simplified its subscription plans as of this month, which permits customers to pick out a plan that works with their finances and even pause their subscription through the low season. 

Garmin inReach Mini 2 Cons

Gradual Messaging at Occasions

Whereas the Mini 2 was dependable in finally sending messages, there have been occasional delays of as much as 20-Half-hour in sending messages, even with fully clear skies. In stormy climate, these slower ship occasions have been to be anticipated. Most of the time, nonetheless, these delays would happen in open fields with no tree or cloud cowl.

Although uncommon, these delays may very well be irritating, notably in pressing conditions when attempting to speak with emergency dispatchers. 

Cellphone-Dependent 

Identical to our technology, the Garmin inReach Mini 2 is fairly co-dependent on one other display screen — a smartphone. I primarily used my Mini 2 via the Garmin Messenger app, hardly ever using the precise gadget’s buttons for messaging or different options. In case your telephone dies, texting immediately from the Mini 2 is cumbersome. Very like a throwback to early 2000s flip telephones, it requires infinite button presses to sort every letter. 

Utilizing the paired app in your smartphone makes messaging a lot simpler, however it’s vital to remember that the Mini 2’s onboard messaging is much from user-friendly. That mentioned, the SOS function will be activated from each your telephone and Mini 2 gadget, which is a professional in my guide in opposition to relying solely on a smartphone.

With regards to messaging, the Mini 2 features considerably higher whereas utilizing the Garmin Messenger app in your smartphone.

Complicated Garmin-to-Garmin Messaging

Sending messages to household and buddies again residence is kind of easy. But, Garmin gadgets use an obscure electronic mail system (your electronic mail, ending in @inreach.garmin.com) to speak with one another, which isn’t intuitive … or listed wherever on one’s Garmin gadget.

Each I and a number of other different Garmin customers struggled to initially determine this out, which added pointless confusion in speaking with different thru-hikers on path.

Total Worth

close up of garmin inreach mini 2 with screen on held in someone's hand

The Garmin inReach Mini 2 is a useful funding for anybody headed into distant areas. Whereas the messaging interface might use some enhancements, particularly in conditions the place your telephone is out of fee, the gadget’s important SOS performance, long-lasting battery life, compact dimension, and dependable efficiency are greater than sufficient to justify its price ticket.

In life-threatening conditions, having a satellite tv for pc communicator can actually make all of the distinction. My very own expertise assured me that it really works as promised, offering swift entry to emergency response.

In brief? Don’t depart residence with out it.

Store the Garmin inReach Mini 2

Comparable Merchandise

ZOLEO Satellite tv for pc Communicator

  • MSRP: $199 (not together with subscription plans)
  • Weight: 5.3 oz

Garmin inReach Messenger Plus

  • MSRP: $499.99
  • Weight: 4 oz

Somewear International Hotspot

  • MSRP: $280
  • Weight: 4 oz

The Garmin inReach Mini 2 was donated for function of evaluation

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