Gear Review: Garmin inReach Explorer+

Mt Hood from Bald Mountain--With my inReach

I was hiking the Timberline Trail around Mt. Hood, and got stopped as I was making my way up the bank after crossing the Muddy River. There were so many people on this section of trail, and I was missing my solitude, and wanted to hurry and get out of there. He looked at me with a puzzled expression, and asked “What's... (insert awkward hand gesture referencing the general proximity of my pack's left shoulder strap)”. I couldn't help but laugh at his awkward way of asking. He wasn't the first to wonder about the Garmin inReach clipped to my shoulder strap. It is hands down the piece of gear I get asked about the most, and is usually the only piece of gear I will actually take the time to stop and explain, because I believe it's that important.

A little about me: I like to hike. I like to climb. I like to backpack. I like to go solo. I like to travel the world. I love to be completely out of cell-phone range for as long as my busy schedule will allow. I often like to leave spur of the moment with no real planning or thoughts of where I might end up. I have a family that is very much not into physical pursuits of any kind making all of this very foreign to them—who then struggle to adjust to the idea that I'm out doing things that they think are stupid and will undoubtedly kill me. The level of risk can seem overwhelming to them, but they also want me to live my life to the fullest and go where God leads. And perhaps in contrast to all of those desires, I also love to learn, and to apply safety protocol, Leave-No-Trace, and proper hiking practice to my adventures to preserve the trails, safety, and enjoyment for ages to come. This is my life. Trying to reconcile it all can be a struggle when there are more than a few conflicting desires in this crazy heart of mine—like wanting to just leave and not tell anyone where I'm going, versus the safety of having a well laid plan that has been shared in advance with a check-in person. My best solution? I present you with the Garmin inReach Explorer+.

I had been aware of the Garmin inReach for a couple of years (and other items like SPOT that work similarly), but felt it wasn't for me... I'm not a techy person. Just switching to having a watch capable of tracking me via GPS, with the ability to upload tracks to navigate... There were tears of frustration. TEARS. And swearing. And reigning myself in so I didn't throw things. Plus, an inReach just seemed so much more... “extreme” than I felt my life warranted. I mean, a few mountains and some hiking? How overkill does a SOS/SMS transmitter seem??? But then I had an impromptu dinner with a friend who sold Garmin equipment. As we were catching up, she asked about my plans coming up (no big, I was just going to go after Denali...), and she looked at me with practiced patience and with such sincerity as one who gets it--having built a life around spending time in remote areas hunting, and asked me to at least consider an inReach. Like for Christmas. Like she knew my mother would buy one for me. So don't make her go behind my back to my mother, because she would... My fate was sealed, I was ending up with an inReach whether I liked it or not.

But to my great surprise? I've had an inReach for nearly a year now, and I love it. It is actually one of my favorite pieces of gear. It's not perfect, and I sometimes hate the invasion into my solo time that an overly concerned mother can cause... But the freedom it provides, the peace of mind, the convenience, the maps? So. Worth. It.

Mooney Falls, Havasupai AZ, complete with my inReach

For those of you not familiar with an inReach, it is essentially a satellite text messaging device, that is also a GPS tracker which lays down your track or navigates you, all in one handy package. It works anywhere in the world, and has a SOS feature built in that once activated, forwards your distress signal to all local authorities for the region you're in (as well as any messages you send to provide information about your situation/condition, i.e. non-life threatening, someone just broke a leg, we're equipped to stay the night, etc.) and coordinates the rescue effort. There are three models: the inReach SE+, the inReach Explorer+ https://amzn.to/2CUquPh (which is what I have, it adds built in topographical maps = AMAZINGNESS, plus an altimeter. It weighs in at 8.8oz with its carabiner), and the newly introduced inReach Mini https://amzn.to/2R3Cot8 (just 4.23oz! I might just need one of these...) They range from $350 for the Mini to $450 for the Explorer+, and do require a monthly subscription to use—plans vary based on needs and usage.

There are Freedom plans that result in little higher monthly costs for the same set of features, but which can be activated just for the months you want to use your inReach, or contract plans for 12 months for bare minimum, safety-only type use clear up to unlimited messages and tracking points. I have a year contract for a “Recreation” plan, which offers 40 text messages per month, unlimited tracking points at 10 minute intervals, and runs me about $25 monthly. Check out the plans here: https://explore.garmin.com/en-US/inreach/#subscriptions. One caution I will say when evaluating plans, there is a charge to downgrade plans when you're on a contract, which seems unfair to me. If I'm going on a big trip and think I'll be texting a lot, I could upgrade to a higher plan for no fee, but when the month is over, and I would like to go back to my Recreation or even the basic Safety plan, I would incur a fee to make that switch ($25--which kind of reduces the savings to be at a cheaper plan). That fee is what led me to select the “happy medium” of the Recreation plan for the year. There is also an activation fee to get started, and an annual fee if you opt for the “Freedom”/month to month plans. But all in all, for as little as $12 a month, you can have piece of mind knowing you can reach emergency responders anywhere in the world, and let you loved ones know you're safe.

Mapshare: Messages show up on your track so people know how things are going

Closer to home, my Mapshare gets a little cluttered with all the tracks. I could organize them, but they make me happy.

So... on to the fun stuff! Why do I love my inReach Explorer+? I think the reason I first came around to having an inReach was the “Mapshare” feature. I can send a link for my Mapshare to whomever I want, I can set password protections, select date ranges of my tracking points to be shared, which folders of tracks to show on the map, and many other options. You can also organize all your tracks! When I leave for a trip, be it an expedition or a day hike, I turn my inReach's tracking on, and it automatically uploads my tracking points to my Mapshare at whatever timing interval I choose. Whoever I have sent the link to can then view where I am, if I'm moving/not moving, send me messages, ping my location, read any “Mapshare” messages I've uploaded, and basically just follow along on my adventure. If my mother gets worried that she hasn't been able to get me on my cell-phone, she just hops on my Mapshare and looks for the blue arrow indicating my location and knows I'm out somewhere, that I'm moving, and can message me if she needs. Messages can also be sent directly without going through Mapshare if someone has your “phone number”, and you can choose to allow/disallow messaging from your Mapshare page, so there are tons of control features to customize to your preferences/trips. Mapshare is fun though because you can let people follow your progress on a big trek, and can share messages along the way that get posted with your tracking points explaining how things are going. You end up with fun messages from friends about your progress, or prayers for your safety, etc.

On expedition trips, I've been able to post a daily update for anyone watching my Mapshare—saving me from having to message each person individually, and stretch my 40 text messages to last my whole trip. Instead of getting 5 texts asking why my tracking point hadn't moved... I could just post that “Weather is still bad, and we're still stuck in camp. Hoping to be able to move again tomorrow.” The messages show up on the map at the location where I sent them, along with my track. And again, this works anywhere in the world. I don't need internet, or cell-service, I just need a reasonable view of the sky. So while in Africa, I could text my family back home without having to get any special coverage on my cell-phone (which wouldn't have worked most of the time anyway because there wasn't coverage on Kilimanjaro or way out on safari). Super handy. Keep in mind, these are SMS messages, so you're limited to 160 characters (a few less if you have it set to include your location link).

Climbing on Mt Denali, friends back home watching the progress each day

There are also free “preset” text messages included. You can set up 3 different messages to send, which don't count toward your monthly limit. For me, they are all set to go to my mother. #1 – Just checking in, things are fine, I love you. #2 – Made the summit, heading down, things are fine, I love you. #3 – Off trail, will talk to you soon, I love you. These messages might not provide much detail, but they are quick to send, and let her know that I'm fine. I usually only use them when I'm in a big hurry or I'm running low on messages, because the Mother usually doesn't recognize that these are my “preset” messages, and thinks that because of the lack of detail/brevity, something must be wrong, and a whole texting frenzy ensues... But in theory, they're great!

Having the Explorer+ was important to me because I wanted topographic maps and the altimeter. I have a Garmin Fenix 3HR watch, which I have also learned to love, but when I purchased it, I really wanted what was then the newly released Fenix 5X, which has built in topos--on your wrist! Ohhhh the luxury. But for the price... I just couldn't justify getting a watch that is that giant to try and wear on my tiny wrist. Even the Fenix 3 is wider than my wrist is and the strap barely goes small enough. As much as I wanted topos, I knew I wouldn't be getting them on my wrist. So adding in an inReach, I knew it was worth the extra $50 to get the topos, and a far superior altimeter than the Fenix offers (which is pretty crummy, I tell you). I wasn't super keen on adding more weight and another item to keep charged (though the battery life is very impressive, and I rarely have to charge it--if I'm not tracking, just keeping it on to send/receive messages, it will last a couple of weeks easily. With daily tracking, I usually charge it every 5 days or so leaving it on but not tracking while in camp), but it's been well worth it. The new Mini is even lighter yet, but relies on a second device to really utilize the features—you can pair your Explorer+ or SE+ with your phone to be able to type out messages easier and navigate through the map options, but can still use all the features and type messages using the device's built in buttons--preserving your phone battery for longer. So it just depends which features are most important to you.

Going off trail to find the prettiest fall in Oregon, no worries of getting lost

Topographic maps and a good altimeter are such a blessing when you're climbing, or even hiking, and I've quickly adjusted to the point of wondering what I did without them. But having the ability to quickly and easily glance at your track is probably my favorite part. My Fenix 3 makes a map of where I've been, but it's more difficult to see the detail, to pan around and see what's around, to see if your trajectory is going to meet back up with your track or not. With my inReach (or with other GPS devices, I realize this isn't a unique feature to the inReach), you can zoom out and see your whole track, see what's ahead, see the distance to a set of coordinates. On a big loop hike that you're wondering if you took a wrong turn at one of the junctions.... Not that that has ever happened to anyone, right? You can just pan around the map and see oh nope, just a little further and I'll meet back up to the main trail! Phew. I love a good adventure, but when it seems like you're hiking in entirely the wrong direction and should have reached a junction by now and that inkling of worry is setting in... I'm so grateful to be able to glance at the screen of my inReach and know for sure if I need to worry or not.

Is the inReach perfect? No. Are there features I don't like/don't use/would change? Yes. And there are a lot of things I've not really played with to know much about—weather forecasts? Folders for your tracks? But the main things I've found that I think are drawbacks are very few. I think the inReach is lacking on providing stats for your track. It lays down a wonderful track, that unless you're down in the bottom of a canyon, seems incredibly accurate and useful for navigating. But the mileage always seems off—even with more frequent tracking intervals—compared to my Fenix 3/cell-phone tracking apps/other GPS watches. Also lacking? It does not calculate elevation gains for your track. The altimeter is far more reliable than on my Fenix or other devices, but it does not process the elevation changes to give you totals from your track. Looking at total gains versus mileage is one of my key stats for training, and I find it really disappointing that the inReach doesn't offer it (the Fenix does though, so it's not a deal breaker).

Backpacking solo to Jefferson Park, Mom was messaging me to make sure everything was okay

Other things I'm not super keen on, the user-face could be improved some, but is fine. I wish there was more control to change things from the Earthmate App for your phone rather than logging in to your Garmin account (especially to change Mapshare features). And again, weight and having another item to keep charged. An upgraded sapphire (crystal) screen would be amazing, since it endures some abuse hanging on my bag, but it is nothing some screen protectors can't handle (I have these https://amzn.to/2PHfN5v). Also, Garmin has recently lost the ability to be able to push through messages to post to your Facebook page. This was kind of a fun feature, and one they are working to resolve, which enabled you to let everyone on your social media know you made a summit or whatever, without having to give everyone the link to your Mapshare and the ability to text you/see more details of your trip. Connected-ness can also kind of be a downside with an inReach—when you want solitude and people don't seem to respect that and send nuisance messages or work messages--so do be mindful of who you give your "phone number" to, because that cannot be controlled through your Mapshare settings. But the flip side is that I can leave knowing my risk-level for not having told people I'm leaving or where I'm going is greatly reduced. Is hiking/climbing/backpacking still risky? Sure. But I know I'm doing what I can to reduce that risk.

Proper hiking protocol with or without an inReach would still be to let a check-in person know my full plan, and my ETA of being back (which I still absolutely do if it's a trail I deem higher risk). It's part of the first rule of Leave-No-Trace—have a plan, and be prepared. But it's a rule I've always struggled with—I don't want people worrying about me, I don't want people having to watch the clock when getting down to the wire of my return time (or for me having to think through when that would be), or to have to make the call to start notifying authorities. I still utterly recognize the benefit of having the check-in person, but with my inReach, I know that if I'm still alive, I'm absolutely hitting that SOS button and calling in help if needed. And if I'm in such sorry shape that I can't hit that SOS button, odds are that I'd be dead by the time emergency responders were able to get to me anyway, so I'm 100% good with that risk.

Remote parts of Oregon, to find the trails less traveled. Overlooking the Painted Hills.

There is no fail-safe when hiking. There is no way to ensure that you will be okay. There is nothing that can eliminate all the risk. No trail that is “easy” enough in rating, or short enough, or a day that is nice enough that can promise safety. I see so many people set out on hikes that are grossly ill-prepared. They might have a bottle of water at most, and nothing else. Nothing to protect against the elements if weather moves in. Nothing to make camp with if forced to stay the night in the wilderness. No 10-Essentials, no wilderness survival skills, no medical training. People that have no concept of route finding or navigating, no prior research or knowledge/expectation of the trail they've set out on. People that are taking off after trails that they are physically in no condition to tackle. And what's worse, they have no true understanding of the risk they are assuming. Even a straight forward rescue for a non-life-threatening injury can take most of a day for a close-in, popular trail with cell-service. Lack of knowledge, lack of experience, and poor judgment are the leading causes of hiking/climbing deaths (not cougars, not bears, not creeper-men that will attack me, not gear failure, not freak weather moving in...) People need to know the risk they are assuming when setting out on hikes/climbs/treks, and they need to take it seriously. I can never encourage this enough. There is no promise of help out there. Be prepared. Educate yourself. Learn to stay safe. No exceptions. I have gotten mocked a time or two for having my “fancy safety phone”, but I've also been sincerely thanked by multiple people who work with SAR teams for carrying it--even on the shortest/easiest of trails.

Ultimately, having an item like a Garmin inReach can provide a lot of features, which used correctly, help reduce the risk you assume going off to do the things you want to do; it does not, however, ensure your safety, or give you an excuse to be lax on safety measures. Weighing all the pro's and con's of carrying an inReach, it is an item I absolutely don't want to be without no matter the trail, and one I don't compromise on when it comes to cost or cutting pack-weight down.

Even on little hikes, my inReach is still clipped to my pack--Cascade Head by Lincoln City

Bonus: if price is a limiting factor and you happen to have a membership, Costco sometimes carries the inReach SE+, and sometimes on a super good coupon! 

No GPS tracker works great in narrow canyons, but I still appreciated it while route finding to the Colorado River