Hunting Headwinds

On the last day of a recent winter camping expedition, we got back to our cars a couple hours later than we planned. It left my family and friends a bit anxious, so I decided it was time to bite the bullet and get a satellite communicator. I figured it would be a good way to keep in touch, and could even use some of the other GPS features for route planning and tracking.

In my research, I was surprised to find that there aren’t a lot of players in the space. Garmin dominates the industry, followed by SPOT, and then a couple of new entrants. For better or worse, this made searching for products a bit easier simply because there just aren’t a lot of options out there. I set a list of requirements and started hunting:

I wanted to be able to send (and possibly receive) messages in places where I won’t get cell signal
I wanted to be able to share locations and waypoints along my journeys
I wanted to be able to do some rudimentary route planning ahead of time
I wanted to be able to track my progress on the the trip itself
Ideally, I wanted to monitor weather conditions on-demand

With those requirements, there are really only a handful of solutions available and I immediately starting seeing a buzz around Garmin’s new line of inReach products - the Explorer+, SE+ (essentially two models of the same device), and the Mini. The inReach hardware/software ecosystem came to Garmin via the acquisition of Delorme in 2016 and, as Delorme products, had strong reviews.

So I picked up the Explorer+ and started playing around. The device cost me $590 plus tax (in January 2019), and the monthly subscription required to access messaging, SOS, and tracking features was another $45/month plus tax.

The Good, The Bad, The Ugly

Maybe it was my lack of familiarity with using GPS, but right away I found the experience to be super clunky. The menus weren’t intuitive, and every action felt like it took three more clicks than it should have. Likewise the integrations to the browser-based planning tool and accompanying mobile app were inconsistent and equally complicated. I let out a deep sigh when I realized there are no fewer than five tools that you have to interact with to get the most out of your device (the hardware itself, the inReach browser app for planning, the mobile app for communication and tracking, the MapShare browser app for friends/family to see your routes, and the desktop app required to sync firmware to your device).

Over the winter, I probably spent two hours on the phone with Garmin product support trying to wrap my head around how to use this thing: how to import maps, waypoints, and routes; how to actually use the (pretty brutal) web app to isolate those maps, waypoints, and routes to reduce clutter; how to troubleshoot when something isn’t working as expected. Because of inconsistencies in the experience across the applications, none of this is very intuitive.

I realized quickly that the Explorer+ was overpowered for my needs. I could do downsize to the Mini, use that device to initiate tracking and messages, and do all my map viewing on the mobile app (which I don’t really need to do on the water anyways). I returned the Explorer+ to MEC, traded it for a Mini, and got $140 back. (FYI - subscriptions are the same price regardless of what device you use)

I will say that the hardware itself is impressive and super functional once you understand how the whole ecosystem fits together. It’s waterproof, rugged, uses about 1000mAh of power per charge (based on my tests), and is remarkably easy to use considering there are only four buttons to navigate the menus and features. You won’t want to use it to type anything more than a few words, but for that you can just connect to your mobile app and do the heavy lifting there.

After feeling like I finally navigated the chaos, I brought it out on my first trip this past week.

The Results

On trip, the inReach Mini and Earthmate app did everything they were supposed to. And somewhat impressively, the device lasted nearly four days on a single charge (tracking our routes for a few hours each day, logging locations every 10 minutes and broadcasting it every 30 minutes). I was able to send custom and preset messages, was able to retrieve detailed weather reports quickly, and was able to monitor our progress against our route. My friends and family were able to use MapShare to see all the data clearly, and were happy to be able to follow along.

MapShare browser app - check out my latest track here. Password is trek — MapShare browser app - check out my latest track here. Password is **trek**

The only missing feature, for me, was the ability to adjust routes on the fly. I was essentially stuck with whatever I had synced via the browser app - so there was no way to make changes during the trip.

Despite the ridiculously clunky software experience, I’m pleased with how the device performed and am eager to take it out on another adventure.

Pros

Impressive battery life (but bring a back-up power pack just in case!)
Good size, rugged, and has a functional hardware interface
Fast and reasonably intuitive messaging and weather requests/responses
The MapShare tool for sharing routes, tracks, and locations with friends and family is great

Cons

The browser and mobile app interfaces are frustratingly bad. Managing waypoints, routes and tracks in meaningful ways is effectively impossible. Filtering and exporting the right information is hard to do right without significant trial and error.
You can’t build new routes using the device or mobile app, so you can’t make changes without accessing a browser.

Rating: Functional and frustrating

Pro Tips

The device seems to use a lot of extra charge trying to find a clear GPS signal. If you’re not using it, turn it off. Bring a back-up power pack if you’re out longer than a few days.
Because of how clunky Garmin’s software is, consider using Google Earth to plan your routes and waypoints, export the KML file, and import that directly into the inReach browser app.
Take it on a practice run to make sure you did everything correctly - even just to a park or down the street. If you set it up incorrectly, you won’t be able to fix it out in the woods.