Love mine. I carry it religiously.
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Regarding the InReach battery, I only use maybe 2% per day sending two or three messages and then turning it off the rest of the time. I don't use tracking. It's always in a shoulder strap pocket. Initially I was concerned about having to recharge often but that's a total non issue the way I use it.
I have never got below 90% on a week long trip but I also only use it for morning and evening check-in messages. I don't use tracking either.Originally Posted by Coffee
Delorme Inreach (vs the Garmin) are cheaper (around $250). Much limited GPS (I think black and white screen, don't know as I have never seen one IRL).
Garmin bought DeLorme. I would make sure that Garmin supports the older models.
Wayne
While the InReach doesn’t continuously transmit a locator signal, what it does transmit is specific GPS coordinates.
I used to be on a Civil Air Patrol SAR team, and the PLB’s are a great device, but they’re not very precise. It takes multiple passes past the beacon to actually hone in on the signal.
With regards to power: the biggest difference between the two devices is the PLBs locator beacon is an a oooh signal, which take MUCH more power to operate effectively, vs the InReach which uses a digital signal. For comparison, this is why it’s easy to receive 20 or more channels with the new digital TV antennas at the same location where you used to get 4.
One thing to keep in mind when deciding between a PLB and an InReach is that emergencies happen at home too. A PLB doesn't have a receiver so if your family has an emergency, there is no way to reach you. With an InReach, the communication is both ways.
This summer my son and I were on the Wonderland Trail. One of his children had a medical issue that needed his attention. My daughter-in-law contacted us on the InReach. We hiked to the nearest trailhead and headed home. If we had been carrying only a PLB, it would have been another 4 days before we made contact with home.
Shutterbug
The ACR PLB allows some units to send, I think I have this right, a text message to your phone which sends the message (on common carriers like Verizon, Spring, etc.) for a service fee. I don't believe it's as complete a service as something like a SPOT has.
I have an I Reach and love it. Got it when they were DeLorme and haven't had any problems through the Garmin takeover.
Several thoughts:
Because it supports two-way messaging, you will get confirmation of your SOS and can begin dialog with rescuers. (Caveat: I've never used the SOS.) In the scenario they advertise, someone breaks a leg, pushes SOS, and then communicates nature of the energency with dialog.
I purchase the GEOS search and rescue insuance through Garmin/DeLorme for only $18 per year. It covers associated rescue fees $50K per occurence to max $100K. Seems like a good deal.
If you use the tracking feature and "share" your map, designated "friends" can see where you are on your map in real-time down to 10 minute intervals. This is useful in case you go missing without pressing SOS - ie, get incapacitated, fall down a well, buried in avalanche, etc. Your last known coordinates will be available - even if just for body recovery.
Plans and prices are cheaper than satellite phones. Those are still in the $800-1500 range with $150 month airtime fees. This InReach is a nice middle ground between a PLB and a sat phone.
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The Garmin ones are 450 the DeLorme version is 250 but they are older. They have full capability on GPS and have a colored not black and white screen
Garmin still supports all the older models. I had to replace my SE because it quit charging but my Explorer works just fine.
It is worth buying the older version if you can still find one due to the $200 price difference. I actually managed to find my DeLorme Explorer on sale for $200 and the store gave me a discount which made it $175.
On the Delorme tracking, there is a downside to frequent tracking points being sent. Battery life. I had mine on some frequent interval and the battery discharges much faster than with it set at say, 2 hours.
For a couple of bucks, get a weird haircut and waste your life away Bryan Adams....
Hammock hangs are where you go into the woods to meet men you've only known on the internet so you can sit around a campfire to swap sewing tips and recipes. - sargevining on HF
Being able to be informed of emergencies *off trail* is an important feature of the InReach for me. Although I do not keep it turned on all the time, I do turn it on every morning to see if I have messages, and then incoming messages are checked automatically when I sent in check-ins around lunchtime and when I set up camp. If there's some serious problem back home, I'd want to know about it. But I've made it very clear that ONLY emergencies that would likely make me want to abort my trip should be sent to me. I don't need to know if someone is suffering from tooth pain or has a minor cold. I don't want to use the InReach to chat. That would break the wilderness experience for me.
Like many of you, my plan was to use the InReach twice a day to send check-in messages and to receive any emergency messages that might require me to leave the trail. Seems like money well spent. The good news is that you only need to pay for service for the months that you'll actually need it. God forbid you actually have a legitimate emergency, you will have another tool in your tool belt for dealing with it.
Thanks for the good info. Yes, it looks like you might be able to get one for quite a good price.
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