I am about to get one.  My purpose is for a very easy SOS activation by opening the flap and holding the button.  I hope it’s useless bc I never need it.

But it’s $400 so it makes me think.

Does anyone regret getting one, or even the previous version?

I've had one for several years now. Money well spent in my opinion. If you're out and about in the backcountry a lot be sure to spring for the medical evacuation insurance
Be sure to pair the Garmin up with your smart phone to make messaging much easier.

Eh, it's a little bit of a money sink, for a safety aspect I don't actually need and use a lot.  But heck, ot is a bit of piece of mind, and could prove not-regretted by quite a bit someday.  

If I had to do it over again, would I?  Eh.. maybe.  But I don't resent it - and still pay the monthly fee, so I guess that answers that.

I will say, it's complicated to use by a bit - so spending some time playing with it on a good day, is a good idea.

Same here. Allowed me to track son and stay in touch when he went out West / Grand Canyon

It is the expectation these days.

It is also a double-edged sword.

I was at a talk and book signing a couple of weeks ago, and this was a centerpiece of the discussion.

I have the Explorer+ and I've really put it through the paces over the past 5 years.  Now that I have a better cell phone, I'm thinking about moving towards the Mini2 to save weight/bulk, but every time I say that, I end up having to use the pushbutton nav system of the Explorer+ while wearing gloves in adverse conditions.  A cell phone stylus on a lanyard would mitigate this problem, though, should I move to the Mini2.

My Explorer+ rocks.

I've used it to coordinate with other hiking partners while 25 miles into the backcountry.  I've used it to mee up with climbing partners on backcountry climbs, where I've gone in a day or three ahead of my climbing partner.  I've used it to coordinate beer-thirty with the friends/SOs of climbing partners while coming down from backcountry climbs while way out of cell reception.  Other climbing and hiking partners have used it my device to send out messages to family/friends/bosses while we've been scores of miles in the backcountry.  That's just the random stuff.

For more deliberate uses, when I go on trips, I send an electronic file to one or two POCS, and in that file are hyperlinks to:
- weather sites
- wildfire maps
- snowfall and snowpack maps
- climbing route descriptions
Basically, links to anything where I'd want to pull up information if I had questions about stuff.
I'll just bounce a text out to my POC, and they'll bounce some answers back for me.  It's a crazy capability that was god-level dreaming 25 years ago.


Now, the other edge of the sword...

It creates a dependency on contact - a mental dependency, maybe not for you, but for anyone who's on the other end.  Real time tracking can also send out spoofed GPS locations in challenging terrain, and it can look like you've fallen off the mountain if somebody is watching it in real time, and that's really problematic.

And it's not just looking like you've fallen off the mountain.  One of the speakers at this book signing dropped his InReach down the side of Mt Robson, Canada.  Which creates a host of problems.  Don't drop the thing.

I am a pretty new owner of a in reach mini 2.  

Intended use is piece of mind for me and my family when out dirt biking alone.  Will probably never use any mapping functions.  Knew a guy who broke his leg and laid in the desert for two days (before cell phones existed), didn't want that to be me.

Make sure you turn off the feature that generates tracking points at ten cents a whack.  Had to get on garmins site and text with a tech to get better understanding.  

Monthly cost is just part of having fun.  Will have it for other uses as well.

I fish offshore and am glad to have it. It is nice to have a step between cell phone and deploying the EPIRB.

and improved in valuable a couple years on duck hunt when the only way into the area, I was hunting, started to flood. While I was ultimately able to drive out on my own, I was able to coordinate a back up plan of walking out, getting a ride to town from a friend and having my wife alter her trip plans slightly and pick me up.

Following some of your threads, I think you're better off with the Explorer+ which is only 4 ounces more than the Mini2.  Those 4 ounces give you a MUCH more capable device.  

When out in the mountains or desert, it is money well spent for the piece of mind it gives my family and I.

There are several options now with different subscription plans that may be better depending on your situation.

ZOLEO Satellite Communicator $149
Dedicated ZOLEO SMS (Canadian or US) number and email address included (sharable, recognizable)
https://www.zoleo.com/en-us/plans

ACR ELECTRONICS
Bivy Stick 2-Way Satellite Communicator

Also, in the next several years your cell phone will be able to connect to satellites.
The iPhone 14 pro does now.
Tmoble is the first to sign a deal with Musk's Starlink.
Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 version 2-3 cellphone processors have the modem to connect to satellites.

On sale at REI for $350


I have an older Inreach.  I think I will upgrade to the messenger at some point instead of the mini2.  It is cheaper and has longer battery life. It can also be used as a charger for your phone if needed. The only downside is it is not quite as good for route finding although I would use my phone for that anyways.

I ran the larger Delorme Inreach SE for about 6 years before i upgraded to the lighter, smaller Mini.  Delorme was the originator of the tech before Garmin bought out Delorme. My original Delorme device was still working like the day i bought it, but i wanted the smaller Mini to save weight/space.

The Mini has only 1/2 the battery life at only 50 hrs per charge, but my use is light. I spend a lot of my free time out alone in wilderness and water. An example of my typical use it to turn it on only to send out a preset like "I'm here and safe" or "back at the car". Soon as i see the message fly, i turn it off to save battery.

I've used both as stand alone devices. I do not tie the Inreach to my phone. My nav use is via a separate Garmin Etrex 20.

Love my in-reach mini 2. Highly recommended.

Inreach mini (not the newest mini 2) on sale for $250 at bass pro

I've had the Mini for several years and buy the basic annual subscription, as I'm in the woods, without a cell signal year round.  It's worth it to me, even if I go 2 or 3 months without touching it.  Pluses are the navigation / waypoint / text / SOS features. Negatives are that those features can be wicked slow, especially in valleys, which is where I want them most!  I've had texts / positions that took more than 1/2 hour to send/receive/acquire.  I've also used it to track where I'm at while flying (hold close to window), and for general travel (not that it's a roadmap).  If/when my usual deep woods travel areas get a regular cell signal, I'll dump the annual plan for one monthly as needed. (I hate being roped into subscriptions.)

These devices are good for peace of mind.

Things will change in the future with TMobile partnering with starlink to offer messaging and voice next year.  And new apple phones can do satellite emergency messaging now.

They are awesome to have, especially if you spend time alone in the backcountry.

They work best when paired with your smart phone.

Make sure you check the device and the phone app, and the subscription before you leave civilization. Something as simple as a  phone update could lock you out of the app and no way to fix it once you leave cell coverage.

Downside: it creates an expectation of contact. If you arrive at camp and your InReach isn’t working, there might be panic at home when the family doesn’t hear from you.

This.  The expectation of contact can become very problematic.

I've found that when I'm in a camp with a limited view of the sky it can be a problem.
I pre-warn my people who get my nightly messages to not freak out for the first 24 hours. The unit will send the delayed messages once it sees the sky again the next morning or whenever you break out into the open

Fortunately, nobody noticed this in real time, but the errant tracking point is right in line with avalanche slide.  Usually, when this happens, the GPS altitude is way off from map elevation, but in this case, the anomalous GPS altitude from the spoofed point was in reasonable agreement with the map elevation contours.  Like I said, I'm just glad nobody was looking in real time.  Avalanche risk was 4/5 just a few days, prior.  Not sure what it was the day we were on route, probably 2/5 if I had to guess about the general rating.  For this particular face, though, possibly 3/5.

Steep cliff faces and tight couloirs or chimneys will spoof the signal.

Those additional capabilities also drag power on a single device. Main reason i carry separate GPS (Etrex 20) and a Mini Inreach. If my Inreach died i still have a functioning GPS and vice versa.

With the inreach does the person you are texting have to have one, or can they respond to you from their normal cell phone?

The inreach has to initiate the conversation first but people can text back using normal text messaging

ETA - From inreach you send them a message to their phone number. The message they get from you will come from some random phone number. When they text back to it the messages will be delivered to your inreach but the number they see isn't a permanent number for you. But for like the next week or so (its not clear how long it can be used for) they can use it to send you messages. If someone else tries to use that number to contact you it won't work. You will need to text that other person first, it will come from some random number (probably not the same one), and then they can talk to you.

I've had my InReach keep a consistent telephone number for a year or two years at a time.  That's not a guarantee that it'll be the same number the next time I text from it, but it is a bit more settling than thinking people I'm messaging are going to see a random number every time I reach out.