A satellite enabled Blackberry is what it looks like.

$250, $20 activation fee, $12/mo for the basic plan.  Thinking one per household across the fam might be worthwhile, albeit's probably worthwhile waiting to see what Starlink comes out w/.

I have the Garmin InReach Mini and it is pretty cool. I think the fees are similar and I really appreciate having it in the back country.

InReach >>>>Spot

Spot had serious issues when they started.  I dont trust their stuff.


Love my mini.

I have the larger InReach with the maps built in LOVE it.

I have the mini as well. Just took it out on the trail for more than a day hike for the first time last week. Still learning the ins and outs of the finer features

I have just returned from a week of fishing and camping in the mountains of New Mexico - using my Spot X twice daily to check in with my wife without a single issue. I does exactly what it says it will do and nothing more and I do not have to tether it to a cell phone to use it...

Who do you guys have your plans with?  A traditional cell company, or with Garmin direct?

I had the earlier versions of spot over the years. Their coverage shrank. I was going to be in the back country in japan and outside their coverage. spot had crapped out on me many times over the years. Super happy with inreach mini. Been a rugged little device, plays well with garmin ecosystem. I think spot is a dying network. Garmin ponied up for better hardware, better firmware, better network, better and cheaper billing, better integration, better designed devices. I have sent texts to family from top of mt fuji offseason, from war zones, from high-altitude with jump door open etc etc.

Uh, thought it was using a global satellite network?

Yes, both spot and inreach use satellite telephone satellites- different systems though.  

Inreach uses iridium and spot global star - I think.

I have an Inreach and love it. Have used it extensively  in the backcountry and expeditions including Denali. No regrets and has come in handy a few times to get weather reports etc.

Didn't Globalstar degrade somewhat due to solar radiation?

You're right.  IIRC, Spot is owned by Globalstar or similar.  It came around when their constellation was utter shit and couldn't support voice comms.  I remember specifically their site addressing the fact that the SOS/message function wouldn't be affected due to its lower overhead vs. voice.

That said, I recently picked up an inReach after years of deliberating over which to get.  I was learning Garmin, but ended up needing something last minute due to 95% of our ride group dropping off.  The inReach Mini was the only thing that I could find same day.  Even then, I had to drive two hours to an REI (ew) to find one...

I had just enough time to get everything set up and connected to my Garmin account before leaving.  Opted for one of the "freedom" plans and the SAR insurance.  Be sure to read the T&C, because GEOS Alliance does have some exceptions.

One thing I did do out of the gate, based upon some recommendations from people on ADVRider, was edit the built-in messages.  Rather than having some generic ones, I went with something with more detail.  When out on the trail, there are times where you might need assistance but it is not an emergency and thus don't want to hit that SOS button.  Although I always carry a power bank, the phone is an additional point of failure and did not want to rely upon it to send messages.  Therefore, I updated the three preset messages to be the following:

• We are checking in. Everything is ok. Will check in again 2 hours from now.


• 1 or more person is injured. It is not life-threatening. We require non-emergency assistance at this location. Will activate SOS if situation worsens.


• 1 or more of our vehicles is inoperable. We require non-emergency assistance at this location. Will activate SOS if situation worsens.

The above should cover the most important messages should the phone fail, barring an emergency situation.


During our ride, I ran the inReach clipped to one of the straps on my pack.  Occasionally, the unit would fail to send a track/waypoint due to heavy tree cover.  Messages took a minute or two to go through.  I tested both some of the "built-in" messages and sending some via my phone and they went through without issue.  I pre-programmed 5 contacts into the device and each person said it worked without issue.

I always roll with triple (or better) redundancy while out on the trail (iPhone with Polaris Ride Command/OnX Offroad/Google Maps, Garmin eTrex Vista HCx, Paper trail maps, and occasionally a Garmin Nuvi).  Typically we check the phone ever so often to ensure that we remain on the correct path, especially when traveling by road or where trails aren't clearly marked.  In some instances, I break out my circa 2008 eTrex to confirm our location.  The real game changer, IMO, is the app.  It basically puts the topo map with track right onto my phone, which is much easier than using a 1"x2" screen on the GPS.  Next time, I'll leave the GPS in my bag with the paper map and break it out only if needed.

Later this year, I will be going to Arizona, Utah, and Montana to do some hiking and riding.  I'm looking forward to seeing how well the inReach works in those situations.

Someone from Wyoming is a very generous fellow:

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