Customer reviews from Garmin
Garmin - InReach GPS with Built-In Bluetooth - Red/Black
Average customer rating
4.1
(717 Reviews)
Rating breakdown 717 reviews
5 Stars
411
4 Stars
133
3 Stars
74
2 Stars
45
1 Star
54
Customer Reviews for Garmin - InReach GPS with Built-In Bluetooth - Red/Black
Customer Rating
5
Ounces make Pounds
on August 17, 2018
Posted by: Tony F.
It’s always nice to shave ounces without sacrificing the benefits of the InReach. Constant companion of mine on the trail.
Written by a customer while visiting Garmin
Customer Rating
5
Garmin Does It Again - Great Product!
on August 17, 2018
Posted by: hassettk
I have used this on a few occasions since picking it up. It works exactly as expected and is light and compact. I haven't had to use the SOS feature, and I hope I don't ever need to, but I'm confident that it will work if I do.
Written by a customer while visiting Garmin
Customer Rating
5
Great Compact Device
on August 17, 2018
Posted by: Eddie
Very compact, but a very substantial feel in hand; durable; intuitive interface; connects quickly. Highly recommended. My only complaint is that it didn’t come with a belt clip.
Written by a customer while visiting Garmin
Customer Rating
4
It working great and up untill now no problems
on August 17, 2018
Posted by: Jinkszzz
I bought the InReach mini a few weeks ago. I am still testing and everithing is working properly . Also the connection with Eartmate and Mapshare is operational. I have to teach my family how to work with the Earthmate but they do wel. The only problem is still to remove older tracks.
Written by a customer while visiting Garmin
Customer Rating
4
Doesn't stay connected to Fenix 5 when 3' apart
on August 17, 2018
Posted by: jlukas
The Mini is so much smaller than the full size Explorer SE and Explorer+. I'm a trail runner and sold my Explorer+ and replaced it with the mini.
The Mini does everything I used the Explorer+ for but also pairs with the Fenix 5 watch. I kept the Mini in the bottom left side of my Ultimate Direction backpack which is the same side I wear my watch on. In the first 10 miles of a long run my watch told me at least 20 times that it had lost connection with the Mini. There were many more notifications along those lines but I stopped counting.
I don't often text from the inReach nor do I check messages while I'm running. It'd be nice to check those on the watch but for the annoyance of the many messages I've disabled the connection to my watch. It'd be nice to have SOS functionality on my watch but the bad connection isn't worth putting up with.
If you don't care about connecting to your watch (not a very useful feature for me) or can keep your inReach in front of you closer to the watch (I carry my food and water there and have no room for a device) then consider this a 5 start review for you.
Written by a customer while visiting Garmin
Customer Rating
5
Feature Packed; Perfect Size
on August 17, 2018
Posted by: TXDAT
Initial impressions: Fantastic size, as this is a companion to my other Garmin hiking and off-roading gear. I love the fact that once paired with your smartphone, you use the interface on the phone to manage the device. I spend time in the back-country of Utah every year and InReach Mini is the "last mile" in gear that leaves me confident I can operate safely outside of cell service - which is frequent. Again, this is a companion to my Oregon 650T so I don't imagine I would use the basic nav or compass features but it's nice to know they are there if I needed them. The major "wow factor" of this thing is two-way communication via satellite when off the grid. It works really well (as advertised) and is augmented by the passive tracking feature which is uploaded to a site where friends and family can track your trek. So, even without using the messaging feature, people can know where you are and view it on a very detailed map. So far I'm really pleased with this.
Written by a customer while visiting Garmin
Customer Rating
4
Works in challaging enviornment but confusing
on August 17, 2018
Posted by: WCBK9
I purchased this to use on SAR operations, but my first real life use was a 4 day trip down the Paria in UT & AZ. We were in very narrow canyons much of the time and it worked very well, it was also hot and occasionally wet and it handled all of the conditions well.
I found the interface to be, ok but not very intuitive. The link to my iPhone worked well but once again not very intuitive. I have several other Garmin products and was disappointed it does not interconnect with my Alpha and seems to use a totally different approach.
Others were able to track our progress via the messages and links we sent. It took me sometime to figure how to do so.
WCB
Written by a customer while visiting Garmin
Customer Rating
5
Working great so far for no grid long trail runs
on August 17, 2018
Posted by: Ironmanian
I have used my mini on one all day trail run when we were deep in the mountains. Worked great as my wife could easily see our location. Sending message back and forth was slow but functional. So overall works great and nice piece of mind should something go wrong and we need a SOS option. I wish i could see the overall GPS stregtnh on the display ( like cell bars) as I am sure it changes if I am on a peak or deep valley. The iPhone interface makes messaging a lot easier. For now for someone with young kids and old knees this is cheap insurance considering we are off the grid at least once a month.
Written by a customer while visiting Garmin