Customer Reviews for Garmin - inReach Messenger 1.08" GPS with Built-In Bluetooth - Black
Customer Rating
5
Easy for older people
on May 20, 2023
Posted by: Tuktus
Bought this a month ago and with a little direction from my son was able to send out messages myself. Even for non-techy people, this was pretty simple to do as the prompts are easy to understand and intuitive to follow.
Response from GarminBy Garmin, Outdoor, May 22, 2023
While hiking the Triple Crown in Virginia, my unit performed excellent on the trip. While in my tent, under a canopy of trees with a steady rain, I requested a "weather report". About 15 minutes later I had a weather report. I then set a message home, & again received a response back within 15 minutes. My inReach Messenger performed this way over the next 3 days. Also, I started with an 83% battery. I set my tracking at a 10 minute interval then turned the tracking off each night. At the end of 3 days I had about 62% battery. I had also requested one more weather report & sent about 5 separate messages along with 6 check-ins. Very reliable.
Response from GarminBy Garmin, Outdoor, May 10, 2023
I have an InReach Mini, and a Mini 2, which have advantages as navigation aids, but are not nearly as solid with the communication side of things. With the new messenger app, I can communicate more easily, and the battery life on this device is long enough that I'll feel comfortable for weeks in the backcountry without the ability to recharge.
Cell phones were a game changer for cycling, and now the small, lightweight InReach devices are another game changer. I bought the InReach Messenger for cycling in remote areas. Even though I do mostly road rides some are in very remote areas with no cell reception for dozens of miles. Also for planed MTB rides in remote areas. I got the messenger because it is cheaper than the Mini 2 and seems to have all the features I wanted. The battery is also longer-lasting than the Mini models. I was using it one week after purchase on a remote gravel ride when we were clearly going to much later than planned and I was able to text home thru the Messenger App that we would be a couple hours late. I also set up the tracking so my wife could see where we were every 30 minutes if necessary. It is small enough to fit in my cycling jersey pocket and barely notice it is there.(note that it needs a clear view to the sky for tracking to work well. burying it in a pack will not work). I subscribed to the basic Safety plan since I only plan to use it for rare texts, SOS and minimal tracking at this time. The cost of texts and tracking on the Safety plan is so small that it would take about 300 of them to add up the higher "unlimited" subscription plan. Overall it has worked great and gives me assurance I can reach someone if need be no matter where I am. I plan to carry this on car trips as well, just in case...
Response from GarminBy Garmin, Outdoor, May 5, 2023
I recently switched from the Spot to the Garmin and I could not be any happier. Easy to use and super user friendly. Could not be be happier with the switch.
Response from GarminBy Garmin, Outdoor, May 2, 2023
I need the means to communicate with family and resources when im off grid in the backcountry. It's especially reassuring having kids with me. I did some research on available producks and chose the garmin messenger. It had extended battery life, don't ever have to worry about a charge on a week long hunting trip. I lime the features of SOS, weather and tagging my location on messages. I already use my iphone for mapping and pairing the device to my phone was easy, didnt even use instructions. The Garmin Messenger app is easy to use and sign up for. The sunscription ans are also reasonable and offer different plans to best suit your needs. I look forward to putting it to use in a few months.
I have not been in a position to make use of the Messenger.
Response from GarminBy Garmin, Outdoor, May 2, 2023
Thank you for your review and experience with the inReach Messenger. We would like to discuss this further over email. If you would please email us at product.support@garmin.com. Thanks Jenny