Customer reviews from Garmin
Garmin - inReach Messenger 1.08" GPS with Built-In Bluetooth - Black
Average customer rating
4.3
(259 Reviews)
Rating breakdown 259 reviews
5 Stars
162
4 Stars
51
3 Stars
21
2 Stars
15
1 Star
10
Customer Reviews for Garmin - inReach Messenger 1.08" GPS with Built-In Bluetooth - Black
Customer Rating
5
Great peace of mind
on October 25, 2025
Posted by: Gregory S
This messenger device would be my 5th Inreach or satellite communication tool and became an instant preference over others. The battery life is by far the best feature with this model as I am not as worried about leaving the tracking feature on higher frequency when out hunting by myself. The main complaint I would have is the ability to use this device for active mapping on your own phone when connected, but Garmin also provides an updated model the Messenger+ that provides this feature.
Written by a customer while visiting ExpertVoice.com
Customer Rating
5
The best option
on October 17, 2025
Posted by: Andrew E
Battery that lasts for days. Good tracking. Emergency communications. Cell phones have sat messenging available but I haven't had it be as reliable as a sat messenger. Maybe one day but for now traveling in the backcountry alone this device is madatory. I find it lasts a whole weekend without issue.
Written by a customer while visiting ExpertVoice.com
Customer Rating
5
on October 4, 2025
Posted by: Daniel T
Through 360 miles of Unbound XL this allowed my family to track every mile
Written by a customer while visiting ExpertVoice.com
Customer Rating
4
Mostly good
on October 4, 2025
Posted by: Carson T
a little tedious to use without a phone but otherwise it works great and has good connectivity
Written by a customer while visiting ExpertVoice.com
Customer Rating
5
Exactly what I needed
on October 2, 2025
Posted by: Sharpj138
Using On-X for years and love it, but wanted the inreach option too. The
Inreach Messenger was the perfect fit. I was able to stay in touch with everyone wether they had a Garmin with inreach or just a cellphone with the messenger app.
Inreach Messenger was the perfect fit. I was able to stay in touch with everyone wether they had a Garmin with inreach or just a cellphone with the messenger app.
Written by a customer while visiting Garmin
Customer Rating
5
on September 30, 2025
Posted by: Jason L
I purchased this for an off road trip to be able to keep in touch with family. Battery life was excellent, it only dropped 10% after 4 days of intermittent use. Size and weight wasn't a concern for this trip but I don't have any concerns in taking it on the next backpacking trip. It will be a minimal weight penalty for some peace of mind.
Written by a customer while visiting ExpertVoice.com
Customer Rating
1
Hard a super difficult time getting to work
on September 24, 2025
Posted by: Joe l
Very disappointing. Paid for the subscription and unlimited messaging as our family is dealing with major medical at this time. Was hoping to be able to communicate regularly. Unfortunately most of the time was told it needed a clear view of sky. We were 9500 feet up and had clear view. Took several minutes for messages to send and seemed to only receive messages once it was turned off and then back on. Was impossible to actually have any sort of back and forth dialog. Super dissatisfied.
Response from GarminBy Care, September 24, 2025
I'm very sorry to hear about your experience! Garmin inReach devices require a clear view of the sky to transmit messages and track points over the Iridium satellite network. Without a clear view of the sky, the device will continuously attempt to send the information until it acquires satellite signals. This FAQ provides additional information, as well as tips for avoiding message delays: http://ms.spr.ly/6426sSRI0
Written by a customer while visiting Garmin
Customer Rating
5
Solid and Reliable
on September 23, 2025
Posted by: Tyler N
Worked flawlessly in the field, connects reliably to my phone, and has excellent battery life. Took it on a week long trek and used it most nights to message my family on the other side of the planet, and the experience was smooth.
I also appreciated how discreet the design is visually, definite selling point for me.
I also appreciated how discreet the design is visually, definite selling point for me.
Written by a customer while visiting ExpertVoice.com