The inReach Mini was a revolutionary leap, upgrading an excellent product and reducing its size and bulk in a meaningful fashion. Just a few years later, Garmin brought the inReach Mini 2 to market, with important refinements and no loss to everything we already know and love. It is one of only two two-way, global texting devices that have full (albeit slow and clumsy) on-device functionality. Deep in the wilderness, where “redundancy” and “backup plans” are crucial bits of vocabulary, the ability to retain full communication without a working smartphone is what sets all generations of the inReach Mini apart from other close competitors. The Mini 2 brings improved battery life, a better app experience, and a slightly refined on-device user interface.
You are most likely buying a prodct like this because you need to summon help in the event of an emergency. The inReach Mini 2 does so with a paid subscription. Any emergency message is routed through a for-profit call center employed by Garmin. In short, you push the “SOS” button, and a signal is sent, via satellite, to headquarters. That dispatch center will then know your location, some rudimentary identification information (which you added during registration and should update periodically), and that you have some sort of emergency. At this point, you need not do anything more. Dispatch will contact local resources.
If you have further information about your emergency that will help rescuers respond, you can send out these details with the Mini 2. It requires some preplanning and familiarity with the device and its function, but sending more nuanced information to emergency responders is possible. Short of two-way voice communications as provided by a satellite phone (way more expensive) or radio (shorter range and more complicated execution), two-way services like the InReach products provide the best possible emergency messaging service.
Emergency messaging differences between the InReach Mini 2 and its two-way communication competitors are minor; the end result is the same. With them all, you can send a “y’all come” message containing location data and follow up with more details on your situation. The Mini 2 and its close competitors are the most sophisticated emergency notification devices available today.
The original, larger inReach revolutionized backcountry communications with the ability to send and receive texts. The Mini continues this, just in a smaller form. Texting with the InReach device is slightly different from your smartphone (no media, for instance), but it is familiar enough to be easy to operate.
The two-way texting functionality of the inReach Mini 2 is matched by a few products on the market. Others might edge ahead with an included on-device keyboard. Garmin outdid itself recently by adding to the Mini 2 the ability to perform (with a different app) seamless messaging across satellite and more traditional data services (WiFi, cellular). The original Garmin inReach Mini (distinguished by the lack of the “2” qualifier and otherwise very similar) is not compatible with the latest app that provides seamless messaging. The latest app is called “Messenger” while the original inReach Mini uses an app called “Explore,” both from Garmin.
Garmin’s reliable tracking allows carriers to share their real-time location via MapShare with friends and family, or use it for basic navigation in the backcountry. The device includes customized settings with tracking intervals to balance battery life.
Another sort of non-emergency messaging available on the Mini 2 (and on some other satellite text devices) is weather forecasts. The inReach apps, through their “Premium” weather forecasting service, are the only satellite products we know of that allow for the acquisition of a weather forecast for a spot that you are not currently sitting in. This is cool, and we wish other products offered the same functionality. Others offer the option to request a forecast, via satellite, only for the spot you are located at that moment.
Garmin programs the Mini 2 to work with the global Iridium satellite network. With patience and an understanding of the realities of all satellite communications (i.e., that steep terrain, buildings, and vegetation compromise or block all satellite signals, on all civilian networks, and with all types of hardware), the Mini works all over the world.
Many other devices use the same Iridium network. There was some speculation that the smaller body of the Mini 2 (and associated smaller antenna) would result in poorer reception than the original “full size” inReach. In the open terrain of Alaska’s Susitna Valley and the Big Su River, along with the windy. sled dog trails of the Haessler-Norris Trail and West Gateway Trail Systems, the message sending capability and message transmission rates and reliability on par with all the inReach devices.
You pay for the smaller stature of the Mini 2 by sacrificing some ease of use as compared to the bigger inReach devices. The Mini needs to be recharged more frequently, and sending messages straight from the device is harder. Battery life for the Mini 2 is noticeably better than that of the original Mini but not yet as good as the battery life of the full-size inReach options.
In reality, these drawbacks are minor. You have two main options for texting with the Mini 2, and Garmin smartwatch (Check out our review of the Garmin Descent MK3) users have another option that most do not. You can text on your phone using the Garmin app, or you can text directly on the Mini device. Of these, texting with the app is far and away easier than texting on the device. Garmin smartwatch texting is even more annoying than texting directly on the device.
The battery life compromise of the Mini 2 isn’t actually that big of a deal. For longer trips, we found the multiple days of claimed battery life to be more than enough. The device turns on and off quickly, so you only burn the battery when texting. You will likely be equipped to recharge phones and camera batteries and other electronics on longer trips anyway. In this case, you can top off the Mini as well. It charges with a USB-C cable while the original Mini charges with micro USB, so factor that into your backcountry charging cable selection.
For those who wish to eliminate or reduce their smartphone use in the backcountry, be aware that the Mini 2 will mostly tie you back to that phone for contact and communications.
There are rare accounts on the internet of, while in the wilderness, the Mini device and the associated smartphone app becoming disconnected in such a way that you can only log back in once you return to cellular or WiFi. In these instances, you can still view and compose messages on the device, but that is annoying at best. We did not have this happen spontaneously in our testing, but we simulated the problem and confirmed that if you “log out” of the associated Garmin app, you cannot log back in in the wilderness. All Bluetooth-enabled products on the market are vulnerable to this problem (think of, somehow, accidentally deleting the app on your phone while beyond signal — you aren’t going to get that back, and app and connectivity issues can also be spontaneous), but the Garmin devices seem slightly more susceptible. On the flip side, the Garmin options are more forgiving in use than others which have even less functionality on the device itself.
The inReach Mini 2 is small enough to be unobtrusive on literally every human-powered adventure. If you don’t have room for the Mini, we want to hear about that. Even the quickest trail runs can be accompanied by this highly valuable piece of communication hardware.
The Mini 2 is exactly the same shape, size, and weight as the original Mini. They clearly made hardware upgrades (changing the charging port, for instance, and improving battery life) but chose to keep the form factor the same. Hopefully, this resulted in cost savings that the consumer is realizing. The only reason to change the form would be branding; “this is the new version, and it looks different.” In some ways, it is refreshing that this otherwise significant upgrade didn’t require a new industrial design.
We tested the InReach Mini 2 on several dog mushing trips in Alaska and had excellent results. We would caution the use in extreme temperatures, though we did find the larger, InReach device worked well at temperatures below -32F on the middle of the Yukon River.
Unlike the larger device, the Mini2 does not have the option of showing a GPS “track” directly on the device. But with another connected device, like a Garmin Smartwatch you can view a track on the Garmin Connect app.
We tried, with mixed results to send and receive messages on the Messenger app using the Mini 2 and an iPhone 16 Pro. Our biggest hurdle was not with the Mini 2 itself but with the iPhone in extremely cold temperatures. We are mentioning this in this review because of the (almost) necessity to have a connected smartphone to send messages effectively. Sure you can send rudimentary messages like “we are leaving” or “we are here” on the Mini 2 but more robust messages require a smartphone.
Garmin’s inReach Mini 2 requires an active satellite subscription plan to unlock its full features, including messaging, tracking, and weather updates. Garmin offers three main plan tiers — Essential, Standard, and Premium — each catering to different user needs. These plans vary in terms of price and capabilities, and selecting the right one depends on how you plan to use the device, which can be overwhelming at first glance.
As of December 2024, Garmin also simplified its service plans. All consumer plans are now month-to-month (no annual contract option) and require a $39.99 activation fee.
You’ll notice that the plan perks for all three tiers include different levels of voice and photo messaging. This is for users of the new inReach Messenger Plus and does not apply to the Mini 2 or any other devices, which do not support voice or photo messaging.
The Essential Plan is the most affordable option, but it’s a bit limited in terms of communication and tracking. If you only need basic SOS capabilities and minimal messaging, this plan will work, but overage fees can quickly add up if you exceed your allotted included messages.
The Standard Plan is the sweet spot for most users, providing a more generous allowance of messages and unlimited tracking points. It’s great for those who need to communicate with loved ones and want reliable tracking throughout their thru-hike at a decent monthly cost.
The Premium Plan is Garmin’s top-tier option, providing unlimited messages, tracking, and weather reports. I utilized this plan for the Colorado Trail and found it best suited for those on extended journeys who need to stay in constant communication and require frequent weather or location updates.
Note: You can only have one InReach device connected at a time. If you want to add more than one device (ie. Guide Service, etc.) you will have to contact Garmin and sign up for a Professional plan.
Yes, this is a great product. Especially if you want some basic navigation attributes in your satellite messenger, this is the best thing around. As we will note below, the inReach Messenger is slightly better for most use cases, but the Mini 2 is still great too.
