Garmin inReach Messenger Review

The inReach Messenger is the latest in a long line of satellite communicators from Garmin. It offers iterative improvements in some ways and a couple of small steps back (no navigation, smaller screen, half an ounce heavier). As compared to the closest competitor, the Messenger has longer battery life and a larger antenna. In our scoring system, it tied for the top place with the inReach Mini 2. Overall, the Messenger is better, but the difference really is too small to show up on our scoring rubric.

Performance Comparison

SOS/Emergency Messaging

The Garmin Messenger features emergency messaging that is fast becoming “industry standard.” It works like this: when something dire happens to you, somewhere without cell signal, you activate the SOS mode. This can be done through the app on your phone or with a button on the device itself. That SOS message, digitally and automatically packaged with identification and location information, goes to the 24-hour staff at “Garmin Response Team.” That team has deep and comprehensive informational resources. They cross-reference your location with their database of SAR resources and work to mobilize the closest and most effective local response.

Local response to your emergency will depend on many, many factors, and virtually all of them are out of Garmin's control. Local response will depend on geopolitical matters, SAR team triage, weather, time of day, and a host of other logistical matters. By far, the most “standard” part of emergency response now is the communication part. Thanks to the two-way texting functionality of the inReach Messenger, you can provide further details on your situation and potentially receive updates on the status of the SAR response.

In an emergency, the inReach Messenger works very much like all the options on the market. We can't emphasize enough that the biggest determinant of the outcome of your emergency will depend on local resources and conditions. Using your inReach to activate a response to an injury sustained in a vehicle accident down a dirt road just beyond signal might yield a response in minutes or hours. The same injury resulting from a mountaineering fall in a storm in trail-less mountains in a developing nation might require days to weeks to yield a response. In both cases, the satellite communication portion would take just minutes.

Non-Emergency Messaging

With the inReach Messenger and associated app, you can send and receive text messages (with seamless threads across satellite, cellular, and WiFi), conduct passive web-linked tracking, and collect basic weather forecasts. This is as much non-emergency messaging as any product on the market will do. The inReach Messenger does it all through an app or, with a greater fiddle factor on the device itself.

Without adding data or voice functionality (both of which require significantly more bandwidth and therefore greater expense and battery/antenna power), it is hard to imagine vast improvements to non-emergency messaging on the inReach Messenger. We are ready to be surprised with additional functionality. We have been pressing for years for what we'd call a full-function satellite messenger feature set. Only now, with the*inReach Messenger (and subsequent software upgrades to other current devices), has Garmin delivered what we've been asking for. To be clear, we now consider full-function non-emergency messaging to include, on both the device and via an app, seamless two-way messaging, tracking, and weather forecasts.

Signal Coverage

The Iridium network employed by the inReach Messenger covers the entire world and does so in a reliable fashion. We've used exactly this same network for decades on other devices, and we have a great deal of confidence in the network.

No satellite communication network is perfect, however. All satellite communications are subject to interference from terrain, buildings, and foliage. Inside, in a dense forest, and on or near steep terrain, satellite communications will be slower and/or impossible. This is inevitable with current technology and infrastructure.

Ease of Use

Garmin is a large, older technology company. They've proceeded along a rocky road of user interfaces and ease. Nimble start-ups have pushed the business forward, forcing Garmin to adjust. This technology is complex, and use will be inherently tricky. That said, Garmin does a better and better job of smoothing out their devices' setup and service. Configuring and using the inReach Messenger is easy enough, especially if your expectations are in line.

To get set up and use your inReach Messenger, you will need to configure and pay attention to subscriptions, signal limitations, battery power, and expectations. Allow yourself (and those you are communicating with) a learning curve; this isn't like the text messaging we are accustomed to.

Portability

The inReach Messenger weighs 4.0 ounces and measures 3.1 x 2.5 x .9 inches. It is the first new satellite messenger in a few years that isn't smaller than previous versions. It isn't a ton bigger or heavier than other close competitors, but the plateauing of miniaturization suggests that we won't see great improvements in portability for a while.

For the few grams and tiny bit of additional bulk, you get a bigger battery and bigger antenna. Also, as compared to the closest competitors, the inReach Messenger is a simpler, smoother shape — a rectangle with no protrusions or dangles.

Some will lament that there isn't an obvious, pre-rigged way to attach the Messenger to the outside of your backpack. We don't lament that. We have tested these devices both inside and outside our packs — as long as it is near the top of your pack, every satellite communicator works well enough inside, and we don't like the vulnerability of a dangling emergency device. If you sense that your signal is really poor, you can get the device out for a better view of the sky for a brief message check and/or send. Otherwise, keep safety equipment secured inside your bag. If you absolutely insist on dangling your satellite messenger, there is a place to string a lanyard.

Should You Buy the Garmin inReach Messenger?

Yes. This is the best option on the market currently. That said, there are some other fine options (most using the exact same satellite network, for instance) that are very, very similar.

What Other Satellite Messengers Should You Consider?

You are inevitably going to compare the inReach Messenger to the Garmin inReach Mini 2. We have made exactly that comparison, and thoroughly. If you have no satellite device yet, get the Messenger instead of the Mini 2. If you already have an inReach Mini 2, think of it this way. The Mini 2 and Messenger devices are very, very similar. No need to switch. The Mini 2 is better with navigational matters. The Messenger antenna is bigger. The Messenger also has a bigger battery, and if needed (and with all the caveats), you can use a cord to suck a little of that battery life into a different device.

If you have an older inReach Mini: nothing is hugely upgraded from the original Mini in either the Mini 2 or the Messenger. Maybe, a year ago, you pondered upgrading your original inReach Mini, looked at the then-brand-new Mini 2, and decided it wasn't worth upgrading. Understandable. Now, with the Messenger App and the greater battery size and function of the Messenger device (and another year of wear and tear on your older device), the draw of upgrading might have reached critical mass.