Using Your Garmin inReach Mini On Your Adventures

In this video I talk about using your Garmin inReach Mini. I've been using the Garmin inReach Mini for over a year now and will show a few pointers on how you can be using your Garmin inReach Mini with the both the unlimited services offered by the cheapest plan and also how to send on the fly custom messages by pairing your Garmin inReach Mini with your cell phone.
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[@AdventurePlusMe]

For a comparison of the inReach Mini with the Spot Gen 3 Watch this Next: kzbin.info/www/bejne/d5-YaJSFj8Shmc0

[@bobbydunlap8049]

Thanks for the tips. My question, I'm going on a backpacking trip and will be gone for 10 days to two weeks. How do you control battery life? Do you turn it on when sending a message and turn it off? What about the settings? I'm a first time user.

[@AdventurePlusMe]

@@bobbydunlap8049 Hi! I only turn it on to send out those quick preset messages, and once it's sent I turn it off. I occasionally (maybe one a year, lol) will send a custom message. It lasts a long time if that's all you use it for. If you are using it for tracking at certain intervals here's a great link that shows the expected battery life: www8.garmin.com/manuals/webhelp/inreachmini/EN-US/GUID-26D02F01-8090-4D52-B466-D93B670E898F.html. If you are worried about the battery life you could bring an Anker external power brick and charging cable (which I always have anyways for my camera/phone/headlamp recharging). Cheers!

[@bobbydunlap8049]

@@AdventurePlusMe Thanks for responding. I have the safety package and don't plan on tracking at first. I would like my family to be able to check in on me. I like the idea about leaving bread crumbs. along to trail. Thanks again.

[@magpiecollingwood9116]

A really good practical and instructional video. My 3 pre sets are " All's good " " I've reached my destination " and " I've a non urgent medical problem " ( eg sprained ankle , migraine , anything which will slow me ) My InReach was helpful a couple of weeks ago, not on the trail , but when I returned to my car and it wouldn't start. There was no cell service, and no one else was at the car park. The nearest town was 50 km in Tasmania and a storm was in full swing. I used the InReach via the app to message a friend who called my mechanic. She replied with detailed instructions to restart the car. And it worked. So grateful I had it.

[@AdventurePlusMe]

Thanks Magpie Collingwood! So glad you had the inReach with you! You make a good point. These can be super handy, not only while backpacking and spending time in the backcountry, but also while traveling. Cell service is not always guaranteed.

[@andyjirak3440]

Thank you. This video was just the sort of PRACTICAL instruction I was looking for.

[@AdventurePlusMe]

I'm glad this video was helpful!

[@jamesnixon9179]

Very well done , you made it simpler and more concise than the official Garmin instructional videos

[@4potslite169]

Thank you for posting...finally it all made sense to me and I know how to use it now!

[@AdventurePlusMe]

Yaaaaay! So glad this was helpful! Cheers!

[@rudyruedemann2334]

Thank you Adventure Plus Me- your video was really helpful. I picked up an inReach Mini yesterday. I travel quite a bit hiking, camping, road tripping, & scuba diving. The main reason I bought this was for my scuba diving and open water swimming. I have the Garmin MK2i dive computer, it integrates very nicely with the iR Mini. I picked up the waterproof case so that I can take this in the water with me. When you're on and under the water, it's very easy to end up by yourself. Hopefully - I never need the SOS feature...it's definitely a good feeling to know that it's there if I need it.

[@Yggdrasil42]

I'm a diver as well and interested in the Mini for emergency and lost-at-sea scenarios What do you use the connection with the MK2i for?

[@albluft9252]

Great info explained clearly, thanxs :)

[@abyields7831]

Thank you so much for this video, I just bought one today and can’t wait to use it.

[@AdventurePlusMe]

Awesome! You’ll have to let us know what you think after using it!

[@dawgrules1]

Great video, thanks ! ! It got me right back up to speed after a couple years of non use , perfect !

[@AdventurePlusMe]

Awesome!!

[@maydanlex]

Helpful content. Thanks!

[@aw1008]

I watched a lot of inreach videos before I saw this one, but this one is by the best and easiest to understand! Dedicated time to an individual function instead of squeezing everything into 1 video. I wish u came across this video first!! Good job

[@AdventurePlusMe]

So glad you found this helpful!! The inReach definitely wasn't the easiest to set up. But once I got it set up it's been a great tool for me.

[@aw1008]

@@AdventurePlusMe tell me about it! Definitely more to it than my other garmins, but I'm finally starting to settle in with it. Thanks again!

[@dennisodson4572]

Good video, very helpful. Especially for someone thays new to this stuff. Thank you so much.

[@AdventurePlusMe]

Glad it was helpful!

[@paulwagner2089]

Very halpful. Thanks !

[@cstacey7126]

Thanks so much for these very helpful tips in a nice concise video. Can't believe how poor the instructions from Garmin are. Your video helped me a lot!! Very grateful!

[@AdventurePlusMe]

Awesome! I'm glad this video was helpful! Yeah, even though I love this device it was a little frustrating when I first started using it, trying to figure out how to set it up and how to get to the items I wanted.

[@CHUCKYCHUCKYBOBUCY]

Thank you - you rock!

[@FollowThomas]

A very helpful video for inReach users. I used the inReach Mini for a year, but I didn't have that much need for it to keep the subscription. It's the best compared with others because of its size and phone app which made it pretty easy to use. Thank you for this helpful video.

[@AdventurePlusMe]

Thanks Follow Thomas!

[@dog-so1vj]

Great video. Thanks for sharing. I'm "up to speed" on the messaging functions, but I am really weak on using the interface between the device, Earthmate app and Explorer website to use the map function for GPS navigation. Do you have any experience using this function?

[@tomhawes7498]

Thank you!!! Very helpful. Loved the opening line…”Uuuuuh, you just uuuh turn this thing on, right?”🤣🤣🤣 Again thank you!!!

[@AdventurePlusMe]

Haha, glad it was helpful!

[@bernadettetibazi7893]

thank you!

[@charlieheatherley]

You are awesome 👍😘

[@joanoconnor8552]

Thank you for the simple easy to follow instructions. I appreciate that you only have the Safety Plan so giving us a heads up on using the Preset msg is a nice touch. Others on KZbin tend to emphasize the more expensive options. Also, I found I can sync just by using Earthmate instead of plugging my Inreach to my computer, was that also the case for you at the time of this video or was that new upgrade of software?

[@zoozolplexOne]

cool !!!

[@aliethewolf4873]

Suberb .... you get the rest of the day off with double pay! I'm gettin' a mini

[@AdventurePlusMe]

Hahahahahahaha!!! Yesssssssss! Thanks, Alie The Wolf! Enjoy! I love my inReach mini 😁

[@charlesatwell8548]

Thank you for your video 😊 I found it very helpful. The lack of intuitive use and navigating their system makes me pull my hair out ( thankfully I seem to have plenty). I started watching a video tutorial on the Garmin site....WTH...the engineer says frequently "pretty straight forward"....well only if you were the engineer that developed it! Making simple straight forward videos on the inReachMini's use seems to be something they are not capable of. Sooo, thank you for your video! 😊😊

[@AdventurePlusMe]

Hahaha, I’m glad this video was able to help! Some folks say the mini 2, which just came out, is easier to use, but I haven’t taken the plunge to buy that one yet.

[@AtillaHanifi]

I think you are a great tutor lady. You see, I am planning to buy an Inreach Mini 2 soon and I have been doing a lot of reading on the subject. Your tutorial has made everything crystal clear for me except one thing. I live in Turkey and If I press the SOS button will the emergency service in my country be alerted in our language or in English? Thank you very much and I wish you happy adventures

[@AdventurePlusMe]

I’m not sure. Garmin support should be able to answer that question for you. There should be a way to contact them through their website to get that question answered before you decide to buy one

[@JordanSkav]

One thing that they changed which sucks is you can't customize the check in messages anymore. The only options are "Just checking in, everything is okay", "I'm starting my trip", and "I'm ending my trip". Kinda brutal.

[@AdventurePlusMe]

That’s a huge bummer!! Thanks for bringing this up! It looks like you can still use presets if you had an account prior to September 27, 2022, but anyone who has signed up for an account after that is stuck with the dumbed down “check in” feature instead of customizable presets :(

[@JordanSkav]

@@AdventurePlusMe ya - I signed up sometime in November 2022 for the first time, I can’t customize the 3 check-in messages, but I can customize the 10 preset messages that you can send without typing them out. But I only get 10 of the presets/month before it costs extra, while the check-in messages are unlimited, so it’d be nice to be able to customize those 3.

[@chodkowski01]

She’s a safety first girl. If you were bitten by a poison snake or attacked by an animal you would want help as fast as possible. That’s when you’re glad to have the InReach.

[@harishjani5456]

I want one peace of gramini inreach mini device but I don't know to apply please let me know to buy this product help me

[@rarecj8jeep187]

steep learning curve. sending out pre set messages for some reason go as an email, n ot test, complicating the receiver of the message and no way to respond. what am i missing?

[@peteinozi]

Nice video, . the comment you make at 3:27 about not being able to send quick text messages with the Safety Plan puzzled me a bit . I have the Safety Plan and I can send and recieve up to 10 messages . Thank you .

[@AdventurePlusMe]

Hi Peter davis, you are correct, I should have worded it as I don't get "unlimited" sending and receiving quick text messages. Thanks for pointing that out.

[@peteinozi]

@@AdventurePlusMe That's O K, it is a great video . There is so much to learn with these things , I'm now trying to get my head around tracking and logging points. After using The InReach Mini for the first week , and got a bill for using SO many tracking and logging points . Still a great little toy ! support.garmin.com/en-US/?faq=4FjxHHdUDl1YshLW1ae7DA

[@whiskkers9291]

Has anyone experienced the issue when doing a monthly test message, Garmin fires off all 5 free test back to back ? I only sent one test message that said "Test" and it instantly said i used all 5 in the matter of seconds. I look and it sent that literally 5 times. I also had my inreach mini 2 turned off all last month due to a injury and I logged in today and it said I used 2 messages. Why is this happening ? I feel like Garmin is just using up our data so that we end up paying. Has anyone noticed this before?

[@TheBlindGardener]

Hello, is there a way to send preset messages from the app on the phone?

[@AdventurePlusMe]

I think that you can only send preset messages from the inReach itself, and then create on the fly custom texts from the phone app.

[@TheBlindGardener]

@@AdventurePlusMe thank you

[@kenziotje]

do you leave youe garmin inReach always on while walking?

[@AdventurePlusMe]

I don’t. I only have it on when I’m sending the preset message

[@used2befast]

Ok, dumb question maybe, when you use your phone, paired to the inreach, to send a message, I assume that ends up being a text msg? (vs email) And I assume garmin looks at your contact's "Mobile Number" to get the number to text? And if they text you back it goes to the inreach and your paired phone, right? Thanks!

[@AdventurePlusMe]

Correct, so while in the Garmin Earthmate App, at the bottom of the screen click on "Messages". Then at the top of the screen that now opens click the little icon for creating a new message. In this new screen that opens, click in the "To" box. Then, to the right of that click on the icon for adding your contact that you want to message. That'll open up another screen. At the bottom of that screen click the "Phone Contacts" button. From here you choose who you want to send a message to. You click on the name of the person you want to send the message to, it opens up their contact info, you click on "message" within their contact info. This brings you back to that screen where you can send them a message. Their name is now filled in in the "To" box. You then can click on the "Type Message" box below and start typing your message. When you're done typing your message, click "Send". Your phone and garmin inreach do need to be paired in order to do this. I've been thinking about creating a quick video on this process, perhaps now is a good time to start creating that, eh? Hopefully this was helpful. If you have more questions, or if something I said doesn't make sense, feel free to ask me to clarify. Cheers!

[@used2befast]

@@AdventurePlusMe Thanks! It is a bit confusing as the "pre canned" messages can only be sent from the device (not the app on the paired phone) and those are emails, right? But then typed out and sent messages are text messages and can be done either on the device or in the app on the paired phone. whew. I think I got it. :) But, is the only way to send an email is using the pre canned messages? Thanks!

[@AdventurePlusMe]

The "pre canned" messages from the inReach can either go to email address and/or to phone numbers as texts. I've put both in there and they both work. As far as typed out messages go, I've only done it as texts to peoples phone numbers, but I think that also can work either way. But I would test that ahead of time and see. I have never typed out a message on the inReach itself, only on the app while paired with the inReach. I think it would be a pain trying to type a message out on the inReach mini, having to type in one letter at a time.

[@kristaps2010]

Why nobody talks about navigation as a standalone device!??

[@AdventurePlusMe]

U can use the new Mini 2 for “navigating”, but it doesn’t have a real map, it’s just a track line, your location, and waypoints. Unfortunately, if you want real navigation you’d need to pair it with your phone, or, use the full size inReach or another actual GPS

[@kristaps2010]

@@AdventurePlusMe Thank you. I had impression old 2018 version mini could show an arrow to follow? It also had breadcrumb function I guess. Mini2 has improved gps sensitivity, battery life, usbC, explorer app, better resolution screen, easier interface.

[@AdventurePlusMe]

The original mini does have a single arrow that points you in the direction of a waypoint, however you cannot input and follow a track line or anything like that. In my opinion, if you’re traveling any longer distances, this isn’t a great feature for standalone navigation.

[@SuperSpikedog1]

My battery lasts for 18 hours on standby. What a little piece of rubbish. It's 8 months old. Rubbish 🗑