Just pulled out my 20 year old garmin etrex to find the screen has been smashed (think i dropped it getting it out of my car last use). Need a replacement and i'm very much lost touch with this sort of gear of late. My understanding is that i can probably get myself a GPS, EPIRB, Messenger gizmo as an all in one these days. Please hit me with some suggestions.
I got the inReach last year. Could text the kids from Antarctica. Its pretty awesome. But pricey, around $600, then monthly subscription $20
Don't need to spend $20pm on subscription. Put it on sleeper at $5.95 per month and activate for a month when needed.
I went for a Spot Gen3 on the monthly plan. That is, a yearly fee to have the device ... but you pay month for month when activating it. I like that it provides a live map visible on google maps (every 5 minutes) to anyone whom you share the URL with, aswell as a SPOT app on the iphone that the wife can use to see where we are ... aswell as one-way messaging with pre-defined messages which you can have sent to different cell phones or email addresses, we use ; "OK - we've arrived all safe and well" "We're setting off to next location, all OK" "HELP - Sick child or immobilised vehicle, medi not required, but please come to us" and of course SOS red button which notifies authorities. I looked at Garmin InReach which is better and has 2-way messaging which is really cool, but couldn't justify the price for 2 way messaging that I don't need. Looked at sat phones, again ... pricey. Looked at "sos only" options which are the cheapest / easiest of all, but in truth i do like the one-way messaging and I know the wife appreciates it when I have the kids onboard and going deep out of range. So on balance of things, the spot hit the spot for us. The cost is a little annoying, but in the scheme of what our activities cost us, and what insurance costs (both on vehicles and lives/health) it was a no-brainer. THere's been a few trips where a kid has damn near cracked a skull open or snakebite, and being at least 1hr of 4wd track just to get 3G signal .... not great. The kid knows if daddy keels over with a heart attack, smash the red button mounted on the dashboard.
Can also setup the custom buttons for different purposes, like if you have friends coming a day later and you need to let them know which "spot" youve ended up at, just program their number in and use that to communicate your position
Ditto. I’m getting one for sure this summer, as with no international travel and not much work to do I suspect I’ll spend as much time as I can in the hills on the ebike.
Got the Etrex like yours, complemented by the Spot Messenger and a separate Epirb. The Inreach sounds good. What about those GPS watches tho...
I think battery reliability will be an issue with watch gps for multi day activities. I’m looking at the inreach
At the other end of the spectrum, I have just used Avenza on my phone for most of recent work. I can save georef pdfs from ArcMap and use them in the field. Even did a map of Teton Pass and used that while i was over in the states.
Reason I want the Garmin is I’ve long wanted a handheld GPS that’s rugged, has a long battery life and is operable with gloves, no touchscreen. There were always a couple in my usual ski touring group. Now that I find myself on an eBike with no mobile reception, often on my own, the inReach functionality becomes a no-brainer.
Until they get hacked.... I would have listed service reliability as a theoretical benefit of a plb over inreach or spot until a month ago. Now the advantage seems a little more real. I would think for the remote work you do @Snow Blowey an inreach in the glovebox could be a justified work expense.
AIUI in inreach functionality kept working, as long as your account was active before the problem started. btw we've got an inreach mini for safety and just use phones (and bike head units) with offline maps apps for navigation.
Doesn't give as warm and fuzzy a feeling of confidence though does it. BTW I carry a plb (it's cheap) and offline phone maps. I do have access to an inreach mini if I feel I need it for a more complex or longer trip.
I'm still a fan of maps (and compass when going off roads). our use for the inreach is largely reassurance that the other is ok. prior to getting one we had some worrying times with unexpected delays. Getting older and having some chronic health issues makes these things seem more important. it also facilitates changes of plan
Garmin have merged the inReach sat comm functionality with their hand held nav devices, watch here for a primer... Or if you'd do more group style trips where you use two way radios a lot, Garmin have merged this with nav devices, good review here...
@Snow Blowey I'd be very tempted t hold out for the Montana 700i https://buy.garmin.com/en-AU/AU/p/699779
I saw that when this thread prompted me to do a bit more research. But I'm not sure I want a touchscreen. They're useless in a blizzard, ideally I want something that can be operated with gloves on. I'd have my phone as a primary device with cached maps, due to ease of use and big bright screen, and the Garmin would be an emergency device.
I have had an InReach SE for 5-6 years. I now find the screen too small to read without reading glasses and the scroll select button method of messaging is a PITA. I have linked my phone to the SE, but a single unit is appealing. The battery life has always been impressive. If/when I upgrade, something like the Montana will be on the cards. The extra until cost is neither here nor there and as I mentioned earlier, not expensive to maintain if kept on sleeper plan when not in use.
I've had the original inReach for Smartphones (no display) and it works for me. If I was to upgrade, would just go with the mini to reduce size. I use phone for mapping (FATmaps with offline maps for snow/land, iNAVx for marine). With the ease of using the messaging and you'll always have a phone anyway. Just have a battery booster case or power bank to ensure you always have backup power. inReach typically turned off 'til needed for messaging or emergencies.
I had an eTrex Vista Hcx for 9 years, very reliable with a sensitive receiver which worked under cover of trees etc. Recently it decided to retire itself from service, although it had been picked up with some clothing from the back of the car and accidentally dropped out on the front verandah with a thud. My replacement is an eTrex 30x which is every bit as good, a much clearer sunlight readable screen and weighs somewhat less than the Vista Hcx. It fires up a lot quicker than the Vista Hcx as well and you can have several maps on it instead of only 1 map with the Vista Hcx. The 30x also has the 3 axis compass (doesn't have to be held level to read it) and barometric altimeter. The Vista Hcx had a compass (not 3 axis) and barometric altimeter. The 30x is definitely easier on the batteries than the Vista Hcx was. They claim up to 25 hours for the 30x and I was lucky to get 8 to 10 hours with the Vista Hcx. I chose the 30x over the 32x (latest version) on price and not needing a unit with maps installed (I use my roll your own OSM maps). Wireless connectivity on the 32x wasn't of interest to me. I have a Kti SA2GN PLB as well. Compact, light and 10 year battery.
Just getting back to this now. Thanks for all the info. Looking through the range i like the idea of a colour screen with mapping. Will help me find things when i'm out and about at work - probably most of the use. But i don't want a big heavy touch screen for hiking/skiing. Thinking the GPS Map 66i may be a good compromise between functionality and weight. Like everything its hard to fit the device that will do everything, be light and cheap! ANyone have any bad experience with these?
Sign up to Spotwalla, it's free. Great for recording and sharing your trips. Another good one is Flytrace, also free, if you have mates with the same devices. Allows you to see all your group on the same screen. If you have phone coverage.
Pulled the trigger on the 66i yesterday. Ended up purchasing from anaconda. As much as I hate buying from large retailers it was the only easy way to get something when I needed it. Anyway I'm talking to the young hottie on the phone and she tells me I get 100 bucks off if I am am anaconda member. Another great perk of having a huge cock I thought. Sadly I missed out on the discount.
You need to turn it on for exporting, but yeah, it is handy, been in use since the days of bluetooth GPS receivers on the old palm pilot style field computers.
It's a lot bigger than the packaging suggests. Battery life is awesome. Haven't got the Garmin yet. Was supposed to pick it up on the way through act last weekend but I ran out of puff and didn't leave home.
