GoKawiilMany of the latest smartphones and watches now offer satellite emergency SOS tools such as messaging and location sharing, so many of us already carry a safety toolkit in our pocket. But if you’re heading deep off grid on multiday adventures, you might need more backup. That’s where the best satellite communicators come in.
Satellite messengers not only provide comms when you're off the grid, they let you summon help with virtual SOS flares should the worst happen, and they offer longer battery life and extra features. They can let automatically let friends and family know you’re starting your adventure, send live location tracking updates, and alert them when your backcountry exploration is done.
In 2022, I used the excellent Garmin inReach Mini 2 to track a 1,830-mile solo run across Europe. It was invaluable for letting the folks back home monitor my daily progress on a real-time map as I moved through remote parts of Romania, Bulgaria, Serbia, and beyond. The new Garmin inReach Mini 3 Plus adds a larger, color touchscreen, a built-in mic and speaker, voice and photo messaging, new antenna tech, and a tougher build—all for a higher price tag.
I tested the new inReach’s adventure and safety credentials on a mini reprise of my European adventure, running 80 miles from Florence to Bologna on the Via degli Dei (Path of the Gods)—a three-day solo mission on an old Roman route across the Apennine Mountains, with stretches high in the hills where the phone signal went AWOL. Here’s how I got on.
Subscriptions and Hardware
Photograph: Kieran Alger
There are two Garmin inReach Mini 3 models: the inReach Mini 3 ($450), which offers the same features as the inReach Mini 2 ($249), just with a new interface and the option to add more courses and routes (though I never found the Mini 2 lacking on that front). I tested the pricier, more capable inReach Mini 3 Plus ($500), which features important upgrades, including a faster antenna module with increased bandwidth for sending photos and audio.