The maps on the inReach were largely useless. The offline maps on the Garmin Fenix 8 Pro and the Garmin Forerunner 970 have more detail. There’s also no upcoming turn notifications, like you get on the Fenix, just an alert if you go 50 meters off course. After a while, I stopped following my route on the inReach Mini 3 Plus.
Beyond the live tracking and SOS emergency tools, satellite messaging is by far the inReach’s most useful tool. The addition of voice is a big step forward. Typing messages on the touchscreen is beyond fiddly. So for anything other than the preset and custom quick messages, it’s infinitely easier to record a quick 30-second voice note. Alternatively, you can use the Garmin Messenger app on your phone to tap out longer messages and beam them via Bluetooth to the inReach for sending via satellite. I found that incredibly handy for longer missives.
Voice messages are also helpfully transcribed for the recipients in Garmin Messenger, as are the replies that come back to you on the inReach Mini 3 Plus. It’s also really easy to snap a photo on your phone and send it via Messenger, although it sometimes took a simple text message and photo up to 10 minutes to send via satellite. Instant it is not.
Staying Power
When it comes to battery life, the Garmin inReach Mini 3 Plus claims 55 hours using performance messaging with two-minute location updates. That stretches up to 350 hours in low-power messaging with 10-minute tracking intervals. In testing, I set the tracking to 10-minute intervals and the screen at 75 percent brightness with a 15-second timeout. I put messaging in performance mode and the GPS on all systems multiband. I also had the navigation running and did a moderate level of messaging.
The 80-mile journey took a total of 51 hours, and I left the inReach switched on while I slept. I left Florence with 97 percent battery life and arrived in Bologna with 29 percent remaining after a total of 21.5 hours of live tracking and navigation. The overnight burn was surprisingly high, but you can obviously save juice by switching on the auto-power-off function. Or just switching the device off. Plus it’s pretty fast to charge. I loaded a full battery in a little over an hour.
Overall, the Garmin inReach Mini 3 Plus is an excellent satellite messenger. It’s well-built, easy to use, and tough enough and compact enough for long adventures. It also has a suite of safety and messaging tools that give you plenty of peace of mind.
However, when you factor in the purchase price, activation fee, and the monthly sub, it’s a big investment. The inReach Mini 3 Plus is worth the higher price over the Mini 2, but it’s probably only worthwhile if you regularly explore far away from the cell phone network. Otherwise, the combination of your smartphone and a decent sports watch that offers live tracking might be all the back up you need.