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I switched to T-Mobile at the last upgrade interval because of this. My family looks forward to no longer relying on Garmin InReach devices when out hiking.

by bhauer 2y ago

jebarker 2y ago
Initially I thought the same re: hiking, skiing etc. The only issue I see is that cellphone battery life is terrible compared to inReach like devices. Not sure I'd want to depend on it for longer than a few hours.
- blinded 2y ago
  Same. Done a few trips to alaska and had to coordinate pickups and food drops via garmin inreach. Battery life on those is way better and more durable.
- nordsieck 2y ago
  > The only issue I see is that cellphone battery life is terrible compared to inReach like devices. Not sure I'd want to depend on it for longer than a few hours. I think it depends on the application you're using it for. If you're constantly using the gps - yeah, I'd definitely agree with you. But if you're using it purely for emergency communication, you can just turn off the cell phone, and it should be fine. It's also possible to pursue a hybrid approach by bringing a battery to change the phone.
  - threeseed 2y ago
    > you can just turn off the cell phone, and it should be fine Cell phones are far more sensitive to temperature issues than dedicated devices. And when you do have an issue no external battery is going to help you because they are also sensitive.
  - PaulDavisThe1st 2y ago
    > It's also possible to pursue a hybrid approach by bringing a battery to change the phone. Or, as I have done on multi-day trips, a solar panel and a battery.
  - greenie_beans 2y ago
    ah yes, let me just trust a glass screen with a cold sensitive battery during an emergency
- njarboe 2y ago
  Yea. My inReach device stays charged for months when it is off.
- kortilla 2y ago
  Turn off your phone?
  - jebarker 2y ago
    With an inReach I have the option of periodically tracking my position and uploading that to a site my loved ones can check. Even whilst doing this I can leave the device on for a multi-day trip without worrying about battery drain. I'm not saying you couldn't do this with a cell phone, but the inReach is just a more robust solution for a safety critical application.
- schiffern 2y ago
  Good news: people who pay more still get all those benefits. And now, other people have some access (if non-optimal) to rescue services, despite the fact that they didn't (or couldn't afford to) pay more for inReach. I see this as an unqualified win.
- rcpt 2y ago
  I take my inreach kite surfing and I don't have to worry about it getting wet.
- Mashimo 2y ago
  Modern smartphones can hold the battery for over a week with minimal usage. You could just turn data on when every few hours or so. It's not automated though. At least my work S24 says ~16 days in airplane mode + power saver. Not tested.
rootusrootus 2y ago
Why switch carriers for that, you can get the same functionality built-in to iPhones and it's not dependent on carrier.
- neilalexander 2y ago
  If you aren't on an iPhone already, switching carriers might be easier.
  - rootusrootus 2y ago
    That's a fair point. I did make some assumptions.
- kortilla 2y ago
  iPhone sos does not allow you to just text random stuff to arbitrary people. It’s emergency only and a preselected “family group”
  - LeoPanthera 2y ago
    That is not true. If you don't know, don't guess. https://support.apple.com/en-us/120930 https://support.apple.com/en-us/120930
  - vl 2y ago
    If you have zero signal, modern iPhone allows you to connect to satellite and text using iMessage. I just used it this week multiple times during massive Pacific Northwest blackout. Works surprisingly well. You have to be outside and hold iPhone in the specifics position pointed at satellite, it tells you where to turn iPhone to to get signal.
    - kortilla 2y ago
      Did they get rid of the limitation of having to setup a special family group in advance?
hipadev23 2y ago
I'd still carry an old-school PLB (not a satellite messenger subscription service) for the enduring battery-life, ruggedness, and reliability when it matters. And use LTE-Starlink for the basic non-urgent but super convenient communication needs.
scottwd9 2y ago
The inReach is basically indestructible. A cell phone, not so much.
- greenie_beans 2y ago
  this is how i feel. especially in the cold. for a lot of the stuff i do, i'm not gonna trust my life on a glass screen with a battery that doesn't work well in the cold.

I switched to T-Mobile at the last upgrade interval because of this. My family looks forward to no longer relying on Garmin InReach devices when out hiking.

by bhauer 2y ago

I switched to T-Mobile at the last upgrade interval because of this. My family looks forward to no longer relying on Garmin InReach devices when out hiking.

jebarker 2y ago

Initially I thought the same re: hiking, skiing etc. The only issue I see is that cellphone battery life is terrible compared to inReach like devices. Not sure I'd want to depend on it for longer than a few hours.

blinded 2y ago
Same. Done a few trips to alaska and had to coordinate pickups and food drops via garmin inreach. Battery life on those is way better and more durable.
nordsieck 2y ago
> The only issue I see is that cellphone battery life is terrible compared to inReach like devices. Not sure I'd want to depend on it for longer than a few hours. I think it depends on the application you're using it for. If you're constantly using the gps - yeah, I'd definitely agree with you. But if you're using it purely for emergency communication, you can just turn off the cell phone, and it should be fine. It's also possible to pursue a hybrid approach by bringing a battery to change the phone.
- threeseed 2y ago
  > you can just turn off the cell phone, and it should be fine Cell phones are far more sensitive to temperature issues than dedicated devices. And when you do have an issue no external battery is going to help you because they are also sensitive.
- PaulDavisThe1st 2y ago
  > It's also possible to pursue a hybrid approach by bringing a battery to change the phone. Or, as I have done on multi-day trips, a solar panel and a battery.
- greenie_beans 2y ago
  ah yes, let me just trust a glass screen with a cold sensitive battery during an emergency
njarboe 2y ago
Yea. My inReach device stays charged for months when it is off.
kortilla 2y ago
Turn off your phone?
- jebarker 2y ago
  With an inReach I have the option of periodically tracking my position and uploading that to a site my loved ones can check. Even whilst doing this I can leave the device on for a multi-day trip without worrying about battery drain. I'm not saying you couldn't do this with a cell phone, but the inReach is just a more robust solution for a safety critical application.
schiffern 2y ago
Good news: people who pay more still get all those benefits. And now, other people have some access (if non-optimal) to rescue services, despite the fact that they didn't (or couldn't afford to) pay more for inReach. I see this as an unqualified win.
rcpt 2y ago
I take my inreach kite surfing and I don't have to worry about it getting wet.
Mashimo 2y ago
Modern smartphones can hold the battery for over a week with minimal usage. You could just turn data on when every few hours or so. It's not automated though. At least my work S24 says ~16 days in airplane mode + power saver. Not tested.

rootusrootus 2y ago

Why switch carriers for that, you can get the same functionality built-in to iPhones and it's not dependent on carrier.

neilalexander 2y ago
If you aren't on an iPhone already, switching carriers might be easier.
- rootusrootus 2y ago
  That's a fair point. I did make some assumptions.
kortilla 2y ago
iPhone sos does not allow you to just text random stuff to arbitrary people. It’s emergency only and a preselected “family group”
- LeoPanthera 2y ago
  That is not true. If you don't know, don't guess. https://support.apple.com/en-us/120930 https://support.apple.com/en-us/120930
- vl 2y ago
  If you have zero signal, modern iPhone allows you to connect to satellite and text using iMessage. I just used it this week multiple times during massive Pacific Northwest blackout. Works surprisingly well. You have to be outside and hold iPhone in the specifics position pointed at satellite, it tells you where to turn iPhone to to get signal.
  - kortilla 2y ago
    Did they get rid of the limitation of having to setup a special family group in advance?

hipadev23 2y ago

I'd still carry an old-school PLB (not a satellite messenger subscription service) for the enduring battery-life, ruggedness, and reliability when it matters. And use LTE-Starlink for the basic non-urgent but super convenient communication needs.

scottwd9 2y ago

The inReach is basically indestructible. A cell phone, not so much.

greenie_beans 2y ago
this is how i feel. especially in the cold. for a lot of the stuff i do, i'm not gonna trust my life on a glass screen with a battery that doesn't work well in the cold.