Thanks. A useful review and very much reflecting my own experiences of an InReach.
SteveNorthumberland wrote:Don’t know if this has changed but my subscription ran from the 10th of one month to the 9th of the next not a calendar month
My subscription re-starts after suspension, and runs for one month from that date, whatever day I activate it. The prices went up a bit, but its still good value for the sort of trip I do once or twice a year in the remoter highlands or Scandinavia.
Our Easter canoe camping trip involved having to meet up with late arrivals at an unknown camp spot in the middle of Inverpolly, with no phone signal at all, after we'd been out 4 days. The InReach really proved useful as combining it with the Earthmate app meant I could communicate our location and receive replies up until the point our companions launched during a weather window, effectively sending messages from my phone via the app.
I paid for the "middle" option this time around which is about £30 for the month, so I could have 40 "free" messages for this trip. This sounds pricey, but I get satellites to play with, so I guess its OK!
I did notice the battery usage increased just sending and receiving messages & forecasts, compared with just leaving it on standby. Just something to be aware of. I didn't use it to track, and it would still have lasted the week, just about.
We didn't physically meet another human for the whole 7 days, except when we popped up Stac Pollaidh from the wrong side, and having the ability to check weather was also very useful.
A note on the Weather Forecast which you didn't use.
The Basic forecast is somewhat limited and, crucially for me as a paddler and for most mountain walkers, especially in winter, it does NOT include wind speed and direction. This is what comes free.
The Premium forecast is better, and has proven reasonably accurate, but costs £1 a time even on the middle-level subscription. For me its worth it.
As with the messaging, its all much easier to use when teamed with the Earthmate phone app. That does mean more battery anxiety on a wilderness trip though, something I like not to have to worry about!
