The Garmin inReach Mini 2: Your SHTF Communication Lifeline

When disaster strikes and communication networks collapse, are you prepared to reach your loved ones? Satellite communication might be the difference between panic and peace of mind during an emergency. 

The Garmin inReach Mini 2 offers a reliable lifeline when traditional methods fail. This pocket-sized device weighs just 3.5 ounces but provides global coverage through the Iridium satellite network, ensuring there are no blind spots or dead zones. Whether you're stranded 50 miles from home during a hurricane or lost on a remote hiking trail, this device allows you to share your location, send crucial text messages, and even trigger an SOS alert that connects directly to emergency response teams.

For approximately $12 monthly (about "a Starbucks and a half"), you get 50 text messages and location tracking capabilities that create digital breadcrumbs family members can follow. The battery impresses with up to 14 days of standby time or 5 days of continuous tracking. While the device's compact size makes button navigation somewhat challenging for those with larger fingers, the companion smartphone app provides a more user-friendly interface for message composition and device setup.

What truly sets the inReach apart is its emergency response capabilities. The SOS feature connects you with Garmin's 24/7 response team who coordinate with local search and rescue services to provide assistance anywhere in the world. Preset messages allow quick communication in various scenarios, from simple check-ins to urgent meet-up instructions when disaster strikes.

At approximately $350, the investment might seem significant, but can you really put a price on knowing you'll never be truly cut off from help or loved ones? As newer models emerge (including a $2,000 smartwatch with similar capabilities), this reliable communication tool remains an accessible option for practical preppers. Even if it sits unused most days, the peace of mind it provides is invaluable. Be safe out there, take care of one another, and remember: preparation isn't paranoia—it's prudence.

Chapters

• 0:00 Introduction to Satellite Communications
• 1:22 The Garmin inReach Mini 2 Features
• 3:02 Battery Life and Map Tracking
• 6:12 SOS and Preset Messages
• 9:30 New Technology and Final Thoughts

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:00

Hey, all this is Keith and welcome back to the Common Sense Practical Prepper podcast, september 4th 2025. Again coming to you from our affiliate office in Berlin, germany. So I want to talk about communications and specifically satellite communications. When we're in the middle of a critical SHTF situation, cell towers are down, your phone is basically a paperweight, a hurricane, emp, grid down, chaos, whatever it happens to be, and you need to stay in contact with your family or you need to call for help. We're going to talk about the Garmin inReach Mini 2, a device that I've had for a little over a year. I've tested it on the trail, I have tested it here in Berlin and I believe, at least for me and my needs, it's the device that satisfies my current requirements. My family members also have this same device. All right, here's this scenario Major storm wipes out power, cell service is down across the region, phone's not working, no cell service and you're 50 miles from home. You need to be able to contact your family and hopefully tell them you're safe and provide them guidance. Okay, I'm safe. Starting home should be there by noon, or are you safe? Whatever the message happens to be and we'll get into the messages here in a second. So it basically works off the Iridium satellite network. It's a global network, so there are no blind spots, there are no dead areas. Now you might ask about GMRS radios, handheld ham radios. Those types of radios certainly have a role, but for this situation you're going to be too far for line of sight. Powers out repeaters are down, so handheld ham radios are not going to be too far for line of sight. Powers out. Repeaters are down, so handheld ham radios are not going to work.

Speaker 1: 2:08

So a satellite communications like the inReach Mini 2, it's a tiny device, about three and a half ounces fits in your pocket. Again, it's on the Iridium satellite network. You can share your location, text messages or trigger an SOS anywhere in the world. It's pretty rugged, it's water resistant, not waterproof, and it's got like the case around it. It's kind of like a hard rubber case and the buttons are protected underneath this rubber case and it's not that difficult to use. However, being so small and compact, that's fantastic. But the downside to that is if you have fat fingers like me, it can be a little difficult to navigate the menu and get some of your text messages in. So when you get your device set the whole thing up beforehand.

Speaker 1: 3:02

Okay, there are different types of monthly subscriptions. The monthly subscription I have is approximately I think it's $12 a month and that gives you 50 text messages through the device and those can be shared through text messages, email. There's several different ways that you can share the message that you need to provide, and another cool thing about it is With the other family members that have that if they have the same plan, they have 50 text messages. There's a cool thing about the Messenger app. So, again, if you have fat fingers, like me, using the app on the phone, like a lot of other devices, it's much easier to program through your phone than it is to try to look at the little screen on the device. Again, it's small, so it's meant to be compact. It is very versatile, but that is one of the downsides to it. There are other subscriptions, different tiers. I'm sure you know there's more expensive tiers that provide additional text messages, but I just have just the basic $12 a month 50 text messages, have just the basic $12 a month 50 text messages.

Speaker 1: 4:22

There's a map share feature. So basically what it does is you can have it send your location every 10 minutes, every 30 minutes, every hour, every two hours. So there's several different options. It has a great battery life, but the more times per hour that you send an interval, it's going to use more battery, however, so just like sitting there by itself, it's going to last about 14 days. It'll last about five days if it's on the entire time and you're sending your location out every 10 minutes.

Speaker 1: 4:58

Now I used it. I've used it on the trail when I've been hiking the Appalachian trail. I've used it here in Berlin a couple of times just to kind of put it through its paces, and when I was done hiking and I was done walking around here in Berlin, I go ahead and stop it on the phone, stop the tracking, and then I can actually pull up a map and have it load the waypoints and actually load the path that I've been either hiking or, in this instance this week, walking, and on the phone app you just kind of zoom in and the more you zoom in it ends up kind of like a Google Earth type of overlay and you can actually see the streets and it is very accurate. Now, obviously, you go inside a building for a significant amount of time. It's not going to be able to ping the satellites, but as long as there's clear view to the sky. If it gets a little cloudy it might affect it some, but you know, here in Berlin I'm between a lot of tall buildings, you know, as I'm walking, so it could affect it a little bit, but if you're out in the open you're going to be in good shape and it's going to be very, very accurate. Like I said, the battery is fantastic.

Speaker 1: 6:10

And let's talk about the SOS feature. The great thing about the SOS feature is if you are in a really bad situation and you need to activate SOS, you need to call for assistance. You activate the SOS. It connects you with Garmin's like 24-7 emergency response team, or whatever they call it, and they will coordinate with local search and rescue law enforcement and they will come get you. If you're hiking and you've broken a leg, you've broken an arm and you can't continue, they'll have your exact location and they're going to come get you. They'll airlift you out. Whatever the situation is, they're going to come and get you.

Speaker 1: 6:56

So there's a bunch of preset messages and again, when you set it up, set up the preset messages before an SHTF situation and you can set them up like if I was hiking and I got to my camp, I would send the preset message to whoever in my contacts I need to send it to safe at camp. And let's say I had a preset message the next morning leaving camp. Those can be very, very simple. Now, if you didn't want to activate an SOS, you could put in a preset message need help at the cabin? Need help behind the shopping center? Okay, power out, meet at cabin. So you can have several of those and those can be changed all the time, depending on the situation. If you don't have a cabin, you can change it to something different. If, for some reason, your situation changes and some of the preset messages don't quite make sense, you just go into the app, which is much easier to program to the app, and you just go ahead and change them that way.

Speaker 1: 8:02

So basically, you can also share all of that. You share the map. You can also backtrack with the map. So if you're hiking and you're going along and, let's say, you get lost, you're not paying attention and you've realized that you're off the trail, then you have a situation of basically looking at the map and then just walking it backwards. Just turn around, zoom in and it's going to walk you back. You can. Let's say I was here in Berlin and I went too many blocks. I went like six blocks too far and I took a left and I finally realized it. I could pull up the map and basically I just turned around and I followed a little blue line backwards the way I came and it's going to go ahead and get me back to where I need to be Now.

Speaker 1: 8:48

With any technology, garmin probably has already come out with something that's bigger and better and probably more expensive than the inReach Mini 2. I happen to be attending a tech conference tomorrow here in Berlin. It's IFA Innovation for All. Garmin's going to be there, and I did read that they now have a smartwatch that does all of the things that the Garmin Messenger devices the inReach, the mini inReach, the mini inReach 2, they all do that and it's going to be compact into a smartwatch and I'm going to assume that the app is compatible as well. I also heard it was about $2,000, which leaves that way, way, way out of my price range. The inReach Mini 2, amazon, rei, any other outdoor website. When I purchased mine I believe it was about $350. But as new versions of these devices come out, the price of the older versions will eventually drop down. So again, this is something that suits my current needs.

Speaker 1: 10:00

May not be for everybody, current needs may not be for everybody, but I think it's important to have something, because if you're 20 miles away, five miles away, and you're not able to make it home because of an SHTF situation and the cell service is down, you don't know if your family is safe. They don't know if you're safe. If you have no way of getting reliable communication set up and providing them current information on where you are and what you need to do, that could be a problem. You're not going to be able to say, hey, meet at the cabin or get the bug out bags, I'll be home in 30 minutes. You're not going to be able to provide that. Now. It might seem like a little overkill, but remember, a lot of what I do prepping-wise is peace of mind.

Speaker 1: 10:49

Now, this device has been sitting near my bug-out bag for probably 320 of the last 365 days, but I know I've got it and $12 a month may be a lot of money for some folks. So it's a what? Maybe a Starbucks and a half? I don't drink Starbucks. I'm not sure how much a Starbucks is, but to me peace of mind. You really can't put a price on it. So $12 a month to me, given my situation and how I prep, is money well spent. All right, folks, thanks for listening. If you need to get ahold of me practicalpreppodcast at gmailcom, go into the cool tech show. Maybe I'll take some photos of that new Garmin device and try to get some information on it. Don't forget, I'll be going to Prepper Camp 26th, 7th and 8th, I believe, of September. And again, thanks so much, folks, and, as always, be safe out there, take care of one another and until next time.