GPS vs Delorme inreach/phone combo.

[chriso]

Looking to add a new GPS to the stable but a buddy I hunt with is sold on using the Delorme in reach/paired with a phone. I kind of like the idea of the in reach especially having a pregnant wife this season it would be nice to stay in touch via text. Bottom line is this year i'd like to add a new gps and was considering renting a sat phone etc to stay in touch but the delorme has me thinking twice. Pros/cons for guys that have used both these systems? Is there another way to stay in touch out there other than this system. Thanks guys.

 

[FlyGuy]

If you have a prego wife, do yourself a favor and get the Inreach! Seriously, it will make the hunt tremendously less stressful for both of you by just being able to check in nightly and she won't have visions all week of you being eaten by a bear and raising a child on her own!

I have the (older) yellow version though, so it is purely for communication. The GPS functions were not great when I purchased so I didn't spend the extra on it (using a 64s) but could be better now that they have integrated with Garmin?


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[muddydogs]

Your phone is a stand alone GPS with the appropriate app. I use the Garmin Earthmate app as it goes along with the InReach but there are other quality apps out there. Only thing a GPS has over your phone is the preloaded maps. With the phone and app you have to download maps and photos for the area you are hunting to the phone's internal memory or an SD card plugged into the phone. I have the paid Hunt version of the Earthmate app so I can download hunt unit boundaries and set waypoints, Garmin's free version of Earthmate comes with most all the maps except the hunt unit boundary maps and with the free version there is no way to set waypoints or mark spots. As far as I'm concerned the dedicated GPS unit is a dying device as soon as the masses figure out that there smart phone will do everything a GPS will do with a bigger screen as long as one has downloaded the maps before hand.

By adding in the InReach unit you gain the ability to have 2 way text communication as well as using the InReach for satellite GPS location fixes, In Thicker canopy cover or steep canyons I find that the InReach gets a better satellite signal then my phone.

I have an older Delorme SE InReach but I think the smart move would be to get the Explorer InReach since it's a stand alone GPS unit with preloaded maps and photos. The Explorer would be a good back up incase the cell phone died for whatever reason or one found that they didn't have the maps loaded on there phone that they needed. I would still use my phone for all my GPS needs .

 

[aklogan]

Your phone is a stand alone GPS with the appropriate app. I use the Garmin Earthmate app as it goes along with the InReach but there are other quality apps out there. Only thing a GPS has over your phone is the preloaded maps. With the phone and app you have to download maps and photos for the area you are hunting to the phone's internal memory or an SD card plugged into the phone. I have the paid Hunt version of the Earthmate app so I can download hunt unit boundaries and set waypoints, Garmin's free version of Earthmate comes with most all the maps except the hunt unit boundary maps and with the free version there is no way to set waypoints or mark spots. As

I am not sure what version you are referring to but if you have an inreach you get access to the earthmate app and with the non paid version I can set waypoints on the app or online. I can build routes online off the topo map and then sync them to my app and the inreach it self. Same goes for the waypoints.

The inreach/phone combo does way more then most standalone gps units. But it comes at the cost of a phone battery. There are lots of options for battery's you can carry that will change your phone a few times at a minimal weight penalty.

It will only take a few times of trying to send a text on the inreach alone where you will really wish had your phone to send the message through.

 

[chriso]

Being ignorant to GPS devices, I've used my brothers garmin rhino before and I liked not worrying so much about getting turned around as it showed you where you were and you could mark spots along the way, like base camp etc. Does your phone allow you to do this? Because where I go I typically do not get cell reception about 90% of the time.

 

[aklogan]

Being ignorant to GPS devices, I've used my brothers garmin rhino before and I liked not worrying so much about getting turned around as it showed you where you were and you could mark spots along the way, like base camp etc. Does your phone allow you to do this? Because where I go I typically do not get cell reception about 90% of the time.

They do and with your phones internal gps you do not need service.

 

[chriso]

They do and with your phones internal gps you do not need service.

Cool, whats the best application to do this? I feel that a garmin is quite a bit more robust though, so I guess some type of tough case will be in order as well as trying to waterproof this thing (iphone7).

 

[aklogan]

I have only ever used the garmin earthmate app. There is a lot of other really good ones but I do not have experience with them.

 

[Cant hit em]

Cool, whats the best application to do this? I feel that a garmin is quite a bit more robust though, so I guess some type of tough case will be in order as well as trying to waterproof this thing (iphone7).

Gaia is what i found to be the best phone GPS for me. You have to save maps of the area you plan on hunting before you lose signal. Throw your phone in airplane mode and your set


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[muddydogs]

I am not sure what version you are referring to but if you have an inreach you get access to the earthmate app and with the non paid version I can set waypoints on the app or online. I can build routes online off the topo map and then sync them to my app and the inreach it self. Same goes for the waypoints.

The inreach/phone combo does way more then most standalone gps units. But it comes at the cost of a phone battery. There are lots of options for battery's you can carry that will change your phone a few times at a minimal weight penalty.

It will only take a few times of trying to send a text on the inreach alone where you will really wish had your phone to send the message through.

They might have changed the waypoint deal, as I remember 3 or so years ago I couldn't do waypoints with the free version and my SE but I wanted the hunt unit boundaries and extra that the paid version provided so I purchased it.

Do you turn off your mobile data on your phone to save battery? Some put there phone in airplane mode but I prefer to just turn off the mobile data so my phone isn't wasting battery searching for it but I can still get a text if I happen upon a hot spot. If I know I won't have any service I'll turn off the text as well. I can go 10 hours bluetoothed to my InReach and only use 15 to 20 percent of my battery which equates to 3 or 4 days life out of my phone between charges.

 

[aklogan]

I put mine in airplane mode and that saves it. Turn it off at night same goes for the inreach. It is only tracking when we are hiking and even at times it's off cause it gets left in the tent.

 

[Blockcaver]

Cool, whats the best application to do this? I feel that a garmin is quite a bit more robust though, so I guess some type of tough case will be in order as well as trying to waterproof this thing (iphone7).

I find an iPhone (4, 5S and 7) to be tougher than any of the 5 broken Garmin GPSs I have in the drawer (Oregon 450T, Gekco and 3 Etrex 10s). Run a plastic case and screen covering.....(I like my Spigen case and glass cover) and stick the phone in a pint freezer (heavy) zip lock bag. I use GAIA GPS on the phone and carry spare baterries but you can coax a week out of it if careful. Turn off blue tooth, run airplane mode during day and shut the phone off at night, turn off GAIA immediately after saving a point, etc.

 

[Trial153]

I ditched the GPS. I use my phone in its place. It's has enough capabilities with apps to do anything I need. Furthermore it doubles as ...phone, I know shocking, a flash light and a camera...paired with my delorm I am all set. The only extras I need is battery packs.

 

[muddydogs]

I find an iPhone (4, 5S and 7) to be tougher than any of the 5 broken Garmin GPSs I have in the drawer (Oregon 450T, Gekco and 3 Etrex 10s). Run a plastic case and screen covering.....(I like my Spigen case and glass cover) and stick the phone in a pint freezer (heavy) zip lock bag. I use GAIA GPS on the phone and carry spare baterries but you can coax a week out of it if careful. Turn off blue tooth, run airplane mode during day and shut the phone off at night, turn off GAIA immediately after saving a point, etc.

You know I find it funny how I have 3 broken GPS's someplace in the house that I have hardly used over the last 10 years or so but I will use the same cell phone everyday packing it around in my pocket for 5 years and only replace it because the battery is going or the newer phones have more storage or speed. Been packing a phone for 20 years and don't think I ever broke one or the buttons stopped working. Only reason I just upgraded phones is my old phone wouldn't read an external SD card reader and I was getting tired of taking off the back and swapping out SD cards every time I wanted to look at trail cam pics.

I have my phone in one of them $5 Amazon rubber and plastic cases with nothing on the screen, when out in the hills I slide the phone in a double zip lock type bag that doesn't effect the touch screen or screen viewing very much.