Is there any downside to purchasing a Delorme InReach Explorer vs the newer Garmin version? Someone suggested I get one of these NOS and save a bunch of money but don't know if there is any downside that would offset the money saved?
I’m still using my 4 or 5 year old Inreach and it works just fine for what I need it to do. Reliably sends and receives messages either as a stand alone unit or with the app on my phone. Battery life is good. Weather resistant. The weather forecast feature is as accurate enough, even for up here in AK. In the rare instances I need it for navigation, it accurately tells me where I am. I don’t know much about the newer Garmin units because I haven’t had any reason to need to upgrade or replace yet.
Brought my delorme inreach on a quick overnite in the Sierras this weekend and it failed to get a basic mothers day text out to my mom. Pretty disappointing and it reduced my faith in it.
That said, I'm still bitter at Garmin for butchering the once great tri tronics electronic dog collars after they acquired them..
I used my Delorme inreach during a solo elk hunting trip in the NW Colorado wilderness. Worked flawlessly. Texts were easy and received delivery notifications. The peace of mind for my family was worth well over the $250 that I paid for it.