Garmin inReach Explorer+
Question about Garmin inReach Explorer+
Is it necessary to buy additional map material or is access to the Earthmate app also good for trekking/outdoor? Does the app allow access to global map material, such as for Chile or Argentina? Or do you have to buy a separate topo map (raster/vector map as a micro SD chip) for each country for outdoor navigation, as with the old Garmin devices?
Thank you @Neon1. In that case, it's more likely to come down to the inReach Mini. OpenStreetMap is not much use to me when I'm travelling "backcountry". Access to topo raster maps would have been the only pro-argument for the "inReach Explorer" for me. But if there is no difference between inReach Explorer and inReach Mini, then your recommendation (combination of Mini and smartphone) convinces me without reservation. Thanks a million.
The inReach Explorer is not a "real" Garmin device, but was bought by DeLorme. Garmin map material cannot be used, but you can download maps for the whole world (based on OpenStreetMap) to the device for free via the inReach portal and also use them via the Earthmate app. The quality varies depending on the country (OSM), but I find the inReach Explorer rather unsuitable for navigation anyway, as the operation and map display are rather limited.
My tip: If you are mainly interested in satellite communication, I would recommend the new inReach Mini (http://digit.ec/8741232) instead - it has the same communication options/emergency alerts in a much smaller and lighter housing. You can still use the Earthmate app as with the inReach Explorer, e.g. to read/write satellite messages more conveniently, or for navigation. For the latter, there are other smartphone apps with better map display and route planning options than Earthmate.