Inreach Explorer vs. SE

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Chase_Rowdy
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Inreach Explorer vs. SE

Post by Chase_Rowdy »

Im going to buy a new PLB tomorrow, and have decided on the DeLorme. I'm leaning towards the Explorer for the extra $80, but wanted to get some opinions from personal use.

This mainly concerns the effectiveness of the GPS tracking and waypoint feature. How well does this work? I don't have a GPS, so that's why I'm leaning towards the higher end model. Paired with a smartphone it looks like a solid feature, but that's why I'm asking here.

Chase
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thurs
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Re: Inreach Explorer vs. SE

Post by thurs »

Chase_Rowdy wrote:Im going to buy a new PLB tomorrow, and have decided on the DeLorme. I'm leaning towards the Explorer for the extra $80, but wanted to get some opinions from personal use.

This mainly concerns the effectiveness of the GPS tracking and waypoint feature. How well does this work? I don't have a GPS, so that's why I'm leaning towards the higher end model. Paired with a smartphone it looks like a solid feature, but that's why I'm asking here.

Chase
It works pretty damn well, you can download the maps to your phone and have the inreach update your location. I download the GPX tracks off the route descriptions on this site, import them to my device, then have the device navigate. This is pretty sweet, because when I did this for pyramid and walked right past the junction in the night (per usual) the device began to beep incessantly at me when I started to get too far. OTOH my friend has the SE and he gets along just fine. When we do backpacking and whatnot where friends are camped miles away with their inreach devices, it's nice to be able to put their locations into the GPS and find their campspot. I was also able to meet a friend on Guanella Pass in a whiteout blizzard just by communicating locations with our inreaches.

Also the ESRI-delorme maps are a little kooky (though everything is in the right place)... Misspellings abound (I remember summiting "Oxnard" peak a few months ago) and for awhile all the elevations were nearly 500 vertical feet too high. I remember when we hit 14k on the map and were excited to be so close to summit, and then I realized that it said the summit was at something like 14,900 feet. I think they fixed that.
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RockCaCO3
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Re: Inreach Explorer vs. SE

Post by RockCaCO3 »

thurs wrote: the device began to beep incessantly at me when I started to get too far.
Do you have to utilize "tracking" for this feature?

OP - I have Explorer and have been pretty happy with the GPS capabilities. I dont use the tracking feature so I cant speak to that, but I have used waypoints which works pretty well.
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Chase_Rowdy
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Re: Inreach Explorer vs. SE

Post by Chase_Rowdy »

thurs wrote: This is pretty sweet, because when I did this for pyramid and walked right past the junction in the night (per usual) the device began to beep incessantly at me when I started to get too far.
Great info, thanks for the response! I didn't know about that feature, and it seems like a really great one to have. Setting a location to meet up at is also great as well. Definitely being swayed towards the explorer.
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Re: Inreach Explorer vs. SE

Post by dereferenced »

I think it's worth the extra $80. GPS on the explorer works great, it can occasionally get lost if you're right next to a cliff or in a canyon or something, but it's very accurate just walking a trail or a ridge. The interface (paired with a phone) is as good as any standalone GPS I've tried.

Topo maps are available for download worldwide. I borrowed a Garmin GPS once and couldn't figure out how to get an international map for it, with the inreach you just have to zoom in on an area and download the map before travelling.
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thurs
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Re: Inreach Explorer vs. SE

Post by thurs »

RockCaCO3 wrote:
thurs wrote: the device began to beep incessantly at me when I started to get too far.
Do you have to utilize "tracking" for this feature?

OP - I have Explorer and have been pretty happy with the GPS capabilities. I dont use the tracking feature so I cant speak to that, but I have used waypoints which works pretty well.
I don't think so. I just hit 'navigate' on the pyramid peak route.
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Re: Inreach Explorer vs. SE

Post by turbocat »

I just researched this yesterday and bought the Explorer. I currently have a 10+ year old Garmin CS60 which is awesome and has been a workhorse for years, but is no longer supported by Garmin and does not have any new fangled features and no memory to support the newer hi-def maps. I was also in the market for a PLB with SPOT-like feature since I have been hiking with my 77 year old Dad a lot lately. So the upgrade made sense.

My analysis: to do the waypoints, a reverse route, etc. comparable to my 60CS, I needed the Explorer. If you are spending this amount of coin on this type of device, go for the Explorer. If it is anything like my Garmin, the investment paid off exponentially in route frustration (and lack thereof) and safety.
Less cowbell...more CAIRN!
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Chase_Rowdy
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Re: Inreach Explorer vs. SE

Post by Chase_Rowdy »

Thanks for all the info guys, I really appreciate it! I also just found out about the "text for NWS forecast" feature as well. The cost of device and service is feeling more and more justified.
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Re: Inreach Explorer vs. SE

Post by scottaskinger »

Another thread on this topic from a few weeks ago with more info, http://www.14ers.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=49856" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
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