Delorme Inreach SE/Explorer price drops

[robgendreau]

Delorme is offering a rebate through the end of the year; $75US or $50US off the Explorer or SE respectively. Of course you still have to pay for the communications plan to use them effectively and that doesn't seem discounted. Cheapest price I saw for the SE was $270 at B&H before the rebate. REI was $300 by way of comparison.

 

[Hungry Tiger]

REI gives 10% dividend to members at end of the year. Works back to $270.

Sent from my XT1254 using Tapatalk

 

[Comanche Scott]

I have the SE on the flexible plan. Really a fun thing to use.
The password protected web tracking page, and texting feature are worth the price of admission to me.
The SOS button is something I "hope" to never use.

 

[tacozord]

I have an InReach Explorer as well. I can't recommend it highly enough. I recently used it for a five day trip on the Mojave Road. My friends and family were able to track my exact location anytime they wanted. Furthermore, I was out of cell range about 50% of the time, so being able to text was highly beneficial.

 

[Christophe Noel]

I'm another fan. I've sent hundreds of messages from six countries on four continents in the last year and a half alone. Plus scads of messages in the US. Never a missed signal or message. Pretty amazing where I've used it. From the Amazon Basin to Everest base camp. The little sucker works.

 

[robgendreau]

The Inreach SE is $230 at Amazon right now. And there's a $50 rebate running from Delorme; AFAIK the rebate applies there; Amazon is listed as a reseller in the "where to buy" section of Delorme's website.

 

[Comanche Scott]

That is awesome!

I paid $300 and was happy with that, for what it does. $180 I'd be doing an end zone dance in the driveway!
That's almost 1/2 the cost.

Good on you! :beer:

 

[fike]

I also can enthusiastically recommend the InReach SE. I have used it all over the US and in the UK. It just works, and the fees are more reasonable than any similar product.

 

[texascrane]

It looks like the rebate is good through Dec 31. I always end up with a bunch of amazon cards after Christmas so I expect I'll be ordering one on the 26th.

 

[OCD Overland]

Ordered one just the other night. We've been wanting one and $180 is a sweet price. We considered getting the Explorer but couldn't really see ourselves using the extra features. Does anyone have one and make use of the nav stuff?

 

[Comanche Scott]

Some tips I hope are helpful

I'll expect to see videos of your end zone dances... :elkgrin:

On my first trip out with it I learned some tips (9 days from Northern California, to Moab, UT, to the Mojave road in Southern CA).
Hope these are helpful to you guys.

1). When using the website, if you have multiple people texting, ask them to please start the text with their name or initials. Really helps when responding.
2). Tie in your smart phone with the App. So much easier.
3). Get a game plan in advance, and lay out the plan with the people you will share the website with.
4). When doing vehicle travel, the 2 minute mark package is really nice, if people are following along real time. 10 minutes is OK on really technical trails, or hiking.
5). Set up a photo account you can share. I was blown away how well Verizon was able to get pictures onto Flickr for those following along to see.
6). Be prepared that if you "spoil" your friends and family with this, they will want you to do it everywhere you go. :beer:
7). Don't speed, or you may face the "wrath" of those who care... lol

Hope we never need the SOS function. The rest of it is a blast to use. :bike_rider:

 

[robgendreau]

Back up to $270. I'll pass. Just sorta told myself $200 is the limit before the (considerable) subscription fees.

 

[pugslyyy]

I got in on the InReach Explorer for about $330 18 months ago, glad to see that the price is dropping and allowing more people to jump on board.

When we travel we use the unlimited texting option (just much less stressful for me than trying to manage my allotment), and while we originally started out using it just for backup purposes (i.e. when we didn't have a cell phone connection), we pretty quickly moved to using it as our primary text communicator. It just worked everywhere, send and receive, with no worries about whether a cell tower was in sight.

We couple the (extremely inexpensive) SAR insurance and (a bit more expensive but still a good deal) global MEDIVAC coverage with the InReach. As others have said, you hope that you never need to push that button... but very nice to have it there. If SAR have to put themselves at risk due to a poor decision on my part, I feel better knowing that I have coverage to cover at least the costs of those efforts - and I feel good having a 2 way device that can point them directly to where I am.

As I get to know it, I find myself using the InReach more and more for hiking navigation, especially if I can use it in conjunction with my iPad before I start out to load in a few waypoints. If not, I just load in the trailhead as we leave.

Is the InReach perfect? No. An external antenna would be sweet, as would the ability to support multiple devices via bluetooth - but overall it is a solid product that has made our lives a little easier and gives me a little confidence that I can call for help if I get in a bad situation.

As a side note, Delorme has a booth at every expo (East and West) manned by capable and informed folks. Their ongoing presence is a good sign (to me) that they value the overland community and are committed to understanding and serving our needs as best they can.

 

[kevin604]

I have used it for 3 years of Overlanding in Botswana. I did the device lock up on me once in that time. I needed to disconnect the battery internally and then all worked fine.

My only issue with the Inreach occurs when I'm trying to change the package I'm paying for. I tend to do unlimited when travelling, but retract to basic service when I'm home. I have found the process to Change the package / Sync the device with the laptop / sync the device with the Satellite and make sure everything worked a bit cumbersome. At $50/month, screwing up even once is a pocketbook hit.

As a result I'm starting to look into Sat phones, as I end up renting one in Botswana anyways. So the in reach was a backup and a breadcrumb trail only.

Anyone else have difficulties routinely changing the package type ? Is that not considered a typical use case?

 

[whitenoise]

Would it be unreasonable to assume I can use an InReach to substitute for an external GPS receiver like a Bad Elf Pro? If yes, which one would be more suitable, SE or Explorer?