Garmin’s inReach Mini 3 Plus is a satellite safety net for wilderness adventurers

Once you lose cellular coverage, getting lost or injured while off the beaten path is no joke – and while newer smartphones have started adding satellite SOS support, two-way communication is still your best bet at making it back to civilisation in one piece. That makes Garmin’s new InReach Mini 3 and InReach Mini 3 Plus an essential part of any adventurer’s kit bag.

These rugged handheld communicators have global satellite coverage, keeping you in contact with base camp – or your fellow wilderness explorers – when your smartphone can’t. Both models add larger, full-colour touchscreens for the first time, while still being tough enough to survive extreme temperatures, unexpected dunkings and accidental drops.

The Mini 3 Plus adds a built-in speaker and microphone to the mix, for sending 30-second voice messages without any cell tower coverage. Incoming replies then get transcribed onto the display automatically. It can also send and receive photos, which is an InReach first.

As well as two-way texting and Garmin’s familiar LifeTrack location sharing, the InReach Mini 3 duo can send interactive SOS messages to the firm’s 24/7 international Response helpline (with an active satellite subscription, that is). You can either tap out messages on the device itself, or pair to your smartphone if it still has battery. The InReach last for weeks, not days, between top-ups.

Both models should still have all the adventure-ready features found in the outgoing InReach Mini 2, including trackback routing for getting back to your starting point should you get lost, a digital compass, and detailed InReach weather forecasts. The satellite maps also promise to be topographically accurate, helping with route planning – or safe descents when the conditions change for the worse.

The InReach Mini 3 is on sale for £390, and the InReach Mini 3 Plus for £440. There was no confirmed US pricing at the time of writing.

• Related: Garmin eTrex Touch portable GPS navigator makes it almost impossible to get lost

Tom Morgan-Freelander Deputy Editor

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A tech addict from about the age of three (seriously, he's got the VHS tapes to prove it), Tom's been writing about gadgets, games and everything in between for the past decade, with a slight diversion into the world of automotive in between. As Deputy Editor, Tom keeps the website ticking along, jam-packed with the hottest gadget news and reviews.  When he's not on the road attending launch events, you can usually find him scouring the web for the latest news, to feed Stuff readers' insatiable appetite for tech.

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