How to stay in touch?

One of the things that have been set from the get go was that I will purchase and carry a GPS tracker with me, while I am on my hikes.

Looking into it it became clear quite quickly that it would be the Garmin in-reach mini 2. Yes, I have been influenced by the YouTube hiker community but I have also done my own research.

One of the most important reasons was that it is small, light and has tons of functions that will come in handy.

The in-reach is not only a GPS tracker that shows you where you are and tracks your route. This can also be shared with people via a link and they can follow you more or less real time, It also is a satellite communicator, you can get the weather forecast for your position and it has an SOS button that might be life saving if in distress in the wilderness.

In order to use these services you obviously have to have the piece itself and you need to get a subscription plan from Garmin that comes in different price ranges.

Mine costs 34,99 Euro each month and gives me 150 messages and 10 min intervals in tracking. A weather forecast is one message. There is also fee for connecting the first time which is 49,99 Euro. But you are not bound to a yearly plan and can cancel the subscription if you don’t need it anymore.

I am a bit angry with myself, because I missed to sign up for Garmin’s SAR (search and rescue) insurance, as being flown out by helicopter might be very expensive. Now they no longer offer it with the subscription I have, but I have an “accident” insurance that pays in such cases. Very likely I will never need it, as I try to be a responsible hiker and not taking any unnecessary risks. However, you never know what might happen.

I have been using it for the first time here on on the Kungsleden, being cut off from reception, and so far I really like it. I connected it via Bluetooth to my iPhone and even without being able to use the internet, I can send messages via the explorer app and see my route as well as the weather forecast. I able to see that on the Garmin as well, but it reminds me of my very first mobile phone in the late nineties on which you had to press a button multiple times before you would get the letter you needed and God forbid if you were too fast.

It also gives the people who I love the chance to know where I am and they do not need to worry. At least not more than they already do….

If you are a hiker, what are your technical gadgets you cannot do without? Leave a comment if you like. I am always curious to learn something new.