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fenrirrr
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Very curious to hear from someone's actual experience here! The improved battery life seems like a major draw–but with smartphones now capable of satellite SOS the upgrade is a tough sell for me (I don't use tracking)....
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HighnDry
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I'll be interested in the answer to your question as well. The folks that I've traveled with use GAIA maps on their Iphones to pair with the mini. It's not an option that I'm interested in because I know I'll drop my phone in the lake one of these days! Gaia GPS maps
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AlexanderSupertramp
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I never had the original Mini but I just bought the Mini 2 last month over the original for the same reasons you are concerned about, I didn't want software to be phased out and have the device be useless in terms of connectivity. I also got it because of the improved battery life, which is just as good as they say. I used it on the first trip of the year last week and with 4 days at 1 hr tracking intervals I left with 75% battery still. In that time I also sent about 6 messages over the course of the trip and retrieved at least 6 weather updates through the Garmin Explore App. The Garmin Explore app is really great as an "all-in-one" user interface. Very user friendly and super quick connection to the device when it is powered on.
I use the Gaia premium app on my phone for navigation rather than the GPS provided in the Garmin Explore app, mostly because I dont think there is a way to have GPX overlays in Explore, just routes and waypoints. And the Explore GPS mapping for the BWCA is not very detailed. You could use it for really basic navigation but I dont think anything compares to Gaia right now when used on a phone, since the resolutions is so far beyond any handheld GPS out there right now.
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jillpine
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Has anyone found it worthwhile to upgrade from the original to the newer Mini 2?
I noted Garmin was now labeling the Earthmate app as "legacy software", and the original mini won't work with Garmin Explore app.
legacy software... now that is some wordsmithing.
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HighnDry
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There's a recent gear reniew that you've probably seen:
Mini2 Review
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jillpine
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Thanks! I did see that review and feel like I understand the differences between the original and the 2.
Since I use the Earthmate app with the original, I am concerned about it being phased out. Wondered what other users of the garmin inreach mini original were thinking …
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