Garmin inReach Explorer Plus | Out of the Box Review

Here’s my Garmin inReach Explorer Plus | Out of the Box Review. The Garmin inReach Explorer Plus arrived this week so let’s look at this together as I unbox possibly the number one satellite messenger in the world.

Garmin GPSMAP 67i

Garmin Montana 700i

Out of the Box Review

The Garmin inReach Explorer Plus came well protected and was in a professional looking package as expected.

Garmin inReach Explorer Plus

There wasn’t a lot included with the Explorer Plus and even the instructions are mostly online with very little with the package.

Garmin inReach Explorer Plus

The contents included the Garmin inReach Explorer+, a charging cable and the carabiner that you can use to attach to your backpack.

Garmin GPSMAP 67i

Garmin inReach Explorer Plus

I’m glad they include the carabiner, however, there is a better way to attach the inReach Explorer to your pack, which I will show you shortly.

Garmin inReach Explorer Plus

The Garmin inReach Explorer is a great looking device and seems to be made out of rugged material. It did come with a screen protector on it.

The best way that I have found to carry the Garmin Explorer on your pack is to use a backpack tether.

Garmin inReach Explorer+ and Backpack Tether

It attaches securely to your pack with two Velcro straps. I slide one of the straps through a loop on my shoulder strap that keeps it from sliding up or down while I am hiking. The backpack tether is sold separately but is pretty inexpensive, especially compared to the price of the Garmin inReach Explorer+.

You can find the backpack tether below on Amazon.

Sale
Garmin Backpack Tether Accessory for Garmin Devices, Black
  • Compatible with multiple Oregon, Alpha, inReach, GPSMAP, and eTrex devices.
  • Durable nylon harness wrap
  • 2-Inch - 14-Inch adjustable strap

This product was presentation was made with AAWP plugin.

Backpack Tether

You can see the backpack tether from the back of the Garmin Explorer+ here with the two Velcro straps. I have been using the same backpack tether with my Garmin inReach Mini and it’s nice as you can remove it from your pack to check things out on the trail but you have the confidence you’re not going to lose your expensive satellite messenger over a steep cliff.

Most of the time I never even remove the Garmin from the tether as I have my iPhone synced and use it to check my topo map and send messages.Garmin inReach Explorer SOS Button

You can see the SOS cover in the image above. You cannot accidentally activate the SOS function. You have to pull the cover back and then depress the SOS button for 3 seconds.

Garmin Explorer Plus

This last image shows the left side of the Explorer+ but there are not buttons on this side.

Check out this short YouTube video of the actual unpacking.

The online process to set up the Garmin inReach Explorer Plus is extremely easy to follow. Once you turn on the Garmin, you will see on-screen instructions, that will eventually direct you to the Garmin website where you will finish the setup process.

I will follow up on this article with the Garmin setup process to show you how simple this next step is.

I would love to hear from you if you own the Garmin inReach Explorer+ or any other satellite messenger or personal locator beacon. Leave a Comment Below or send me an Email.

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4 thoughts on “Garmin inReach Explorer Plus | Out of the Box Review”

  1. Many thanks to you for giving us such a wonderful article about Garmin inReach Explorer Plus. To be honest I have no idea about Garmin inReach Explorer Plus. I know only Garmin inReach Explorer Plus is a satellite that acts as a messenger. When I read your article, I fully understood it. I’ll buy it for my brother. Because my brother loves to do hiking so I think it will be a useful thing for him. Your article is really unique and informative. If you don’t mind I want to share this article on my social media and I think if I share your article on my social media everyone will know about it. Thanks

    Reply
    • You are more then welcome to share the article. I will be adding many more reviews about the Garmin inReach Explorer+ and other satellite messengers as I test them on the trails in the Rocky Mountains.

      Rick

      Reply
    • I appreciate that and I also apologize for not posting in some time. I purchased a home recently here in Colorado and it has been nothing but projects for me, but at least I can see the mountains from my deck after a hard day. I will be starting back on my reviews and comparisons soon.
      Rick

      Reply

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