Garmin inReach® Mini 2, Satellite Communicator, Orange

Why it's worth it

The inReach Mini 2 is a palm-sized satellite communicator that sends real two-way texts and an interactive SOS from anywhere with sky above it. It weighs about three and a half ounces, so there's no excuse to leave it behind.

If you only buy one piece of outdoor tech, buy this one. Everything else here makes a trip nicer. This one changes what happens when a trip goes wrong. It runs on the Iridium network, which covers the whole planet — oceans, deserts, high latitudes, the places where your phone is a paperweight. Press SOS and you're not sending a flare into the void. You're opening a conversation with a coordination center that can talk back.

Two-way messaging is the feature that separates this from cheaper beacons, and it matters more than it sounds. You can tell someone you're fine but slow. You can describe an injury instead of triggering a full helicopter response for a sprained ankle. Owners who've been through real emergencies with one consistently point to that back-and-forth as the thing that made the difference — being able to say what's actually happening.

From our review of 9 outdoor tech gear, by Adrian Locke, Senior Tech Analyst

What we like

• +If you only buy one piece of outdoor tech, buy this one
• +Two-way messaging is the feature that separates this from cheaper beacons, and it matters more than it sounds
• +It's small enough to clip to a shoulder strap and forget
• +The Garmin ecosystem is a real advantage if you already own Garmin gear

What to know

• –The subscription is the catch, and it never goes away
• –Messaging is slow by any modern standard
• –Some owners find it expensive for what it does, and they have a point — you're paying premium money for slow messages and a…