Smart Watch Recommendations

[406LIFE]

Since I got out of the military I stopped wearing watches. Now that I see smart watches can do a lot more,I'm thinking of getting one.

Any recommendations and how you use them while in the mountains hunting and fishing?

 

[Wildabeest]

I have a Fitbit Ionic and mostly use it to track how high I can get my heart rate up without dying on steep ascents, and how badly I sleep in a tent. I’d probably be better off not knowing...

 

[come2elmo]

I am a mountain newb so take it for what that is worth but I really didn’t get much extra value from my Apple Watch in CO this fall. It’s value comes from the apps you have on your phone and if they have any features for the watch. I use onX and they really don’t use it much. I believe Gaia has some pin drop features. But again a bit limited. There are some garmin options that have an altimeter and better gps tools.
the heart rate feature is nifty but I don’t need a smart watch to tell me my butt was getting kicked. I am inclined to use a good ol fashion watch with real hands so I can use it as a compass of sorts if all my tech gadgets fail me.

 

[Rzrbck918]

I have an apple watch series 5 and love it. It's as useful as Garmins or other variants as it has apps with GPS and Altimeter which I use a lot. However, it's not the most beneficial for backcountry hunting because it has to be charged daily and although it can have cellular capability, its not nearly as powerful as a phone and its hard to get a call out in spotty service.

 

[TOGIE]

i have a slightly older Suunto Vector that i love, it's not smart though, and even for a younger guy i love that about it

simply a barometric altimeter, and of course a barometer (therefore you must calibrate it occasionally at known elevations - much easier with Onx now instead of trying to triangulate/intersecting yourself on a topo line with landscape features or whatnot) and a digital compass, oh yeah, and time

suunto also has gps watches, but i struggle to see the point if you have Onx? plus you probably already have (or should have) an inreach. i only think about getting a garmin watch or upgrading my suunto because i love to trail run, but for hunting i don't see the necessity.

Onx already has me spending too much time looking at a screen in the field and not through my binoculars

 

[MThuntr]

Never used one for hunting or fishing. The cheap Amazon brand one I have doesn't have the battery capacity to last more than maybe 36 hours when running the GPS. I think the Suunto 9 has a long battery life but reviews I've seen (generally associated with workout type needs) say get a Garmin. To be honest if you have your phone I don't see any reason to have a smartwatch

 

[EYJONAS!]

Garmin Fenix 5 plus

 

[Lige]

I've been happy with the Garmin Instinct. I use it for workouts (cardio and weights), hunting, general wear and it will work with an InReach. It also has other smartwatch functions such as tracking sleep patterns, stress levels, calories, steps, sync with your phone, etc. I pair mine with a Galaxy S8.

 

[Hilljackoutlaw]

I put a smart watch in the same category as a flat brim hat, but that's just me. To each their own gadgets.
I have only heard good about the Garmins thru my tech savvy fellow peers.

 

[TexAg09]

+1 for the Garmin Instinct. I've had mine for a year, and use it for running, hiking, cycling and some light navigation. I like getting the notifications, how it gives me the weather and sunrise/sunset & first/last light times. It's pretty accurate on the weather and sunlight times. I'm not sure where it pulls the info from. I wear it 24/7, and and I'm not easy on it. I can get 7-10 days out of a single battery charge depending on how often I'm using the GPS tracking. Also being able to control the music that is playing on my phone from my watch is a bonus for me. I can adjust the music while in the shower! Haha!

 

[angelman]

Why do you want to buy a smart watch?

 

[Bigjay73]

I'm resurrecting this thread to update the info, things change a ton in 3 years. I'm in the market for a smart watch specifically with heart monitoring, ECG etc., and GPS capabilities. I have a Samsung phone, I'm not sure how much that factors in, I really have no clue about smart watches

 

[Nameless Range]

I would stay away from Fitbits. They just don't last. For over a year now I have had a Garmin Instinct. Really like it. Robust, tough, and semi-smart (can receive texts and emails and such). I use it track metrics associated with my workouts and daily calorie burn. Unlike my fitbits, it actually underestimates my daily caloric burn rate, which is way better than something that overestimates it.

 

[rjthehunter]

I'm resurrecting this thread to update the info, things change a ton in 3 years. I'm in the market for a smart watch specifically with heart monitoring, ECG etc., and GPS capabilities. I have a Samsung phone, I'm not sure how much that factors in, I really have no clue about smart watches

I went through this recently.

I went with a Garmin Fenix 6 Pro Solar.

It's a smart watch, but also works as a stand alone gps. Has everything you could want plus more. I didn't want a touch screen watch, so the Fenix 6 works perfectly for me. If you want touch screen, go to the Garmin Fenix 7.

It has GPS, altimeter, compass, heart rate monitor, it tracks sleep, it shows me the weather, sunrise, sunset, wind direction and speed, moon phase, and all sorts of other cool things. Even has built in solar charging that charges while you're outside.

The battery lasts me a week easily. I use it A LOT. All my notifications run through my watch for my Samsung phone.

If you golf, it has a built in golf tool that shows you the course and distances and such. I've had this watch for a few months and am still learning new things about it all the time.

Check this out. It's a test to see which Garmin watch would be best for you!

Which Watch is Right for You | Garmin

Answer a few questions and Garmin will serve up a smartwatch that best fits your needs.

www.garmin.com

 

[DoubleAron]

Depends on how much you want to spend and what you want it to do. I have used the Fenix series for years and really like my series 7. The battery last forever, connects to inreach, compass, altimeter, tough etc. several times it has warned me a storm was coming and it was correct. I have also had Apple Watches since version 2 and currently have the ultra. I don’t think they are much good if you are going to be camping etc because of the charging needed. The ultra is much better but nothing like a Fenix 7 solar. Garmin makes some less expensive watches and I would take one of them before an Apple Watch. I’m not sure of the difference between them and the Fenix though.

 

[Khunter]

They still manufacture watches? Who knew.

 

[GrantK]

I'm rolling a Coros Apex 2, less gimmicky features than an Apple watch or Garmin but way longer battery life, I charge it maybe once every two or three weeks and that is tracking runs with the GPS pretty close to daily... I use the watch for running a GPS track instead of my phone, it's as accurate and lets me have one less app running on my phone, good heart rate monitor, pulse oximeter, I don't link calls and text to the watch because I want to be a little less attached to my tech, but if you want to you can.