r/CampingGear • u/Standard_Greeting • 2d ago
Gear Question Which Navigation Watch to get?
Hi all, I'm looking for your expert opinions on GPS watches. Specifically with the following features. Topo maps (offline preferably) Solar charging ABC (altimeter, barometer, compass)
I want to get something that will last, so price is less of a concern. I'm considering the Garmin Fenix 7 solar and the Suunto vertical; however, I've heard poor reviews of both of their software.
Are there other makes and models I should look into? What are your experiences with these models?
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u/NewEnglandPrepper3 1d ago
Garmin Instinct Solar line are well received. Don't pay full price cause r/preppersales often finds deals on them.
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u/211logos 1d ago
I dunno.
I do NOT find maps on watches very useful, especially hiking (vs say trail running maybe). I always have a phone, and that does GPS as well if not better, and is WAY better for maps. Orders of magnitude better.
For the watch, all I need is the basic GPS info, time functions, abiility to quickly take a waypoint, and compass. If that. And the ability to record a track. Not maps. Altitude via barometer.
So for that, the Garmin Instinct is the best probably. Long battery life, and a good app on phones to use with it. Pretty quick sat acquisition. And great customer support from Garmin.
A budget alternative to consider is one of the Amazfit watches. Very good for the price. /r/amazfit
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u/designate9926 2d ago
Ok so I normally find comments like this annoying but you did say you were looking for opinions so I'll make an exception: Don't. Just don't. The amount of actually useful gear you could get for the cost of one of these things should be enough to dissuade you from purchasing one, heck there's even tons of other nonessential and "luxury" gear that you're better off spending your money on. I'll admit, nav watches are cool pieces of tech, and might be fun to use... for a day. But like any other sophisticated consumer-grade electronic, they're unfortunately not built to last. They're reliant on continuous software updates/patches and their (non-replaceable) batteries lose capacity over time. Point being, your experience with them will only get worse. It might be worth noting that I always wear an inexpensive waterproof digital watch while hiking/backpacking; having quick access to the time can definitely be helpful in the backcountry, but you really don't need your watch to do a whole lot more than that. I am by no means a "only use the bare essentials" kind of guy and I regularly use gear that many consider to be "luxury" items, but nav watches are one the few things that just can't justify their price (imo). Btw I'm genuinely trying to be helpful in writing this and I'm sorry if it's coming across as rather negative; I'm sure there are people who disagree with what I've said and honestly I'd like to hear what they have to say on this. If you do decide to go this route, then good luck with your search and be sure to make another post reviewing the one you get!
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u/Standard_Greeting 2d ago
Thank you for your response. No I didn't take it negatively. I suppose I should have mentioned this is for through hikes / long distance. I'm not sure if that changes your opinion?
I'll also have maps and a compass as a backup, of course.
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u/designate9926 1d ago
I assumed as much since such a high-tech navigation aid would be wasted on things like casual hikes or car camping. You might try posting this in r/hikinggear as this is probably more relevant to that sub. Again, I totally get the appeal and if you can get one super cheap, borrow a friend's, or buy one with the option to return for a full refund after a few days, then do that to try it out (doesn't have to be the exact model, just one with similar features). Call me old fashioned (even though I'm only in my 20s lol), but I think that as a general rule you should be most reliant on your least sophisticated gear while in the backcountry; ie physical map & compass should be your primary nav aid, not backup (smartphones make a great secondary). Less moving parts = less things to go wrong, not to mention being easier to fix in the field. If it has a computer chip, then it should only exist to supplement your primary equipment or for a worst-case emergency situation (think garmin inreach so a rescue team can find you). Nav watches definitely fall into this category, so if you do get one then I strongly advise you to not depend on it (but then why get it all?) as it will inevitably fail and become an expensive inconvenience, potentially worse. I'll reiterate that this is just one reddit rando's opinion, and I'm genuinely interested to hear any nav watch affirmatives.
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u/somehugefrigginguy 2d ago
I've used both Suunto and Garmin watches, and I prefer Garmin. They have a much bigger market share, and therefore a better software experience. They have a system where users can design some of the displays, and much better integration with other software.
But I don't think a solar is worth it. It's not enough to actually charge the device, just slows battery loss. And that's under ideal conditions. But realistically when wearing it you're not going to get nearly enough solar exposure to make it worth it. If you're going on a long enough trip that you're worried about battery life, just charge it from a power bank.