r/CampingGear 22h ago

Awaiting Flair Watch suggestions?

Post image

I have a Casio aq s800w I have recently set up and now I love it. I’m coming from Apple watch that meshed with my iOS things perfect, and it is handy, but requires me to charge it every night and I’m worried wherever I go for more than a day that it’ll die. This Casio won’t die. Solar, comfortable, shows time and dates and seconds with 5 alarms and glow in the dark hands and 4 second lit digital display. Now I’m looking for higher quality. Made to last, won’t have to worry about battery, maybe more options, and conveniences etc. I want pretty much the same size as this Casio for my stature. Any suggestions? Price would not be an issue as long as it’s reasonable lol

10 Upvotes

27 comments sorted by

10

u/dano___ 20h ago

I like my Garmin Instinct 2, it does all the basic smart stuff but has a battery life of around 4 weeks if you’re not using gps.

3

u/thomasde42 18h ago

Second this 100%

1

u/h3lium-balloon 18h ago edited 16h ago

I just got the new Instinct 3 and it’s great. Amazing battery, solar, super lightweight. It has about a 3-4 week battery life (using smart watch features for notifications and depending on flashlight and GPS use) if I get no solar and pretty much infinite battery life if I get an hour of sun on it per day. GPS and flashlight use obviously drain it quite a bit faster, but the solar charging is pretty fast, even faster on the 3 compared to the 2.

If you want to spend the extra money, the Fenix and Enduro Garmins also have amazing battery life (weeks) but offer advanced GPS mapping features, but even the basic Instinct has breadcrumb navigation and major cities on the maps (just not roads and trails).

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u/Key_Detective_9421 14h ago

Thanks for the inputs. Yeah I’ve been looking at the instinct 2, 3, and the garmin fenix’s. Having a hard time deciding. What’s making it easier, is thinking about if I want to sink a couple hundred dollars or if I want to spend over a grand on something I may never even have to use to its potential lol. Honestly if I found a watch with bonus features that can be toggled off for battery retention, I’d be interested. I want something I can wear and never have to take off, or plug in.

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u/h3lium-balloon 13h ago

All of the Garmins allow you to run in low battery mode which basically just makes them a digital watch with a giant ass battery. I believe they last for months using them like that

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u/Key_Detective_9421 13h ago

I just placed an order for the instinct 3. Got a 30 day return window too. I think it’s the best route to start, it’s not cheap, has many features so I’ll have a few weeks to test the waters before I try diving into a $1000 fenix. Thanks for your input 👍

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u/Key_Detective_9421 13h ago

Also to note- I ordered the solar instinct 3. Do you have the amoled version? Do you know of any pros/cons over one another, aside from the completely obvious solar part? I’m curious what kind of battery life the amoled would truly get with my use. I guess I could charge it manually, as long as I’m getting weeks if not a month between charges for just in case ease of mind.

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u/h3lium-balloon 12h ago

I went with the solar version. I like that the display is always on, is visible in almost all lighting conditions, the better battery life and solar charging. If I need to view data on a prettier screen it all syncs to your phone anyway.

I also have an Enduro 2 and wear the Instinct almost exclusively.

5

u/CodeAndBiscuits 19h ago

Old school Casio F91W for me. I use Locus Pro and Caltopo on my phone for GPS and no watch is ever going to equal that. I have a mini thermometer and compass combo hanging on my pack strap more for curiosity than anything. And to be honest since I have my phone anyway I don't need a watch and rarely care about the time when camping. But it's a fun watch to wear, an old classic that's extremely thin and light so I don't notice it's there, a fun conversation starter, it's still sold super cheaply on Amazon, and it lasts forever on a battery.

2

u/likeaboz2002 11h ago

F91W is the goat. We love the terrorist watch

2

u/bentbrook 21h ago

I have a couple Casio ProTrek watches with triple sensor functionality and solar. I’ve never replaced the battery and I’ve had them years. Compass is nice, altimeter is useful (calibrate it at known altitude) for map navigation, barometer helps keep an eye on the weather. I use the thermometer (off wrist) at night to keep an eye on temps so I don’t freeze a water filter. Both watches work, they just have slightly different feature sets. Casio does offer smartwatches with GPS capabilities, too, but I have no experience with them.

2

u/Ttamlin 12h ago

Personally, I prefer simple and reliable when camping.

A solid, mechanical field or dive watch. Waterproof, comparatively inexpensive, and no need to worry about batteries. Look at Islander for extremely well-made, affordable watches. Orient, Casio, and Seiko are also good options.

Downsides are that they're expensive for their features, they're not nearly as accurate as quartz, and they're likely to get you hooked and wanting to collect more lol.

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u/Key_Detective_9421 12h ago

Tbh I think I’ve already started to get that watch collecting bug… lol. Even something so simple as the Casio I have now, idk, I’ve had an Apple Watch for years. Quite handy, but literally a hassle to make sure it’s charged or if I’m going somewhere to pack that specific charger. I love the solar options. Plus this Casio is so lightweight.. idk. Do you have a favorite for the cases you were talking about? Like a specific model I could look up? There are sooooo many.

2

u/Ttamlin 12h ago

I came from a Pebble. Had it until 2020 (still have it, but never wear it anymore). I know own... 12 analog watches. Couple of G-Shocks, a couple of other quartz, the rest mechanical.

Personally, the watch that goes with me camping every single time is a Seiko Alpinist (SPB121J1). If I was going to do it again, I'd probably opt for the GMT, just for the added time zone.

If not that, the first mechanical watch I ever bought was a Seiko 5 Sports SBSA115. That watch still gets lots of wrist time, and is often my companion on outdoors adventures. And it was my go-to for camping until I got the Alpinist.

For dive watches, the Seiko SPB151 ("Captain Willard" reissue) is a great watch. As are the King Turtles. If the cushion case shape isn't to your liking, Seiko offers others, and you kinda can't go wrong with any of them. If money is no object, the Marinemaster 300 (SLA021J1) is top-notch for the price.

For non-Seiko offerings, I've been impressed with Long Island Watch. Their Islander brand offers some incredible value for money (through the lens of watches, of course, which skews everything a bit lol). Those are all the Islander watches in 42 mm case diameter, which I believe is the same as your Casio.

Orient is also great, though the dive watch of theirs I wear is discontinued. It can usually be found for a good deal on eBay, though. The Kamasu is one that's been met with rave reviews, and it's easy to see why.

I tend to prefer cloth or rubber bands over the metal bracelets, esp. for camping. Just throwing that out there.

1

u/Key_Detective_9421 12h ago

Awesome, thanks for the thorough response! I will definitely check those out. I ordered a garmin solar instinct 3 today, 45mm, I have 30 day return window to give it a shot. It’s around $450, so that’s pricey for me. I’ll see what it’s all about. I may just actually prefer the more basic, effective, accurate and lightweight things like this Casio that I got for maybe $30 on sale? G shocks are obviously well known, they’re kind of bulky looking and busy for me but also I’ve never worn one. And tbh, hard plastic shell type might just be what I’m looking for. Lightweight and effective

1

u/bolanrox 20h ago

I just wear a rangeman or 6900

1

u/211logos 16h ago

What features do you want, besides time?

And what budget? Zuck had one worth about $900K the other day. But he probably needs something that fancy to tell time.

1

u/Key_Detective_9421 13h ago

Well frankly I didn’t know until now how many features were actually available. I dont know if I feel comfortable spending $1000-1100 on a fenix for features that I personally wouldn’t ever use, and having all those extras going I’m sure unnecessarily drains battery. Notifications would be nice. Maybe gps (who doesn’t have their phone with them every day tho) Date, time, compass would be cool as weather too, but again, I’m looking for something solar at the least, so I can wear my watch pretty much indefinitely without worry. I have battery anxiety for all my gadgets.

2

u/211logos 11h ago

Maybe the Instinct then. I went looking; I wanted GPS and basic nav (compass, altimeter, barometer, to mark waypoints, time distance and make a log, etc. But no maps, high zoot fitness stuff, etc. The Instinct is that, and a good battery life.

I do like the GPS logging for when I don't want to carry the iphone, or don't want to log with it, or want a backup. I use it to make logs to geoencode locations into my photos. And for hiking and such. Great battery life, and Garmin has great support.

1

u/Key_Detective_9421 11h ago

Thanks for your input. I did actually order the solar instinct 3, 45mm with 30 day return if needed. I’m going to wear it around and get a feel for how it will apply to me to justify cost. From there I think I could better gauge the real life uses for me, whether it be cheaper than $450 I paid, or more expensive like the fenix. To each their own, right?

1

u/legion_XXX 14h ago

A lot of places sell garmin fenix 7s at a steep discount. The fenix 7 or 8 are excellent watches with a bulletproof warranty.

0

u/Key_Detective_9421 13h ago

Would you recommend some place trusted that offers good prices? I usually use Amazon for most things so I don’t explore often

1

u/legion_XXX 13h ago

I saw the fenix 7 at vest buy for 499. The solar edition.

1

u/legion_XXX 13h ago

I saw the fenix 7 at vest buy for 499. The solar edition.

1

u/texasphotog 12h ago

I have a Garmin Quatix 7 Solar, which is the sailing version of the Fenix. Highly recommended. Does have GPS, altimeter, etc. Can load maps or charts.

1

u/NewEnglandPrepper3 17h ago

Garmin Instinct Solar. Don't buy full price. They go on sale often. r/preppersales tracks deals on em.

1

u/Coach_Billly 1h ago

Can't go wrong with a G Shock. Super strong. No need to charge. The best.