Garmin Epix.........

[SHTF]

Anyone gotten there hands on the new Garmin Epix yet? Looks pretty slick for a backcountry GPS. https://buy.garmin.com/en-US/US/on-the-trail/wrist-worn/epix-/prod146065.html Would love to hear thoughts on it. I am going to test it out. Since Im one of those guys who cant find their way out of a wet paper bag. =).

 

[Live Montana]

I just got my new Epix today and I also got a Garmin Rino 650, I have the Garmin 600 Rino, I love it, but I wanted one with SD cards so I could just swap out chips for multiple states and not have to plug in to upload areas all the time... I like the idea of the Epix as my watch compass and a really good backup GPS.. I got the one with 100K Topo preloaded... I'm actually charging as I type this thread. I can't wait to see how the Birdseye Satellite Imagery works on that small screen.

I will let you know.. I was planning on writing a review if people are interested in it.

 

[daddie63]

I'd be interested in a review. Thank you

 

[Marshmstr]

Me too.

 

[Live Montana]

Ok, so I'm wearing the Epix today. So far I like the watch very much, I think I'm going to keep. I have not put it to the test yet, but I did get a couple things done. I will add more to this thread as I evaluate it further.

1. It is not to bulky, of course it's bigger than an average watch, but right in line with many of the other high end Garmin units. You get used to it pretty fast.
2. The band seems pretty rugged and wide. I did like that very much.
3. The operation buttons are actually laid out good and very easy to figure out and navigate even thought this unit has a ton of options.
4. It has a nice color touch screen, which is very nice, my fat fingers seem to do OK, but the buttons seem to do everything the touch does so you have two options. That made me happy if I'm wearing gloves. That was thought out pretty well.
5. It is very quick and easy to save/mark your current location on the move, dropping a pack etc... That could come in handy in a pinch situation. Basically hold down one button for a couple seconds and done.
6. The screen is very clear and does work in sunlight as advertised very well.
7. I got the unit that came pre-installed 100K topo maps. Not sure that is worth the money, not much ore, they are nice, but you can easily install the 24K Topo yourself with Basecamp. I will probably do that anyway. The nice thing is you can turn off any overlays you want.
8. It does come with 1-year subscription to Birdseye Aerial Photo service. I downloaded several hunting units to the device very easily. You have to split up big units into two files but go on easy. The unit has I think 8 gigs of memory so will hold a lot of units at once. You can actually see the aerial views pretty darn well for a watch screen. Not saying it will be awesome or it will compare to a large screen GPS or phone, but we are talking about a watch here. That process was very easy to do with Basecamp. You can turn the Topo/Aerial/Street layers on and off pretty easily.
9. One thing I really like is the unit turns off the GPS unless you call for it or use it. That saves big time on the battery. That was one thing I was worried about. It locks onto Satellite signal super fast. I'm still playing around with and trying to figure out the Gloness settings. So far the battery seems to be doing good, but only 24 hours in at this point. 95%+
10. I also like when you put it on a screen it says on that screen until you leave it. Great when trying to navigate.
11. I have not done any navigation yet, but will add to this post as I get more evaluation done.
12. I love the compass. it shows the direction and the exact single degree the watch is pointing. That is great when you are wanting to double check without getting a big gps or compass out. I will be testing to see if is is as reliable as I want.
13. It does have all the training/health options to I have not gotten to those yet.

Overall, so far at least I do like the watch. It is a little pricey, but it gives you that backup/second GPS without having to carry a heavy one. I love that idea. I'm pretty good with map and compass, but I have gotten so darn dependent on my GPS when I'm hunting. I would like to have a backup on deep hunts and especially solo hunts, but have never wanted to carry one. Geez, now I will carry my phone, GPS and now the Epic watch. That sounds bad just typing it.

Let me know if you have anything specific you want to ask. I will do my best.

I have gotten to the point I really use the GPS tops and aerial photo layers a lot. They really help me to be a better hunter and hunt more efficiently At least in my mind.

I also just got a Garmin Rino 650... I have the Rino 600 to but I wanted the one so I can swap OnX cards. I'm kind of a GPS freak I guess.

 

[CrzyTrekker]

James,

I've eyed those watches but they are pricy. I'm decent with map and compass navigation and will probably stick with the Foretrex 401, which is only slightly heavier on the wrist, mainly as a backup when I'm stalking beasties and not paying attention. If a guy was going to use one of these Epix watches a lot, my first question would be regarding battery life . . . . .

 

[Brendan]

I bought one last summer, used it for all my training, wore it through 12 days of Elk hunting in MT. With the same choice all over again, I'd still buy it again.

As a training watch, I love it. I have cadence and speed sensors for my bike. Foot pod for my running shoes. Heart Rate Monitor. Connects via Bluetooth to my phone so downloads easily without plugging it in. I've used it religiously for all my cardio training and love the fact that it logs everything, uploads to Garmin Connect, etc. etc. But, all of this isn't unique to the Epix, there are plenty of watches that do this for cheaper. It does have a nice large screen to it, so you can easily configure and display 4 different data fields to show at once which is nice depending on what you're doing.

As a backcountry GPS - I don't like Navigating with it. When you're used to a full screen GPS (I have a Montana 650) it's just painful, but that's going to be the case for any wrist based unit. I found myself combining it with my phone and Gaia and leaving the 650 at home. Whenever I needed to take a bearing on something or look at Topo / Satellite maps, I pulled out my phone and fired up Gaia. What I did end up using it for was a backup GPS in case the phone died, and to record tracks so I did't kill the battery in the phone. Note that I didn't really use paper maps. I relied on my GPS units. If you prefer paper maps and use your GPS differently, this part may be great for you.

Battery life worked great for me. But, it depends on how long you leave the GPS mode on. When used as a training watch, it can last me almost a week of workouts with intermittent GPS usage. I really don't charge mine all that often. If you leave GPS tracking on, even in its most efficient mode, it's going to go through Battery a lot quicker. I'm forgetting exact battery percentages after using it a better part of a day, but I don't think you could do two full sun up to sun down days on one charge if you left the GPS on the whole time. I brought a battery pack and the USB cable if I thought I was going to be out in the woods more than a couple days.

For me - it's great as a full spectrum training watch, and a backup GPS.

Any more questions, let me know.