GPS watch recommendation?

[CMP70306]

Thanks for the responses! I did see that fenix 6 solar is on sale for $399....big difference between the instinct and the fenix 6? I'm not penny pinching and seems the $399 is a damn good deal but like most I can get easily carried away buying hunting gear lol.

The Fenix 6 is a $1,000 watch marked down because they came out with the Fenix 7. It has many more features, better screen and better battery life. If you can swing it definitely pick up the Fenix over the Instinct.

I’ve had mine for going on two years and it has been great with great battery life and activity tracking as well as all the health data. If you think about it this way it is far more than a hunting piece as you will be wearing it 24/7. I even used mine to track our driving trip through Yellowstone as well as any hikes that we stopped and did.

 

[Tahoe1305]

Like my fenix (think it’s a 5). Battery lasts weeks. Not days.

Talks to inreach via watch. Has similar functionality to Apple Watch (alerts, texts, calls, etc) without the apps.

 

[Blackdog317]

Have an Instinct Solar. I really like it. Great functions for fitness and hunting. My only complaint is the size of the display. My old eyes have a hard time seeing the notifications.

Just got the Fenix 6X on sale at Cabela's. It's a significant upgrade in my opinion. Definitely worth $400.

 

[ShortMountain91]

Not familiar with the Garmin watches. What do they offer over the Samsung or Apple Smart watches besides battery life? I've got a Samsung watch (think it's a 4?) and it does more than I know how to work. Battery does suck though and I charge daily so may go to Garmin if it can do the same things as Samsung

 

[Tahoe1305]

Not familiar with the Garmin watches. What do they offer over the Samsung or Apple Smart watches besides battery life? I've got a Samsung watch (think it's a 4?) and it does more than I know how to work. Battery does suck though and I charge daily so may go to Garmin if it can do the same things as Samsung

Battery. Awesome stand alone gps capabilities. Integration with other garmin products.

Triple underline battery though. Hated charging my apple every day or two (not sure about Samsung). I get close to 3 weeks with my fenix in watch mode.

 

[displacedtexan]

Battery. Awesome stand alone gps capabilities. Integration with other garmin products.

Triple underline battery though. Hated charging my apple every day or two (not sure about Samsung). I get close to 3 weeks with my fenix in watch mode.

Pretty much.

 

[OregonSteeler]

A bit of a derail but for you Instinct users, how long does it take to for your watch to connect to satellites when starting a run, bike, hike, etc...? Sometimes my watch will connect in 20 seconds sometimes it takes several minutes, which is very frustrating. I hate waiting outside, on a sunny cloudless day for 5+ minutes for my Instinct to connect to satellites so I can head off on my runs.

Note: I've had this garmin instinct for several years now. I believe it's the original version. Curious if newer instincts or Fenix is faster and more reliable in its satellite connectivity?

To the OP, Garmin watches I feel are hands down the best you can get. Won't go a day without wearing it and bombproof.

 

[Blackdog317]

A bit of a derail but for you Instinct users, how long does it take to for your watch to connect to satellites when starting a run, bike, hike, etc...? Sometimes my watch will connect in 20 seconds sometimes it takes several minutes, which is very frustrating. I hate waiting outside, on a sunny cloudless day for 5+ minutes for my Instinct to connect to satellites so I can head off on my runs.

Note: I've had this garmin instinct for several years now. I believe it's the original version. Curious if newer instincts or Fenix is faster and more reliable in its satellite connectivity?

Mine usually connect to satellites within a few seconds. Never more than 1 minute, that I can recall.

 

[Rusty Shackelford]

A bit of a derail but for you Instinct users, how long does it take to for your watch to connect to satellites when starting a run, bike, hike, etc...? Sometimes my watch will connect in 20 seconds sometimes it takes several minutes, which is very frustrating. I hate waiting outside, on a sunny cloudless day for 5+ minutes for my Instinct to connect to satellites so I can head off on my runs.

Note: I've had this garmin instinct for several years now. I believe it's the original version. Curious if newer instincts or Fenix is faster and more reliable in its satellite connectivity?

To the OP, Garmin watches I feel are hands down the best you can get. Won't go a day without wearing it and bombproof.

I had the same experience with my original instinct. I have the instinct 2 Solar now and it usually connects within 5 seconds. I will say my battery life was better on the original. I’m not sold on the solar feature though they supposedly upgraded the solar charging surface area on the newest version.

 

[snakesrobinson]

Great insight (s).....i'm not very tech savvy, I'm sure after watching some youtube videos I'll be fine. Battery life is everything.

 

[doc holiday13]

Garmin and Suunto are fairly neck and neck, but I haven't bothered to sit down with both and see which is better for my needs.

I don't have a GPS watch, but I've been able to get by fairly good with my Suunto Core, which is just an ABC watch.

 

[mlevimadden]

I've worn a garmin Fenix 3 sapphire every day for the last 7.5 years. It's still going strong, but when it does die I will be getting another garmin.

 

[Stalker69]

Wow, I have a Garmin instinct and the battery life sucks. I get three days max, less if I use GPS at all. Durability has been great.

 

[MuleyFever]

Wow, I have a Garmin instinct and the battery life sucks. I get three days max, less if I use GPS at all. Durability has been great.

If you get 3 days in plain watch mode you are doing something wrong or the battery is defective. I go 2 weeks without charging mine and its an original model I have had for years now.

 

[Blackdog317]

Same here. I get about 2 weeks on my instinct. But it is the solar model, so that probably helps some.

 

[Stalker69]

No don't believe it's any thing I am doing. Defective battery, possibly, never looked into it as I figured it was normal. Watch is four years old. Any one know if the battery is replaceable ?
Edit: just checked battery is non replaceable. Suggested a soft reset, will see. Battery lost one bar,( just took it off charger before tying this) just doing that reset. Edit : Down three bars as of 7:57 this evening. ( half way dead, in less then 12 hours)

 

[Whaledriver]

Cabelas has an additional 10% off today...

 

[BoilerBowHunter]

I had the same experience with my original instinct. I have the instinct 2 Solar now and it usually connects within 5 seconds. I will say my battery life was better on the original. I’m not sold on the solar feature though they supposedly upgraded the solar charging surface area on the newest version.

I had an Instinct 1 for awhile and noticed the same thing. I now have the Instinct2, and it seems to connect noticeably faster. I’m assuming it just has upgraded tech that allows for this. I know I called Garmin about some calorie calculations, and they described how the 2 has more/improved sensors for that sort of thing. So it would make sense that it goes for the other functionalities as well though I don’t know it as fact.

 

[revcwood]

Any recommendations on a watch/gps? My bro n law likes his Garmin instinct. I am looking for something with a first and foremost reliable gps, good battery life, under $500. The more health features the better. Thank you in advance!

I love my instinct (I have had the original one since they came out). Only change I would make would be to get the solar version.

 

[ShortMountain91]

Anyone tried the Descent G1? Looks like an instinct with dive capabilities