Watch Choice for Backcountry Hunting?

[Bassman]

Hi all, longtime lurker but first time posting...

Curious as to what kind of watches folks here are running for backcountry hunts? My personal preference has always been traditional watches but they have taken a beating while in the field. I feel with the technology, they could be pretty versatile with GPS, altimeters, etc. I've heard Garmin makes nice, tech enabled watches. For those that sport watches, what are you running and those we do not, any particular reason?

 

[blicero]

I love my Suunto Core. It's not super technical, but does have a compass and altimeter in it and works great.

For GPS, my phone + Gaia GPS does a great job and I have an inReach just in case of emergency which I almost never actually use as a GPS.

 

[mproberts]

+1 on the Suunto Core, had one for like 10 years now and changed the battery I think once. For GPS I just use my phone with ONx Maps app with downloaded maps of the area I'm going into, super easy and always pulled up my location fast and accurately without phone service.

 

[mvmnts]

Garmin Fenix 5 for me. Suunto is a garbage company that has garbage support and garbage software, but I will admit their Ambit 3 is a nice piece of hardware and works great on its own.

I had a core, it was... fine. All you really need for navigation is a good barometric altimeter, and it has that and then some. But you have to be a bit of a power user to understand how to use its more advanced features. The main problem is that it needs a new battery every year or two and you need to replace a rubber gasket with the battery every time. I purchased mine used and it started leaking because the previous owner didn't bother with that.

 

[Bl704]

Suunto Traverse here. No real concerns and I picked it up at a very low cost and it does what I need.

If $ wasn't a prime constraint, I would've bought the Garmin.

 

[mproberts]

Not sure about your experiences with customer support but they have always been really easy to deal for me. I lost a screw and they quickly mailed me like a dozen extra screws and heads for free. I also found an old vector deep in the woods, it had been there for years. I mailed it to them to get fixed up (to give as a gift to a friend) and they just sent me a new one to replace it and marked it as refurbished.

As for the battery issue, it is smart to make sure you have the button lock on to make sure you don't accidently switch over to compass or something that is going to drain the battery more than just the clock. I have never replaced the rubber gasket in like 10 years and never had an issue.

Garmin Fenix 5 for me. Suunto is a garbage company that has garbage support and garbage software, but I will admit their Ambit 3 is a nice piece of hardware and works great on its own.

I had a core, it was... fine. All you really need for navigation is a good barometric altimeter, and it has that and then some. But you have to be a bit of a power user to understand how to use its more advanced features. The main problem is that it needs a new battery every year or two and you need to replace a rubber gasket with the battery every time. I purchased mine used and it started leaking because the previous owner didn't bother with that.

 

[Trial153]

I picked up a Filson mackinaw field watch for a decent discount and it been an excellent field watch .

 

[amp713]

I really enjoyed my suunto core but it died this week on a trip. The face has water inside it. I've never been 50 feet deep in water let alone taken this watch and its rated for 100 feet. I'm going to call and see what they will do for me but I think I'm over the 2 year warranty, if they dont warranty it I dont think I'd spend the money on one again just based off it making it less than 3 years. I also should mention I only wear it when doing outdoor trips, I dont daily it or wear it working...

 

[mproberts]

If it's outside of warranty they will likely charge you a nominal fee to fix/replace it. That's what they did with that Vector I found beat to hell in the woods. I just checked back on my email, it was $50 then to do this "Reconditioning service needed - new upper case, straps, backlight, battery/cover, seals, mode test, leak test, current consumption." but in reality they just mailed a new watch out the next day.

I really enjoyed my suunto core but it died this week on a trip. The face has water inside it. I've never been 50 feet deep in water let alone taken this watch and its rated for 100 feet. I'm going to call and see what they will do for me but I think I'm over the 2 year warranty, if they dont warranty it I dont think I'd spend the money on one again just based off it making it less than 3 years. I also should mention I only wear it when doing outdoor trips, I dont daily it or wear it working...

 

[Bassman]

Thanks, guys. Interesting, I thought there would be more support for Garmin. I will have to give the Suunto's a look.

This might be a rookie question, but for those who use an iPhone +OnX Maps, does the satellite accurately find your location? i.e. can that be a relied upon device as opposed to a traditional GPS unit?

 

[Davebuech]

yep, I phone OnX position is reliable.

I use the SuuntoCore as I am looking mainly for elevation and compass direction. In combination with a paper map I can navigate quickly with just the watch. If needed I can turn on OnX (or my Garmin if I am carrying it) and I can verify my position on the map.

 

[muddydogs]

This might be a rookie question, but for those who use an iPhone +OnX Maps, does the satellite accurately find your location? i.e. can that be a relied upon device as opposed to a traditional GPS unit?

Any newer phone whether Android or Iphone and phone mapping app is just as good as any traditional GPS unit. Most that use the phone will probably say it's better then a GPS as the phone has a bigger screen and generally easier to use. If your interested do a little research on map apps for your phone before you jump into Onx as there are a few good ones out there that cost a lot less then Onx and tend to have less issues.

 

[sodaksooner]

Cheap Timex. Only use it for the alarm in the am and sunrise sunset.

That said, I need a new running/biking GPS and the Garmin Fenix 5 really has me interested. I still have my Oregon 450T for GPS though.

 

[mproberts]

Yeah you will have no issues at all. Without getting too technical the accuracy of your location is dependent on how many satellite signals your phones GPS chip has access to. Terrain could limit access to some signals but even in the deepest darkest canyon you will have access to enough signals to get you down to a 10 meter grid, but even in some incredibly deep canyons I have still had less than 5 meter accuracy. Which paired with high resolution pre-downloaded imagery is way more than enough to figure out exactly where you are. The only place you will ever run into issues is deeply buried urban settings that don't have access to wifi. Also as long as you have updated you iPhone software in the last like 2 years your GPS chip will remain active even in airplane mode, so no need to drain your battery while using an app like OnX.

Thanks, guys. Interesting, I thought there would be more support for Garmin. I will have to give the Suunto's a look.

This might be a rookie question, but for those who use an iPhone +OnX Maps, does the satellite accurately find your location? i.e. can that be a relied upon device as opposed to a traditional GPS unit?

 

[bridgermgmt]

I ran a Suunto core and although I really liked how it fit on my wrist and the menu structure as compared to my G-Shock, it was a total pile. I went through 3 in 1 year so I switched back to my Pathfinder. Then I upgraded the pathfinder to a G-Shock designed for military that also included the ABC functionality. The big upgrade there was it had REAL water resistance and durability with great features. Then I got a Garmin Fenix 3 for a birthday gift. At first I really loved it. It replaced my G-Shock but when I would be out longer than 5 days, Id use the G-Shock as its solar powered and you can use the ABC all day long without worry. However over time I started to really get used to the Garmin and now its my main watch. I will say that I use GAIA & ONX on my iPhone so I hardly use the Garmin GPS. But when I am in my neck of the woods doing training hikes or outdoors adventures I dont bring my phone and just bring my Garmin Watch. If I had to drop the cash all over again, I wouldn’t be putting it in to a watch as a priority. I am using my phone in airplane mode so much that the watch sees very little use during hunting. I got my Fenix on sale for $250 and seeing the new 5 is over double that price, id rather put that same cash in to better glass or buying more tags. Don’t get me wrong, I use this fenix every single day to track my fitness goals, time, used for alarms, used for timers for cooking or working out, used for tracking routes when hiking, used for marking the truck so I can find upon return when were going different routes, used for tracking the break in distance Ive done on my new boots, and even for my Heart Rate training. If any of that appeals to you, then maybe look for a used 3 and save some cash!

 

[topher89]

6 years with a Suunto Core for me. Storm alarm has always been accurate for summer thunderstorms. This weekend on a backpacking trip we kept eyeing clouds thinking it was going to be a raging storm. My watch alarm never went off and the storm never happened.

Altimeter is always accurate, provided I remember to set it at the trailhead.

I put in a new battery at the beginning of each summer.

 

[Bassman]

Thanks for the info and sharing your experiences. Looks like I have a decision to make: Suunto or Garmin!

 

[bridgermgmt]

Thanks for the info and sharing your experiences. Looks like I have a decision to make: Suunto or Garmin!

Not in today’s world.

Buy both. Use them, sell the one that doesn’t fit the bill. Then apologize to the wife and tell her your using the money you got on the return for a massage(for her)!

 

[KEVINSENC]

123

 

[BrayByrd]

Garmin Instinct ? Or traverse alpha