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What are the best Garmin watches for hiking?
Garmin watches are one of the best watches with GPS out there. And also one of the most advanced. Most of Garmin hiking watches nowadays have features like smart notifications, contactless payments and various navigation and biometrics tools. And most of them have Connect IQ support that allows you to download even more apps, widgets, faces and data fields.
Here are some of the top Garmin watches for hiking.
Click here to see our favorite on Amazon now! (for women)
Table of Contents
Best Garmin Watches for Hiking
GPS tracking, preloaded maps and body energy monitoring.
These watches have long battery life and you can even have them on when swimming. Everything you would expect of some of the very best hiking watches. To make it easier for you here we focus only on the most important features and specifications. For more detailed specifications, more photos, latest price and user reviews check them out on Amazon – just click on the name or image of the watch.
Best Garmin Watches for Men – Our Favorite
1. Garmin fenix 6X Pro Solar (click for more details) (see on REI)
An advanced GPS hiking watch with solar charging.
One of the very best Garmin watches for hiking, our favorite.
This watch has a 1.4 inches screen, a long lasting battery and large 32 GB memory that also can store up to 2,000 songs. You can keep it on when swimming (10ATM). And there are preloaded TOPO maps and 2,000 ski resort maps. It also features all the hiking must-haves: GPS, Glonass and Galileo navigation, 3-axis compass, gyroscope, barometric altimeter, etc.
BATTERY LIFE WITH GPS ON: Up to 60 hours/66 hours with solar
BEST FOR: Hiking, skiing, kayaking
Best Garmin Watches for Women – Our Favorite
2. Garmin fenix 6S – Pro Solar Edition (click for more details) (see on REI)
An elegant and highly capable Garmin hiking watch.
Overall, the best Garmin watch for women, our favorite.
Compared to the Fenix 6x, with a 1.2” screen it’s a little smaller. But it also has a solar charging battery, 32 GB memory with preloaded maps and space for up to 2,000 songs. And, of course, it has all the navigation tools and features.
For a cheaper and less advanced option you can check Garmin Venu Sq.
BATTERY LIFE WITH GPS ON: Up to 25 hours/28 hours with solar
BEST FOR: Trail running, swimming, hiking, rowing
Best Garmin Watches for Hiking
Want more options? Here are some alternatives that are designed to meet different personal preferences. These are GPS watches for hiking that last the distance and will help you to find the way to your next camp while keeping track of your body energy, hydration, rest time and so much more.
Compare Garmin watches you like the most and choose the one.
3. Garmin Instinct Solar (click for more details) (see on REI)
A Garmin watch built to withstand a lot.
This watch with a 1.27 inches screen is constructed to U.S. military standard 810 for thermal, shock and water resistance (10ATM). Combining the navigation tools and body energy monitoring applications it makes it a great companion for high intensity adventures. It has a long lasting and solar charging battery. But the 16 MB memory is what makes it also more budget friendly.
BATTERY LIFE WITH GPS ON: Up to 30 hours/38 hours with solar
BEST FOR: Running, biking, hiking
4. Garmin Enduro (click for more details) (see on REI)
A Garmin watch for hiking with the longest battery life.
This watch with a screen of 1.4 inches and an elastic hook and loop strap has a very impressive battery. Using the provided power management application and sun charging you can extend its life up to 80 hours even when GPS is on. It also provides training suggestions that make sure that you stay active.
Note that its memory is on the shorter side – 64 MB.
It’s not a watch you’ll be using for music.
BATTERY LIFE WITH GPS ON: Up to 70 hours/80 hours with solar
BEST FOR: Hiking, mountain biking, kayaking
5. Garmin Forerunner 245 (click for more details) (see on REI)
A Garmin watch designed for active people who love music.
Featuring a 1.2” screen with scratch resistant Gorilla glass, it’s suitable for wearing in shallow water only (5ATM). The watch offers training management, suggestions, rest time, body energy levels and other features we are used to having in these kind of watches — everything that helps you get ahead of your training goals. Useful also if you plan to use your Garmin Forerunner 245 for hiking
The watch has 3.5 GB memory that can store up to 500 songs.
Alternatively you can listen to Spotify, Deezer and Amazon.
BATTERY LIFE WITH GPS ON: Up to 24 hours
BEST FOR: Hiking, cycling, pool swimming, track running
6. Garmin Venu Sq (click for more details) (see on REI)
An inexpensive everyday Garmin watch.
Overall, the best Garmin watch for ladies who need a reliable and simple sports watch.
This watch has a 1.3 inches screen with scratch resistant Gorilla glass. Being waterproof, it’s suitable for shallow water only (5ATM). The watch offers 20 preloaded sports apps and workout routines, health monitoring (energy levels, respiratory, hydration, stress, sleep, etc.) and safety and tracking features — it can send notification to your contacts in case of emergency.
Great option for shorter day hikes and everyday use.
BATTERY LIFE WITH GPS ON: Up to 14 hours
BEST FOR: Walking, running, cycling, mindful breathing, swimming, golf
Finding the Best Garmin Watch for Hiking
How to find the best Garmin hiking watch for your needs?
Let’s make this super simple.
Generally speaking it’s mostly about these 4 simple things.
1. Battery Life
It’s one of the most important characteristics nowadays.
Unless you like urban hiking, or you are going on short hikes only, battery life matters a lot. First of all, charging options on a trail are limited. And who wants to spend time waiting when the device is charged to keep up with the hiking agenda anyways.
It’s a well-known fact that GPS is one of the biggest battery suckers. And, of course, you can also turn it off. But since for most people it isn’t an option – you want to use all features of your watch – in this guide as well we decided to show battery life with the GPS on. With GPS turned off all of the above mentioned watches will have a significantly longer battery life.
2. Memory
Another important factor to check before purchasing a Garmin watch.
More memory means more apps, more training history and in some cases more music. On the other hand, a smaller storage space can also lead to a lower price. For longer expeditions or serious training we recommend to go for a larger memory. But for weekend hikes, sleep, water consumption monitoring and step counting (and without music) a shorter memory will do just fine.
If the memory gets full, you can always delete the history or unnecessary apps.
3. Screen
They are different not only by their shape.
Of course, some prefer rounded watches and some like the rectangular kind. But more importantly they have different sizes and the glass differs as well. Bigger screen may seem like the best choice, because it’s… bigger. You can have more information on bigger screen. However, a bigger screen also consumes more battery power than a smaller screen.
There are also different screen coatings. Some screens are made to be able to use solar energy while others are more scratch resistant. With some of the best Garmin watches for hiking you can even choose what kind of screen you want. So pay attention to that. Speaking of the solar charging, it’s a great option to have to extend the battery life, however, it won’t work on a winter hike at temperatures below 32F.
4. Features
Garmin offers watches for different purposes.
Understand your needs first, and finding the right watch will become easier. You don’t need to buy a multi-sports watch if you plan to use it only for walking and everyday. If you are a water enthusiast, pay attention to water resistance properties. A watch that is tested at 5ATM is suitable for a kayaking trip and some swimming in shallow water, while a 10ATM watch allows you to swim and snorkel in almost any water.
Do you really plan to store music on your watch? If not, don’t go for the watch with the biggest memory and you’ll save money. A couple hundred bucks in some cases.
What is your experience with hiking watches? Have you tried any of Garmin watches for hiking?
Featured photo by cottonbro from Pexels
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