Watches

[vivi]

I've never been a watch guy, but the other day they caught my eye when I was shopping solar panels at REI.

They had all sorts of high end watches with built in GPS, maps, etc.

Since then I've been thinking about getting one loaded with features for hiking.

The salesman I talked to had on a Casio Pro Trek. It could charge via solar, has a compass, shows elevation and temps. Rugged and waterproof.

I asked him why he chose that instead of one of the newer ones and he cited not having to charge the batteries as one of his main reasons.

I liked the feature set of his Pro Trek. Which other models do you suggest I take a look at? Watches that'd be good for outdoors adventures, I'm not at all concerned with fashion.

[Ankerson]

What about a hand held GPS?

That and your smart phone combined should do it I believe.

[Naperville]

As a prepper and wanna-be survivalist I follow dozens of YouTube accts and blogs every day for tips.

I have to ask, do you go off-trail in the woods out of tower range for your cellphone? If so get a satellite device that you can carry with you in to remote locations.

You might get a Garmin inReach SE+ but for your cellphone you can also get offline maps from "Maps.me" but be wary, I hear after the recent update the system is not working correctly. Try it out and delete it if its buggered.

YOU NEED OFFLINE MAPS IN CASE GPS FAILS
https://youtu.be/BeaXvBv1piw

[vivi]

I have offline maps on my phone with osmand. I often go places with no cell service.

[Naperville]

I have offline maps on my phone with osmand. I often go places with no cell service.

I'll check out osmand! Thanks. Always looking for tips.

[vivi]

What about a hand held GPS?

That and your smart phone combined should do it I believe.

As I mentioned I have offline maps stored on my phone. Osmand maps even feature hiking trails, elevation, camp spots etc. not even marked on the parks maps etc. Pretty robust battery on mine too, 5,000 mah.

I've never tried handheld GPS units. I went from paper maps to an iphone 3 back when those were new. Do you use one?

[vivi]

I have offline maps on my phone with osmand. I often go places with no cell service.

I'll check out osmand! Thanks. Always looking for tips.

Its a great app for certain things. Offline maps, viewing elevation data, viewing trails, bike routes, navigation on long road trips, things like that.

But it is downright horrible in my experience for looking up directions to a restaurant or trying to find a business phone number. Casual day to day things like that. Something to keep in mind.

[Ankerson]

What about a hand held GPS?

That and your smart phone combined should do it I believe.

As I mentioned I have offline maps stored on my phone. Osmand maps even feature hiking trails, elevation, camp spots etc. not even marked on the parks maps etc. Pretty robust battery on mine too, 5,000 mah.

I've never tried handheld GPS units. I went from paper maps to an iphone 3 back when those were new. Do you use one?

I have used them before, they really are nice, something to check into really.

And they run off Satellite just like the car GPSs do.

My current car GPS can be used like that, has all the trails etc.

[kerrcobra]

I love this discussion so far! I'm going to check out Osmand and that handheld GPS recommendation - as I'm just trying to get back into hiking, and I have the worst sense of direction in the world. As for cool watches, I have a Suunto Core that I really like.

[Naperville]

I love this discussion so far! I'm going to check out Osmand and that handheld GPS recommendation - as I'm just trying to get back into hiking, and I have the worst sense of direction in the world. As for cool watches, I have a Suunto Core that I really like.

Look at all of the Garmin solutions. They have an even cheaper system than the one I mentioned.

[remnar]

I work in the woods. Most of my job consists of driving around Forest Service roads but I do get out a lot both on trail and off trail. A good handheld GPS is probably the best solution but over the last year or so I have been using the Avenza Maps app on my phone. Avenza is much more convenient than the GPS and has some great maps available. I also have a Garmin Instinct watch that I bought as a backup to my GPS. I don't think that I've ever actually used the Instinct for any real navigation. This particular model is on the low end of GPS watches and does not have many of the features that more expensive models have. I don't think I would use a more expensive model any more than the Instinct even if I had one. The handheld GPS and the Phone are much better tools for the job and trying to read the tiny screen on a watch would make my head hurt. I should also mention that a good paper map is important but it is no good if you don't know how to read it. I like National Geographic's waterproof maps because they're durable, have updated trails, and provide plenty of detail.

[vivi]

I work in the woods. Most of my job consists of driving around Forest Service roads but I do get out a lot both on trail and off trail. A good handheld GPS is probably the best solution but over the last year or so I have been using the Avenza Maps app on my phone. Avenza is much more convenient than the GPS and has some great maps available. I also have a Garmin Instinct watch that I bought as a backup to my GPS. I don't think that I've ever actually used the Instinct for any real navigation. This particular model is on the low end of GPS watches and does not have many of the features that more expensive models have. I don't think I would use a more expensive model any more than the Instinct even if I had one. The handheld GPS and the Phone are much better tools for the job and trying to read the tiny screen on a watch would make my head hurt. I should also mention that a good paper map is important but it is no good if you don't know how to read it. I like National Geographic's waterproof maps because they're durable, have updated trails, and provide plenty of detail.

I suspected a watch would be too small for reading maps.

I will look up Avenza. Thanks for the info.

[vivi]

Made a decision. This one had all the features I wanted for under $100 shipped direct from the manufacturer.

https://outlet.casio.com/prg330-1/

[Naperville]

Made a decision. This one had all the features I wanted for under $100 shipped direct from the manufacturer.

https://outlet.casio.com/prg330-1/

Videos on the watch:
https://www.youtube.com/results?search_ ... 30-1+casio

[Makunochimaster]

Casio GW-6900

Casio G-Shock DW-5600E

[MacLaren]

Made a decision. This one had all the features I wanted for under $100 shipped direct from the manufacturer.

https://outlet.casio.com/prg330-1/

Nice choice.

[vivi]

Didn't get a chance to set it up yet, but the mailman dropped this off as I was heading out the door.

[ladybug93]

i have a small collection of watches. i also don't really like the smartwatches or anything with too many features. i do have a casio pathfinder watch with the triple sensor and i love it. mine has the moon phases and tide graph. i bought it while i was living in hawaii, when the tide was more meaningful to me. they make a lot of great watches that aren't too overwhelming and have useful features.

i will say though... i don't really use most of the features. i've used the compass and altimeter a few times, but i always carry an analog compass with me when adventuring and it's more useful.

[aicolainen]

I bought the Garming Fenix 5S plus quite soon after it was released. It was pretty much down to that or an apple watch.
Quite different watches, but both have features I wanted.
The Garmin won out on it's outdoor focus. Mainly button control that works with gloves and when wet, a display that is easily readable in all light conditions and always on. Better battery life is also nice.

I was hunting in an area that was new to me at the time, so the map feature was welcome, even though the screen is tiny. I could quickly verify my position without carrying additional equipment on my body. Hunting requires quite a bit of gear on the ready, so that was more valuable than one would think. The watch also communicates with Garmin Astro so I could see the position of the dog on the map.

Other uses that was important to me:
Light and fast. Often I like to go on short workouts, hikes etc. with a very minimal load-out. No backpack or cluttered pockets, but also without a specific plan.
With the Garmin I have maps, money/payment, music and fitness tracking in one tiny device. The maps enable me to try out new routes if I suddenly decide to, the payment option enables me to restock on food and water on the go if I decide to extend my trip. That's actually very useful, because there's been quite a few times where I'm not very motivated to work out, so I just force myself to go for a quick walk, and once I get going I get really inspired and want to go longer. Then it's very nice to be able to run by one of the serviced cabins in the local forests and get some refreshments.

Lately I'm only hunting in familiar terrain, and the map feature is almost never used, and I belive the apple watch is slightly better suited for light and fast applications, so I'm actually on the fence about switching.
I believe the Garmin still has an edge for general outdoor use, but for actual navigation the larger screen of a cell phone or dedicated GPS is still light years better, so it might not be so relevant. It's convenient to have tracking data easily available on the wrist, but it's not very often I need that. So I think the apple watch might have the feature set I need more often.

Another thing to mention, that make me a bit reluctant to spend lots of money on wrist computers, is that I'm quite old fashioned about watches, so I only wear wrist computers when I actually need one. Most of the time I like to wear analogue watches. Both the garmin and the apple watch are quite expensive options for occasional nice to have features


Simple military styled analogue watches are by far my most used watches for almost everything

[vivi]

I like the looks of that one. Looked up that brand and they're a bit more than I'd like to spend on my next one

Looking for suggestions for my third watch. I have a Casio F-91W and the pro trek.

Looking for something slim and light like the F-91W, but with better water resistance, a bigger wrist band, brighter back light, option to mute the sounds and higher quality build.

What should I consider in the $100 or less range? Open to digital or analog.