GPS watches

[KevBo]

Hi guys!

Looking to purchase a new watch for the coming years walking. I normally use one of my trusty Garmin 25's for recording walks and tracking my running, but I'm looking for a watch that has an altimeter function when I'm active.

A Fenix is out of my price range, so I've did a bit of research and I'm down to either a Garmin Instinct and someone I spoke to had suggested a Suunto Ambit 3 but he's doing it on hearsay as he's heard mixed things (helpful lol)... Anyone have any experience with these items or have any recommendations?

I reckon I should stick with Garmin but it's always good to hear second opinions and if the overwhelming feeling both are crap I'll just need to keep saving for a Fenix 😁

[iain_atkinson_1986]

I had a similar query a few months back. Ended up getting a Garmin Instinct and love it. They're £220 on Amazon just now but I paid about 50 less than that and they've been that price a couple of times. The battery life is good but if you plan to do a lot of long-distance and multi-day trips where you use the GPS you might want to get the solar version.

https://www.walkhighlands.co.uk/Forum/viewtopic.php?f=20&t=100714

[KevBo]

Brilliant to hear, thanks for your feedback!

I'm a fan of Garmin generally, my wife has used different brands and I've not been keen. Made my mind up for me, cheers!

I had a similar query a few months back. Ended up getting a Garmin Instinct and love it. They're £220 on Amazon just now but I paid about 50 less than that and they've been that price a couple of times. The battery life is good but if you plan to do a lot of long-distance and multi-day trips where you use the GPS you might want to get the solar version.

https://www.walkhighlands.co.uk/Forum/viewtopic.php?f=20&t=100714

[ScotFinn65]

I have a Suunto Ambit2 and it has performed great for 6 years, no issues at all.

[WalkWithWallace]

I got myself a Garmin Instinct Solar last October, it's brilliant for the battery life alone. It's got your ABC functions plus GPS, HR, step counter and loads of other neat features.

[AyrshireAlps]

I've a Garmin Vivoactive 4, wife has a 4s. I find the Altimeter on them is pretty accurate (was 13' out at top of Ben Macdui last year, which is bloody good), I check it against the map fairly regularly.

One really handy wee utility is that you can set one of the data fields to show OS grid reference, which is really handy - not advocating solely relying on it, but it's another layer of protection when navigating, and good for confirming position when taking a bearing.

Had 16 hours battery out of it while using GPS too, long enough for most of us.

[KevBo]

Just an update, I got a Garmin Instict and I absolutely love it. Not the solar one however the battery life is excellent, I've been doing a fair bit of jogging and trail runs with it and it's so much of an upgrade from my older Garmin's it's unreal. Highly recommend anyone looking for a decently priced watch to go for it 👍

[The Ledge]

I also got an Instinct at the end of last summer and wear it all the time. Unfortunately I never got fully into using it on the hills before the restrictions kicked in again. Handy for uploading gpx files as a backup for routes.

Agree on the battery life comments.