The most IMPORTANT feature of a GPS watch! Garmin watches compared.

[@tomaszwozniak4343]

Instinct 2 Solar may be simple but it has 28 days battery life and solar charging to boot.

[@Phil.Oakley]

I've gone through loads of smart watches and always got rid as they didn't do what I needed. Since going to garmin it's been great. I don't use it for maps, but the other functions are excellent. I usually put it on power saving basic screen and it still does the tasks no issues so battery lasts ages. If OS and garmin made friends it'd be great having their app!

[@marcelvelazco5383]

According to what I need for my hikes at the peruvian mountains I believe the Instinct 2 is enough, thanks for the video!!!

[@rickay5363]

I dont think anyone uses the instinct 2 for maps. It does offer a lot of info though. Altimeter, compass, GPS that links to the phone so it's easy to waypoint and breadcrumb your route. Id love a high end watch but the instinct is a great bit of kit.

[@DAoutdoors]

Hi Andy, I have the Garmic Instict esports. I've had it for three years now. I love it. I use it for linking up to the Relive app for my videos of my routes. For me the most important information I need is the instant GPS grid reference. As long as it keeps giving me that then I will never change it. I use it every day and the battery life is still brilliant, and it never gets low whilst I'm out and about. Thanks for this video, a great review. All the best Dave.

[@BackpackingUK]

Thanks for sharing!

[@13371011337]

Bought myself a second hand fenix 5 and I'd never wanna go hiking again without the nav function!

[@VortexMotiveVision]

Very helpful. Thank you. I've ordered the Quatix 7 Pro. It is arriving tomorrow. Cannot wait! I'm sailing too, so it is perfect.

[@YourGameDevTutor]

I just started my new job at Royal Mail and this is a god send

[@Yer_Da_]

I have a 6X Pro and whilst I would like the touchscreen from the Epix I have zero complaints about my Fenix. The maps might not be quite as snappy as the epix and the lack of touchscreen can take some getting use to but it's still an incredible tool to make sure you know where you are and know where you're going

[@bahorized]

I have the Fenix 6 pro, and I honestly only used the maps and navigation once. Its so much easier to pull the phone. On the other hand, if you try using the map with a bicycle that moves faster than 20kmph, the watch struggles to draw the map in time, so half of the screen is often empty. So considering all this I just bought the Instinct 2 solar, which is also lighter and has two times longer battery life, potentially unlimited. The fenix is also pretty annoying for activities where you move your hands a lot because its has this pretty heavy steel body which moves a lot from its own inertia.

[@JamesWilliam70]

suunto vertical looks great with regards to gps realtime accuracy refresh and detail + free maps.

[@lanceengel3741]

Thank you for actually showing the watch face with the maps

[@Egg5han]

Hi Andy, great video as usual pal- sorry if I missed it but is the Epix Gen 2 the pro version in the video or just the standard? Cheers

[@BackpackingUK]

Standard 👍

[@BackpackingUK]

The Pro battery is much better too.

[@BTurner.]

I’ve never needed one for hiking but would like a Garmin Fenix as I think they are a great looking watch however I do have the Apple Ultra and use the Workoutdoors Apo to log my trips, heart rate, etc but not for navigation. I carry a paper map, printed from my O.S. Map subscription and will occasionally check my position with the same App on my IPhone. Whoever succeeds in getting O.S. Mapping onto a smart watch will probably be onto a winner, I’d have it just for the fun of it.

[@noisepuppet]

Thank you for being a real person with experience and opinions, and not some freaky robo content generator that ingests spec sheets and renders them as "speech." 😂 Or worse, the human version of same, with the telltale thumbnail of a cool channel host making a big face and pointing to a pasted-in product photo with the word "insane" definitely appearing somewhere. Seriously man, I've been looking for reviews, and KZbin is just swamped with that stuff. All this complaining is meant as praise for your good and useful video. 😂

[@leonpatrick5606]

I had the choice between the Fenix 7X Pro Sapphire Solar and the Epix Gen2 and ended up buying the Fenix because of the battery life and the MIP screen and a few other features that come with it.

[@BackpackingUK]

The battery life is far superior, there is no doubt about that. I totally get why people would stick with the Fenix.

[@arturoo.1719]

Very honest review. Thanks !

[@suewheeler5795]

They still don't have contours on them which I think is invaluable. I ended up downloading talky toaster to my fenix 6x pro solar

[@BackpackingUK]

I don’t get that either, especially on the top end models.

[@raytaylor4199]

The Apple Watch Ultra has been really good for day hikes, especially paired with the iPhone & OS maps subscription, the only issue with that is battery life, although the Apple Watch Ultra battery is pretty decent it’s nothing compared to the Fenix & garmin watches, I am looking at getting the Garmin gen 2, it’s better to separate navigation from communications, less dependence on the phone battery, reserving it for other things.

[@BackpackingUK]

I also use OS Maps too. I buy the map, download it offline, and then when I've got no phone signal it still works. It's great for people who don't have a watch or a great back up too.

[@EmitOcean20]

Good show ❤

[@raymondplodzien7459]

Great content!!

[@camping_guru_uk]

Hi, big fan of your vids... Could you make a vid about say a Garmin watch Vs a smart watch. In fact I'm going to buy the Ticwatch pro 3 ultra GPS because it's reduced to £99.99 on the Monvoi website so it's sooooo much cheaper than a Garmin. It works with Outdoor Active maps apparently but I'm going to see if it works with Alltrails. There are only a couple of vids online about the mapping on this smartwatch. ... I could even send you mine for your opinion as I'm sure you have a Garmin and seeing them side by side would be great.

[@mdcmdc1]

What is best currently? For a budget/options. I just want it for hiking/walking using Komoot. Would like an actual map to look at, it's basically for navigation so I don't need to hold my phone the whole time and I can easily follow routes downloaded on Komoot. I was looking at the first one initially but that map is just terrible compared to others.

[@BackpackingUK]

For budget, I’d probably get a deal on a Fenix 5/6 👍

[@mdcmdc1]

@@BackpackingUK Thank you 👍

[@frankrounding9905]

For all of you praising your phones, they don't pick up gps everywhere. I love my phone also but doesn't work everywhere

[@planetmikeus]

Thank you for this review. Can all of these work with the Trailforks maps?

[@BackpackingUK]

Sorry, I don't know, the standard maps are good enough for me.

[@efc4evr570]

Just got the epix gen 2 and the map seems very basic yet on vids like yourself, your maps look detailed. Any help please

[@BackpackingUK]

It probably depends where you are. You’ll know if it’s working properly if you go into town.

[@efc4evr570]

Are you using the topo active at all? My maps are being used through ski view

[@bilaltahir9978]

Is the epix 2 much better than the fenix 6 pro? Is it worth upgrading from the fenix 6?

[@BackpackingUK]

The screen is in a different league BUT the battery is suited more to 1-2 days of gps use.

[@bilaltahir9978]

@BackpackingUK thanks. so the battery of the fenix 6 is better than that of the epix 2?

[@TheBigBlueMarble]

I was incredibly disappointed to realize that the Garmin watches will not sync with Garmin Connect unless you have internet connectivity. So much for using my Instinct when on long back country trips.

[@BackpackingUK]

Mine syncs by Bluetooth.

[@swiftdetecting]

what uk maps you use for garmin 6 pro ? and how much gb does it take as like to put music on watch as well so looking for more space

[@BackpackingUK]

I'm just using the standard maps.

[@seanandhelen]

Tbh. When I go hiking ( and I mean epic hiking) my phone is off. I’d rather use my paper map in a pinch. The rest of the time. Just use your eyes and your head. If you get lost. Just remember the way you came. Also I tend to use my belly size to let me know if I’m doing enough steps or exercise

[@Jimboi87]

So will these watches chuck google maps straight to the screen after searching an address or have you got to plot every time?

[@BackpackingUK]

Not really sure what you mean. I load GPX / TCX files on mine.

[@Jimboi87]

@@BackpackingUK is there a way on any Garmin watch to just use Google maps in pairing with a phone, so city traveling for example, I find a restaurant on my phone click navigate and it goes to the watch giving me directions turn by turn?

[@bilaltahir9978]

​@@Jimboi87did you find the answer to this question?

[@thomasskinner240]

Please excuse my ignorance but doesnt a smart phone do all this stuff with a better screen? If so whats the point of having it in watch form? Unless the watch managed to retain signal when a phone doesnt i dont really see a point. I guess maybe if you dont want to take a phone but that seems like a bad idea.

[@RollrightKnights]

If you drop your phone it's potentially ruined, you generally have a watch strapped to your wrist.

[@AmeliaPremium]

Exactly, unless you suffer from gearitis and need to drop £££ on a watch you might use to hike a couple of weekends a year. The only way I see a garmin watch being useful is if you run several times a week and the mapping is a bonus to its main function. Otherwise a phone and power bank is the answer for most hikers.

[@BackpackingUK]

Good question. For some people, and certain places and circumstances, a phone will be good enough. However, I would make the following comments: 1) you’ve got to continually hold it! 2) is it waterproof? 3) what happens if you drop it? 4) it’ll drain your battery quickly 5) you need to use apps that don’t rely on phone signal 6) you won’t have access to other data such as heart rate and the various data screens There’s plenty more but you get the gist.

[@thomasskinner240]

@@BackpackingUK it makes sence for runners id say. Though not for wildcamping I don't think. Unless you just like buying gadgets and thats fair enough. You dont need to hold it constantly just check every now and then like you do a watch. Most people will take a powerbank and you can get ip65 phone cases for most phones now for not much money. If you're particularly clumsy they come with a loop so maybe attach some shock cord to your belt but the cases are very rugged anyway. Most trail apps have a download function so you don't need signal to use the maps. The maps are clearer on a phone. The only thing left is the lack of heart rate logging and things like you said really but I'm sure there are cheaper smart watches that can do that without the GPS functionality since you have a phone to do that anyway. But each to their own.

[@MeChoonChannel]

​@@BackpackingUK You're right. I was recently caught in the mountains with extremely bad wind and fog and rain. Taking my phone out, gloves off etc every few steps would have been a pain. Battery is much better too. Watch also vibrates when you go off track so you don't get lost. Definitely a luxury purchase but has a lot of use.

[@jeremymanning2132]

To be honest.... just another gadget to make up for a lack of basic skills!

[@Paul27483]

Or, if used correctly, it is a supplement to the basic skills

[@jeremymanning2132]

@@Paul27483 If you have the skill you don't need a supplement. We have eyes, a brain and a sense of direction, if we use them we don't get lost. Plus we don't rely on a satellite signal or battery to work.

[@Paul27483]

@jeremymanning2132 but why can't we use both. What's the problem.

[@jeremymanning2132]

@@Paul27483 Hey you can use whatever you like. My point is do you need it? Why carry gear you don't need? My generation, who've camped for over 50 years, home & abroad, have learned you only carry what's absolutely essential.

[@jeremymanning2132]

@@steviet3725 And i stand by that comment.