Here is a video about what I believe is the most important feature of a gps watch for hikng and backpacking. I have 3 different garmin gps watches from the cheaper Garmin Instinct 2 to Garmin Epix Gen 2.

Many sports gps watches now have lots of indoor and outdoor features including a multitude of activities, limitless statistics, you can upload routes on them, the battery is reasonable and signal is satisfactory too.

Garmin watches I have reviewed are:
Garmin Instinct 2 Solar £196 https://amzn.to/3UY7Tcy or Solar £272 https://amzn.to/48tfFy8
Garmin Fenix 6 £369 https://amzn.to/3uPgGCM or Pro Solar £475 https://amzn.to/3URQRwD
Garmin Epix Gen 2 £450 https://amzn.to/49UXC57 or Pro £789 https://amzn.to/3P1k7x0

Note there is now a Garmin Fenix 7 Solar available £688 https://amzn.to/43crxUl

My Top 5 most important features for 2024 gps watches are:
1) Signal reliability (that's why I prefer Garmin watches)
2) Maps (that show your surrounding)
3) Battery Life (must be able to record a full long days hiking)
4) Features that provide detailed analysis during and after (heart rate, elevation, etc)
5) Connectivity (wifi, bluetooth, sensors, etc)

So why buy an expensive Garmin watch? For me, the stand out feature is the maps. However, everyone has different requirements. Some people may just want to record their activity, others listen to music or some just want as much data as possible to study after.

In the past gps watches have been poor for gps signal and battery life. These are now a thing of the past (within reason). This means you can start to look for the features you really want.

If you are into your hiking, backpacking and wild camping please SUBSCRIBE @BackpackingUK

Thanks, Andy.

#hiking #backpacking #garmin