9 Best GPS Watches for Hiking and Backpacking (Latest!)
/Today’s hiking and backpacking watches are some of the most invested in accessories and quite possibly game-changers when you’re out there navigating on the trail.
These gadgets can help you track your fitness statistics, receive notifications from your phone, and allow you to make calls and send messages conveniently.
For most outdoor enthusiasts, a smartwatch is non-negotiable. For instance, the built-in maps while hiking are incredible. On one of my hiking trails journey a section was washed out. All I had to do was look down and follow my little arrow.
There was no need for uploading maps, routes, no anything it was just there.
Just imagine if you knew that you could get all your accurate pacing, elevation gained and distance, it makes hiking on that day much easier.
If you know today there’s a 20.9km and you have done at least 18.2km, that quick glance at your watch is enough to give you confidence that the tough sections are behind you.
We’ve checked out some of the best hiking and backpacking watches on the market and narrowed it down to these nine great picks.
But if there’s truly one that stands out from the rest it is Garmin Fenix 7x solar. It has a detailed analysis of everything and one heck of a machine. If there’s one thing people are doing is shifting their FitBits for Garmin, just an indication that is hard to dislike this watch!
But before that, how do you know what’s the right hiking watch?
How do you choose the right hiking watch?
here are some of the best hiking watches
There are several key factors to consider when choosing the right hiking and backpacking watch.
Battery life
Your GPS usage will greatly determine your battery life needs for any hiking or backpacking watch.
If you’re using GPS all day during your hike, then you’ll need to charge your watch frequently. Some models have power-saving modes that cut down on GPS usage to extend the watch’s battery life. If battery life is your main priority, then consider purchasing a non-GPS watch. However, if GPS is important to you, then you may want to get a watch with solar power.
Durability
Durability is essential for outdoor activities hiking and backpacking trips. You’ll want a watch with a sapphire or gorilla glass display. Most watches are water-resistant, so you should be safe during wetter conditions up in the mountains. It’s also important to get watchbands that can be replaced when the time comes.
Price
Prices vary widely for hiking watches, but you can expect to pay upwards of $600 for GPS-accurate units.
Premium watches are usually made from more lightweight and durable materials that won’t break, scuff, or scratch easily. Getting a hiking and backpacking watch with many features may bump up the price tag, but it is up to you to consider which features are worth investing in.
In short, these are what you should be looking for:
Don’t have to pull out a phone to check mileage.
Don’t have to pull out my phone to check elevation gains.
Must be able to track all forms of training from running to elevation gains.
Take way less battery
Generally, leaving you less phone-dependent.
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9 Best GPS Hiking and Backpacking Watches
1. Garmin Fenix 7X Solar
The Garmin Fenix 7X Solar hiking smartwatch has a high-resolution color display specifically designed for harsh outdoor conditions.
The rest of the watch is also made from very durable materials, such as stainless steel for the bezel, giving it great resistance to any abrasions that you might encounter on a hike.
The watch features a thermometer, barometer, altimeter, and a 3-axis compass. The GPS setting also allows you to set the time based on your location and offers navigation routes, POI, and tracking.
Customizing the watch with apps, widgets, and unique watch faces makes it easy to personalize for your specific needs. You can also save detailed information about your activities on the watch through the Garmin Connect app.
The Garmin Fenix 7 can also be synchronized with any smartphone to show notifications, such as texts, calls, alerts, emails, and others. It also comes with a solar charging lens, which extends its battery life. Overall, this is the best watch you can possibly start with if you’re out hiking or backpacking.
Pros
Display and features
Customizability
Vibration alerts
Cons
Expensive
The Suunto Vertical Titanium Solar Watch boasts several impressive features, including an extensive battery life, free maps, and a high-accuracy multi-GPS system.
You get four settings for the GPS on this watch, namely, Performance, Endurance, Ultra, and Tour. You can get up to 500 hours of use on the tour setting with this solar recharging watch, which is ideal for long hikes and backpacking trails.
Unlike some of the Garmin maps, all the maps on the Suunto Vertical are free. They are also reasonably good for hiking and backpacking, especially with the accurate compass, altimeter, and barometer.
This watch is also environmentally friendly, being made from only renewable energy sources and backed by 100% carbon offset.
Overall, the combination of exceptional battery life, free maps, and accurate GPS systems makes this an excellent option for your hiking and backpacking needs.
Pros
Battery life
Screen quality
Free and easy-to-download maps
Cons
Thickness
Lack of customization
Lag
3. Polar Grit X
The Polar Grit X may have been released back in 2020, but it is still a contender for one of the best hiking and backpacking watches today.
It is a multisport watch with a robust design that meets military standards in terms of durability, so you won’t have to worry about it being scuffed up while you’re out in the mountains.
It also supports GPS and has a digital compass, altimeter, barometer, and thermometer. The watch can also be used with Polar Flow and Komoot for seamless route syncing.
While many Polar Grit X models are available on the market, the basic one can meet most of your needs while hiking and backpacking.
It does not have some of the more advanced features that Garmin watches and Suunto models come with, such as storm alarms and atmospheric pressure charts that can be used to predict the weather.
However, it is also a less expensive watch, so you still get quite a lot of bang for your buck.
Pros
Design and display
Multisport mode
GLONASS and Galileo support
Precise wrist heart rate monitor
Komoot integration
Cons
No barometer chart for weather prediction
No storm alarm
If you’re on a budget but still want to have a decent watch out on the trail, then you can try something like the Casio Pro Trek PRG-270-1 watch.
It is water resistant up to 100 meters and can accurately predict times for sunrise and sunset.
The size of the watch makes it a little more discreet than some of the larger models here, but it also means that the display can feel a little bit crowded.
This watch features Casio’s Triple Sensor, meaning it comes with a barometer-thermometer, altimeter, and a digital compass. The barometer is handy for getting weather warnings.
The watch also offers extended hours of battery life thanks to the Tough Solar feature.
Do keep in mind, however, that this is one of the heavier watches on this list. If a lightweight watch is a non-negotiable for you, then it might be better to check out other options on this list.
Pros
Price point
Battery life
Cons
Crowded display
Non-GPS
Heavy compared to other watches
Garmin is known for making exceptional outdoor and sports watches, which is why we are featuring another one on this list.
The Instinct Solar 2 is one of the best GPS hiking and backpacking watches for most people.
It comes with the standard altimeter, barometer, and compass, smartwatch features, and a decent battery life, all in one very durable watch.
It also has an easy-to-use app to help you stay on track with your fitness goals.
This model is a significant improvement from the first Garmin Instinct in that it has twice the GPS-mode battery life, making it perfect for multi-day hikes.
It also has basic navigation and bread-crumb mapping tools for preplanned routes and navigation in more familiar territory.
The tactical design may not be for everyone, but if you don’t mind it, this watch is the perfect rugged companion that will make your hiking and backpacking trips that much easier.
Pros
Very long battery life
Reasonably priced, considering the features
Cons
A bit too much plastic
The Coros Vertix 2 is a multisport watch but it comes with many features that are suitable for hiking, backpacking, and mountaineering.
This watch has exact and fast GPS tracking as it can connect to five satellite systems simultaneously, all while supporting dual frequency satellite communication, which boosts GPS signal.
It has the basic altimeter, barometer-thermometer, and compass combo. Coros Vertix 2 also supports storm alerts, phone notifications, and pairing with external devices such as the Insta360 camera.
The Corox Vertix 2 is made of extremely durable materials.
The bezel and case are made of titanium and the screen Sapphire glass, making it abrasion and scratch-resistant.
It comes with a 1.4-inch screen and displays eight different metrics during your activities.
The battery is impressive, lasting up to 60 days in time mode and up to 140 hours when GPS tracking is enabled.
The only negative aspect of this watch is that it is a bit complicated to upload GPX routes since the Coros app doesn’t have a route-planning feature.
Pros
Bluetooth
Smartphone synchronization
GPS performance
Supports offline maps
Cons
Complicated to import GPX routes
The Apple Watch might not be the first that comes to mind when thinking of a fitness watch, but make no mistake: the Apple Watch Ultra has stepped up its game.
While the battery life is not as good as the Garmin, Suunto, and Coros watches, it is a marked improvement from the original Apple Watch. If you’re an Apple fan, then this would be a great option to consider.
The Apple Watch Ultra has 60 hours of battery life with normal use and between 36 to 60 hours when GPS is being used, depending on your settings.
Its body is made of a robust titanium case, and it comes with a redesigned compass as well.
The display is encased in flat sapphire front crystal for durability and shines bright at 2000 nits for ease of use in sunlight. It is also bigger than the other Apple Watch models.
You also get pulse OX and ECG reading features on this watch. While the battery life may not be able to compete with the other watches on this list, the Apple Watch Ultra is a decent contender.
Pros
Slick appearance
Superior fitness tracker functionality
Receive and make calls with iPhone
Enables contactless payment
Cons
Battery life
Only works with iPhone
The second Suunto model and the last one to round up this list, the 9 Baro is an excellent watch with a touchscreen interface that is colorful, bright, and very easy to use.
The battery life is excellent for a full-featured GPS watch, clocking in at 120 hours of continuous tracking — all thanks to Suunto’s smart battery management feature.
Unfortunately, there aren’t any topographical maps available for this high-end watch.
It can also be quite heavy. Still, it is less expensive than the Garmin Fenix 7, and it comes with 80 sports modes, your standard altimeter-barometer-thermometer-compass feature, and a wrist heart rate monitor.
This watch is recommended for athletes who want a durable, reliable GPS watch, and it performs just as well outdoors as it does for other sports and activities.
Pros
Excellent battery life
Water-resistant up to 100 meters
Connectivity to other apps
Cons
Challenging to configure and use initially
Dim display
Many hiking watches can get expensive, but you don’t have to break the bank to get one with all the necessary features.
The Amazfit T-Rex 2 is an extremely rugged watch for its price point, so much so that it meets the MIL-STD-810G standard for withstanding extreme temperatures and environments, including high and low temperatures, water resistance, and salt spray resistance.
Aside from being sturdy, the Amazfit T-Rex 2 has several useful features. It offers dual-band positioning GPS and support for six more positioning systems.
You get more than 150 built-in sports modes and advanced health tracking.
The watch allows you to import route files and navigate them in real time, and it also has 24 days of battery life with normal use.
Of course, it also has an altimeter, barometer, and compass, but it also comes with additional features, such as the pulse oximeter, heart rate, gyroscope, ambient light, and accelerometer sensors.
Pros
Many features for the price
Long battery life
Vibrant display
Rugged build
Cons
Bulky
The Bottom Line
A good hiking and backpacking watch must serve several essential functions, including timekeeping, ABC (altimeter-barometer-compass) features, and enough durability to withstand the environment.
While the GPS feature on most of the watches on this list is absolute must-have!
The next time you're lost on the trail like a 5,000-metre mountain in the middle of nowhere, a hiking watch can be an actual lifesaver and can help you plan your survival situation by increasing your chances of getting spotted and rescued.
