Outdoor activities such as trekking and hiking can be a calming experience away from noisy cities and one of the fun activities to stay fit. The best wearables can not only help track your health vitals such as heart rate, oxygen levels (SpO2)/VO2 Max, and stress and sleep levels but also help you track your trails while running with the built-in GPS. Most smartwatches made for trekking also come with a barometer/altimeter to let you track altitude pressures and altitude levels — a vitally helpful feature when you’re mountain climbing or hiking through elevated areas. You can also use smartwatches for getting sedentary reminders, setting alarms, and tracking steps. You can also select through a range of available exercise modes to better track your fitness goals and better track related health data for better health analysis. A good wearable also comes with a long battery life so you can go the extra mile while trekking without worrying about running out of battery.
That said, wearable manufacturers target these smartwatches/wearables for different users with various fitness tracking needs. You need to consider the use cases and select the wearables that meet your lifestyle/fitness needs. This is where we make it easy for you to select the best smartwatches for yourself with the below list. The list includes popular wearables from top manufacturers such as Samsung, Apple, Garmin, and more. So, without further ado, let’s get started with our list of the best wearables for trekking.
Things to consider before buying wearables for trekking
- Health and fitness feature: Make sure the smartwatch/fitness tracker comes with a wide range of sports modes/exercise modes so you can track your favorite fitness activities. And since we are talking about trekking here, ensure the wearable comes with GPS, barometer/altimeter, and other sensors to better track your trekking or hiking. Further, ensure that the wearable comes with sensors to measure health vitals such as heart rate, blood oxygen levels (SpO2)/VO2 Max, sleep quality, stress levels, and more.
- Durability: Since wearables are worn all the time, including when you’re working out in the gym, you should ensure they come with higher levels of IP ratings to ensure they don’t malfunction when coming into contact with sweat and water. Additionally, see if the wearable features an ATM rating to let you take the device to swimming pools and surfing, and other water-related fitness activities. A minimum of a 5ATM rating is a must in this case.
- Comfort: Always ensure the wearable comes with comfortable straps that are breathable and can wick the excess sweat so the straps don’t irritate when you wear the device for long hours. Some wearables also come with interchangeable straps so you can wear the one that suits your style. In this case, ensure wearable has a wide range of straps to choose from.
- Battery life: The battery life of a wearable is important. Always ensure that the wearable offers a long battery life so that the battery doesn’t run out in the middle of your trekking or tracking your fitness activities.
Best wearables for trekking
Garmin Fenix 7X Sapphire Solar Multisport Premium GPS Watch
Garmin is quite popular for its fitness wearables. And true to its name, the Garmin Fenix 7X Sapphire Solar Multisport is a premium offering from the company for fitness enthusiasts. It comes in a 51mm case with a stylish titanium DLC and a metal band. Further, the wearable is built to withstand thermal, shock, and water — perfect for outdoor fitness enthusiasts. It sports a 1.4-inch display that helps the device charge via the sunlight for longer battery life. The watch is touch-enabled and has buttons on the sides for easier navigation.
Garmin Fenix 7X Sapphire Solar Multisport comes with detailed maps and route information and a built-in multiband GNSS to let you trek or hike easily. It also gets more than 40 built-in sports apps. Further, it can also display sunrise/sunset timings and weather status along with critical information from a range of sensors including an altimeter, barometer, three-axis electronic compass, and more so you can focus on your trekking. Interestingly, the watch also gets a built-in multi-LED flashlight to let you navigate hiking routes easily at nighttimes.
The smartwatch also comes with sensors to track your daily activities, calories, sleep quality, and more. You can also track other health vitals such as blood oxygen, respiration rate, energy levels, and more. It also has a women’s health tracker that can track periods and pregnancy. There is a VO2 max and BMI tracker as well. The Garmin Fenix 7X Sapphire Solar Multisport also gets second-by-second health vitals tracking for up to two minutes and a real-time stamina tracker as well. Further, you can also connect the watch to the Garmin Connect app, which lets you create routes and mark points such as water stations, medical stations, and other route data on the map so you can better plan your hiking or trekking routes.
Suunto 9 Peak
If you want something a little more compact then the Suunto 9 Peak is another excellent choice. The Suunto 9 Peak’s build features a thin, compact, and lightweight design featuring sapphire glass and grade 5 titanium so the watch can withstand tough conditions. In fact, the company is so confident that it claims its premium watch is the most durable smartwatch it has ever built. The sleek Suunto 9 Peak comes with more than 80 sports modes — whether trail running, hiking, or doing any other fitness activity the watch helps you can track it all. The wearable lasts up to 25 hours on a full charge even when the GPS is turned on. Otherwise, with typical usage, you get up to 7 days of backup with 24/7 activity tracking and mobile notifications turned on. You also get fast charging capabilities with the wearable charging from zero to 100 percent within 1 hour.
It gets a barometric altitude meter, route navigation, and sports-specific heat maps with the Suunto app. Further, it also gets music controls to let you easily control the music on the go without ever taking out the phone while running and hiking. Moreover, the watch can also display sunrise/sunset times, storm alarms, sea level pressure, barometric/altimeter profile, temperature details, and more so you have all the important data available at-a-glance while trekking. Further, you also get sleep tracking and blood oxygen level tracking on the watch. Finally, Suunto 9 Peak also gets a 100-meter water resistance for added durability while doing intense workouts.
Apple Watch Ultra GPS + Cellular
The premium Apple Watch Ultra comes in a sleek 49mm titanium case that is rugged, water resistant, and conforms to MIL-STD 810H for added durability. It gets up to 36 hours of battery life on a full charge and up to 60 hours in power-saving mode. It has a built-in dual-band GPS for accurate location tracking. The side of the watch gets a customizable Action Button, which lets you control a workout or start a dive, and easily mark compass waypoints and more. The Apple Watch Ultra also gets an Always‑On Retina display with a peak brightness of 2,000 nits for easy legibility in direct sunlight. Further, it gets a temperature sensor, sleep tracking, and blood oxygen monitor, as well as a built-in ECG feature to track heartbeat and rhythm. In addition, you also get a heart health notification feature that notifies high or low or irregular heart rhythms.
Apple Watch Ultra also includes safety features such as Crash detection, Fall detection, and an Emergency SOS feature, which automatically captures your current location and communicates it to emergency services in case of emergencies. This variant of the Apple Watch Ultra also comes with cellular connectivity to let you call and text all you want with 18 hours of battery life when using LTE services. Further, the watch also lets you stream music and lets you control the playback with the built-in Siri smart assistance. Moreover, You can also browse and install tens of thousands of apps from the App Store for extended functionality. The Apple Watch Ultra is good for diving and gets EN13319 international diving accessory certification as well.
POLAR Grit X Pro Titan
POLAR Grit X Pro Titan is yet another feature-packed smartwatch that is an excellent option for hiking and trekking, trail running, and other outdoor fitness activities. It comes in a lightweight design profile featuring a high-strength aerospace titanium bezel and scratch-resistant sapphire glass. The POLAR Grit X Pro Titan comes with Polar Precision Prime OHR technology for accurate heart rate tracking. It has a 7-day-long battery life per full charge with up to 40 hours of battery backup while using GPS and HR features. You also get turn-by-turn navigation (powered by Komoot) and elevation profiles to help with long hiking and trekking. Further, there is also a trackback feature that guides you to the starting point for added convenience while hiking. Add to that, you also get additional tracking-related fitness sports profiles for trail running and mountain biking. In addition, the lightweight FKM FLuoroelastiomer wristband features perforated leather to offer a comfortable fit for long hours. The watch can handle extreme weather conditions and features up to 100-meter water resistance and is MIL-STD-810Gmilitary-grade certified as well for added durability assurance.
Coros Vertix Adventure
Coros Vertix Adventure is next on our list of best smartwatches for trekking and it is also one of the most recommended ones by users. The watch comes in a rugged build featuring a titanium frame and bezel that also gives the smartwatch a sleek, premium look. It has a built-in GPS to track location and gives up to 60 hours of battery life on a single full charge. Otherwise, you can expect up to 45 days of battery life with typical usage. Coros Vertix Adventure also features up to 150-meter water resistance and has sapphire glass to protect from scratches. Further, the watch is built to withstand extreme weather conditions. It also gets a 24/7 heart rate monitor and altitude acclimation assistance. There is an enhanced digital knob for easy navigation while hiking. The watch also recommends recovery by analyzing your training, performance, and loads so you can quickly get back to your regular fitness regimens the next day. Overall, if you want a well-rounded premium smartwatch for trekking and fitness tracking, the Coros Vertix Adventure is one of the best options available on the market.
Garmin Instinct 2 Solar
The Garmin Instinct 2 Solar is a rugged trekking smartwatch that comes with multiple global navigation satellite systems such as GPS, Glonass, and Galileo for an accurate navigation experience. You also get TracBack Routing, temperature tracking, and altitude acclimation data while trekking through high mountains. Sports such as surfing become much easier with Garmin Instinct 2 Solar with the kitesurfing and SUP modes. The watch makes it easy to find nearly key surf spots, tide, and surf conditions to ensure the perfect location and conditions so you can have an enjoyable surfing experience. And while surfing, the watch also helps capture detailed analysis of each surfing session such as wave time, distance, speed, wave count, and heart rate data. The Garmin Instinct 2 Solar has a 100-meter water resistance, thermal and shock resistance for a tough build to withstand harsh weather conditions.
Furthermore, the Garmin Instinct 2 Solar also gives you the ability to create personalized watch faces with the help of Connect IQ. Further, when connected to compatible smartphones you can receive smart notifications with the help of Connect IQ. Garmin Instinct 2 Solar also gets a range of built-in sports modes to track your fitness including running, biking, swimming, strength training, and more. It also gives you VO2 Max data. Add to that, it also gets a 3-axis compass and barometric altimeter for easy navigation and altitude measurement, respectively. Finally, Garmin Instinct 2 Solar also gets solar charging to extend the overall battery backup you get on a full charge.
Apple Watch Series 8 GPS + Cellular
The Apple Watch Series 8 GPS + Cellular is an overall better choice if you want a sleek smartwatch for everyday needs that can also thoroughly track your fitness data. The Apple Watch Series 8 GPS + Cellular is more affordable and comes with an all-day battery life claim, along with a bunch of fitness tracking sensors. It also has a temperature sensor for deeper analysis into women’s health along with an advanced ECG sensor for detailed insights into your heart health vitals. Further, the watch also gives you detailed sleep quality stats with the sleep tracker and gets an on-demand blood oxygen data tracker as well. Apple is also including an enhanced Workout app that gathers advanced workout metrics as well as suggests better ways to train so you can achieve your fitness goals more easily.
The Apple Watch Series 8 also gets cellular connectivity to let you call and text right from the wrist and lets you easily stream your favorite music or tune into podcasts and listen to your favorite audiobooks. There is a built-in Crash detection feature for safety. And as the name suggests, you also get a built-in GPS for location tracking. The Apple Watch Series 8 also lets you install tens of thousands of apps from App Store for a more feature-rich software experience. You also get access to customizable watch faces for a more personalized experience.
Casio Pro Trek PRG-30-5DR
The Casio Pro Trek PRG-30-5DR is a budget smartwatch for trekking and hiking and other outdoor sports. The watch comes with Triple Sensor measurements to provide the most important data while trekking. It has a temperature sensor, barometer/altimeter sensor, and a digital compass. The watch can also display time from across 31 different time zones with city codes and daylight saving indicators. The watch also makes it easy to get sunrise and sunset timing for any specific date. The watch also has up to 100 meters of water resistance and can better handle low temperatures for an improved wearable lifespan.
Casio Pro Trek (PRG-30-5DR) is lightweight and comfortable to wear for long hours. Further, the watch also has a Touch Solar battery recharging feature to ensure vital information, including important functions such as alarms, stopwatches, and measurement functions remain available all the time. The watch also has the names of the important functions marked on the bezel for easy navigation. Casio has also ensured improved accessibility on the watch with bolder fonts in the interface. All these features make Casio Pro Trek (PRG-30-5DR) one of the best budget smartwatches for trekking.
Amazfit T-Rex 2 Premium
The Amazfit T-Rex 2 Premium is one of the best value-for-money smartwatches on this list. It comes with a 1.39-inch HD AMOLED always-on display for crisp visuals. It has a MIL-STD-810G for durability. The watch supports a wide range of global navigation satellite systems such as GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, BeiDou, and QZSS for better location tracking accuracy. It gets a compass and barometric altimeter to help better navigate routers while hiking. The watch can also help track a wide range of strength training exercises. Further, the watch shows the specific muscles used while strength training and analyzes health vitals such as VO2 Max, full recovery time, training load, and training effect for better strength training with the Zepp app. Moreover, you can also measure up to four important health metrics (heart rate, blood-oxygen saturation, stress level, and breathing rate) with just a single tap so you can instantly get an overall understanding of your body’s health.
There are more than 150 sports modes to choose from. The Amazfit T-Rex 2 Premium runs on the Zepp OS for a feature-rich and intuitive software experience. It also gets support for third-party apps including more than 10+ mini apps, Home Connect, GoPro app, and more. Finally, the Amazfit T-Rex 2 Premium comes with 24-day-long battery life on a full charge so you can keep your fitness exercises going for as long as you want.
Timex Expedition Shock XL
Timex Expedition Shock XL is last on our list of best smartwatches for trekking. This one comes in a sleek 50mm round case resembling a traditional watch. The watch is shock resistant and features mineral glass for scratch resistance. It features water resistance up to 200 meters, making it perfect for marine activities such as surfing. It has a stopwatch, countdown timer, vibration, and alarm feature. It has a digital dial that displays hours, minutes, seconds, and dates along with the days of the week. It has a 22mm strap for a comfortable fit and gets a 100-hour chronograph and a 24-hour countdown timer as well. Further, the Timex Expedition Shock XL features 24-hour military time mode and gets compatibility with three time zones. It also lets your set occasion reminders and hydration timers. And lastly, you’re also getting Timex’s durability promise for a long wearable lifespan.
For all the latest Technology News Click Here
For the latest news and updates, follow us on Google News.
