The Garmin GPS Watch That Serious Outdoor People Swear By

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They say a broken watch is right two times a day, but a rugged Garmin outdoor watch with GPS capabilities? It promises to be right all the time. With its location features, suggested workouts, in-depth health tracking and a battery that can go up to 28 days between charges, this watch is becoming a favorite of trail hikers, construction workers, folks in the military and others who spend extensive time outdoors and/or exposed to extreme temperatures. In fact, a ton of reviewers claim they like this baby more than the Apple alternative.

A rugged outdoor watch, Garmin’s Instinct model is ideal for nature lovers and fitness fanatics alike. With its long-lasting battery, you can keep it on as you sleep to track your body and health 24/7. And it uses GPS, GLONASS and Galileo satellite systems to help you find your locations even when you’re off the grid, and lets you set a mark for your camp, car, trailhead or other area of interest to help you find your way in the woods.

The watch will receive notifications from your Apple or Android phone, allowing you to see calls, texts, emails and alerts, and has its own app store letting you set your own interface and download whatever apps you want (like Starbucks or Spotify) right to your wrist. It comes with the specific Garmin cable you need to charge it. And while it doesn’t have a touch screen, it does have control buttons on the watch itself and can connect with your smartphone or other Bluetooth devices.

You can even bring it with you in all elements as it’s water-rated to 100 meters, is thermal-, shock- and scratch-resistant and has a fiber-reinforced polymer case to keep it protected when you’re hiking, camping, mountain biking, trail running or skiing. It also has an incident-detection feature that will send out alerts to your contacts automatically in the event of an emergency. And if you’re looking to spend extended time in the outdoors or just want even more battery life, you’ll want to grab the solar version, which extends its battery life via solar power.

Gym rats will love the built-in workout features including pre-made workouts for HIIT or skiing, as well at fitness tracking that will show your metrics and remind you to take recovery time. The watch can also track your stress level, heart rate, energy, blood oxygen level and menstrual cycle.

With a 4.7 overall rating on Amazon, the Garmin Instinct is a clear fan favorite for outdoor smart watches. Get one today and see where it takes you.

“So far I’m impressed by how rugged this watch is. It is not a touch screen, and I’m still learning how to navigate all the features, but it does allow you to upload a gpx file of your desired trail and that makes navigation on the mountain a great deal easier.” — Travis

“My husband loved this watch! He wanted an Apple Watch, but he does work in intense temperatures, and where he’s exposed to different elements. Being in the military, this watch is perfect since he barely has time to sleep somedays, much less charge his watch! He goes almost three weeks between charges, and never worked about cracking the screen. It still has the same functions he desired from the Apple Watch with added benefits.” — Jace

“I needed a fitness watch that would keep track of not only steps but also walking and running sessions. It does all of this and more. I haven’t even scratched the surface of what it can do. The Connect mobile app does a good job of capturing all activity and presenting it in a orderly manner. It’s pretty intuitive and not overdone, very well laid out and easy to navigate. The price point was not too bad either. So far I’m happy with it.” — kbb

“I bought this watch over a year ago. I work construction and am very very hard on wristwatches. This watch is worth every penny. It’s tough, durable, and the battery is amazing. In all reality you could go nearly a month between charges. I typically go 20+ days between charges. The face itself has no scratches, but after a year + of daily wear the bezel is showing some slight signs of wear and scratches, but none on the face itself. For the money, it’s perfect.” — Amazon customer

“I work in extreme environments and climates. From freezing to burning. My apple watch always stressed me out because it would die continually and fail to operate when I needed it to. This is a great watch.” — Doug

Staff Writer

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