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by randomfool 1360 days ago
Not using your Garmin for hiking is very surprising.

Primary reason is that tracking position for the duration drains battery where Garmin can do 50hrs of it. This gives me a .gpx file of the route for future reference and passing to friends.

Second is that while tracking it's 10x easier to check current distance and elevation on a watch vs phone. I head out with a list of mileage for every notable waypoint (water, turns, elevation of passes, etc). I'm constantly checking this and only if I'm questioning my route do I pull out my phone.

Weight: Fenix is heavy- 945 is better, Coros Pace 2 even better.
2 comments
ghaff 1359 days ago
Maybe I got a lemon but after taking way too long to conclude this was the case, the Fenix 5 just never gave me correct distances and I gave up on using it. Tried all the usual setting changes.

For a day hike, my Apple Watch 3 is adequate but battery life is a bit marginal. I assume the Ultra will be sufficiently better that day hikes (which is mostly what I do) will be fine.

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jojule 1359 days ago
Location on Fenix 5 is quite inaccurate compared to Fenix 7 or Ultra - especially with tree cover.
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ghaff 1359 days ago
I mean my Apple Watch 3 is spot-on compared to the Fenix 5 which could be off by double-digit percentages. I found the Fenix 5 was pretty accurate on straight paths. But, yeah, tree cover, switchbacking up hills, etc. really threw it off.

I totally get all the arguments in favor of the Fenix 7 or related. It's really a question IMO of whether you want a mostly dedicated watch for relatively hardcore outdoor activities or if you want an Apple Watch and its ecosystem to do routine day-to-day smartwatch things while also doing a lot of outdoor activities better than prior Apple Watches though probably not overall as well as a dedicated device.

I was sort of on the fence prior to the latest announcement but, for me, the Ultra seems the pretty clear choice.

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zimpenfish 1359 days ago
> Garmin can do 50hrs of it.

Isn't that in UltraTrac mode though which is essentially useless (based on my experience using it with my Fenix 5, anyway)?

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goosedragons 1359 days ago
The newer Fenixs can do 50 hours of regular GPS mode. Not even including solar.
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