A good hiking watch not just display the time and date, but offers the hiker with many useful information such as location, altitude, sunrise and sunset times, air pressure and so on.
This in turn will aid you with better weather prediction, navigation as well as planning. Those watches which are having hiking specific features are really popular. There are many makers which have come up with watches combining useful technology without compromising the design section.
This selection may include watches that are equipped with and without GPS.
More...
Quick Comparison: Top Hiking Watches
**Below, you'll find our expert's reviews, but you can also click the links above to see current prices or read customer reviews on Amazon.
What to Look for While Buying Hiking Watches?
If you are looking for an easy way to keep tracking your routes and navigate easily while on trails, choosing the best hiking watches will help you make things easier.
Forget about the old school compass, notepads and maps. Now, with the advancements in the technology, there are lots of makers who have come up with wide ranges of collections ranging from low end to higher ones.
But how do you pick one for your needs? Don’t worry; we will walk you through the essential factors which you should consider while choosing the best hiking watch for you.
Features
A good hiking watch will hold many special features which the normal ones don’t have. Most often they will be equipped with GPS, barometer, water resistant, an altimeter, wi-fi connectivity, a compass and a thermometer.
Make sure that you check all the major elements before buying a particular model.
Durability
Hiking watches features robust cases as well as straps which are highly durable. Some of the watches for hiking are made out of Sapphire glass lenses for providing higher resistance against the scratches. However, they are comparatively more expensive.
GPS
Majority of the hiking watches support GPS since this is the best solution for all your tracking and navigation issues. It helps you in getting the coordinates of your present location instantly without much effort.
In addition to this, it shows the right distance, descent, ascent, current speed and other information based on the GPS.
Heart Rate Monitor
There are certain hiking watches which show and also record your heart rate. This special feature is handy throughout your hiking trips and will let you maintain a pace while hiking.
Design and Style
Majority of the hiking watches blend well with business as well as casual wears and hence one can use it for everyday use as well.
If you are really choosy regarding the style and design element, then take a look on the face size as well. Choose the one which is less plastic and has got a design which is of low profile.
Price
The price difference between the low and high ends models is somewhat big. Usually, those watches which comes with GPS costs a bit high than those without it.
Hence if you are fine with using a compass and a map for your navigation needs, then you can save a lot of money here while maintaining all the other features.
How to Clean Hiking Watches?
It is highly important to clean your watch strap properly for maintaining it with great looks and so clean it regularly. Clean it after each hike as the dust, dirt, sweat and many other factors will get accumulated in the straps and will result in odors, stains, wear and tear.
For avoiding these and for maintaining the life of your hiking watch, follow the below mentioned steps. The first and the most important step are to check for the instructions mentioned on the label by the manufacturer for cleaning the hiking watches.
After each hike, wipe the band of your hiking watch with a dry cloth. This will help to absorb the moisture content completely which is trapped in between your skin and the band.
Once this is done, scrub the band with soap and water, if the maker recommends. Else wipe it with a wet cloth. Don’t ever immerse it inside water. The final step is to condition the watch strap with some conditioners which are strictly recommended for this purpose.
Review of some of the Best Hiking Watches
Rating | Product | Our Rating | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
1 | |||
2 | |||
3 | |||
4 | |||
5 | |||
6 | |||
7 | |||
8 | |||
9 | |||
10 |
Our Recommendation
Suunto Traverse
The Suunto Traverse hiking watch is well popular among the hikers owing to its attractive design and top-rated features. The Suunto Traverse is well equipped with various features such as vibration alerts, flashlight backlight, GLONASS navigation as well as step counter.
It also contains an altimeter, a barometer, a thermometer and a digital compass. Since it has Bluetooth facility, you can even connect it with the Smartphone and manage the settings directly through phone. This hiking watch is available in textile or silicone straps and also has Sapphire glass lens.
Suunto Traverse
Pros
Cons
Suunto Ambit3 Peak HR Running GPS Unit
The Suunto Ambit 3 hiking watch provides advanced functionality as well as durability. The watch has got a user-friendly interface. It is equipped with features like GPS, altimeter, barometer, thermometer and compass.
Navigation using this smart watch is really easy since the GPX routes and the waypoints can be easily imported from the Suunto Movescount app to the watch. It can also track the total distance and find out the route back to your starting point.
It is Bluetooth-compatible and hence can be connected to a Smartphone easily. Some of them even come with Sapphire glass lenses.
Pros
Cons
Foot Note!!!
All the hiking and outdoor adventure lovers can now enjoy their trails with the ultimate technology incorporated within the hiking watches.
The watches which are listed in this review comes with compass, altimeter and barometer and hence keep in mind that these are the basic and the most essential factors to be considered while buying a watch for your hiking needs.
Since new models are being released every day, keep a track on it for getting the best and the most useful model for you.
image credit: amazon.com, amazon.in