Best hiking and outdoor watches for adventurers and ultra runners

People who love hiking, trail running, and the great outdoors need a reliable GPS watch - and one that features decent battery life.

And as well as tracking off-piste adventures, they can also be great safety tools. Thanks to the likes of Garmin, Suunto, and Polar, and newcomers like Coros, there's a wealth of great devices to choose from.

• Learn: How to add GPX routes to your Garmin watch
• Buy: Best Garmin sports watches for your needs

If you're into hiking, ultrarunning, skiing, trail running, or wild swimming, outdoor watches can measure the altitude and speed of your downhills, offer GPX guidance, and track multi-day jaunts.

Buying the right outdoor watch is mostly about avoiding features you don't need. Long battery life is great, but you don't need 100 hours of GPS tracking to do a 10K trail run.

Those involved in multi-stage races with insane elevations, on the other hand, will likely require every iota of battery life and detail.

We have extensively tested every sports and smartwatch on the market – and here are our picks of the best hiking and outdoor GPS watches for every budget and need.

Summary: Our top outdoor watch picks

• Best outdoor watch: Garmin Fenix 7 – Full review

The Garmin Fenix 7 has the best mix of tracking features, full mapping support, and a level of battery life that will keep you covered for potentially weeks of outdoor time.

• Best outdoor watch for maps: Garmin Epix (Gen 2) – Full review

If you can afford to spend more than a Fenix and like the idea of a color screen that does elevate the mapping experience and offer the same level of tracking with a drop in battery life, then the Epix is the one to go for.

• Best cheap outdoor watch: Amazfit T-Rex 2  – Full review

The T-Rex 2 offers real-time breadcrumb navigation, and the ability to upload and follow routes plus gives you a great color touchscreen and a battery life that's capable of going the distance when you do.

Outdoor watch key considerations

Design

Big watches should see an upgrade in the robustness of the device and offer room for more sensors and a bigger capacity battery – but at the sacrifice of comfort.

A smaller and lighter watch may be better suited to anyone that's planning to turn to it for a speedier outdoor time like trail runs or ultra runs where every extra gram of weight matters.

If you're planning to use it for high-velocity water sports such as surfing, opt for a watch with a 100m waterproof rating as opposed to the standard 50m.

Mapping

One of the big reasons many turn to a dedicated outdoor watch as opposed to a standard multisport watch.

Some watches will also allow you to upload maps and routes to the watch by first uploading them to a companion app and then syncing them over.

Check the type of file formats that are supported. The key one here is GPX, which is one of the most common mapping file formats.

Other watches will offer full maps preloaded onto the watch already. Garmin's top-end outdoor watches offer TOPO-style maps that are either preloaded or downloadable depending on the model.

That means you'll be able to see rich levels of mapping data on your watch screen as opposed to a simple line directing you, which we'll get into next.

Navigation

Most good outdoor watches will offer the ability to follow routes on the watch with simple breadcrumb navigation.

So you're following a line on the screen that will nudge you in the right direction.

You should look for that breadcrumb navigation and features that guide you back to your starting point as desirable features to have at your disposal.

Battery life

The key here is GPS battery life. While most outdoor watch-makers will primarily express battery performance in smartwatch terms of typical usage terms, when you're using that watch to track, these are the numbers you want to know about.

Some watches offer different GPS battery life numbers based on offering the option to reduce the accuracy of that GPS tracking to improve battery performance.

These power-saving modes will make sure you have good data for expeditions where you might need to spend multiple days tracking and don't have the facilities during that time to charge.

Apple Watch Ultra

Wareable

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Apple Watch Ultra's key specs and features

• 49mm case size
• Multi-band GPS
• Digital Crown and extra button designed for use with gloves
• 36-hour battery, 12 hours of GPS
• Apple Pay
• App Store
• 100m water resistance and suitable for diving

Apple's all-new smartwatch is pitched as an outdoor partner, and it's certainly got the credentials.

The 49mm Ultra is a different beast from the mainstream Apple Watch, with a sturdy reinforced case, 100m water resistance, multi-band GPS, dive computer, and an all-new compass app that can navigate to waypoints.

Pound-for-pound, it can't touch the likes of the Garmin Fenix for outdoor prowess. The main misses are battery life, which has been upped to 2-3 days (with around 12 hours of GPS tracking) but pales in comparison to the 40-odd hours of multiband promised by top Garmins.

And we couldn't help but miss native GPX navigation, although there's a whole App Store of options to plug feature gaps like that.

But the Apple Watch Ultra is certainly no flop. It's an incredible smartwatch for weekend warriors, day hikers, and trail runners, who will make use of the standard Apple Watch features when they're not conquering the wilderness.

But most of all, we love the macho design, that finally adds some personality to the Apple Watch collection.

• Read our full Apple Watch Ultra review

Garmin Fenix 7

Wareable

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Garmin Fenix 7 key specs and features

• Comes in multiple designs and finishes
• Multi-continent Topoactive maps
• Multi-band mode
• Tracks skiing, hiking, mountain biking, surfing
• Touchscreen display
• 18-22 days smartwatch battery, 10 hours-74 days GPS battery life
• Garmin Pay and music player
• Waterproof up to 100 meters

If you want the best new outdoor watches that deliver the best mapping experience out there, then the Fenix 7 series is what you need on your wrist.

It's pricier than most other watches, but whether you go for the Fenix 7 (pictured), 7S, or the 7X, you're getting a more typical Garmin transflective display now with touchscreen capabilities along with a rich array of sports and activity modes including hiking, climbing, and skiing.

Like the Fenix 6, you're getting a similar rugged look, with the option to pay more for a tougher Power Sapphire lens, which still gives you a more substantial solar battery boost than the 6. The Fenix 7X we tested is capable of delivering up to 28 days in smartwatch mode (or 37 days with solar), 89 hours of GPS battery life (122 hours with solar), and 62 days (139 days with solar) in Expedition GPS mode.

You're still getting full-color Topo maps, with multi-continent maps either preloaded or downloaded. Beyond the standard 7 series models, you'll have access to multi-band GNSS support to increase outdoor tracking accuracy in more typically problematic satellite coverage areas.

There's the ability to upload maps and use turn-by-turn navigation and back-to-the-start features, while new features like real-time stamina aim to give you a better sense of how far you can train or run.

The 7X also exclusively includes an LED flashlight, to give you a visibility boost with the choice of white and red light options to pick from.

If you want an outdoor watch that's great to look at maps on, helps you navigate your way, and give you heaps of battery life, this is the one you want. The Fenix 7 or 7S will likely serve most people best, but if you want the best and the biggest, it's the 7X you want.

• Reviews: Garmin Fenix 7 | Garmin Fenix 7X | Garmin Fenix 7S
  

Garmin Forerunner 965

Wareable

Check price: Buy Garmin Forerunner 965

Garmin Forerunner 965 key specs and features

• AMOLED touchscreen display
• Multi continent Topoactive maps
• Multi-Band GPS/GNSS tracking
• Detailed tracking for running, cycling, triathlon, and other sports modes included
• 7 days in always-on mode, 20 hours of GPS battery life
• Garmin Pay and music player
• Waterproof up to 5ATM

The most premium of Garmin's Forerunner models, the 965 is the perfect option for those who don't require the heft of the Epix 2/Fenix 7 range - or don't want anything to do with the price tag.

It's still a considerably expensive watch, but the move over to an AMOLED display in the latest generation means the built-in mapping and navigation are much improved over the last-gen Forerunner 955. 

With the touchscreen support also included, we like to think of this one as a mini Epix 2 - it still offers all the premium training features, superb battery life, and smart features like offline music playback, but in a package that's much more lightweight.

You're not missing out on any mapping features, either. You get the same key ABC sensors (altimeter, barometer, and compass) powering turn-by-turn navigation, Garmin's extremely accurate Multi-Band GNSS/GPS tracking, and 32GB of internal storage to help store all those maps.

We should note that we do have a slight reservation about the Forerunner 965 as a pure outdoor device, however. 

We've found in testing (and detail this more in our full review) that the display and titanium bezel isn't as durable or hard-wearing as the display or case present in the Fenix/Epix, so keep this in mind if your outdoor excursions can get a little rugged. 

Everything else makes it a superb option, so it's still certainly one to consider - especially if you aren't fussy about dings and scratches, or plan on protecting it with a couple of third-party accessories. 

• Read our full Garmin Forerunner 965 review

Garmin Instinct Solar 2

Wareable

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Garmin Instinct Solar 2 key specs and features

• Comes in solar and standard models
• Upload routes and breadcrumb navigation
• Heart rate and Pulse Ox sensor
• Safety and tracking features
• Rich tracking modes
• 28 days-unlimited battery in smartwatch mode, 30 hours-unlimited in GPS battery
• Garmin Pay and Connect IQ store support
• Waterproof up to 100 meters

The Garmin Instinct 2 packs in a lot of the same hiking features found on Garmin's Fenix series watches, but for substantially less money. If you opt for the solar edition as well, and you spend enough time outdoors with it, you're going to enjoy seriously big battery life for your adventures too.

The Instinct 2 is an excellent outdoors watch and cheaper at $349/£299. Adding in solar pushes the price up to $449/£329, but outside of Garmin's PowerGlass lens, offers the same features as the regular Instinct 2.

The Instinct's biggest miss over the likes of the Fenix 7 and Vertix 2 is mapping features, but you do get course navigation of uploaded GPX routes, elevation data, storm alerts, and TrackBack (for following waypoints back to your starting location).

There's a heart rate monitor on board that should be good enough for your big treks, Garmin's Pulse Ox sensor to aid trekking and training at altitude, and now offers all of the training analysis available on Garmin's Forerunner watches.

Garmin has now added full Connect IQ Store access and Garmin Pay to make it a better smartwatch but does still lack a built-in music player

When it comes to battery life, the Instinct 2 offers a significant jump in performance compared to the original Instinct and Instinct Solar. You're now getting 28 days in smartwatch mode and 30 hours of GPS battery. That's boosted when you factor in that solar support, which can technically help the watch enjoy unlimited battery.

Garmin also offers Surf, Tactical, and Camo versions of the Instinct 2 for some added tracking support. Though for most, the Instinct 2 should offer enough to make it a good outdoor watch companion.

• Read our full Garmin Instinct 2 review | Instinct Solar review
  

Garmin Epix (Gen 2)

Wareable

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Garmin Epix (Gen 2) key specs and features

• AMOLED touchscreen display
• Multi continent Topoactive maps
• Multi-band mode
• Tracks the likes of skiing, hiking, trail running, mountain biking, surfing
• 6-16 days in smartwatch mode, 10 hours-14 days GPS battery life
• Garmin Pay and music player
• Waterproof up to 100 meters

If you like the idea of having a Fenix-style watch but would rather have a color touchscreen instead of Garmin's usual transflective one, then the new Epix will give you that.

It only comes in one size, but matches the 47mm case of the Fenix 7 and plants a bright AMOLED display in the middle, which is perfectly suited to mapping and navigation.

Like the Fenix 7 series, you're getting all of the same outdoor tracking modes and those key ABC (altimeter, barometer, and compass) sensors and features like turn-by-turn navigation, multi-continent Topo map, and the multi-band GNSS support to offer superior outdoor tracking accuracy.

You're getting an array of smartwatch features here too, including Garmin Pay and a music player to pile on tunes for offline use. You can also connect additional sensors like an external heart rate monitor if you yearn for more accurate heart rate data during more intense treks.

It won't give you the same level of battery life as the Fenix or the Enduro (below), but you can still get an impressive 16 days in smartwatch mode, or 6 days when the screen is in always-on mode. It's up to 42 hours in GPS mode and 21 days in battery saver mode.

You'll get a great outdoor watch with the best of Garmin's tracking features plus a vibrant color display, which offers strong visibility outdoors and doesn't drain the battery.

• Read our full Garmin Epix (Gen 2) review
  

Coros Vertix 2

Wareable

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Coros Vertix 2 key specs and features

• Works with Strava, Komoot, TrainingPeaks, and more
• Preloaded landscape maps and downloadable Topo regional maps
• 1.4-inch screen
• Dual-band mode for improved outdoor tracking accuracy
• ECG sensor to measure HRV
• 32GB music player and GoPro/Insta 360 camera controls
• 60 days battery in daily use, 50-240 hours GPS battery life
• Waterproof up to 100 meters

With an incredible 140-hour full GPS battery life, the Coros Vertix 2 offers serious levels of stamina to take on what you'll get from Garmin's top-end Fenix 7 series watch.

With such colossal battery life, it's aimed at multi-day trekkers, but also ultrarunners and those with a keen interest in performance levels.

The Vertix 2 includes a dual-system GPS, mapping, music, and EvoLab – a powerful new suite of training insights to potentially rival Garmin and Polar.

Like the Apple Watch and the new Fitbits, there’s also an Electrocardiogram (ECG) Sensor in the outer bezel for taking heart rate variability readings. You won’t find that ECG tech on Garmin equivalents, though Coros’ tech is not approved or designed for medical use.

It's cheaper than something like the Garmin Enduro and around the same price as the cheapest Fenix 7 series option.

On paper, the Vertix 2 claims up to 140 hours of GPS battery life and up to 240 hours in UltraMax lower power mode.

Even when you turn on the All Systems GPS with Dual Frequency to squeeze out extra accuracy, you still get 50 hours. However, we didn't see any evidence that the mode added meaningful extra accuracy in our in-depth testing.

Standard GPS usage with music cuts your adventure time to 30 hours and claimed general smartwatch usage is 60 days, with an expedition mode stretching that to 65 days.

In our tests, the Vertix 2 largely lived up to the billing. On rest days, smartwatch usage barely drained 2-3% battery. It took 15 days to burn 50% with training, including more than 10 hours of GPS-tracked workouts, covering a mix of indoor and outdoor sessions. That translates to at least 30 days on a single charge while training an hour a day.

Fitness data includes real-time training load, VO2 Max, pace and intensity guidance in the form of threshold pace and HR estimates, base fitness tracking, ongoing fatigue level, load impact, and recovery time recommendations. It’ll also assess your running performance level and give you a marathon level for benchmarking.

If you’ve got big wrists, deep pockets, and a serious dedication to more serious adventures, this is an indisputably capable multisport tool with a feature set – and a price tag – to rival the leading top-end outdoor watches.

• Read our full Coros Vertix 2 review
  

Garmin Enduro 2

Wareable

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Garmin Enduro 2 key specs and features

• Power glass display for solar charging
• LED torch
• Multiband GNSS support
• SatIQ smart satellite technology
• Tracks the likes of skiing, hiking, trail running, mountain biking
• Mapping and music
• 34-46 days battery in smartwatch mode, 68 hours all systems GNSS battery life
• Grade adjusted pace
• Waterproof up to 100 meters

Garmin recently introduced the Enduro 2, which brings some features that were missing from the first Garmin Enduro.

It's now only available with a titanium case, dropping the bulky and heavy stainless steel option.

It still features the solar PowerGlass display to boost battery life when you're out in the sun.

There's also the addition of an LED torch, which is more powerful than the one featured on the Fenix 7X.

On the tracking front, there's the same gamut of features covering everything from ultra runs to multi-day hikes. It will track rest stops at aid stations, offers ClimbPro analysis of hills on routes, waypoints, and points of interest, trail runs VO2 Max, and full performance and recovery analytics.

Garmin has brought over its multiband GNSS mode from the Fenix, Epix, and latest Forerunners, which will improve outdoor tracking accuracy when a reliable signal around tall buildings or forested areas can be problematic. It's also added SatIQ, a new Garmin technology that will smartly toggle off power-sucking multiband when it's not needed.

There's now a built-in music player and full-color mapping, which was surprisingly missing from the first Enduro and that doesn't come at the expense of battery life.

It offers 110 hours of GPS battery life (150 hours with solar), and 68 hours with All Systems and multiband GNSS mode (81 hours with solar). The expedition mode will cover you for 77 days if you want to go long. In short, this is an outdoor watch for those that stretch the limits of endurance.

Garmin has taken the Enduro and beefed up its battery and tracking skills, you'll just need to spend a big wad of cash to get it on your wrist.

• Read our full Garmin Enduro 2 review

Garmin Fenix 6 series

Wareable

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Garmin Fenix 6 key specs and features

• Comes in standard and solar editions
• Preloaded Topographic maps, real-time breadcrumb navigation
• Tracks running, cycling, swimming (pool and open water) skiing, climbing, and more
• Garmin and Strava Live segments
• 14-16 days smartwatch battery, 36 hours-36 days GPS battery life
• Garmin Pay and music player
• Waterproof up to 100 meters

While the Fenix 7 series might now be on the scene, we don't think you should rule the older Fenix out as an option to grab. Especially if you can find it at a good price.

In true Fenix fashion, it tracks everything from trail running to XC skiing and includes a hiking mode.

For those that are really into fitness, there's heart rate, which feeds into VO2 Max stats for high-intensity sports, with Training Effect and recovery data.

But let's stick to why this watch is the best option for outdoor types. You can upload GPX routes from the Connect app or third-party apps like Strava. You also get so much more data than any other outdoor watch option.

The Fenix 6 Pro uses topographic maps, which adds a whole dimension to wrist-based navigation, and you can even find places of interest straight from the watch. They're the best maps around though navigating your surroundings using the watch's five buttons can take some getting used to.

And battery life is another huge plus. UltraTrac mode offers 42 hours of GPS tracking. That's a weekend of hiking without charging, which is a big plus for multi-day runners or walkers. Switch to Expedition mode and get weeks without charging. The solar edition will also get you a couple of extra days in smartwatch mode too./p>

Whether you go for the Fenix 6S, 6, or 6X, go Pro to get those all-important mapping features and you'll get one of the best outdoor watches in the business. There are also Fenix 6 and 6S Solar versions, which add three days of smartwatch use to the already generous longevity. However, only extreme adventurers will benefit from the upgrade.

The key things you're missing out from the Fenix 7 series are longer battery life with or without solar, touchscreen functionality across the range, more accurate outdoor tracking, and some software features that will likely roll out to the older 6 to help make it still feel like an enhanced outdoor watch option.

• Reviews: Garmin Fenix 6 Pro review | Garmin Fenix 6S review | Garmin Fenix 6X review

Polar Grit X Pro

Wareable

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Polar Grit X Pro key specs and features

• Military-grade design
• FuelWise fuelling recommendations, HillSplitter analytics
• Breadcrumb navigation and upload routes via Komoot
• Running performance tests
• 130 sports profiles
• Nightly recharge measurements
• 7 days in watch mode, 40 hours in GPS battery, and 100hrs in training mode
• Notifications and music controls
• Waterproof up to 100 meters

The Grit X Pro is an upgraded version of the Grit X watch Polar rolled out in 2020, adding features that probably should've appeared on the original to make it an affordable outdoor option to Garmin's top-end outdoor watches.

Polar puts a big focus on endurance and recovery, so major features are things like FuelWise, which enables you to plan your adventure, and Polar works out when and how much you should eat, and reminds you on the go.

We found it worked well, but the reminders were a little easy to miss.

There's sleep tracking with a focus on recovery, which we found outstripped Garmin in terms of accuracy – and running stats and VO2 Max are a big part of the feature set, thanks to the 10-LED array heart rate monitor.

A big part of Polar Grit X is navigation, but this is something that falls compared to Garmin's Fenix series. It's done with a tie-in with the navigation app Komoot, but you need a paid-for account to get useful navigation and it's a pretty simplistic point-to-point interface. While Garmin's TOPO mapping is hardly detailed, it adds a lot of useful detail.

There's a Hillsplitter feature that tracks your ascents and descents and tries to tell you whether you're losing time on the slopes.

In terms of what you're getting over the original Grit X, there's an added trackback feature for navigation and the ability to view route and elevation profiles. Those features seem unlikely to come from the original either.

Polar has also added the three recovery-centric tests from its Vantage V2 watch. That's the leg recovery test along with running and cycling performance tests.

Outdoor watches need good battery life, and that's ticked off here with 40 hours of full GPS tracking that can be extended to 100 hours using power saving.

The Grit X doesn't quite match the Fenix for depth of data and features – especially when you add in that Garmin packs on-wrist music playback from Spotify and Connect IQ apps. However, it resoundingly beats Garmin on price, so unless you're testing the limits of endurance and sports science, the Polar Grit X Pro comes highly recommended.

• Read our Polar Grit X Pro review and Polar Grit X review
  

Amazfit T-Rex 2

Wareable

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Amazfit T-Rex 2 key specs and features

• 150+ sports modes
• Up to 24-day smartwatch battery life
• 26-58 hours GPS battery life
• Dual-band tracking mode
• Real-time breadcrumb trail navigation
• Ability to upload routes
• PeakBeats training insights
• Zepp OS with app store
• Works with Android and iOS
• Waterproof up to 100 meters

Successor to the T-Rex Pro, the T-Rex 2 finally feels like a sports watch that's built for rugged use and worthy of a space on your wrist when spending time out in the great outdoors.

Like the Pro, it features a 47mm case that's now got a whole raft of military toughness certificates and includes a similar high-quality AMOLED touchscreen display that's responsive to touch and offers good viewing angles.

Amazfit has introduced a new dual-band mode that noticeably improves tracking outdoors where it's trickier to get a more reliable signal from one of the five supported satellite systems. You're now also getting the ability to import routes to the watch via the companion phone app, though the functionality wasn't live during our testing. We could use the new real-time breadcrumb navigation, which works as well as it does on other outdoor watches that offer the functionality.

Elsewhere, you're getting over 150 sports modes to pick from with 8 of those activities offering automatic exercise recognition tracking. Amazfit has also included its PeakBeats training insights that offer recovery time, training load, and recovery data primarily powered by the onboard heart rate monitor. That heart rate monitor that's an okay performer but has its inaccurate moments. Unfortunately, you can't pair up an external heart rate sensor to remedy those accuracy issues.

When it comes to battery life, you can expect up to 24 days in smartwatch mode or 10 days in heavy usage. There are now multiple GPS battery modes, so the highest accuracy will get 26 hours, and the power-saving GPS mode will get you 58 hours of tracking.

Unlike the previous T-Rex watches, the T-Rex 2 performs like an outdoor watch and offers big features for less than the competition. If you don't want to spend big and want a good mix of tracking and smartwatch features, this is a strong option.

• Read our full Amazfit T-Rex 2 review
  

Suunto 9 Baro Black

Wareable

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Suunto 9 Baro Black key specs and features

• Over 80 sports modes
• 25-170 hours in GPS battery life
• Military standard design
• Real-time breadcrumb trail navigation
• Follow maps on Suunto app
• Route planning with heat maps
• Storm alerts and sea level pressure data
• Waterproof up to 100 meters

The lack of Suunto watches on this list is largely down to the improved competition. If you do want to go to Suunto and looking for the best option, we'd say opt for the Suunto 9 Baro Black for the best experience.

The multisport GPS watch is waterproof up to 100 meters and has a military standard-tested design and has been tested to hold up in extreme temperatures and withstand drops, humidity, and freezing rain. It covers the five key satellite systems and has an optical heart rate monitor with the ability to pair up external sensors as well. Suunto includes its new FusedAlti technology that combines GPS and barometric data to improve the accuracy of altitude data.

Other outdoor-friendly features include the ability to see sunrise/sunset times on the watch display and receive storm alarms when there's a sudden drop in air pressure. There are also route navigation improvements to help you get to your destination safely and with the best route, with mapping pushed out to the companion app while you can enjoy real-time breadcrumb navigation on the watch and use Suunto's heat maps to find popular adventuring spots.

Like other Suunto watches, it'll track over 80 sports with running, cycling, and swimming being the core modes. Battery life is anywhere from 25 hours to 170 hours with Suunto's intelligent battery mode on board to make sure you have enough power for your next expedition.

• Read our full Suunto 9 review