Garmin - Instinct

As a person who recently switched from Fitbit to Garmin ...go with Garmin. I was with Fitbit for about a decade and my watches never lasted more than a couple years. Picked up a Garmin Instinct recently after a friend told me he has had his for 5 years and still going strong.

Garmin instinct.  Solar version is cool too.   This line has a nice easy to read display.  It's not color. I don't need whiz bang graphics.  It can be set for multiple run modes.  You can actually set one run for a different gps mode.  Plus I have one set for the other pair of shoes.  Run a different gps setting in the walk mode.  Tracks sleep and daily steps well.  Compass mode is awesome and so simple to use.  I turned off vibrate for texts and a few other things.   On full charge it says 22 days remaining.  Perhaps get 5-7 depending on how many runs.   Haven't tried it in ski mode yet. 

Garmin instinct is often with me, only thing I do is turn my watch the other way bc the radiant heat from my stove cooks it and heats my arm up. The max I've seen the sensor say is 113, that's when it's 200+, average is about 104, your body temp will help moderate the watch temp. In the gym saunas is usually more of 108 max on the sensor.  It goes in the hottub with me at 104 as well, garmin just makes solid products.

Instincts are not good for strength in my experience

I think you are in a hard spot here! When someone is serious about something, it is difficult to gift them something about that something. In the same way that you cannot gift a mouse to a software engineer unless it's the Logitech Mx 3 or superior, you cannot gift apparel to a serious runner unless it's something really good. My point is, if you want to gift him a watch, it is difficult to recommend you something that is below $300 or $400. Don't get me wrong, there are a lot of watches out there that cost less and may work. For example, you can buy the Garmin Vivoactive or Instinct for around $200, or the Amazfit T-Rex Pro for $150 (this is a really good watch for the price). However, if he is really serious about trail running, you may have to consider a Garmin Fenix 6 (between $350 and $400 on Amazon) or a Garmin Forerunner 945 (I just saw it at $319 on Amazon). If he is into both road and trail running, the Forerunner may be a good choice, but if he is getting more and more into trail running, the fenix is the best option. Note: You won't get navigation in budget-friendly watches, but I haven't meet a racer that needed it. Generally, the course is marked and people carry their phones (I have offline maps just in case). Note 2: You can save a lot by purchasing the previous-generation model (that's why I recommended fenix 6 and forerunner 945).

I got a Garmin Instinct. It's their more rugged watch for hiking, camping. Etc. I personally like that it has buttons, instead of a touch screen, a black and white display, and looks like an old-school Casio G-shock. The solar ones have extra battery life. Take a look, see if you like the aesthetic... it can be used for all different types of activities... watch is a total beast - it has been going strong for literally years...

As the other comments here say, Forerunner or instinct. It will not give you the equivalent experience to a Samsung watch, as they are sport/activity focused by design. It has all the basic functionality of a smart watch, Bluetooth connection, notification alerts (some just say you have a notification, others will aloow you to read and respond, so do your research). Forerunner is the entry level fitness device, so it may be best for you, and the instinct is a little more 'I just want a watch that's also connected' vibes. The vivosmart is a half step down from the Forerunner, and yes, super basic, will probably be in the category of just letting you know you have a message, but I'm not sure, as I don't have one. Forerunner also has built-in GPS, which vivosmart does not.

Garmin instinct it has all the activity features you want, GPS, HR, multi sport, a 2-3 week battery life while it can show you incoming text messages and other notifications if you want, you can't reply to them directly from the device, or you can just simply turn them off.

its not really a smartwatch, its a fitness tracker, that has some basic smartwatch features, which you can turn off if you want to.

A few things. One is battery life. Some Garmin's have solar charging. But for the one's that don't you can get at least a week of charge if not more depending on the mode it is set in and how infrequently you use GPS. Two is that Garmin's are still fully functional without using the app or connecting to your phone. Sure, you won't get messages pushed to the watch or have the ability to sync metrics, but still it is more of a watch first and connected device second. You can use the Ultra without a phone, too, but this kinda defeats the purpose of the iWatch series and smart watches in general where there are meant to be connection to your phone first and then a watch second. Sleep tracking, if it matters to you, is generally better with Gamin watches. Garmin has also been doing GPS for a really long time. But probably the biggest advantage is that Garmin watches, well nearly all of them, are designed to be used while the user is wearing gloves. Meaning, you can navigate to and do everything by clicking the buttons on the sides even if the model has a touch screen. There is a slight learning curve to this, but once you figure it out it seems rather intuitive. And I dunno. Some of us want something more than a fitness tracker but also not a full-blown, app-centric, always-connected device. This might sound weird, but if you need to use timers, one right after the other, then Gramins win hands down. Some Garmin watches are actually built for the out-of-doors based on the premise that you will scrape the watch on a tree trunk, rock, side of a cliff, on sandy, rocky, bottom if surfing, etc. I have the first model of the Instinct that I still use. It was run over by a semi truck and barely got scratched on the outer casing. Still works like a charm. But probably the biggest benefit is that Garmin is pretty good so far with updating older watches every so often, even though they don't have to. There is no real need to update the watch every 2 - 3 years (I suppose you don't really need to either, with the iWatches, but you know what I mean) other than if you simply want to. If you bought a Fenix 8 today it would still be functional going into 2035 assuming the battery can still hold a decent charge.

I have a garmin - but the stats it gives aren’t that useful for bodybuilding. I’ve had fitbits but they always break after 18 months - I don’t want a smartwatch at all. It does track my heart rate on stationary bike, treadmill and treadmill. It’s relatively good at tracking how long I slept and how well I slept. It tracks steps well enough for me to be able to see when I need “to get out”. The strength app is awful, never tracks reps accurately and is horribly fiddly to use. I went for the instinct - which is a “outdoors man watch” and has other functions that are good for me - altimeter, tides, barometer, storm alerts etc. it’s also built like a tank. My wife can track my location for when I do a trail run or something - which is useful Really for bodybuilding - I am not sure if you need more that a heart rate tracker. If I did it all again I would probably just get a tracker and go back to wearing a normal watch on my left wrist.

Have you noticed a difference in Bluetooth range? My instinct 3 solar was terrible. Maybe 15 feet. Certainly not in another room or around a corner. My Instinct 1, Instinct 2, and especially my older Apple Watch had far better range.

As a long term user of Garmin devices I my suggestion biased towards garmin vivosmart 5. Have used multiple garmin devices over last 15 years and all have been great for activity tracking. Used it so far for steps, cycling, swimming, running, strength training, open water rowing, hiking (My garmin instinct has a 24 day battery life which can do gps tracking for a long 20+ day hike without 2nd charge). Garmin connect is one hub for all my Garmin devices. Tracks activities which in my case currently is gym, steps, swimming, sleep, HR monitoring, O2, body battery (recovery from workouts). Can setup challenges for myself and friends. Have goals and track progress. I don't pay for any premium subscriptions. I would say it can be a bit overwhelming sometimes if you just want a simple health and wellness device. Garmin are built to withstand abuse and for training.

I went from an Instict 1 to a Enduro 3 and can confirm with other comments that the design for the Instinct is certainly the worst of the others for the UI. The Instinct is meant to be more like a Gshock, just smarter, so it is meant to be minimal. The watch face selection by Garmin was mind blowingly awful for me too. I found a lot better selection, and way better customization opportunities from garmin.watchfacebuilder.com. A lot of great pre made ones and it's rather easy to copy an existing watch face and make it what you want. 30 day free trial is a lot of time to create a few and load to your watch. For a 6 day battery life, that is incredibly short. You might have unnecessary tracking turned on maximum or other settings.

Instinct has been amazing for me.

When I first bought my instinct it was because of the battery life. I can go days without charging which allows me to track my sleep and use it as an alarm. My wife went with the apple watch and has to charge it every single night. I’m not sure how detailed the apple watch goes with stats on running, but the garmin has a lot of different things to track from pace, splits, heart rate, and much more. I also trust garmin’s hardware tech more. They have proven experience as a manufacturer of high quality GPS systems. I wanted to feel confident in the tracking of my runs.

I first had a garmin vivoactive and currently am using a garmin instinct Idk which one I'll get next, but garmin is my preference (they didn't break except for the replacable rubber band, but I look for different devices)

Garmin is probably the only smart watch for you then. (Maybe also some Casios, but never used them.) Had Forerunner 955 Solar, Instinct 1, have Instinct 2 and 2X. All of them can be set up fully standalone. All of them have the _option_ to set up time using GPS (manually, no autosync like Casio) if you want, but it's not required. Touch-enabled Garmins with new enough firmware (FR955 with old fw doesn't have that) allow you to scroll graphs with a finger so that you can look in history of various metrics very similar to what the Connect app provides. Even with graph scrolling though, the history of steps and HR can be afaik viewed only for the week, do if you want long term stats, you'll have to manually write that down to a notepad or something. All Garmin watches compute everything by themselves and the Connect app just downloads, saves and displays that data. There's no in-cloud / in-app computation as long as you have only 1 device.

I bought an old Instinct on ebay. I don't need many bells and whistles

Garmin Instinct that I bought used off of Ebay

Instinct and disable notifications.

I'd go with the Instinct then for sure if your still going to use your phone. I would get all your setting and favorites organized on the watch and in the apps and do a couple trial runs on some local trails or even a walk around the neighborhood to get a better feel and it's functions to better enjoy your actual hiking experience

Second the garmin instinct line. The watch is bulletproof and has tons of useful features and insane battery life. I go nearly a month between charges with daily use and regular gps usage.

Agreed. I own an Apple Watch Ultra, a garmin instinct, an aura ring and a whoop. There is no perfect fitness tracker, they all have pros and cons. People who give a black and white “x is better than y” always get a raised eyebrow from me.

I only wear my Garmin Instinct when actually out for a run, or working out. If I wanted something to track my stats throughout the day, I would look into a Whoop. They don't have a traditional display, so it probably wouldn't feel as much like you're wearing two watches.

I have the original instinct and have worn it regularly in my 90 minute sauna sessions. Usually not quite to that temp, but i've been to 180 with no issues.

While I recommend the instinct, I get it. My fat hands press the buttons on it all the time if I’m not careful.

Not whoop anyway. That's more of an all day energy tracker based off heart rate. Garmin gives more swim options. Mine works great. It's an instinct. The battery usually lasts two weeks. There are multiple models that support swimming. They are pretty good at counting laps.

In the pool I've had a bunch of garmins. Two instincts, a Fenix 2, 3 and 5. All have been perfect on freestyle and back without any antics. I don't swim breast in the pool. I don't swim fly at all except to break the surf zone. Where they will fail is mostly finning. Even CSS (side stroke) with arms. They need certain amount of arm motion/strokes. So a CSS lap without fins is like 6 strokes for me and it fails. They also fail if you do long underwater pullouts or something like over unders. If I doing free but I swim half over half under, it doesn't count the length. For all that stuff you need to use drill mode and count your own laps. But for basic laps with the core 4 strokes, no issues.

TLDR... I wear a HRM for everything out of the water... But I do think the instinct is more accurate than I would have thought in the water and somewhat matches my HRM I have the HRM Swim which I use in the pool (also have a HRM pro I could use open water and have in the past with my previous instinct). I find the instinct is actually surpsingly accurate in the water. Like within 5-10 beats but probably closer to 5. My average and high HR is higher in open water due to me actually swimming for longer periods and sustaining a higher heart rate for the entire swim. In the pool I just do intervals and probably rest too much between. So I can't compare apples to apples hence why it seeming pretty close isn't a red flag. Also for me turns off the wall mess up my breathing pattern so it's also tough to tell. Frankly I don't enjoy the pool and don't find it relaxing. It's a tool.

Most people coming from apple go vivo active or venue. Venue being closest to a smart watch. Personally, I'm a instinct guy. Although I'm wearing a Fenix today since I didn't charge my Instinct for 2 weeks and it died before bed. I've swam tens of thousands of meters (more like hundreds but..) in pool, open and salt water with my Garmins. Done free diving (only to about 40ft, I'm not very good) and press the buttons regularly sub surface. I've also done cliff jumping with every watch, and haven't lost a garmin to water intrusion. I would definitely select a 100m rated model for water sports. Any watch can fail but I've had 6 garmins and none have. I also had a bunch of Casio and Timex over the years and not one failure.

Man, I charge both my old Fenix and my Instinct once a week. And I do about 10-15 hours of logged activities a week (at least 10 with GPS) the other 5 are gym and pool. It's still half full (or close) when I charge it. At worst it's got a day or two of life left. I charge either each Thursday or Friday. If garmin really screwed up the 8 that bad that you need to charge it each night, than it's bad news for garmin. Also, if the Fenix is lighter it's a good thing. I prefer my Instinct to the Fenix now. Initially I thought the heft was nice but now I realize for sports a lighter watch is better. Granted I don't notice it most of the time, the mass is annoying at times.

It's the case. Premium case but it hurts reception. My Instinct has never dropped Bluetooth but my Fenix does. Also sat reception is better on the Instinct.

This is my experience with 3 Fenix and 2 instincts. Great example. I'm standing still on a hike (maybe a viewpoint, water break, shoe laces, etc). Instinct doesn't add hundredths of a mile continuously like all my Fenix have. Haven't had an issue with the Fenix while moving fast but anything slow (like mountaineering) it's wildly inaccurate.

Garmin Instinct, works like a hot damn. I like that it's not a smart watch. I like that's the screen isn't color, and isn't touch. Easy to read outside, easy to use via buttons that you can't accidentally swipe or touch.

Same. I use a Garmin Instinct to track my runs, but a GymBoss for the intervals. I really appreciate that I can change my intervals on the fly without it affecting the workout. I also found out the hard way, that some of the apps used for intervals (e.g. RunKeeper) need an internet connection to work. The Garmin/Gymboss combo works great with or without internet.

I have had the instinct and now instinct 2. Great watches. They work just like all the other Garmin for the most part. Good at tracking runs. Works with hrm strap. 10/10 will buy again.

I too have the Instinct, and it's been a workhorse under all conditions. It's rugged and does all the things.

I have a garmin instinct. But the thing is that these watches dont give accurate heart rate for sports where you are moving your arms a lot. Its a noted error on the garmins at least and I assume its the same for other watches. But as others have said it does work for bouldering and tracking number of climbs, grade and rest. Indoor climbing mode is very annoying because it auto starts and sometimes thinks your climbing when you arent even moving.

Plus one for Garmin as well. I've had my Instinct for multiple years at this point, and despite a few hiccups here and there, it's still going like a beast. When it finally bites the bullet, I'll upgrade, but I couldn't ask for a better watch.

One of the main reasons I bought my Garmin Instinct was to count the umber of laps as I always lose count.

I love the buttons in my instinct EXCEPT for when I’m lifting with press movements. It always hits the lap button which ends my set

Hi guys. What fitness trackers/wearables do you guys use when daily wearing your Omega’s? I’m quite big into the gym and tracking my health, fitness and lifestyle and for this I currently use a Garmin Instinct smart watch. I only really use it for HR, steps and sleep tracking. It does also tell me about my recovery and training readiness which I quite like. But, in December I treated myself to a SMP300 in Seaweed Green to celebrate a really great year I’d had in 2024…Married, had my first child and landed my dream job. So to me it was worth celebrating by purchasing my first luxury watch. My issue is that I can count on 1 hand the amount of times I’ve worn it. I didn’t buy it to collect dust in a box and be an expensive ornament, I bought it to wear! So with that, I’m wanting to ditch the Garmin and daily my SMP but still be able to track my fitness and lifestyle. So what wearables are you guys using or what do you recommend? So far I can only really find Whoop that ticks the boxes for me, the biggest thing is it being screenless. I don’t want to be that guy who wears 2 watches 😅. Any recommendations and personal experience are great appreciated! Cheers guys.

Garmin Instincts are damn near bulletproof. I wouldn't be worried, it'd take much more extreme temp then that

Try a second hand one if you're really on the fence about the high price tags of some... You'll see why... I love how indestructible my instinct watches have been and the battery life? It's been weeks since I last charged (also solar)

Turning off the Bluetooth will solve this; your watch will not be connected to your phone. And Garmin does not have LTE. Garmin pro plus HRM will track your metrics without the watch. Worst case - How is your supervisor going to know every Garmin model? Just get an inconspicuous one; maybe an instinct that looks like a G shock. And be like "it's just a watch"; just make sure it's on DND and/or turn off bluetooth for the day.

Garmin instinct. Battery lasts for weeks. Super rugged so can take a hammering

I bought a Garmin instinct for around 200usd and it's been great. Improved my swim a lot using it.

I second this. I have had the original instinct since it came out in 2018, and it still lasts a week or two on a charge (if I am not using GPS). I am continuously tempted to get an instinct 2 solar, but with my original still working essentially exactly the same as the day I got it, the cost just doesn't make sense. If you're budget conscious, you can get an original instinct for significantly less than the instinct 2. I love that it's not a super fancy color touch screen doodad. It does what it's supposed to do and that's pretty much it. The fact that it DOES still have advanced features like GPS crumb trail tracking, etc. are super cool when I'm out wandering through the woods looking for geocaches. Also: I use a flip-phone running Android GO (CAT S22 flip), and the connect app isn't *supposed* to be compatible, but I downloaded the app APK from APKpure and installed it and it just works exactly as it should. I think this points to the fact that you'd be able to use this pretty much forever, even if they stop developing the app and abandon the product line. Just download an old app version to whatever device and go.

I have just turned all notifications on my instinct 1 off. No biggie.

Instinct - rugged and battery lasts weeks

The Garmin Instinct much like any Garmin watch isn’t separate from the cloud UNLESS you don’t connect to wifi or Bluetooth, however you would then lose information provided by Garmin Connect. Any fitness watch from Polar, Coros, Garmin, Suunto and such will need to connect to their eco system for updates, long term training history, training plans, etc... Even a separate HR monitor such as the H10 plus gets updates through an app on your phone.. As soon as you connect to Bluetooth or Wifi your stuff from any of those companies will get stored in their cloud. Even if you plug in your Garmin, the information will link to your account in the cloud from Garmin Express which is the PC/Mac app for updating Garmin devices.

I can use my Garmin Fenix 7s pro technically without my phone or computer but it works better with. However if I never wanted to connect it to anything I would still be able to see my Heart rate, SpO2, listen to music MP3s that I drag and drop into a folder on the watch. IF you don’t use Garmin Express then a drive will pop up on your computer with your Garmin label so in my case the drive would be called Fenix 7. Then I can drag and drop music files or whatever files onto it. So while it is possible to be disconnected in that way.. I don’t recommend it as you wouldn’t get any software updates. You could also take your activity files out of the Garmin Instinct this way and upload to them to another platform such as Strava or Training Peaks (if you wanted to, or if Garmin Connect is offline). However I don’t believe you would get any updates for the watch this way. I’m not sure about Polar watches though but since they connect to computers via a USB plug.. I would assume something similar would pop up.

You can’t go wrong with a Garmin. The Instinct series is very rugged and reasonably priced. The fenix series is also super rugged but is at a premium cost

If you don't want to charge your watch everyday, check out the Garmin Instinct series. Amazing battery life, even with activity tracking. It'll track your laps, distance, drill logging, the works.

The instinct series is, in my opinion, by far the best. I believe this mainly due to the screen, which is not the awful LCD/LED stuff that most watches have. It's clear in all conditions, and extremely durable. I think the UI is also quite well done. Any of the instincts will fit the bill, but probably instinct 2 is the best balance of features.

It motivated me, I bought a used Instinct for around 100 dollars, to try it out and I had to be able to carry it while working without damaging it - and a year later I bought a second hand Instinct II solar Tactical for about 200 dollars because of how happy I was with with it. Now I'm waiting for the Instinct III I guess 🤷‍♂️

My garmin instinct does a good job. Garmin also makes chest straps that sync with your phone just like their watches do

Garmin ecosystem is chocked full of goodness. Since I run and cycle, it’s great for multi sport. A lot of folks who only run seem to love Coros watches and their environment. I think either of those (with Strava integration) would be an improvement over your Apple Watch.

People have to stop comparing these. These are for two different people. I would never wear an Apple Watch based on battery life alone. I specifically got the Garmin for a wrist based gps and mapping tool to track and orient myself. You buy an Apple Watch to use smart features and be connected to your phone. Garmin has never been in that market. It’s a whole company based on gps systems for outdoor activities . You buy an Apple Watch to have Apple ecosystem. you can’t use half the feature of the fenix on an iPhone bc they only want you to use their watch… Garmin are all specifically made for their audience even down the the model . Apple watches are just to keep you plugged into your phone and have no bearing on actual outdoor activities despite calling it ultra. The Millitary has been orienteering with Garmin wrist based gps systems forever. You’d never catch an Apple Watch on patrol in Afghanistan. 😂