Garmin - Instinct Crossover - Standard Edition

Apple's native swim app is horrible. I used the Swim.com app for a while but requires you to use the touch screen during your workout which doesn't really work. After 6 months, I gave the watch to my daughter and bought a new Garmin. Best wishes with the app. I really liked the Apple as a watch but it just didn't cut it in the water. I did own a series 3 so maybe they are better now. The GPS tracking for open water was horrible. I swim the same loop around a lake and the Apple gave huge differences in distance every swim. The map showed me swimming through backyards and the boat launch parking lot. In the pool, it regularly missed lengths.

Maybe I just couldn't figure it out but I like a customizable data screen. I'm farsighted (like a lot of older Masters swimmers) and I want my main data screen to show the distance of the rep I'm currently swimming in large font. My old watch only showed total distance. I don't like to do math while I'm swimming. Then a customizable rest screen. For that one, I like total distance, distance of the last rep, HR, and a running timer of my rest. This is all standard stuff on any Garmin 5 button watch. A drill mode would be nice, too. I don't use a kick board. I do kicks on my back in a streamline. It's pretty easy to record kick by just doing some left arm strokes on occasion but other drills, you can't. I've heard the newer watches can record some kick board drills. At the end, I want to be able to see all the data. Stroke count, AWOLF, Avg pace and pace for each rep, and HR data for each rep. A graph alone isn't too helpful.

Mine as well, max waiting time on my Crossover 7 seconds, which is nothing.. ..even 30 seconds is almost nothing, I'd say.

if you don't care about colourful screen, I highly recommend one of the Instinct (2, Crossover or 3), I personally use Crossover standard (but I should get Solar version) 2 years already, battery is still the same (2 weeks recording running 2mil, and walking 1mil daily, and strength 4 times a week). I really hope for the next version of the Crossover, but no signs of it for now 😔

My Garmin works well for that purpose. I briefly wore an Apple Watch but still prefer a Garmin because it’s more sport / fitness focused with decent battery life.

This may be a good page to start with: https://www.garmin.com/en-US/c/women-wearables/ They have “s” variants for a number of models, which have smaller case sizes. The one I have is unlikely to work for women ;-) I have an Instinct Crossover.

Garmin instinct crossover, 28 days battery life, 50 without constant hr measurement. Instinct 2x and instinct 3 solar 50mm have 40 days battery life, 70 without hr. And solar charging.

Garmin. I started with an Edge Explore 2 GPS last year, and then later decided I wanted a Garmin watch to go with it, so I bought myself an Instinct Crossover this year. No one else makes a watch anything like it, but it's by far the best watch I've ever owned. Love the combination of an analog watch with sports / smartwatch features.

No I used an Instinct Crossover until last week and switched to a 965, mostly for the color screen and because it has a comparable battery life. Actually its battery life is better. It has music and built in maps, but I have not quite figured out the music yet - my earbuds seem to have difficulty pairing and I carry the phone in my pocket anyway. Otherwise would enthusiastically recommend the 965.

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 KNOW. It’s so hard to go back. I had a Garmin instinct before buying my first Apple Watch back in 2021 I think. The Garmin seemed awesome coming from a Fitbit Ionic before that I had forever. But now, trying to go back to even a Fenix 7 feels like I’m going back in time. The only time I’ve really been able to break away is while wearing my Garmin on vacations. For some reason I like it because it can get dirty (especially at the beach) and the charging is basically nonexistent.

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...

My seventh Fitbit died last week (from Luxe to Versa to Charge 5 and 6, this was my second in-warranty replacement), white line on the screen to no screen at all within 24 hours. So with some Target credit I decided to go with a Garmin Instinct for $200. The GPS is much, much more accurate (even when not paired with my phone), the app tracks a lot more information than the Fitbit app did and takes up a third of the space on my phone. I miss the constant step updates; the Garmin just updates every minute. That's about the only drawback.

Same Takes a beating. Receives texts and calls (can’t reply or answer) Tracks sleep , heart rate , steps etc. Best part.. I charge it once every 3 weeks

Considering they don't offer much more in terms of utility to cheaper Garmin options, the Fenix series is hardly a value proposition. Better to stick with an instinct or forerunner for the vast majority of users.

Garmin are of course great, but I wouldn't pony up for anything over the instinct. The Fenix series is pretty, but you're spending more than twice as much for features you probably won't use and a worse battery life. Less is more when it comes to GPS watches (or so I keep telling myself for not having replaced my disintegrating forerunner 235).

Yes! I switched from an ultra 2 - love my instinct - simplicity with features that you want.. winning combo!

Came to say Instinct. Solar options too which are great if you’re outdoors a lot (which OP obviously is)

If you want max battery life and don’t care about smartwatch features other than fitness tracking get the instinct series. There’s several options based off of your preferred display and it gets up to 28 days of battery with notifications turned off

Garmin Instinct is the go here. The solar charging is good, only something like 3 hours of sun a day for unlimited battery life and the built in torch is super useful.

Even without solar the 50mm one gets 40 days battery life, and that’s with an hour a day of gps tracking.

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.

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.

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.

Ooo Garmin talks outside of the Garmin Sub! I've had an Instinct of some variety for a while. I couldn't stand a smartwatch that required frequent charging, I'm already sacrificing so much battery life not just wearing a regular watch. The Fenix 8 recently added a microphone, adding a few key features most Garmin watches were lacking in comparison to a more traditional smartwatch, though it doesn't sound like you would be bothered by that. My Garmin is my daily companion, vibrates for important notifications, tracks my activities well, keeps me off my phone for large stretches, and helps me find stuff in the dark (exclusive to models with the flashlight). Wouldn't trade it for anything on the market as of now.

I wear my garmin instinct with no issues

Welder/ millwright- Garmin instinct

Agreed. I bought mine originally for hiking and tough mudder. It’s been abused, and still works flawlessly. Battery life is still great too

Instinct has been amazing for me.

My garmin instinct does not do well with all breaststoke, it will literally say I went 0 yards. It does fine if I do a mix though (the tracking line will just fill in the blanks basically).

I picked up a used Garmin Instinct for $20 and it's pretty good. It's big though and not the most comfortable on my small wrists. Battery went 7 days with constant wear and 2x daily swims and kayaking when I was camping though!

Instinct works great for me in the field Edit: just to add though, you probably already know this but be sure to disable gps on either when deployed and also disable heart rate monitoring when on exercise/deployed because if someone is looking at you under nvg’s you’ll be visible from miles away

Yeah definitely think the instincts darker screen makes it more suitable. Although really a combat Casio never let me down it’s just not as cool

Garmin Instinct that I bought used off of Ebay

Instinct and disable notifications.

Garmin Instinct is tough to beat. Especially a solar one. Good value for what is offered.

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.

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.

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.

Instinct = the ugliest watch Garmin makes.

Garmin instinct. You can customize the notifications pretty in depth and it has crazy battery life.

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.

That’s insane 🔋 Solar + Instinct is basically infinite mode 😂

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.

I never understood the phone issue either. I used to have an arm case for my phone and it worked well. Also there are headphones, usually bone conducting with built in memory for music (because they are designed for swimming). So you can even get around having a music watch and a phone. Basically a Garmin instinct would work great in this scenario

I use a Fenix and and instinct. 100% accurate in the pool unless I'm doing under/overs (15m under, 10 over, 15 under, 10 over) then it will miss some laps. Most people aren't doing the legal 15m pullout (I do it to circumvent no underwater swimming) so this isn't an issue. Other than that, as long as I'm stroking with my arms, it rarely misses a length. I've had an Fenix 2/3/5x in the pool and mostly use my Instinct in open water because I don't mess with a HRM (wrist is fine, I don't care that much for the OWS and if I do I use my HRM pro).

Fantastic watch and value. Easy to read screen (monochrome mips) and great battery life. Definitely worth it.

I had one, nice watch, but a bit chunky for everyday wear for me.

do you want more of a smartwatch that can also track fitness? or do you want a fitness watch that has some smart capabilities? that's basically the math when comparing Garmin to pixel or apple watch. I have a Garmin Fenix because I do a lot of hiking and like having the maps on my wrist. But if it weren't for that, I'd probably get the Garmin Instinct

I’ve worn a Garmin Instinct at the gym for a few years doing all of the above exercises and more. My wrist doesn’t bend backwards past 90 degrees, so it doesn’t get in the way. I’ve also worn it in several races and SIMs without issue. The Instinct is pretty basic model, and I never worry about it getting damaged. Sometimes the GPS is questionable though.

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'm a big fan of the Garmin Instinct watches, but I do like and use more of the smart features like notifications and whatnot. Features I love: * completely and utterly water proof (almost everyone I know using an apple watch has killed at least one in the water) * The rubber band is different material from the fitbits, I find it a lot more comfortable and doesn't smell when I wear it while sweating a lot like some other watches I have * 30 day battery life, and they have a solar option I'd like to upgrade to which will net essentially unlimited battery life if you're outside or in bright light often enough * Music controls! I haven't used a fitbit in years now but I always missed that back then. * Timers and alarms, I find myself being a lot more organized with my timers when they're on my wrist and visible at all times * Actually good step tracking * Sleep tracking * Heart rate monitoring and resting heart rate * Exercise tracking and actually decent approx calorie burn estimates (I did the math with my CI and weight loss and found it lined up within a pretty good margin) * I use the compass a surprising amount * GPS tracking for hikes including good ascent tracking * Buttons instead of touch so it can be used while sweating buckets * A battery saving mode that boosts the already great battery life into the stratosphere * Automatic data import into the LoseIt app, which I use for calorie tracking Most of these are specifically things that I like a lot better than similar products I've used like fitbits and the google pixel watch lineup. I've never used an apple watch myself but my sister and previous partners have used them and I really don't jive with the interface, although they have all said the idea of having a streak of "closing their rings" sufficiently gamified the process such that they actually did more exercise.

Apple Watch user since 2017 here and Garmin “dabbler” for the past 3 years, Instinct, forerunner 255, forerunner 265. Avid runner, 20+ miles per week. It’s all really dependent on your needs. I like the metrics that Garmin provides although I do find it to be a bit harsh. Apple Watch is a bit more let’s say liberal with their metrics. I mainly use my Garmin for training blocks like when I have a race in mind to train for. If I’m not training I just run in my Apple Watch, I currently have a 1st gen Ultra. I keep coming back to Apple Watch simple because of the smart watch features and cellular connectivity. I like being able to reply to messages and leave the house without my phone. Personally I get more joy when I wear the Apple Watch, but I wouldn’t trust it with anything over marathon distance due to battery constraints. I do find gps and heart rate data to be close enough for me. All that to say it’s entirely subjective, I will say the Apple Watch has made a ton of overall improvements over the past 10 years with their health metrics, but the battery life is lacking in comparison to other brands. Hell even some of the newer garmins don’t have the battery life as some of the older ones. Like the 955 has about 28 days of battery vs 14 days on the new 970. I’m happy to answer any other questions.

those missing stuffs are available for the Instinct series. Altho gotta compromise with the black and white MIP display which is not everyone's favorite food.

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

Ditto.. Garmin Instinct is perfect for me. Just techy enough to get notifications but still rugged and looks good. The solar is worth the extra $. I have to charge my watch 1 time per month on average

Get an older refurbished Garmin like the Instinct. Xiaomi is really crummy.

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.

I was just going through a similar dilemma moving on from Fitbit. wound up choosing the instinct over those two. it can do everything you're asking for (if you add syncmyworkout) and I expect the other two watches can too. my only "gripe" with the notifications is that there is no granularity in what it alerts me to. with Fitbit I was able to turn off certain apps from pinging my watch. now I get everything. (or nothing)

I can go at least a week without having to charge my 5 year old Instinct.  Unless I’m using the GPS for biking, and then the battery still lasts a long time.   I buy iPhones for privacy and security reasons.  But I don’t want to have to charge a watch every night.   And while you probably don’t have to worry much about Apple abusing your data, there are plenty of 3rd party apps that will. 

Instinct all day baby. Ive had mine for YEARS. I track workouts, steps, etc. I have my alert system linked to it so I get dispatched throughout and know the address and the call before I even look at CAD. Its seen multiple fires and its still kicking. Best 300 bucks I've ever spent

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

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

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

Fenix if you can afford otherwise any instinct imo.

I used both yesterday. A garmin instinct and my android phone running geotracker in my buoy.

I've had my Instinct for 5 years, absolute tank of a watch. Not a scratch on it and it's taken some nasty hits.

Oh wow, the solar is that good? I have the standard Instinct I bought about 5 years ago and was going to upgrade because I heard the GPS on the newer ones is more accurate. Was going to just buy another normal Instinct but if you get that kind of battery out of the Solar I may have to get that instead.

Yeah it's probably time for an upgrade then for me. I still get about 2-3 weeks out of a charge, but if I use GPS everyday it's much shorter.

Garmin Instinct or Instinct Solar. These are made for military standards and can take an absolute beating and go in the water just fine. Had mine for 5 years now. The number of times I've slammed it off a wall or something, or just banged it up in general doing yard work, etc. there isn't a single scratch on it. It tracks my skiing runs in the winter, I take it in the pool/swim laps with it, it does everything and is built like a tank. The fitbits and Vivoactive are pretty cheaply made/mass produced. If you want durability you have to spend a bit on a higher end watch.

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

I try to give you few options , -swim 2 : have everything for swimming but is really focus only on swimming, heart rate is really good , but if you want to do others sports than is lacking a lot. Have drills mode and don’t miss a lap normally. -Suunto run/run s , if you change the strap get an amazing hr underwater (outside of water is way worse ) 🤷🏻‍♂️, is perfect on lap counting , have integrations with Suunto aqua headphone who give you some extra metrics on head rotations ( is still a new come , so something isn’t perfect yet) , can use for any other sports , but doesn’t have any drills mode -instinct series , actually similar to swim 2 but less accurate on hr reading and sometimes miss laps , can do so many things outside water , huge battery , but as a swimmer I felt not worth for only swimming so I send it back - forerunner series , it come in 2 versions , the small 200 series (the last one is called 500) , and the 900 series , go for the smallest , is lighter have everything you need and more stuff you won’t ever use , for the fact is smaller it is more comfy to use in water and hr just little bit more accurate , never miss a lap , and got all function of swim 2 for swimming plus tons of functions for many sports - in conclusion I use many times the Suunto but because is missing the drills mode I go back to forerunner when I need it , than I still using swim 2 bought so many years ago , I use for css , but honestly just because I feel nostalgic on it , after swim with him for many years

I had the Garmin Instinct but the heart rate sensor was dog shit. It would routinely read much lower during an intense workout where I knew my heart rate was near the max. No problems like that with Apple Watch. Plus the Garmin Connect app is shit too. It looks like something thrown together by summer interns.

the fenix/epix (mainly pros) options are go-to options as all rounders. I also had Instinct if you want a casio/military like watch with 25+ battery autonomy Currently I've been wearing fenix 7 pro and I am very happy about it

Garmin, at first I got a cheap Edge 130 and I stuck with the same brand, I also got a watch (Instinct) and later the Edge 530, so now I'm all invested already with years worth of data in Garmin app. Activities sync to Strava though, so I guess I could switch to something else, but there are things that don't sync like daily steps, calories, sleep, body battery... so I think I'll stick with it. I don't have an iphone so Apple watch is out of the question entirely, and I don't really care all that much about the smart portion of the watch to try something like Samsung. But I do have a Wahoo trainer, not a Garmin one. Still works just fine with Garmin.

Hard to beat the Garmin Fenix / Epix / Enduro line in terms of battery life. Note: leaving a watch on the map screen drains a lot of power regardless of watch brand. The Instinct is a good second choice if you only need a breadcrumb track to follow; no maps. Maps , on the watch, gives you more information on terrain but shouldn’t be a deal breaker. You could always refer to your phone. Look at previous versions of the watch to fit your budget.

The instinct series might interest you as well, as they are more rugged with very long lasting battery. I have owned one in the past, then jumped to Forerunner 955 for the maps, then to Epix - for the flashlight and AMOLED screen, and now to Fenix 8 for the voice commands, taking phone calls from the watch. The new instinct 3 series have the flashlight too, and the 2X might have it as well (don't quote me on that) Best of luck, they're all great watches!

Garmin Instinct. Rugged and not a glass/touchscreen. Tracks fitness and is more affordable than most smartwatches.

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. 😂