Garmin - Instinct 2 Solar Series

I found my perfect smart watch in Garmin Instinct 2, since it’s like a G-Shock, but still has the features of a smartwatch like notifications, alarm clock and workout tracker. And the best for me, I just have to charge it once per month.

Garmins might do better for you then. They are great at tracking and have smart features but also get a week or more on a charge. I love my instict 2 for how simple and non intrusive it is.

Used to have a watch series 2. That one sucked. Then went to a apple series 5. That one fell into a lake and seeing as the ground in the middle was over 10m, i doubt it survived Switched to a Garmin instinct 2 tactical solar about 3 years ago. I love not plugging it back to charge everyday (with gps its been lasting a solid 15-20 days a charge) Great with sports especially skiing (it uses about 3 different satelite technologies so i never lose connection and it detects skiing / lifts to get back up) I can control music from the watch - bit finnicky with the buttons but eh it is what it is I got 50% ish off through work so that was a bonus I do miss being able to send custom messages from it and controlling songs on spotify.... I also miss having the touchscreen, but this watch has remained on my wrist even diving hard into water from cliffs About 18 months after switching I binned my iphone 9 and got a google pixel so yeah, i never would turn back to apple products.... Depends on what you want to be honest. Just know, that most of these watches can survive in water for a few hours to a couple days, so swimming/diving in it isn't a problem but thats just my opinion Hope I helped

Yep, I just use the 'cardio' option and it tracks these workouts fine.

Just to add (I have the I2 solar), in summer, I don't need to charge - the top up from the sum nets out the drain with regular use. GPS uses more than can be gained though, depends on the amount of GPS you use though. I don't use a whole lot and am set to go chargerless.

I took a Garmin Instinct Solar in 2022 and loved having it. I used a small USB-C adapter-dongle to charge the watch and carried either one or two 10,000mAh power banks, along with an iPhone and InReach Mini 2, so similar power demands. While watch settings were heavily changed to optimize battery life, I was able to keep GPS and heart rate tracking active. I don't recall a single day where I ran out of battery after pausing during big breaks like lunch, and didn't find it annoying to do so. The stats were useful for managing my heart rate when things were tough, knowing roughly where I was (mileage or elevation-wise) without needing to check FarOut, and helped me understand and develop my pacing and pacing prediction accuracy (short legs). I've also found the data to be great post-trail. Sometimes, I'll look at my trail journal and have a question about the day (weather, distance, difficulty, start/stop location, detours or side-quests, etc.) - days can blur together, or specifics can become vague over a couple of thousand miles and 100+ days. The tracking provides answers if not strong hints. As a stupid but personally worthwhile example, I used this info to drive hours east to an access road north of Truckee and visit a camp spot I couldn't remember, despite speaking to multiple people in the group, even after looking at their photos and videos 😂

If you want to save yourself some money, the non-solar version is quite a bit cheaper and does everything the same, minus solar charging. For everyday use, I get little to no benefit from solar charging of my instinct 2 solar. It’s one of those things that sounds cool, but it mostly a gimmick. It *may* be useful if you’re off the grid for weeks at a time.

I use a Garmin Instinct 2 to ski up in Anchorage and I’ve never had an issue!

Instinct tactical. Got it while in the military in ~2019 and it’s still kicking

The first and arguably best choice id recommend for anyone is the Garmin Instinct 2 (or the larger Instinct 2X), that’s about it, check it out and see what you think Yes it has smart notifications but you can fully turn off Bluetooth at the system level, and when you do, those notifications are completely gone just like many other models in the market, they’re not as intrusive as you think If you want something even simpler, check on the Suunto Core and if you want to go for something a bit more on the high end side, check on the Coros Vertix 2 which is a premium option but has an insane battery life, dual-band GPS and amazing performance over smart features. Funnily enough, I got both the Instinct 2 and the Coros Vertix which I alternate between but the Coros hits differ with the premium feel idk. You can try [9 Best Smartwatches Worth Investing in 2025: Hiking and Running](https://alaskanarrows.com/best-smartwatches-in-2025-for-hiking-and-running/) for others though Cheers, hope this helps!

[9 Best Hiking Watches (2025) with GPS Worth Investing In](https://alaskanarrows.com/best-hiking-watches-with-gps-2025/) But if I’m gonna sum up my advice after all the research I’ve done on smartwatches and owning many (got the Fenix 7 and Instinct 2)…the Garmin Instinct 2 Solar is overall the best value for money watch you can get. If you want more advanced navigation and features then the Garmin Forerunner 955 and if you’re drawn to something a bit different with strong battery and maps then check out the Coros Apex 2 Pro

I have the Garmin Instinct 2 Solar. I like it and I think it checks your boxes depending on your price point. I got mine for $300, and since the 3 just came out you may find better deals. It has a few fancy metrics if you want to use them but its overall theme is to do the simple things right: no frills display, accurate GPS, long battery life.