If you’re a hiking lover like myself then you’re probably looking for the best GPS watch for hiking or maybe the ultimate gadget to help you during your hike. A GPS is an essential tool for hikers as we all know the dangers of getting lost in a remote area where there’s no mobile signal.  Everyone should have a GPS handy even pro hikers use it, it’s on the top of my checklist when packing for a hike along with my GoPro and hiking backpack. That’s the reason why I would like to show you today my Garmin Fenix 3 review.

It’s actually a multi-sport training watch. Fitness training , outdoor activities and competitions can now be better with the Fenix 3. It’s ready for any type of activity thanks to its features, light weight and user friendly app platform.

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I would like to show you today my experience with the Garmin Fenix 3, its pros and cons, features and specs. A watch worth every dollar spent on it!

 

Let’s Look At The Review!


Product: Garmin Fenix 3

Cheapest Place To Buy: Amazon.com

My Rating: 9/10

 

The good thing about Garmin is its reputation in the market specially when it comes to GPS gadgets. When I think about a GPS navigator, Garmin comes to mind. I have used their navigators for years which led me to think about getting their GPS watch that is a combination of fitness and outdoor sports watch.

The three things that convinced me into getting the Fenix 3 was the brand, the features and the price. I was also attracted by the fact that a small watch combined all these useful features, and that for me was a great advantage since I’m a fitness enthusiast and this watch can be of very good use.

Before anything else, let me tell you that Garmin Fenix 3 is one of the most reliable GPS watches available today. I have used this device under different hiking conditions and have found it to be a very good value for money. This small device has got quite a few useful features packed in it that you simply cannot ignore.

 garmin fenix 3 hiking

Features and Design

The Fenix 3 that I had tested is among the chunkiest sports watches I’ve ever come across, more like its predecessor Fenix 2. The watch comes with a metal strap and a toughened glass. Measuring 16mm in depth and weighing 82 grams (excluding strap). This device has shed about 1cm as compared to Fenix 2. Nonetheless, I found the device to be quite hefty.

What is really good with this Garmin watch is that its weight hasn’t changed much. In fact, its battery is what contributes a lot to its weight. When you use Garmin Felix 3 as a watch alone, it should easily last up to five weeks. However, when you use its GPS, it will last up to 20 hours.

Yes, I didn’t find the device too colorful, but its 218*218-inch ‘color’ screen is ‘transflective’, which means that the details will be clearly visible to you even under direct sunlight. At night,  you need to press the backlight button briefly in order to illuminate the device.

 

Hiking and other fitness activities

If you’re an avid hiker like me, then I highly recommend that you try out the Garmin Fenix 3. Prior to trying out this device, my hiking experiences were good but there wasn’t a way to check my stats and the progress I made day after day or month after month. Therefore, after a recommendation from a friend, I decided to augment my hiking experience with a fitness tracker that could throw at me all kinds of stats pertaining to my hiking endeavors.

Finally, after trying out a few of the devices available on the market today, I decided to go with my friends’ suggestion – the Fenix 3, a device that provides me with a GPS, a reliable battery to keep itself going for long hours and an excellent display to enable me to read the details even in bright sunlight.

Though Fenix 3 is a device that can immensely help you in your hiking adventures, it can also assist you while you’re performing other fitness activities, including trail running, cross country skiing, swimming, triathlon, indoor workouts, climbing, skiing, cycling, running, and much more. The breadth of data this device throws at you for all the fitness activities you use it for is simply amazing! During my Garmin Fenix 3 review, I found that the device gives all kinds of data with great consistency and reliability.

 

best gps watch for hiking

Pros

There are many smartwatches and other gadgets on the market that are hard to use and slightly complicated. Even some models of Garmin fall into that category. However, the good news for Garmin fans is that Fenix 3 doesn’t fall into that category. The buttons used on this device not only make logical sense but they can be used consistently. In using it for a few minutes, you should be able to work with its different screens.

It is fairly easy to read the face of Fenix 3. The contrast and colors are effective and simple. Even the backlight that is customizable can be triggered by a single button. When you turn on the backlight, it can stay on for several seconds!

I have used Fenix 3 heavily during my various hiking expeditions and found its GPS to be accurate. I even had the GPS compared with my iPhone 6’s GaiaGPS and my old 910xt and found out that the GPS accuracy offered by Fenix 3 was the best.

Even the GPS fix with this device is remarkable. Not even for once did the signal dropout was experienced in deep woods, while a large number of friends experienced dropouts with their smartphones and other devices. The accuracy and coverage I got through this device improved all the time.

 

Cons

I believe Garmin could have improved the scratch resistant feature of its Fenix 3 model and make it comparable to that of the Sapphire model.

Also, there is no denying the fact that this device is among costliest you’ll find in its category. But still, when you compare the value for money factor that you get from this watch against others, it makes sense buying this device.

Conclusion

I personally found Garmin Fenix 3 to be one of the smartest and best GPS watch for hiking. Yes, it’s slightly heavy and expensive, but it is also a powerful tool with which you can monitor your progress during hiking, besides a variety of fitness activities.

In addition to me, I’ve come across a number of fitness freaks that have fallen in love with this device. I’m sure you too will love it, once you try it out! If budget isn’t much of your concern, then I highly recommend the Fenix 3 for you.

 

I hope that you found my Garmin Fenix 3 review useful. In case you want to leave a comment then please make use of the section below 🙂