We’ve collated the best hiking watches for 2024.
They came from the most popular manufacturers trusted by thousands of users worldwide.
Prices differ due to the number of features available on the watch.
Read on to know more about these excellent trekking watches that are also applicable for hunters who need an additional safety precaution when they are out in the wild.
Trekking watches are a must for people who love outdoor activities.
These watches should have excellent durability and resistance to elements that can damage internal mechanisms.
Aside from these, the watch should also have a plethora of features for tracking location, measuring environment changes, and monitoring fitness levels.
Are GPS Watches Reliable for Hunting?
Gps watches are indeed a great safety net for hunters who require a reliable GPS tracking device for remote hunting locations in the wild.
GPS Hunting watches are more reliable and have a longer-lasting battery life than your trusted smartphone which makes our reviewed GPS watches on this list the best watches for hunters.
The Hiking GPS Watches Review List
Here are the best hiking watches you can avail of from various manufacturers that we found to be the most reliable for functionality and long battery life.
Casio Men’s Pathfinder PAG240-1CR
The 51mm Pathfinder is a solar-powered digital watch with a stainless steel case, a mineral crystal, a resin band, and a quartz movement.
It also has a triple sensor function, a digital compass, an EL backlight, a world time function, a countdown timer, a stopwatch, a city code display, and a battery power indicator.
Its affordable price, multi-functionality, design, and overall durability make this the best Casio hiking watch you can get your hands on.
Pros:
- Highly-functional trekking watch
- Lightweight and comfortable to wear
- Crisp display
- Impressive battery life
- Water resistant up to 100m
Cons:
- Cheap quality band
- Compass is a bit tricky to calibrate
- Alarm sound is quite soft
Suunto Core Crush
The 49mm Core Crush has a compass, a barometer, an altimeter, a sunrise/sunset function, weather data, and a date function.
It doesn’t have GPS or other forms of internet connection to keep data in sync.
Pros:
- Large watch face and font makes it easy to read
- Robust build is made for outdoor activities
- Overall rugged design that’s both sporty and versatile
- Water resistant up to 200m
Cons:
- Battery-operated
- Display brightness isn’t that useful when not under direct sunlight
- Alarm sound is a bit soft
Casio Pro Trek PRW-2500T-7
The Pro Trek PRW-2500T-7 is an excellent Casio hiking watch with its full range of features like the digital compass, the altimeter, barometer, and thermometer, alarms, auto EL backlight, world time function, stopwatch, full calendar display, moon data, and tide graph.
Pros:
- Solar-powered with long battery life
- Tough, shock-resistant, and highly-durable for rugged use
- Strap is comfortable to wear
- Water resistant up to 200m
Cons:
- Inaccurate temperature measurement
- Negative display is hard to read
- Band is not that durable
SUUNTO Ambit 3
The 50mm Ambit 3 is one of the best GPS watches for hiking in our list.
It is fully-digital, battery-operated timepiece featuring a compass, an altimeter, weather data, a heart rate monitor, and a multilingual option to name a few.
You can also connect it to your smartphone using its Bluetooth interface.
Pros:
- Multi-functional sports watch that can be used for various indoor and outdoor activities
- GPS feature keeps time and data up-to-date
- Highly-visible watch face
- Water resistant up to 200m
Cons:
- Cheap quality band
- Some features are still buggy
- Battery life greatly decreases as you use more features
SUUNTO Traverse Alpha
The 50mm Traverse Alpha is a digital GPS watch for hikers that has a stainless steel case, sapphire crystal, and nylon textile band.
This trekking watch has an altimeter, a backlight, an alarm, a heart rate monitor, a breadcrumb feature, a moonphase calendar, a pedometer, weather data, a compass, and different modes for hiking, hunting, and fishing.
For its features, the Traverse Alpha is simply one of the best hiking watches you can find in stores.
Pros:
- Large font display makes it easy to read data on the watch
- Modes and functions are fit for various sports and outdoor activities
- Good backlight brightness
- Durable, solid build meant for rugged use
- Water resistant up to 100m
Cons:
- GPS data acquisition can be slow
- Temperature readings can be inaccurate
- Band isn’t really suitable for water activities
Garmin Fenix 3 Sapphire
The 51.5mm Fenix 3 Sapphire has a rechargeable battery, a high-resolution Chroma display, a sapphire crystal, an EXO antenna for GPS/GLONASS, wireless connectivity, a 3-axis compass, an altimeter, a barometer, and multiple sports modes.
Considering its features, functionality, and durability, this is simply one of the best GPS watches for trekking.
Pros:
- Extensive activity tracking features
- Can connect to your smartphone for notifications
- Great GPS functionality
- Water resistant up to 200m
Cons:
- Pedometer doesn’t seem to work on treadmill activities
- Software still has some bugs
- Short battery life
Casio Men’s Pro Trek PRW-6000Y-1ACR
The 43mm Pro Trek is a trekking watch with both digital and analog displays.
It is solar-powered, has a resin case and resin band, a scratch-resistant mineral crystal, and a quartz movement.
This Casio hiking watch has a triple sensor feature, an EL backlight, a 12/24-hour format option, an alarm, a stopwatch, a countdown timer, a full calendar display, and an Mb6 atomic timekeeping function.
Pros:
- Shock-resistant and sturdy build
- Keeps time accurately
- Water resistant up to 100m
Cons:
- Backlight function isn’t that helpful
- Controls are not user-friendly
- Display is hard to see even under normal light
Garmin Fenix 3 HR
The 51.5mm Fenix 3 HR is a multi-functional GPS watch for hikers.
It has an EXO antenna for receiving GPS/GLONASS signal, fitness features, a 3-axis compass, an altimeter, a barometer, wireless connectivity feature, and a high-resolution, sunlight-visible Chroma display.
Pros:
- Watch face design can be customized
- Accurate GPS functionality makes this one of the best hiking watches available
- Good battery life
- Water resistant up to 100m
Cons:
- Screen brightness is a bit dull when not viewed under sunlight
- A bit expensive for a trekking watch
- Watch is big and heavy to wear
Garmin Fenix 5
The 47mm Fenix 5 is a digital trekking watch with features upgraded from the Fenix 3.
It has a better 3-axis compass, barometric altimeter, GPS/GLONASS sensors, Chroma display, Bluetooth and Wi-Fi connectivity, smart notifications, and sports modes.
Pros:
- Accurate fitness tracking features
- Crisp display even under direct sunlight
- Excellent GPS functionality
- Water resistant up to 100m
Cons:
- Limited strap replacement option
- It looks bulky and feels heavy to wear
- Display is hard to see outside the presence of a bright light source
SUUNTO 9 Baro
The 50mm Baro is a great GPS watch for hikers with its sunset/sunrise function, storm alarm feature, sleep tracking feature, connectivity options, heart rate meter, crisp display, multiple sports modes, and thermometer, altimeter, and barometer functions.
Pros:
- Superb battery life
- Large and clear fonts make it easy to read displayed info
- Sturdy case and scratch-resistant crystal are built to last
- Availability of several functions make this one of the best hiking watches out there
- Water resistant up to 100m
Cons:
- Inaccurate heart monitor
- Software is a bit outdated
- Connectivity problems
Conclusion
The best hiking watches have GPS functionality to help you track your location even though you’re out in the wild.
This is not a necessary feature, though, but it certainly is a tad helpful in certain situations.
The same goes for various data input and fitness monitors installed on the timepieces we’ve reviewed above.
The main thing to consider is the durability of the watches.
Rest assured our list contains only the toughest and smartest trekking watches in the world.
You’ll surely have no regrets picking any product from our list.
