GPS Watch suggestions?

[Anniesantiago]

First let me say I'm illiterate when it comes to such things so if this thing I'm looking for is not called a GPS watch, please feel free to correct me.

I'd like to buy an affordable wrist GPS "watch" thingy that will count kilometers as I walk.

Does anyone have any suggestions as to brands to buy (or not to buy?)

Thanks.

 

[GreatDane]

Is your only goal to see how many kilometers you've walked (so you can somewhat figure how far to the next hamlet)? If so I got pretty good - accurate results just using my FitBit set to KMs. I calibrated it during training walks and found it to be pretty right on. If - and I don't have direct experience in this, you want a GPS for navigation from waypoint to waypoint plus count kilometers and watch features let me say that my Husband went nuts trying to use his Fenix 1 on his Offa's Dyke walk last month. He by day 2 used instead his iPhone with the MotionX GPS app I'd downloaded for him. He has since bought a Garmin Oregon 600.

 

[Melensdad]

If you Don't need the GPS tracking, then buy a FitBit. They make different models from simple step counters up to models that Count how many times you will climb stairs, will track distance, calories burned, heart rate or have GPS.

I have been using one for years. They are regularly reviewed/considered to be the best of the activity trackers on the market. Simple to use. Compatible with different computers and smartphones. Inexpensive too.

 

[NicoZ]

I'd like to buy an affordable wrist GPS "watch" thingy that will count kilometers as I walk.
.

You need to define affordable.

The Polar M400 is a heart rate monitor watch that also has a GPS built in. The main issue is the battery won't last for eight hours if you have the GPS running.

The M400 does much more then track distance. If all you want is distance it likely makes more sense to get a basic smartphone . The cost will be less.

 

[Anniesantiago]

Mostly I just want to count kilometers between villages.
Affordable for me = $100 or less

I have an iPhone.
The thing I saw was like a wristwatch except it counted how many kilometers or miles you had walked that day.

 

[pudgypilgrim]

You do know that your iphone can do this without a wrist band, right?

 

[Anniesantiago]

You do know that your iphone can do this without a wrist band, right?

No, I did not know that,but even so, I don't always carry the iPhone.
However, I'd like to know about it?

 

[Melensdad]

Mostly I just want to count kilometers between villages.
Affordable for me = $100 or less

I have an iPhone.
The thing I saw was like a wristwatch except it counted how many kilometers or miles you had walked that day.

On sale for about $79, regular price $99, a standard FitBit will count steps/distance. http://www.fitbit.com

And yes, if you carry your phone (and it is powered on) you can use some of the various runners applications to track your walking. I know they have a few different iPhone apps that do it, there are probably some for other phone types too.

 

[GAUVINS]

On sale for about $79, regular price $99, a standard FitBit will count steps/distance. http://www.fitbit.com

But unless I am mistaken, this model relies on a smartphone gps. The fitbit surge, with on board GPS is $250+

I am unaware of any affordable (as defined by the OP) watch with on board GPS.

Depends what the OP is looking for. A well calibrated step counter such as the basic fitbit, will provide a rough distance estimate. On board GPS will provide accurate distances and somewhat useful pace metrics.

 

[Melensdad]

But unless I am mistaken, this model relies on a smartphone gps. The fitbit surge, with on board GPS is $250+

I am unaware of any affordable (as defined by the OP) watch with on board GPS.

Depends what the OP is looking for. A well calibrated step counter such as the basic fitbit, will provide a rough distance estimate. On board GPS will provide accurate distances and somewhat useful pace metrics.

True, the $79 model FitBit does not have true GPS functions, but the original poster in this thread said she really didn't need the GPS function, but rather wanted the distance tracking feature. Therefore the basic FitBit wil do the trick.

See this post from her below:

Mostly I just want to count kilometers between villages.
Affordable for me = $100 or less ...

 

[pudgypilgrim]

No, I did not know that,but even so, I don't always carry the iPhone.
However, I'd like to know about it?

Yes, as Melensdad said, there are many pedometer/running/walking apps you can get for the phone for just a few dollars that will track your distances for you. I don't have an iphone so can't say which is best, but a look around the app store shows a bunch from which to choose.

 

[MichaelSG]

The FitBit can be pretty accurate IF it is calibrated correctly, as has been noted. The more mountainous the section though, it will be less accurate (assuming it was calibrated on flat land (and vice versa). Walking the Ignaciano recently, I met a man who swore his fitbit was telling him he walked 40-45kms per day. My wife's similar vivofit was telling her the same sections were 15-20kms and my Garmin GPS (which is not recommended because of the need for mid-day recharging) was saying the distances were 20-25km. My Garmin matched the mile-markers on the roads & canals.

GPS apps I have tried on the iPhone have drained the battery too fast too.

I'd recommend the fitbit or vivofit and accept that you will just have good estimates.

 

[ricitosdeplata]

Don't you also have to pay some kind of subscription rate to use the GPS watches? I got a Garmin Vivofit for "Christmas and it keeps track of how far I've walked. Switched it to km setting.

 

[NicoZ]

Don't you also have to pay some kind of subscription rate to use the GPS watches? .

Not with the two I have. The big issue is battery life.

 

[Melensdad]

The FitBit can be pretty accurate IF it is calibrated correctly, as has been noted. The more mountainous the section though, it will be less accurate (assuming it was calibrated on flat land (and vice versa). . .

True.

FitBit (and most other brands) use some combination of your Sex & Height to determine your "average stride distance" which is an approximate based on world averages. They then count your "steps" and multiply that by your stride distance to determine your distance.

Depending upon your set up it can be a very close approximation. I've compared my older FitBit to my Garmin Montana handheld GPS in local walks/hikes on rolling land and it was very close at the end of the day.

My new FitBit is a newer model called the Charge, it has a couple extra functions. I wore it on our May hike across England and it was, what I would call, reasonably accurate. Comparing distances in a guidebook to the FitBit I was able to very easily determine my location with very reasonable accuracy.

I know of NO fitness tracker that is going to be as accurate as a true GPS unit unless it actually has a real GPS unit integrated into the tracker ... and there are several of those units ... but they have 2 major drawbacks. 1) Battery Life and 2) Cost

Not with the two I have. The big issue is battery life.

Ditto, none that I know of require a subscription. Same with my GPS units (3 different portables, all Garmin), no subscription required. But no GPS unit has good battery life, most will die out in less than a day.

 

[StuartM]

I'm old school and found Naismith's Rule pretty bang on target for my walking and gauging distance. Both on the Frances and Salvador I was generally within a few minutes.

Anyway, not sure how much they retail at but Suunto make really superb wrist mounted gauges and watches for many sports, some with GPS. I've never been disappointed with any Suunto products I've owned.

I think Decathlon used to do an own brand GPS watch that was very cheap. It only gave distance and bearing back to your start point rather than detailed position information.

EDIT: http://www.decathlon.co.uk/onguide-100-gps-compass-id_8243732.html

Gives distance and bearing back to your start point and is very cheap. But I think when I looked at it, it only gave straight line distance rather than distance covered.

 

[NicoZ]

Anyway, not sure how much they retail at but Suunto make really superb wrist mounted gauges and watches for many sports, some with GPS. I've never been disappointed with any Suunto products I've owned.
.

Suunto tends to be higher end then Polar.

 

[GAUVINS]

The big issue is battery life

I use a Garmin Forerunner 910xt. Battery life probably exceeds 24h.

(has been invaluable so far. Most likely overkill on well trodden sections)

 

[NicoZ]

I use a Garmin Forerunner 910xt. Battery life probably exceeds 24h.

(has been invaluable so far. Most likely overkill on well trodden sections)

Well my older Polar with the external GPS sensor can go for several days. The sensor is bigger then a watch. But all these things cost more then the OP budget.

I still think the OP should just try using her phone. Zero added costs .

 

[Anniesantiago]

I'm not going to carry my phone.
I want something that attaches to my wrist.
Thanks everyone

 

[smj6]

@Anniesantiago. There are many apps you can download onto your iPhone. I like using Footpath. I start it when I'm in WiFi range (because I have switched off remote roaming on my phone), after which it doesn't require any connection and it does not cost anything to track your walk (I don't understand how it works but have used it in many different countries and it doesn't cost me a penny). It might not be 100% accurate, but it's good enough for me!
The results (at the end of each day) will show you exactly the path you walked, the time, your average speed and calories used. It can show miles or kilometres - whichever you prefer.
I have friends who use an app called Strava, and appeared happy with it, but I don't know it
Buen Camino Suzanne

Edit: I've just read your last posting @Anniesantiago, and see that you're not taking your phone - oh well!

 

[dougfitz]

In my household we have vivofit and fitbit devices. My Garmin vivofit has a long battery life (months) while my wife's fitbit lasts a few days at most. Model may be important, but Fitbits do need to be recharged. The vivofit seems pretty accurate on its step count. On the flat, that is great, but in more hilly country the conversion from steps to distance will be less accurate. My recommendation would be the vivofit for the camino of these two.

The disadvantage of activity trackers like the fitbit or vivofit is that reset daily at midnight, and count steps continuously. They cannot be reset or zero'd in any way during the day, so if you are wanting to check distances, it means keeping track of the distance at the last point. I think this would be a pain in the ... .

As for watches, I have the Garmin Forerunner 15, which is a not quite bottom of the range sports watch. Battery life using the GPS is poor - a few hours at best in my current experience. I would doubt that it would last for even a moderate walking day on the camino used as a GPS, and would need to be recharged every night. Here again, different models may give different results, but I wouldn't expect the GPS on cheaper sports styles would be much better whatever the make. Hiking watches seem to have much longer battery life (up to 50 hours as a GPS) but at considerably greater expense.

I carry a standalone GPS, at this stage the Garmin eTrex 30. If you don't want to carry a phone, you are not likely to want to carry this. Two AA batteries last a couple of days, and can be found almost anywhere. Full GPS functions, etc, etc. I use it in preference to my current and previous smartphones. There are a few GPS apps that seem reasonable, but battery life is rubbish on my current phone, and my previous phone never reliably detected enough GPS satellites to be workable.

On balance given what you have said, a Garmin vivofit activity monitor might be your best option for tracking distance (by counting steps) noting that it is still not ideal for measuring intermediate distances.

 

[NicoZ]

I'm not going to carry my phone.
I want something that attaches to my wrist.
Thanks everyone

Can we suggest an upper arm holder for your phone

Take a look at the Polar M400 I suggested. Without the heart rate sensor it's a little over your $100 limit. But maybe you can find it on sale.

 

[mla1]

I realize the OP is not planning on carrying her iPhone - but for anyone else who is: the new iPhone "Health" app counts steps and estimates kilometers walked and also the equivalent of 'flights of stairs' climbed. As people have said, the estimates can be wonky. Some days it pretty well matched guidebook distances on the LePuy route. Others it seemed off. But if you are just looking for something approximate, and you are carrying your phone anyway, it is right there. And on days when you walk up and up and up - the 'flights climbed' feature can be quite eye-opening.

 

[Melensdad]

FWIW, my original FitBit held a charge for a week, my newer model also holds a charge for a week. Some other models for about 5 days, others need charging far more frequently.

I also looked at the Garmin Vivofit models. The battery models is good for better than 6 months, some others for a week, some for a day.

The Apple Watch will hold a charge for roughly 18 hours. Ditto some of the other GPS watches.

Basically the more you ask it to do, the more frequently it requires charging, no matter what brand.

 

[Magwood]

Hi @Anniesantiago. I used a Fitbit on the camino. The model I have counts steps but only indicates on the unit the portion of your daily target that you have completed.

My everyday target is 10,000 steps (although on camino I was doing 30,000 - 50,000 per day). The target is divided into five units and for each unit completed a light shines on the Fitbit. On achieving 1o,ooo steps - approx 7.5 km's for me (or whatever target you have set) the Fitbit will vibrate to alert you of your achievement.

To see the actual number of steps I have walked I need a wifi connection that transfers the info to my iPhone or iPad. If you aren't planning on taking your phone, I'm not sure how useful this basic model would be.

Also, with limited experience of this model (probably one of the cheapest fitbits) there is no time keeping facility, which would have been useful. With hindsight I would have spent a bit more and had a unit with a watch.

 

[jmcarp]

Fitbits and similar devices work on the same principal as simple pedometers -- they count the steps. Accuracy depends on whether or not it has been calibrated to the user's average pace length. As someone else pointed out, nearly everyone calibrates on level ground where average pace length is truly an average; going uphill one's average pace length decreases and going downhill it usually, but not always, increases. Whether or not it averages out is debatable. GPS devices, on the other hand, work by calculating actual distances traveled based on pretty darn accurate algorithms using satellite signals. I hike on a regular basis with several friends who use combinations of GPS and Fitbit/similar devices. The GPS-based distances are within a few hundredths of a percent of each other, while the step-counting devices vary wildly. My own conclusion is that if one really wants to know the distances walked, use a GPS; if you only need an approximation, use a pedometer or Fitbit. Or better yet, forget the technology and go by the distances in the guidebooks. In the end, does it really matter if you walked 789.1 km from SJPP to Santiago or 800 km or 780 km? By the time you add in the extra distance of missing a turn and back-tracking, walking around the villages in the evening, and getting up during the night to use the toilet, you won't be very accurate either way.

 

[dougfitz]

Hello. I'm looking for a wristwatch (ideally) that can be worn on a daily basis but must have distance / time/ pace function or at a push something along the GPS lines but must also function as a watch. Have looked at some of the treads in the for sale / equipment review sections on here but havent seen anything that fits what i'm looking for. Thanks in advance

I use a Garmin epix, now quite old, that is a pretty full featured GPS watch. Garmin recently released an updated version after some years where this model wasn't available as a new watch. I had been looking forward to that, but the new version is a bit expensive for my tastes, and I might have to wait for it to end its model life and buy it when it starts to be discounted.

 

[C clearly]

Have looked at some of the treads in the for sale / equipment review sections on here

Welcome to the forum! That's interesting that you describe our sections like that.

I will lock this thread since it dates from 2015. Feel free to start a new thread with your question.