How To Choose A Good Smartwatch for Hiking

Let’s face it. When smartwatches hit the scene, they pretty much solidified the fact that the future we see in movies and have read about in sci-fi and comic books is here. As cool as it was to see James Bond and other special agents use such a device to call in airstrikes, call for care packages and receive vital Intel. We now can have it for our very own! Well, we can’t call in airstrikes though. But, we most certainly can call for care packages, like students at college calling mom to ask her to send food for the week. Plus, you can even order pizza! Now, how cool is that.

Smartwatches are definitely a great technology when it comes to sports and other activities that require us to clock time and keep track of how many steps we take a day. The days of stopwatches hanging around your neck and annoyingly plopping up and down, or having to take out your phone to see what time it is, only to drop it and see the screen shatter along with the money spent on buying it. Smartwatches have changed and made a lot of things easier for individuals. Discussed below, you will find and read about smartwatches and how to find the Best Smartwatch For Hiking.

Choosing Your Smartwatch for Hiking 

Since the dawn of smartwatches, so much technology has been created to implement into them. Step tracker, tracking heart rate, how many calories have been burned, and even GPS. The features of the watch you want are specific to your goals and what you want your watch to do. Altimeters and barometers are key components of a smartwatch, especially for hiking. They can be life saving and generally make your hiking adventure a tad bit easier. These are essential features a smartwatch can possess, and below you will find the different facets of the Best Smartwatch For Hiking to consider and their explanations:

Feature Creatures

• GPS – First and foremost, I would say that this is a feature that is very important when it comes to hiking. GPS will assist you in navigating through the terrain that you are trekking on. Excellent smartwatches have GPS features that can map the grid you are on and give you real-time images of the layout of land you are on. It will let you know that there are hills or mountains in your area and if there are cliffs around, which in my opinion is kind of cool. Should you find yourself in any danger or a difficult situation, the GPS can be located remotely by authorities and they can assist you accordingly.
• Altimeter – This will let you know your elevation on any given terrain that you may be trekking on. This is good because you don’t want to be walking in a direction thinking that you have flat land all the way through only to find out there is a cliff or mountain in front of you and now you have to re-route and find another safe path to travel. The altimeter option is definitely a saving grace in most hiking situations.
• Compass – Getting lost is natural, especially in a place full of towering trees and thick bushes and foliage. Often when you’re walking, your mind begins to wonder, and this is due to you enjoying your adventure. But, because you are enjoying your adventure so much, you can easily lose focus and lose your way. The compass can help you find which way is which. Hopefully, before beginning your trek, you understood which way you were heading from the start. If you started heading North, then you know you need to find South and the compass will lead the way. 
• Barometer – Besides looking into the sky and listening to the winds and smelling the water in the air, or feeling the difference in temperature, if you are into the precision of tech, then a barometer is a great feature to have. It measures air pressure and ultimately can suggest a prediction in the weather. 
• Waterproof – As far as resistance to the elements, a waterproof watch is just as important as a watch not easily broken. At least seven times out of 10 you will be hiking near or in water, and you want a watch that can be submerged in water and not have any malfunction coming out.

 Check Out The Necessary Qualities of The Best Smartwatch For Hiking Below:

• Durability – Hiking is a rigorous sport or activity. You drop things when hiking, you can trip and fall, you could place items down and forget their place and step on them, etc. While most, if not all, of these things, is inevitable, you will want a smartwatch that can take all of that beating and then some.
• Material – The resistance to the elements and along with being able to stand up to damage, you’ll want a watch that has high grade or high-quality material. Things like a scratch-resistant face and a heavy duty watch body give you surety that your watch will last. 
• Battery – You definitely want a watch that has a long lasting battery use. Having a watch with a much-needed feature like GPS, and the watch dies on you can be a bit frustrating, not to mention possibly overwhelming you with fear because you’re lost. Long battery life in your watch is essential
• Functionality – Some watches are big and bulky, some have wrist bands that pinch and can be irritating in one way or another when being worn. The bigger your watch is the more likely it is that it will snag on a branch of a bush and possibly breaking your watch band. Having a smart watch that fits “perfectly” without any irritation, or isn’t too big and heavy, or simply won’t always be grabbing your attention when hiking is a quality most sought after by hikers. 

A Phone While You Roam?

While there are many different styles, brands, and uses for smartwatches, you do have the ability to have a smartwatch with the ability to act as a phone. Just like I stated in my beautifully crafted intro, you can order care packages and pizza. While you won’t necessarily be ordering pizza, having the ability to call when in trouble, or when a function of your watch is acting quirky, being able to phone for assistance is good. It certainly is more convenient than having to take out your phone and flip through various processes to make a call

The problem is though, the smartwatches with the phone ability operate by cell towers. So, you notice when operating by the cell tower, it’s hard to have a viable connection. You already will most likely have your phone with you, so it will be just like having two phones that don’t work in an emergency situation. Should it be a situation where you can get somewhere and have a working connection then definitely the phone option is good as it can allow for location services to find you. Just make sure you have battery power for the duration of a possibly long waiting period.

The Brand Name Game

While most of the watches you will research have all of the features, there are brands out there that make theirs better than others. Price is key, and if you can find a watch that caters to your needs for a price suitable for you, then that is the watch for you. Of course, spending more money on a watch, you would expect flawless operation, and plus some on the feature scale. But, as with most products, once a company’s name is established they tend to lack in the quality of their product, and that’s only because they have loyalty and have earned trust from their consumer base. 

This is not true for every brand that makes a product. Some companies do have outstanding integrity, but just be sure to know exactly what you need and what the hiking trip entails. 

Bringing Our Trip To an End?

Having a smartwatch is just a way to make life easier. Instead of having 4 and 5 different devices to pull out of your satchel, you only have one. It’s ingenious, and when you are choosing the Best Smartwatch for Hiking, you need to be aware of the type of hiking you will be doing, how long you will be hiking for and the layout or terrain of the land of which you will be hiking on. It is probably in your best interest to get a smartwatch with all the bells and whistles to be properly prepared for the unknown. Always expect the unexpected!