New Fitness Watch with GPS needed

[Jilly]

I'm looking for a new fitness tracker with GPS. I need to keep track of distance and time while on the water this summer. This is for paddling. Suggestions from the paddling coach is Garmin forerunner 245 or their Fenix 3 or 5. I can't imagine spending $500 on a watch that doesn't have diamonds or does my dishes for me.

I had a Garmin Vivosmart, but it doesn't have the built in GPS and it was just too tall off my wrist so I switched to Samsung. The Samsung has GPS as long as I take my phone. That means waterproof case for phone and attach to boat somehow. Can be done, but PITA if I can find something that is wearable.

I'm sort of trending towards the Garmin Venu Sq. (on sale just about everywhere for $209.99) But any other ideas out there?

 

[Ulmerhutte]

I have the Garmin Instinct. Very happy with it. I use it to track my walks and bike rides. I have not used it yet in the snow because of the lockdowns.

Good battery life; maybe a week if you don’t use the GPS, and possibly 10+ hours with the GPS. My hikes & rides tend to be less than 5 hours, and I usually recharge after the second one, though there is still charge available.

Whilst I liked the idea of the Fenix, I could not justify ~AUD1100, versus AUD320 for the Instinct.

 

[tball]

Do you know why your coach recommended those Garmins?

Specifically, is there anything about the paddling activity that is tracked by them other than time and distance? Strokes, maybe? If not, then you can use any Garmin running activity then switch it to paddling after it's uploaded from the watch to Garmin Connect.

Here's my skiing activity from yesterday. See how I could switch it to paddling if I wanted to:

Skiing is an example of a special activity that does more than just time and distance. The skiing activity on the watch automatically pauses the activity when you are riding the lifts. Swimming is another example where watches with the swimming activity count your laps and strokes.

So, I'd suggest exploring if the paddling activity does anything special or not. If not, then it opens up a lot more (less expensive) Garmin watches for you.

 

[Jilly]

@tball - I asked that question about the forerunner. To me it's a running watch, but she said no it can give stroke/min etc. Not sure about skiing. I've gone beyond worrying about keeping track of vertical etc. But to have the Flaik print out from WB was kind of neat.

And I don't need music on any watch.

 

[tball]

Yeah, here's the forerunner manual. Search in here for "paddle" and you'll see what it tracks in terms of strokes, etc:

https://www8.garmin.com/manuals/webhelp/forerunner245/EN-US/Forerunner_245_OM_EN-US.pdf

You can find the manuals on the Garmin site for all their watches. You might find an older model that does paddling for less, or maybe a refurbished one.

Also, try them on somewhere (REI?) before you buy to get an idea of size. Many are larger than most women want, particularly the Fenix watches.

 

[Tony S]

I can't imagine spending $500 on a watch that doesn't have diamonds or does my dishes for me.

QFT

 

[Jilly]

Yup!!

Yeah, here's the forerunner manual. Search in here for "paddle" and you'll see what it tracks in terms of strokes, etc:

https://www8.garmin.com/manuals/webhelp/forerunner245/EN-US/Forerunner_245_OM_EN-US.pdf

You can find the manuals on the Garmin site for all their watches. You might find an older model that does paddling for less, or maybe a refurbished one.

Also, try them on somewhere (REI?) before you buy to get an idea of size. Many are larger than most women want, particularly the Fenix watches.

If I could go to a store that would be great. Ontario is in lock down till June 2nd now. That will be extended later to June 20th. But I do agree with you. Some of these things are so big!! Forerunner 45 is on sale at MEC (our - REI equal) @ $199.97. The Venu Sq just about everywhere is $ 209.99. But how big is that square on MY wrist?

 

[Tony S]

Yup!!


If I could go to a store that would be great. Ontario is in lock down till June 2nd now. That will be extended later to June 20th. But I do agree with you. Some of these things are so big!! Forerunner 45 is on sale at MEC (our - REI equal) @ $199.97. The Venu Sq just about everywhere is $ 209.99. But how big is that square on MY wrist?

I think you just get over it. They're all huge. They all look stupid. You just suck it up while you're out there exercising.

 

[martyg]

What are your goals? Having trained under two national team coaches distance is rarely mentioned, other than it can be a convenient metric for measuring duration. Your "go-to" measurements should be HR, and speed, or output, as a percentage of your max in your training blocks.

In my day there was a very slick device. The transmitter mounted to the bottom of your boat, and transmitted data to a dashboard mounted with suction cups on your deck. It synbched with a chest starp so you had HR, speed, distance, and I believe it tracked stroke rate. I am sure that more sophisticated devices exist now.

If you don't want to be that specific, any watch that synches with a chest strap, and has a stopwatch function will be a great tool. You would be hard pressed to find elite competitive paddlers wearing watches on their wrists as their primary training device. They get mounted to a block of ethafoam and attached to the deck, so that they are in constant view.

Do a Google search for sprint clubs in TO and St. Catherines. They both had very competitive clubs. Their coaches may have suggestions on devices, and could help you design a training program.

Note that GPOS enabled wtaches can be very inaccurate as far as distance goes. And distance, as a training metric, is pretty useless. Great for cocktail party conversations, but it is nothing to build a training program around.

 

[Tony S]

What are your goals? Having trained under two national team coaches distance is rarely mentioned, other than it can be a convenient metric for measuring duration. Your "go-to" measurements should be HR, and speed, or output, as a percentage of your max in your training blocks.

In my day there was a very slick device. The transmitter mounted to the bottom of your boat, and transmitted data to a dashboard mounted with suction cups on your deck. It synbched with a chest starp so you had HR, speed, distance, and I believe it tracked stroke rate. I am sure that more sophisticated devices exist now.

If you don't want to be that specific, any watch that synches with a chest strap, and has a stopwatch function will be a great tool. You would be hard pressed to find elite competitive paddlers wearing watches on their wrists as their primary training device. They get mounted to a block of ethafoam and attached to the deck, so that they are in constant view.

Do a Google search for sprint clubs in TO and St. Catherines. They both had very competitive clubs. Their coaches may have suggestions on devices, and could help you design a training program.

Note that GPOS enabled wtaches can be very inaccurate as far as distance goes. And distance, as a training metric, is pretty useless. Great for cocktail party conversations, but it is nothing to build a training program around.

I have a suspicion that you and Jilly are not coming at this from the same place.

 

[Jilly]

@martyg I'm on the Sr C women's dragon boat crew with PDBC. We will be training, when we can get back on the water, for CCWC in Sarasota next summer. But for now it's OC-1 training. I have my own boat, so I need to send info to the coaches.

Think your set up is a little more like Olympic level than me.

 

[martyg]

@martyg I'm on the Sr C women's dragon boat crew with PDBC. We will be training, when we can get back on the water, for CCWC in Sarasota next summer. But for now it's OC-1 training. I have my own boat, so I need to send info to the coaches.

Think your set up is a little more like Olympic level than me.

Dragon boats rock. Are you training in a USCA hut-hut type boat? I love those. My jam was Olympic sprint in K1 and K4.

If you have an approximate of how long it takes you to cover, for example, 500m, a count down timer would be fine, with HR. Distance is such a crap shoot when training. You might have current and / or wind influencing. So that 2,000m piece could last 9 minutes, or 14. Huge difference in training load if your workout calls for 4 X 2,000.

Enjoy.

 

[Jilly]

It's a Kape Pacific 720. I hope to being some work with the coaches if we get opened up in June.

I'm using a count down timer on the Paddle erg right now. My kitchen timer .

 

[chris_the_wrench]

I have the Garmin Instinct. Very happy with it.

I can second this. Im not a techy person and I figured it out pretty quickly. I use it for skiing, riding, hiking, flatwater kayaking, pool swimming and even on the stair climber. Only ‘negative’ i would say is the heartrate measured from the wrist isnt that accurate, I wear a heartrate strap for riding and stair master and the difference is substantial. Wrist says 165 when im totally pinned in the pain cave but chest strap is saying 188. The strap pairs crazy easy with the watch(i paired it once a couple years ago, and never had to mess with it again).

I sync it with the garmin app and occasionally strava. Its auto/easy.

I think they make a solar version now, not sure how much that helps battery life in real world???

 

[cantunamunch]

QFT

You're not buying a watch. You're buying a free subscription to their data management/ analysis service.

 

[tball]

The Venu Sq just about everywhere is $ 209.99. But how big is that square on MY wrist?

Unfortunately, the Venu Sq doesn't have paddling metrics, per searching the manual for "paddle":

https://www8.garmin.com/manuals/webhelp/GUID-1C3C7630-B695-44C3-AF56-949C1D4889FB/EN-US/Venu_Sq_OM_EN-US.pdf

Check with your coach, but I'm guessing that's probably why these watches were recommended since they all have paddling metrics:

Suggestions from the paddling coach is Garmin forerunner 245 or their Fenix 3 or 5.

I can see how, like swimming, stroke rate, distance/stroke, and other stroke metrics are an important measure of paddling efficiency and technique.

My favorite source for refurbished Garmin's has a couple Fenix 5S's on sale for $279 and $299. The "S" is small. It's 42mm round, which is about the height of the rectangular Apple watches (and the Venu Sq).

Garmin Fenix 5S Silver with Black Band - Factory Refurbished

Garmin Fenix 5S Fitness Smart GPS Watch Steel Bezel with Silicon Band, Black

www.gpsnation.com

Garmin Fenix 5S Sapphire with Black Band - Factory Refurbished

Garmin fēnix 5S Sapphire GPS Smartwatch Steel Bezel with Silicon Band, Black

www.gpsnation.com

They also have a Forerunner 245 for $239. It's a bit larger at 45mm:

Garmin Forerunner 245 Berry- Factory Refurbished

Garmin Forerunner 245 Fitness Running Smart Watch Silicon Band, Berry

www.gpsnation.com

Garmin's refurbished program is great in my experience. I've bought a couple and they look brand new. I believe they are the same as if you get a warranty replacement. They come with a factory warranty and support.

 

[Tony S]

The "S" is small. It's 42mm round,

Small is relative. This is my 42mm watch on my wrist.

 

[tball]

Small is relative.

No doubt, especially for daily wear.

My old Fenix 2 was enormous and I didn't wear it daily, only for activities. I wear my Fenix 5 every day, but I have smaller Garmins for dress shirts and sleeping. It's nice how the sleep and step tracking from all their devices comes together online. I love that my Fenix 5 is small enough I'm comfortable wearing it all the time if I like.

DC Rainmaker has nice pictures showing watch sizes. While the 5S has the same size screen as Tony's, I think the bezel may be smaller.

Here's a picture of the 5S on his wife:

More pics in his review:

Garmin Fenix 5/5S/5X In-Depth Review

*** UPDATE: The Fenix series has had two generation updates since this post. Check out the in-depth reviews for both the Fenix 5 Plus, and the Fenix 6! *** It’s been nearly three months since Garmin first announced the Fenix

www.dcrainmaker.com

Not sure if most women will want to wear that daily (beyond a 30-mile radius outside Boulder).

 

[Tony S]

Not sure if most women will want to wear that daily (beyond a 30-mile radius outside Boulder).

There is a great cartoon in here somewhere.

 

[Jilly]

The forerunner 45 is on sale for <$200 right now. That's what Ariel wanted first, so....I'll take a look at everything tonight. Smaller would be better, but. Thanks for the help.