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Choose the right SportWatch for the most extreme adventure

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DiTBho:
I am planning many mountain sports activities for this summer and autumn and I need something to help training.

Anyone has experience with one of the following?

* Garmin Fēnix 7X Solar
* Garmin Forerunner 945
* Garmin Forerunner 245
* Polar Vantage V2
* Suunto 9 Peak
Different price and performances. Personally I tried the Fēnix 7X Solar for a couple of days and it looks the best about autonomy and features, but it's *very* expensive (~800 euro).

I need GPS to load maps to avoid getting lost along the mountain paths.

MathWizard:
IDK but I just remembered, that as a 7 or 8yo kid, I had gotten a digital wristwatch, that was said to be "waterproof".

So in some public bathroom in the UK I think, I tested it by running water over it, and I remember some tall person (adult I guess) saying what am I doing, and me saying I'm saying it's supposed to be waterproof. I guess at 1ATM, as a kid I never considered that. And it was WP at 1 atm.

DiTBho:
LOL!

Well, at least I won't be playing any underwater adventures. Okay, I need it water proof, but just in case it falls into a lake. Kind of things you swim and get out immediately.

Say, anything with at least 5m waterproof is fine for me :D

What I am really worried about now is the autonomy. I will be in the middle of nowhere for at least 10 days, and charging my smartphone won't be in my priority list for a long while.

DiTBho:
Yesterday I tried the Suunto 9 Peak, today I have to return it and ... well, I just don't like it.

It's cheaper (600 euro) and higher quality than Garmin Fēnix 7X Solar, but the screen is too small for my eyes, the buttons are too slow(1) and (according to the battery monitor) it looks like you need to charge the smartwatch every 8 days.

Better than Apple iWatch 7, whose charge lasts only 24h, but definitely not enough for my needs.

(1) When you train running 10km a day, you don't like to stop just to press a button and wait for the information to appear on the screen 1-2 seconds later. You really need to have information right away the quickest possible, and it is a real shame that the Suunto 9 Peak really bothers here with too long lags.

For what I am planning for this summer, I am also evaluating a "kit" to safely lock the smartwatch to the bike handlebar.

DiTBho:
Thanks to a friend who has a Garmin shop, today I am back with Garmin fēnix 7, but this time, I am going to test the "7X Sapphire Solar Edition".

It's expensive, very very expensive (999.99 USD), but it has
- 32GB of flash, so you can upload more GPS maps (very useful for my plans)
- the case is made of fiber-reinforced polymer with titanium rear cover
- lens are made of "Power Sapphire", which is more robust than "Gorilla Glass"
- it adds a Led Flash, really useful for me in the dark
- up to ***30 days*** in Solar Battery Saver Watch Mode with the GPS in low precision mode

The last point is the killer one!!! The Sapphire is better than every other Fenix 7 Editions

I currently have a -40% discount, so I am really really tempted to buy it. We will see  :D
--- edit: ---
I let it expire, d'oh. Now it's full price. I am on budget and I am really looking for the cheapest model available, so I am also considering the Amazfit GTR 3, which has in-built GPS and a decent battery life for its price: up to  14 days with the GPS in "low precision mode", and up to 25 days in "Battery Saver mode"!!!
Ok, it doesn't have a large flash, but it's definitively not bad.

I will test one next week, and take a final decision  :o

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