Smart homes, smart TV’s, smartphones, oh my! Yeah, the day and age we are living in is riddled with new technology at every turn. This smart technology that was once something many of us only dreamed about, is now a part of our every day life. It’s our new normal. And while I think there needs to be a balance that we hold between this technology and the real world, I can’t deny that some of this stuff is pretty cool. Each day that goes by there are more and more smart(fill in the blank). One of those items are watches. These smartwatches are showing up on more wrists each turn of the clock. It’s for good reason, as they are super handy. They do all sorts of cool stuff. Track your fitness, send and receive texts/emails, have GPS features, play music, tell time(duh), and much much more. Surely, these are too delicate for the hunting woods though right? I’d say that most of them are. That’s where the Garmin Fenix 5x Plus comes in though. A watch that can handle backcountry hunting and assist in it along the way with it’s mapping/GPS technology. I’ve been putting it through the paces for the past 6 months or so and have some thoughts.
Before we dive into my thoughts on the Garmin Fenix 5x Plus, let’s take a minute to talk about what it is. This is a multi sport GPS watch. You’ve got access to TOPO maps, GPS functionality, music, fitness tracking, weather, etc. You can also link this watch to your smartphone and send/respond to texts with it. On top of that, you can pair this watch with your Garmin Inreach Mini, so that you can send/respond to texts via the watch. So, what makes it different than any other smartwatch out there?
It’s the construction. The lens is made of a scratch resistant sapphire and the body is made of either a stainless steel or DLC(diamond-like carbon) titanium bezel. Battery performance is great and sits right at about 13 days or even 20 days, if the watch is in smartwatch mode. It’ll also last up to 32 hours if being ran in GPS mode constantly. It’s also waterproof up to 10 ATM(100 meters or 330 feet). So, this watch can handle any rainstorm that’s thrown at it. The Fexix 5x Plus also comes equipped with 16 GB of internal storage. Like any other smartwatch, folks have the ability to download apps, watch faces, etc. That all sounds great. How does it work in the real world though?
I’ve used Garmin products for years now without complaint, so I had a feeling that this watch wouldn’t disappoint. When I took it out of the box, I was blown away by the construction. It not only looked durable, but it also looked nice and sleek. Something I could wear out to a nice dinner and not look like a 14 year old kid with some big clunky watch. A classic win win scenario.
Another thing that caught my attention right away, was how easy it was to put on and take off. I’ve had issues in the past with other watches being a pain in the butt to maneuver the strap and lock. The Fenix is a breeze here. You can also purchase custom bands for the watch.
When one first gets this watch, they’ll have to go through a set up process. This is super easy and where you get your watch all linked up to your phone and set various settings to your liking. The 5x plus connects via an app called Connect IQ. Through this app, is where you’ll track your fitness, manage applications, track sleep, and a long list of other cool features. This was quite painless and only took a matter of minutes to get through. After that, it was off to the races.
Yeah, this watch has all of the goodies that most smartwatches have. That’s great and all, but how does it fair in the field, and not just that, but on backcountry hunts? Which is why I think most folks are reading this. Does it hold up to the elements? How about crawling through the dense brush? Does the GPS work right? How about the other features? I can confidently say “yes” to all of those questions. From 12k feet above timberline in hailstorms down to the dense brush country in the high desert of Arizona, it has stood tall. There have been many times when I’ve accidentally hit the screen on a sharp branch or something and thought I just screwed it up. The screen still looks brand new.
Let’s take a look at the biggest feature for us hunters. The GPS and mapping. I’ve used the GPS quite a bit. It’s never taken me to the wrong place and has always been accurate. Marking waypoints is probably my favorite feature, as simple as that sounds. The reason for this though is because it’s quick and easy to do with the watch right there on your wrist. There is no taking off the pack to grab the GPS. The stock mapping on the Garmin is OK. It’ll absolutely work, but lacks some detail. No worries. You can download 3rd party topo maps to fix this. I used Talky Toasters and have been pleased. It’ll show you contour lines, water sources, trails, etc. This is money for navigating in the dark to a glassing point.
Another feature that I really like with the watch is the Altimeter and Compass. It’s simple, yeah, but highly functional. There have been times in the past where I’ve used the compass itself with onX maps to navigate out of an area. As far as the altimeter goes, I think this is great for hunting purposes. Notating the elevation at which you are seeing animals can help you find other similar areas and find even more critters. I also just get a kick out of knowing my elevation gain and loss on certain hikes. It gives some perspective on what you can and can’t handle.
The Garmin Fenix 5x Plus has even more features. Stuff like Pulse OX Acclimation (monitor blood oxygen levels), listening to music, planning workouts, routing out hikes or runs, Garmin Pay, and advanced performance metrics for tracking your fitness.
Pros
Cons
Years ago I was scouting a thick timbered area for black bear here in Arizona. This spot was littered with small feeder canyons that serpentined their way throughout it. A great spot to look for bruins. After a few hours, we decided to head back to the truck before it got dark. In about 30 minutes, one of my worst fears came true. We were lost. Something that I never thought would happen to me was in fact my reality. Luckily, I remember marking the truck on that GPS I never put a ton of faith into. It was telling me to go the wrong way. At least that’s what I thought. Turned out it was right the whole time and here I sit. Since that point, I have carried a GPS and trusted it. Something that I hated though was having to go in and out of my backpack to retrieve it for use. That’s why GPS watches caught my attention in the first place and why I am super stoked about the Garmin Fenix 5x Plus. You get all of the features of a smartwatch with the durability needed to withstand the paces of hunting. It looks great, is highly functional, and not just another toy to add to your gear list. It’s not just a watch, it’s a tool, and it’s on my wrist everywhere I go.
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