If you’re looking for a smartwatch that will stand up to the rigors of hiking, climbing, and skiing (along with daily wear), the Garmin Instinct is an amazingly rugged watch with great battery life that has provided us with years of good service and is still going strong. We consider it the best all around hiking watch.

The original Garmin Instinct smartwatch, which is the model we both have

Background

Jeff started using an Instinct in 2018, Moe in 2020. They still use them. Originally, only one Instinct model was out, but there's now an upgraded Instinct 2 in standard and solar models. Our review will look at the original Instinct's features, which are mostly in the Instinct 2. Key upgrades in the Instinct 2 from the original are Pulse Ox measurement and better battery life.

Prior to the Instincts, both of us had Apple Watches, which offer plenty of fitness features, but really suffered on the battery life when it comes to big day hikes or multi-day backpacks. In both of those cases, the Apple Watch simply failed because they didn’t last long enough - and from what we hear, even the newer models have the same problems. In addition to battery life, the Apple Watches were just too fragile. We both ended up cracking and breaking them along the way, which was ultimately why we decided to try the Garmin Instinct.

Hence when we started looking for new smartwatches, we were really focused on durability and battery life. One watch quickly rose above the others in terms of reviews and that was the Garmin Instinct smartwatch.

What does the Instinct offer?

First and foremost for the hiker and backpacker, durability. The watch is constructed with reinforced case that as far as we can tell, is indestructible. Ours have been dropped, banged, crushed, hit, thrown around, and so much more and they don’t even have a scratch on the screen. For Jeff it’s been seven years of daily use and for Moe, four years of incredibly heavy daily use.

Seven years on with our first Instinct, we have fully expected it to die somewhere along the way - either the batteries petering out, or it somehow cracking and breaking. But neither has really happened. We can tell the batteries drain a bit faster now than when we first got the watch, but it’s still several days of use out of a single charge. The display is as clear and crisp as the day we got it, and the functions all seem to be firing on all cylinders.

The Instinct offers everything you’d expect in a sports orientated smartwatch, with GPS tracking, different activity modes, body monitoring, and more. We’d hazard to guess we probably only use 30-40% of the functions on the watch, but that percentage for us covers everything we need.

Our most used functions are the hike tracking, along with the daily health monitoring. In the past we had the watch more connected to our phones so alerts and such would pop up on the watch, but we both found that annoying and have disconnected the active connection between watch and phone.

We do use the Garmin Connect app, which adds an entire layer of functionality and data management to your Instinct. The app synchs with your watch and downloads everything whenever you connect. This lets you keep track of activities, check all your health stats that are being monitored, and adjust settings on the watch.

The battery life on our original Instincts is about a week when we keep it in the standard watch mode. Activity tracking does drain the original watch fairly quickly. You’ll be able to record an eight or so hour long hike, but if you go much longer than that, you run the risk of the watch running out of battery. The Instinct 2 is advertised with a significantly longer battery life (weeks, not a week) and longer activity tracking times, but our experience is only with the Instinct 1’s. On multi-day backpacks we either don’t use the activity tracking, or we simply charge the Instinct in the evening off our battery brick. It takes maybe an hour for the watch to fully charge.

In addition, the Instinct is waterproof, dustproof, and seemingly bulletproof.

Our Take:

If you want a virtually indestructible smartwatch for your hiking, backpacking adventures, then you really can’t go wrong with the Garmin Instinct. The durability alone takes this watch far ahead of many others and is why the Instinct is always on our wrist.

Yes, there are a lot of features we don’t use and it’s not the most intuitive watch to navigate (you’ll need the owners manual), but the watch dutifully tracks our hikes and adventures, monitors our vitals, and through the Garmin Connect app, really puts all of that information at our fingertips to review and monitor.

Would We Buy It Again?

Yes and we would recommend the Instinct for any active hiker or backpacker looking for the most durable smartwatch.

Where to Purchase a Garmin Instinct

Amazon

REI

Our Hiking Advice and Hiking Gear Recommendations

Some product links are affiliate links and we earn from qualifying purchases. Others are links through the Amazon Influencer program and as an Amazon Influencer, we earn from qualifying purchases. Still others, we just want you to know about some good gear we enjoy!

Important Hiking Considerations:

Weather: Check the weather forecast before your hike and be prepared for changes in conditions.
Safety: Some sections of the trail can be steep and rocky, so use caution and watch your footing.
Plan and Prepare: Research your hike beforehand and it is always a good idea to carry a paper map in addition to any apps or online maps you may have - remember batteries can die, especially in colder weather.
Leave No Trace: As with any outdoor activity, remember to follow the principles of Leave No Trace. Pack out any trash, stay on the trail, and be respectful of the natural environment.