Garmin  Instinct Solar GPS Watch

I suppose we all have different expectations for one of these smartwatches, so I'll explain my priorities and why I like this gadget. First, I have no interest in a watch that plays music, tells me I have text messages, or measures my golf swings - so I can't speak to any of that. I just don't care. It's a watch, so it should tell time - and have a readable display. This is customizable, and mine now shows the time and date legibly (along with my heart rate and the battery life). The backlight can be adjusted; I keep mine dimmer to prolong battery life. I'm hard on my watches, but this one really does seem durable. The band and glass are sturdy, and I'm delighted it uses real buttons instead of a touch screen. The latter is impractical for genuine outdoorsy use. I hike, so I want something that will track hikes with relevant stats (distance, elevation gain, etc). The watch is great for this - for the most part. Sometimes the altimeter goes haywire (presumably due to barometric changes), but the Garmin connect pc software allows you to correct that afterwards online - and that seems to work well (although it won't do you any good in real time). I love having a quick-reference compass on my wrist, along with an altimeter & barometer. Initially I had concerns about the compass pointing 180 degrees the wrong way, but recalibrating several times seems to have corrected that. It would be a huge big deal if that didn't work right. Although I'm still deciding what settings I want, I like having the storm alert that buzzes my wrist when the barometric pressure suddenly drops. This does give a heads up that can be important in the backcountry. There seems to be some concern online about the accuracy of the altimeter, but I believe that can be corrected with frequent calibration if accuracy it is crucial. Except for one seriously wonky elevation profile on a hike (again, I'd attribute it to barometric changes that the online software later corrected), I haven't had problems with this. In general, it seems to be accurate for me. (I've had the watch for a little more than a month and taken it on several familiar hikes and walks). There is a pretty steep learning curve to becoming comfortable with this watch, and that is probably the biggest drawback. I wish Garmin provided a written manual, but there are loads of free videos online to help. Once you get the hang of things, it's actually pretty simple. But it does take getting used to. And there are still features (like a track-back function) that I have yet to try. Much to my surprise, the watch figured out when I took a swim and recorded the activity as such. That said, initially and sporadically it has difficulty deciphering when/if I'm sleeping. I seem to get sleep data on a delay, when I get it at all. But I have an erratic sleep schedule, and as far as i can tell, it can only record one sleep period per day (so if you slept for 3 hours in the morning and 3 at night, it would disregard the morning nap). I think you'd have the same issue with any smartwatch's sleep tracking. As with any of these devices, random arm movements can be picked up as steps and artificially inflate a step count. It's a tool, and it has limitations shared by all similar tools. I keep heart rate monitoring on constantly, and that seems to work well. Even when you're sweaty and grubby, the band stays put on your wrist (& it's comfortable). Garmin told me to use rubbing alcohol and a soft toothbrush to clean the port where the charging cable connects, because apparently sweat can clog that up and interfere with charging. On that note, one frustrating aspect of this watch is charging it. It is supposed to fully charge within two hours, but mine was charging incredibly slowly. Apparently this is a common problem. The cable connection can be fussy/loose. Sometimes you need a new cable from Garmin or some knockoff brand to get a tighter fit. As for solar charging, it's fun to see the display that indicates the watch is receiving sun. It does work - but not the way plugging something in would, of course. I had my wrist in full sun for a while, and the charge did improve 1%. I didn't measure how many features I had turned on, nor how long the watch was in the sun. My point is simply that it DID gain power, so it isn't purely a gimmick. If you use GPS function (as for hiking), or anything else that uses a lot of battery power, you'll still need to plug it in for recharging. The solar power is a supplement to, not a replacement for, traditional charging. Although sunrise/sunset times (& notifications) are useful to have at a glance, weather reporting is a mixed bag. The watch is actually reporting off your phone app for the weather, so it has to be communicating with Garmin Connect to give current information - and there is a lag (it was raining before but the watch said cloudy; the rain stopped, but the watch now says it's raining). But when all is well, you get current conditions, temperature, humidity, wind speed/direction, and high/low temperatures for the day - as well as a brief hourly or daily forecast for the next 4 hours/days. I like the weather info better in principle than practice. Similarly, although the watch itself has a thermometer, the watch has to be off your body for it to have real accuracy. The Garmin Connect software can be accessed on one's phone, computer, or ideally both. Activity tracking and basic metrics are easily seen. I'm not sold on some of the quirkier metrics like "stress" (which mysteriously always seems highest when I'm planted firmly on my buttocks) or "body battery" (which supposedly tells how recharged you are). Eh. Although I have zero interest in using Garmin Connect as a form of social media, you can keep your info private (& have no "connections") yet participate nonetheless in various challenges that include other people - and these can be oddly motivating. It would be better if you could create challenges for yourself, or if Garmin Connect auto-generated challenges (like it does step goals). All in all, the watch us a win. Expensive? Yepper. Imperfect? Yes, that too. There's too much stuff I don't want (like getting message notifications), or stuff that doesn't really work well (like weather reporting), or things that need tweaking (like the charger cable connection). But I used to have FitBits, and this is a vastly better gadget. It has enough going for it to make me happy that I got it as an accessory for hiking and routine fitness tracking.

I've been using Garmin products for over ten years and this is the first time I've had so many reliability issues with one of their products. I've used a Garmin Forerunner 205, then 235, and wanted to upgrade to the Instinct Solar. I liked the idea of having a watch that lasts more than a week, and has a more rugged, protected display. I do a mix of running, hiking. I am also involved with search and rescue -- having the seconds display on the main watch display was great for medical scenarios. I started using the Instinct Solar two months ago. It worked well and met my expectations, but suddenly overnight it died even though it read that it had a few days left on battery. I tried charging it and it would not turn back on. There would be nothing display on the screen and the master reset option did not seem to do anything. I contacted Garmin directly and they immediately arranged a replacement for a new one. The second watch worked well again for the first few weeks. This past weekend I went on a 7 hour hike and the battery went from 16 days to 5 days (which is fine). However, overnight it turned off again without any apparent reason and I was not able to turn it back on. I've left it on the charger, did a master reset and it still shows a low battery display, and then the screen displays nothing. I'm afraid that If I contact Garmin again for another replacement, I won't be able to return it for a refund. I'm thankful for Garmin's excellent customer support, and REI's return policy. However, I would not recommend this watch based on my own personal experience. I really wanted to keep this watch, but I will wait until the next generation of watches. For now I'll stick to my Forerunner 235. It's quite aged, but it consistently works!