Hiking is all about getting away from screens and into the healing embrace of nature, sure, but over the past few years I’ve often embraced the help of a GPS watch when I hit the trail.

These crafty devices have banished my trusty map and compass into the deepest recesses of my hiking backpack, only to be pulled out in dire circumstances. Their offline maps and handy turn-by-turn navigation have me blowing past every trail junction without slowing down, and never again do I have to wonder how far I’ve walked or how much ground I still have to cover.

Not every smartwatch feature matters for hiking – I personally don’t need a reminder every time I receive a text, and training tools like Race Predictor on the best Garmin watches are only depressing, as handy as they are for trail runners – but a watch with offline maps, a great battery life and a flashlight is like gold when I’m taking the long road.

Over the last few years, I’ve tested dozens of GPS watches on trails from the Highlands to the Himalayas to find out which are best for trekking adventures.

Best premium GPS watch: Garmin Fenix 8

• Maps: Full color topo maps preloaded
• Torch: LED
• Display: AMOLED
• Materials: Titanium bezel, Power Sapphire lens, fibre-reinforced polymer case
• Battery life: Up to 28 hours in GPS mode

The fully-featured Garmin Fenix 8 is one of the absolute best GPS watches that money can buy, it’s true. But don’t think its inclusion here is merely a lazy catch-all – I wore this watch all the way to Everest Base Camp and back to find out whether or not it really has the chops for hiking. Suffice to say, it’s nearly perfect for intrepid adventures.

For my 11-day trek, I played around with both Mountaineering mode, which gave me precise altitude readings that were really helpful as we climbed up to 5,364m, and Rucking mode, which allowed me to input my exact pack weight for more accurate fitness tracking and calorie counting.

In the Nepalese teahouses, the LED torch was ideal for midnight trips to the loo, and on a pre-dawn hike up Kala Patthar to watch the sun rise over Everest, the red light function proved more useful than my super bright headtorch.

The Fenix 8 comes with full colour maps already preloaded, and with 32GB of storage, it holds up to 100 GPX routes, far more than I’d ever need. I trekked with a guide in the Himalayas, so I didn’t need to download the route, but a few months later, I wore it for a five-day hike of the Cumbria Way, and the route was lightning-quick to render and meant I barely had to break my stride if I came across an unmarked trail junction.

The only gripe I can find is the battery life, which is more than suitable for regular day hikes, but lacks a little on multi-day treks. On adventures where I’m using the Fenix 8 in GPS mode for 6-8 hours a day, I typically have to charge it every third day.

If you’re planning on going very far off-grid, consider the Garmin Fenix 8 Pro, which adds the ability to make an SOS call when you’re out of service and need help.

• Who should buy it: Hikers with a big budget who don’t want to compromise on quality or features.

Best for multi-day treks: Suunto Vertical 2

• Maps: Full color topo maps available for download
• Torch: LED
• Display: AMOLED
• Materials: Sapphire crystal screen with a choice of stainless steel or titanium aluminium alloy bezel
• Battery life: Up to 65 hours in GPS mode

If the price of the Fenix 8 makes you wince, but you’re not willing to compromise on quality and performance, allow me to introduce you to the Suunto Vertical 2.

This watch doesn’t boast the full suite of smart and training features that let the Fenix 8 leapfrog over the competition, but if it’s a reliable navigation and training watch you’re after, this high-quality watch checks a lot of boxes.

I first tested it out on a five-day solo trek along the St Cuthbert’s Way, which covers a lot of remote ground. I was doing it in late fall when the days were short, so I didn’t want to take any wrong turns if I could help it.

I had to download the map of the UK before I set off, but after that it was all straightforward. The map rendered quickly each morning and was really clean and easy to follow on the giant, bright screen. I opted for the watch’s Nordic Walking mode since I hike with poles, and it gave me more accurate readings.

The LED torch really came in useful on the longer days, where I ran out of daylight before reaching my lodging, and it gave me comfort knowing that I had a backup light source.

It only holds 15 routes at a time, which means I do have to operate a strict one-in, one-out policy, but that’s not a dealbreaker by any means and enough for most people.

But the real showstopper here is the Vertical 2’s incredible battery life, which makes it a better choice than the Fenix 8 if your adventures don’t stop at dinner time. Until this watch came along, an AMOLED screen meant a tradeoff in battery life, but Suunto turned that narrative around with a whopping 65 hours even in Accurate Mode. I started the St Cuthbert’s Way with it fully charged, used it for 6-8 hours a day for five days, and I still had more than 50% battery life remaining when I was done.

• Who should buy it: Thru-hikers and backpackers who want a battery that can last as long as their legs and don’t prioritise smart capabilities.

Best mid-range: Amazfit T-Rex Ultra 2

• Maps: Full color topo maps available for download
• Torch: LED
• Display: AMOLED
• Materials: Sapphire glass screen, titanium bezel and back panel
• Battery life: Up to 50 hours in GPS mode

Do you want everything but the kitchen sink from your GPS watch? You have two choices: spend a lot of money on a Garmin, or accept the quirks of the cheaper Amazfit T-Rex Ultra 2.

I recently hiked nine Munros in the Scottish Highlands and islands over a two-week period, and I thought it would be a great opportunity to test out this burly, fully-featured watch. Per the name echoing the world’s most famous dinosaur, it’s by far the biggest watch on this list, which does make it a bit of a pain to wear with hiking layers, but in the summer months, this doesn’t pose much of an issue.

Amazfit says the watch comes with preinstalled maps, but I had to download the map of Scotland before using it for the first time. The watch has a massive 64GB of storage and holds up to 50 GPX routes, so I had no issues storing everything I needed before I left the house.

Once I got out on the trail, the maps looked great and provided lots of detail, like trails showing up as dotted lines to differentiate them from roads. The extraordinarily comprehensive Points of Interest feature lets me search for and navigate to just about everything nearby, from coffee shops and water sources to police stations and parks. But when I’m following a route, some aspects are a little sluggish. It’s often slow to update my distance remaining or elevation, and despite ongoing promises of an automatic rerouting feature, it always fails to recalibrate when I change course.

Interestingly, the LED torch has a green light function instead of the usual red light, which survival experts say provides better clarity in the dark (red light is kinder on your eyes). There’s also an option to long-press the bottom left button to record a voice memo during an activity, which can be nice for taking notes along the way. The Coros Nomad also has this feature, called Voice Pin.

The T-Rex Ultra 2 has full smartwatch functionality, so it’s a good option if you want (or need) to stay connected on trails, but it can mean a lot of annoying notifications if not. I get around this by keeping it on Do Not Disturb when I hike.

• Who should buy it: Hikers who want a lot of bang for their buck, and don’t mind a few pain points.

Best value for money: Coros Nomad

• Maps: Full color topo maps available for download
• Torch: White screen
• Display: MIP
• Materials: Hardened mineral glass screen and aluminium alloy bezel
• Battery life: Up to 50 hours in GPS mode

Are you allergic to bright screens, bells and whistles? If so, the no-nonsense Coros Nomad is a great choice on a smaller budget.

Its memory-in-pixel (MIP) display might look a little dated next to the now-standard AMOLED models, but MIP displays are generally more battery efficient, so remain good choices for long trips. I took it to Eryri National Park (Snowdonia) for a week of hiking, y I was impressed.

I had to download color maps before my trip, and I think they’re some of the best on this list. They’re really quite detailed with distinguished trail markings, Points of Interest, and mountain peaks and show up really well in all light conditions, even when I’m wearing polarised sunglasses. The device holds up to 100 routes, matching the capacity of the Fenix 8, and they render quickly.

Once I hit the trail, I really liked how easy it is to zoom in (up to 50ft) using the digital crown, and the GPS is as accurate as any watch on this list. I used it in Mountain Climb mode, which takes altitude changes into account to track true 3D distance.

There is a reason that it’s inexpensive, and it’s not just down to cheaper materials and a low-power MIP display. There’s no LED torch, and there’s no in-watch rerouting, so when I do decide to go off-route, it keeps vibrating to let me know, which gets a little annoying. Also, the Back to Start function is buried in the settings menu, instead of being an option when I pause the activity. It’s not make-or-break stuff, but it does show the difference between a budget watch and a more premium model.

What you do get for the sacrifice of some features is a very good battery life, thanks in part to that display. I didn’t have to charge it once during my trip to Wales and would feel confident taking this on a multi-day trek without carrying a battery pack. A nice addition is the Adventure Journal, which lets me drop a pin, add a photo or record a voice memo to a route during a hike, and I do find it really useful for record-keeping as an outdoors journalist.

There is an Emergency Safety Alert system that could be of interest to hikers, but it’s a bit limited. You can set up designated emergency contacts in the app and then send an instant SOS with your live location coordinates by long-pressing the digital crown. However, you need a mobile signal for this to work, so while it could save your life if you fall down a cliff and drop your phone, it’s not really a substitute for a Garmin InReach or other satellite connectivity feature in the wild.

• Who should buy it: Hikers on a budget looking for a no-frills, but reliable watch.

Best for fitness: Polar Grit X2 Pro

• Maps: Full color maps preloaded for Europe (UK needs to be downloaded)
• Torch: White screen
• Display: AMOLED
• Materials: Stainless steel bezel, sapphire glass lens
• Battery life: Up to 43 hours in GPS mode

If you’re interested in training science or preparing for a feat of endurance that might entail weeks or months on the trail, el Polar Grit X2 Pro offers some of the best research-backed metrics and guidance.

I’ve been testing out the Nordic Walking and Rucking modes on this watch around Scotland for a few weeks, y I’ve found it to be a high-quality and distraction-free design.

You will need to download UK maps, and the watch doesn’t have WiFi, so maps and routes need to be dragged over on your laptop, which is a little nostalgic to say the least, y I do have to be a little more organised about where I want to go, but it’s all fairly painless. On the trail, the GPS accuracy has been as good as any, and the maps are nice and clear, although if you’re looking for turn-by-turn guidance, you’ll need to use maps from Komoot, y you do have to calibrate the compass before every hike, which I find a little frustrating.

The battery life is on par with the Fenix 8. In GPS mode, it gets about 40 hours from a full charge, which means you’ll want to bring a battery pack for multi-day treks, and that does slightly negate its worth for endurance efforts.

What makes this watch stand out is its training and recovery tools. Every time I finish a hike, I get an immediate report of the energy sources I’ve used (carbohydrates, protein and fat). With the FuelWise feature, I can receive customised carb and drink reminders during long treks, which is really valuable as I’m terrible at remembering to eat enough on long days.

The Finnish brand really prides itself in training research; Polar’s Research Library features over 17,000 peer-reviewed references, and it shows in this watch. This watch boasts lots of hiking-specific tools, such as Vertical Speed to track your climbing rate, 3D Speed, which is a separate feature which factors in horizontal movement and vertical elevation changes, and Hill Splitter, which automatically detects and breaks down every uphill and downhill on your route.

While this watch doesn’t really stand head and shoulders above the rest, its recovery tools and sleep tracking are excellent, and it excels in cold weather, so for big efforts and those who want distraction-free data, it’s a solid contender.

• Who should buy it: Data-driven endurance hikers who miss the olden days when a walk in the wild meant no one could reach you.

What makes a good hiking watch?

These days, any good GPS watch will provide you with some level of navigation, fitness and health tracking and smart features. But not all are created equally, and not all are built with hikers’ needs in mind. For a watch to be great for hiking, it should have the following features:

Offline maps

Though you can get by with breadcrumb navigation, for a watch to be considered one of the best for hiking, it first and foremost needs to have offline maps that you can use to create routes or follow GPX files. These should be colour, with topographical lines as an option, and show lots of detail.

Clear display

It’s best if a hiking watch has a big and bright display since you’ll be looking at it frequently if you’re using it for navigation, in every possible weather condition, and often while wearing sunglasses. That said, if it’s too high-profile, it can be tricky to wear with hiking layers and gloves, so the biggest isn’t necessarily the best.

Rugged build

Because you’re going to be exposing your hiking watch to all of the elements in every season, it needs to be rugged, so look for something that operates within a wide range of temperatures (-20°C to around 50°C) and has a waterproof rating of at least 10ATM. The most robust materials to look for include a sapphire crystal lens and a titanium or stainless steel bezel.

Big battery

Your hiking watch needs to stand up to the test of time, and by that I mean a robust battery life. An Apple Watch that needs charging every 24 hours is fine for gym use or short, half-day hikes, but if you’re going to be on the trail for a week, choose a watch that’s not going to die on you halfway.

Multiple hiking modes

Activity modes beyond Hiking and Walking are useful, and they should do more than just categorise your activities. Modes like Nordic Walking should take into account the additional energy expenditure from pole use, and if a watch offers Rucking mode, you should be able to input your pack weight for more accurate metrics.

Light source

Finally, though this is certainly an optional extra, most of the best hiking watches have an LED torch. Not to say that you should ditch the headtorch altogether, but when you just need a little illumination for a short distance, it’s preferable to be able to press a button on your watch than stop and dig around for your torch.

Baseus Bowie MC2: revisión de dos minutos

He probado varias de las opciones más caras que recomendamos en nuestro resumen de los mejores auriculares abiertos, como el Cleer Arc 5 y, más recientemente, los Shokz OpenDots Air. Sin embargo, un lanzamiento reciente me hace cuestionar por qué gastar tanto en una forma de auricular que, en lo esencial, no ha cambiado mucho.

Cuando probé los Baseus Inspire XC1 el año pasado, pensé que eran una gran alternativa asequible a las mejores del mercado, pero la marca dijo “agárrate” con sus auriculares más nuevos y aún más económicos.

Estos son los Baseus Bowie MC2, que cuestan muy por debajo del XC1; son algunos de los auriculares abiertos de menor costo que he probado hasta la fecha, pero no están perdiendo demasiado en características o calidad de sonido con el precio reducido. ¿Será que esconden un rendimiento superlativo o, al final del día, no hay mucho margen de variación en este formato? En mi opinión, la segunda opción parece más probable, y los Bowie MC2 ilustran por qué votaría por un par económico de auriculares tipo cuff frente a una propuesta premium.

Los Bowie MC2 cumplen con lo necesario para auriculares de deporte tipo clip-on y no añaden nada del what’s not que no necesitas. La autonomía es razonablemente buena: más de 11 horas de escucha con una sola carga, y al menos 55 horas contando la funda. Perfecto.

Son cómodos para usar durante largos periodos, con el arco de plástico más duro del XC1 reemplazado por silicona más suave y una pequeña almohadilla suave alrededor del auricular para evitar rozaduras. También son bastante ligeros, con 5.1 g por auricular.

Aunque los audiófilos no quedarán impresionados con el sonido, que enfatiza un bajo notable sobre la neutralidad y el detalle sonoro (algo inusual en un diseño abierto, pero esperado en auriculares enfocados al entrenamiento), muchos compradores probablemente estarán satisfechos con lo que escuchan. El sonido no iguala al XC1; no hay tuning Bose ni drivers duales.

Un aspecto a mejorar es la funda de carga. Es algo más grande de lo que estoy acostumbrado en auriculares tipo clip, y además tiene imanes que solo permiten usar el auricular derecho en su ranura derecha y el izquierdo en la izquierda, lo que hace que devolver los auriculares sea un poco fiestero (a diferencia de los auriculares inalámbricos “regulares”, la mayoría de los auriculares tipo clip permiten colocarlos en cualquier lado para cargarlos). Además, la funda tiende a dejar huellas y se ve sucia con facilidad, y eso me importa.

¿Una funda que atrae huellas? ¿Realmente es eso lo que me quejo? El hecho de que haya llegado a ese detalle demuestra que estos son bastante decentes por su precio.

Baseus Bowie MC2 revisión: precio y fecha de lanzamiento

• Lanzamiento a principios de julio, 2026
• Precio de venta: $79.99 / £89.99 (aprox. AU$180)
• Apenas unos competidores más asequibles

Los Bowie MC2 se lanzaron a principios de julio de 2026, menos de un año después del XC1. Mantendré la comparación con estos productos, ya que es mi referencia, pero la línea Inspire difiere un poco de la Bowie, por lo que no son hermanos directos, más bien primos.

Pueden comprarse por $79.99 / £89.99 (aprox. AU$180, aunque aún no disponibles en Australia). En EE. UU., ya he visto descuentos, bajando a $59.99 a un mes de su lanzamiento.

El precio los coloca por debajo de la línea de presupuesto de 100 USD/€ que suelo usar para distinguir opciones económicas. Sus rivales más serios en presupuesto incluyen el Soundpeats Clip1, que cuesta $69.99 / £74.99 / AU$79.99.

Baseus Bowie MC2 revisión: especificaciones

Baseus Bowie MC2 revisión: características

• Fantástica duración de la batería de >11 horas
• La app de Baseus tiene EQ y presets
• …pero poco más

Para quien suele olvidar cargar la batería, su duración es ideal; son ideales para entrenamientos largos y la funda para viajes extensos.

La batería de la funda también es destacable: 55 horas, o 60 si no empleas el modo de graves. Esas cifras superan la media de este tipo de producto. Sin embargo, el uso de la funda para guardar los auriculares no apaga automáticamente la reproducción; hay que detenerla manualmente para que se detenga el tiempo de espera.

El diseño presenta un estuche de 52 g, con puerto USB-C y opciones de color en blanco, negro o azul (igual que los auriculares). No me convence el estuche: plástico barato, tapa algo frágil y un imán que exige colocar cada auricular en su ranura correspondiente, lo que hace que devolverlos sea un pequeño juego de adivinanzas. Además, las huellas siguen siendo un problema visual.

Ahora, sobre los auriculares. Son ligeros (5.1 g cada uno) y el arco suave los hace más flexibles que muchos competidores. Son IP67, por lo que resisten inmersión breve en agua y polvo.

Como ocurre con todos los auriculares abiertos, se trata de un diseño con un peso en la parte trasera, un arco y un auricular que se coloca en la cavidad externa sin sellar el canal auditivo. Una innovación interesante es que el auricular viene con una funda de protección para evitar rozaduras al correr. Eso sí, la funda acumula suciedad, lo que es un intercambio razonable.

Los controles táctiles incluyen un botón físico, pero me parecieron difíciles de activar en movimiento, lo que suele hacer que termine girando el auricular o descolocándolo en la oreja. En general, el diseño recibe 4/5.

• Diseño: 4/5

Baseus Bowie MC2 revisión: Calidad de sonido

• Conductor único de 11 mm por auricular
• La tecnología Bass Boost da peso al bajo
• Soporte LDAC, pero solo si desactivas el bass

Bowie MC2 equipa un driver dinámico de 11 mm; no hay sistema de drivers duales. En lugar de un segundo conductor para bajos, Baseus utiliza lo que llama SuperBass 3.0 para reforzar las frecuencias bajas sin perder claridad.

El perfil de sonido favorece fuertemente los bajos. Son audibles y hacen el ritmo, pero sin sacrificar demasiado el rango medio y alto. A veces pueden sufrir con cimbreos de hi-hats o guitarras, pero, en general, impresionan para este formato.

Si tienes un buen teléfono Android, puedes usar LDAC, lo que reduce la autonomía. Sin embargo, no puedes usar LDAC si activas el modo Bass Boost, por lo que hay que elegir entre mayor calidad de audio o mayor profundidad de graves.

• Calidad de sonido: 3.5/5

Baseus Bowie MC2 revisión: Valor

• Reduce costos frente a rivales de Shokz y Bose
• Algunas alternativas cuestan incluso menos…

Son unos de los auriculares abiertos más baratos que he probado; hacen lo mismo que opciones más caras, son cómodos, tienen buena duración y reproducen música. ¿Por qué pagar el doble por una marca?

En realidad, también hay una versión más barata llamada Bowie MC2 Air que podría valer la pena revisar (aunque no la he probado).

• Valor: 4/5

¿Debería comprar los Baseus Bowie MC2?

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Baseus Bowie MC2: También considerar

Si buscas otros clip-earbuds asequibles, aquí tienes unas opciones que recomendamos tras haberlas probado.

Cómo probé los Baseus Bowie MC2

• Probados durante dos semanas
• Conectados a teléfonos Android para música, podcasts, películas y juegos
• Usados en múltiples actividades, incluido deporte

Probé los Bowie MC2 durante poco más de dos semanas para evaluarlos a fondo. Ese es el plazo mínimo para probar un producto de audio como este.

Durante este periodo los probé en una variedad de actividades: sesiones de gimnasio, carreras, paseos y trayectos en transporte público. Los auriculares se emparejaron con dos teléfonos Android diferentes y se utilizaron principalmente para Spotify y Tidal; también hice algunas llamadas, jugué y vi algo de contenido en ellos.

Soy editor de tecnología desde principios de 2019 y he probado numerosos auriculares abiertos, lo que hace que esta reseña sea fiel a mi experiencia acumulada con Baseus y rivales citados.

• Primera revisión en agosto de 2026

• Lee nuestra garantía de revisión de TechRadar