When it comes to GPS watches for trail running Garmin and Suunto absolutely dominate the market in terms of reliability, durability, quality and comfort.
There are eight features of a GPS watch that I look for. Some fall under the heading of important, while others are nice to have.
Important features:
Battery Life: There is nothing as frustrating as getting to the end of a long run where you discovered a new route for the first time and find that your GPS unit died part way through.
Navigation Features: This is in case you get lost in the mountains and need to plot your way back to safety. In addition the ability to store way points when you want to go and explore a new trail that you have plotted.
Durability: You need a watch that can withstand the rugged conditions that come with mountain life, including storms, extreme temperatures and river crossings.
Comfort: If or when you get into Ultra distance events you will want a unit that will be comfortable over 50 or more consecutive hours of wear. Years ago I had a watch that in order for the heart rate monitor to work I had to keep the strap so tight that it cut circulation to my hand. Not fun at all.
Compatibility With A Top Software Platform: These days everyone wants to upload their workout onto STRAVA. Those who work with coaches will want their watch compatible with Training Peaks as well.
Nice to have:
Action Related Features: It is nice to be able to see your accumulated elevation gain, calorie burn rate and heart rate so that you can test your strength.
A Barometer: In the past mountaineering watches had a barometer but labeled it as an altimeter based on the effects of altitude on air pressure. These days when you pair the barometer against your GPS altitude you will be able to have an early warning of a storm system moving in and evacuate from higher, exposed ground.
Being able to Play Music: This I rate as the least critical as I currently have my Bluetooth ear buds paired to my phone so I am able to listen to music and take calls with ease out on the trails.
Here are my three picks for GPS watches for trail runners. I am looking at the watch with the most features, the watch with the best battery life, and finally a good for purpose budget GPS watch for the beginner trail runner.
Garmin Fenix 5X Plus
This is by far the most feature rich GPS watch on the market. Of all the Fenix 5 series watches, the Garmin Fenix 5X Plus (available on Amazon) has the best battery life. You have 32 hours of GPS, 13 hours of GPS plus music. If you use the propriety setting of UltraTrac you get 70 hours of basic GPS tracking – easily enough for 100 mile ultra trail events.
Not only does the Garmin Fenix 5X Plus (available on Amazon) have an accurate wrist based heart rate monitor, it also has a Pulse Ox sensor that monitors blood oxygen saturation levels. This assists in monitoring the effectiveness of muscular and cardio recovery while you sleep as will as acclimation ahead of high altitude events.
The high resolution color topographical maps are comparable to what I have seen on top end hand held GPS units used by mountaineers. The paths overlaid on the maps are color coded in order of popularity from other Garmin users.
Alternatively when I am in a new area I can create a route on STRAVA, send the route to the Garmin Fenix 5X Plus (available on Amazon) and just go, knowing that my navigation is taken care of.
Suunto 9 Baro
When it comes to battery life, nothing on the market comes anywhere close to the Suunto 9 Baro (available on Amazon). You will get 40 hours of full function GPS usage and a staggering 120 hours (yes six days) in the basic GPS tracking Ultra mode.
Like the Fenix you have a wrist based heart rate monitor and a barometer to track potential storm systems.
While the Suunto 9 Baro (available on Amazon) does have full color topographical maps, the resolution is less sharp than the Fenix.
You won’t be able to play music on your Suunto 9 Baro (available on Amazon) but that is hardly an issue for me. Plug a large power bank into your phone and you’ll get almost enough music to match the battery life of your watch.
Garmin ForeRunner 235
If you are relatively new to trail running and need a GPS watch that has a decent battery life at a budget price, then the Garmin Forerunner 235 (available on Amazon) will be sufficient for your needs.
The Garmin Forerunner 235 (available on Amazon) will give you 11 hours of battery life using both the GPS and heart rate monitor. That should be easily enough to cover you until you start getting into long ultra distance running.
The features on the Garmin Forerunner 235 (available on Amazon) are still as relevant today as they were three years ago when the watch was launched. In fact it still outperforms other entry level watches that have a more recent launch date.
It is the fact that the Garmin Forerunner 235 (available on Amazon) is a three year old model that has forced the price point down to such budget levels. It is still a quality unit that has a wrist mounted heart rate monitor and super fast GPS locator used in some of the more expensive Garmin watches.
If you’re looking for good quality trail running gear, I have other pages like this one recommending my favorite running shoes, hydration systems, and other trail running gear and accessories on the recommended gear page of this site. It’s all the battle-tested gear that I love.
