There is a unhappy reality each open air particular person should face, which is that finally, you must transfer on out of your #vanlife and get an actual job. Even sponsored athletes get creaky or tear a rotator cuff finally. You need to pay in your youngsters’ ski classes by some means.
Are you, like me, equally satisfied that you’re simply as excessive as you ever have been, and in addition in a position to afford a $1,000 sports activities watch? Then, my buddy, Garmin’s newest Epix Pro (Gen 2) is for you. It’s one of the best multi-sport look ahead to an individual who has quite a lot of totally different out of doors hobbies and a little bit of disposable earnings. This yr, it has higher battery life and a wider dimension vary to accommodate smaller wrists. Unlike the similarly-priced new Fenix 7 Pro ($900), it nonetheless has a stupendous OLED display screen you should utilize to view many maps.
Those maps—Garmin’s beautiful, detailed, and easy-to-use proprietary offline maps!—and the higher battery life are the 2 the explanation why I’d nonetheless suggest a Garmin over the Apple Watch Ultra (particularly in case you don’t have an iPhone). I discovered final yr’s Epix to be somewhat bit annoying, however this yr’s mannequin is one in all my favourite sports activities watches I’ve examined.
Variations on a Theme
Like most of Garmin’s sports activities watches, the Epix Pro is available in a number of iterations—a 42-mm, 47-mm, and 51-mm case dimension, plus the usual and sapphire lens crystal version. I attempted the Epix Pro Sapphire within the 47-mm case dimension with the silicone band, which inserts my 150-mm wrist. I did get the white band surprisingly soiled, which I by no means observed on the black watches.
The bezel is titanium, which I used to be stunned to notice as a result of I did bang it up whereas mountain climbing and there are seen scratches. The sapphire crystal, nonetheless, has held up and continues to be unmarked—one thing to bear in mind if one in all your hobbies can be scraping your fingers in and round rock cracks filled with spiders. You may flip off the touchscreen within the settings. I’ve a Fenix 7 Pro available right here and might report that the Epix’s AMOLED display screen is noticeably brighter and simpler to see, each inside and outside.
Garmin claims the battery life can final 16 days in smartwatch mode; with a number of tracked actions per day, like strolling, operating, climbing, and ebiking, I extra generally get round 14 days. That’s completely high quality! Unlike the newest Vivomove Trend, nonetheless, you continue to have to make use of Garmin’s proprietary plug-in charger. It additionally does not have a photo voltaic charging version, just like the Fenix.
Photograph: Garmin
As at all times, the quantity and breadth of Garmin’s options is in depth, and a little overwhelming. The latest ones on the Epix embrace a one-button LED flashlight on the high of the case. You can choose the depth and whether or not you need it to be white or crimson. Its positioning makes it a way more handy and succesful little mild than those on different screened watches. I like not having to twist my arm round or scramble for my cellphone or headlight whereas rummaging round a darkish tent.
