A good hiking or outdoor watch can cost quite a bit of money. After doing a lot of research on budget friendly hiking watches, I decided to create a list of the best cheap hiking and outdoor watches. One of the key factors is whether or not your hiking watch needs a built-in GPS. Obviously this would drastically increase the price. If you are not sure if you need a GPS (or for more information), keep reading until the end of the article. I will provide more information at the end of the article.
Best cheap hiking and outdoor watches
These watches will be sorted from cheap to expensive, but all of these are considered cheap hiking/outdoor watches because of the good value for money.
Evidently, everything comes down to what you need for your next hiking trip. For example, if you are looking for a featured-packed GPS watch, you can skip to the last options on the list.
Let’s start with a clear overview of the watches.
| Name | Features | Durability | price |
|---|---|---|---|
| CakCity Digital Sports Watch | 2/5 | 4/5 | $ |
| Timex Ironman Classic Watch | 2/5 | 5/5 | $$ |
| Casio Men’s SGW-1000-1ACR | 4.2 oz | 15.7 x 13.8 | $$$ |
| Casio Women’s ‘ Pro Trek Quartz Resin Watch | 4 oz | 16 x 12 | $$$ |
| Garmin Instinct | 1.9 oz | 15.75 x 11 | $$$$ |
| Garmin Instinct 2 | 1.9 oz | 15.75 x 11 | $$$$$ |
1. CakCity Digital Sports Watch
Durability: 4/5
Features: 2/5
Price: $
Let’s start with the cheapest of the cheap hiking watches: CakCity Digital Sports Watch. I would only recommend this watch for hikers who are looking for the cheapest watch ever.
You might be able to find watches a little bit cheaper, but this watch is reliable and solid. It’s also waterpoof and pretty shock-resistant, which is especially impressive considering the price.
However, it’s mainly used to… read the time.
There obviosuly are some basic features
- Auto Date
- Alarm
- LED display
- Stop Watch
- Back Light
It’s waterproof up to 164ft/50m. However, you should not press any buttons under water and you should keep it away from steam/hot water.
If you do not care about advanced features, this might be a solid option. Perfect for hiking or regular outdoor usage.
The design is simple but user friendly. The buttons are easy to push. The digits on the screen are big enough to read even for people with poor vision. Also, it comes with a LED light, which means you can also use it when it’s dark. This might seem like an obvious feature, but remember, this is one of the cheapest watches you can buy today.
Sadly, this watch is only available for men. However, I did find the perfect alternative for women.
Men: CakCity Men’s Digital Sports
Women: Armitron Sport Women’s
2. Timex Ironman Classic Watch
Durability: 5/5
Features: 2/5
Price: $$
This cheap hiking watch is once again very basic, but solid. You get a very durable and robust watch for a fair price.
It comes with the following basic features:
- Iconic Performance Design
- Sports Stopwatch (30 Lap Memory)
- Countdown Timer & Alarm
- Resin strap with buckle closure
- Indiglo Light-Up Watch Dial
- Water Resistant
In theory, it’s waterproof up to 330ft/100m, but in reality it’s adviced not to use it for diving. However, for swimming, snorkeling or very wet hiking days, you won’t encounter any problems with the Timex Ironman.
When it comes to features, this watch is very similar to the previous one. The main difference would be the overall quality. This watch has been used by many people in various situations and it scores very good on the test of time.
Once again, a very basic watch, perfect for hiking and general outdoor usage.
This watch is unisex and available on amazon:
Men/Women: Timex Ironman Classic Watch
3. Casio Men’s SGW-1000-1ACR
Durability: 5/5
Features: 4/5
Price: $$$
This watch is only available for men, see the next watch for the women’s alternative!
Okay, now that we have covered the basic watches, let’s take a look at some of the more advanced hiking watches. These watches will obviously be a bit more expensive, but you can still consider them cheap hiking watches.
Let’s start with the Casio Men’s SGW-1000-1ACR.
This watch is -once again- extremely durable. Otherwise, it wouldn’t have made this list. That said, it also got plenty of additional features.
- Compass
- Altimeter
- Barometer
- Thermometer
- Low temperature resistance
- Led backlight
- World time 31 time zones
- Daylight saving
- Alarms
- Stopwatch
- Auto calendar
- 3 years battery life
- Quartz movement
- Water resistant (it’s waterproof up to 330ft/100m, suitable for both swimming and snorkeling, but not for diving)
Alright, that’s a big list of features.
Later in this article I will give an explanation about the most important features. These would be the compass, altimeter, barometer and thermometer. This watch basically got everything except for a GPS (and maybe a heart monitor).
Most of these features are rather self-explanatory. However, you might be wondering what the altimeter and barometer do.
The altimeter will show you what height you are currently at. This is not only nice to know, it can also help you with navigation (it’s easier to pinpoint your location on a map if you know your exact location). The barometer will allow you to somewhat predict the weather.
I think this product is a very complete hiking watch for a very good price. I would probably recommend this watch to every hiker who can afford it but doesn’t need more features/gps.
This watch is available on amazon (only for men)
Men: Casio Men’s SGW-1000-1ACR
4. Casio Women’s ‘ Pro Trek Quartz Resin Watch
Durability: 5/5
Features: 4/5
Price: $$$
This watch is only available for women, see the previous option for the men’s alternative!
- Digital Compass
- Altimeter
- Barometer
- Thermometer
- Tough Solar Power
- Low Temperature Resistant
- Sunrise/Sunset Data
- World Time
- Backlight
- Daily Alarms
- Quartz Movement
- Water resistant to 100m (330ft): in general, suitable for swimming and snorkeling, but not diving
This is the women’s alternative for the Casio Men’s SGW-1000-1ACR. As you can see, this watch also has plenty of features. All the most important features are included except for GPS.
Once again, a very complete hiking watch. I would recommend this watch to every female hiker who can afford it. An awesome allround outdoor watch.
This watch is available on amazon (only for women)
Women: Casio Women’s ‘ Pro Trek Quartz Resin Watch
5. Garmin Instinct
Durability: 5/5
Features: 4.5/5
Price: $$$$
Another exceptional value watch, the Garmin Instinct, Rugged Outdoor Watch. This is a bit more expensive. However, when you start looking at good quality hiking watches with an included GPS, you will soon realize that these are expensive products.
If you want a good hiking watch that comes with a GPS, this is the best budget option out there today. Even though the budget option is not that budget friendly.
- Rugged GPS watch built to withstand the toughest environments
- Constructed to U. S. Military standard 810G for thermal, shock and water resistance (rated to 100 meters)
- Built-in 3-axis compass
- Barometer
- Altimeter
- Multiple global navigation satellite systems (GPS, GLONASS and Galileo)
- Monitor your estimated heart rate, activity and stress; train with preloaded activity profiles
- Stay connected with smart notifications (with a compatible smartphone) and automatic data uploads to the Garmin Connect online fitness community
- Use the TracBack feature to navigate the same route back to your starting point; use the Garmin Explore website and app to plan your trips in advance
- Battery life: up to 14 days in smartwatch mode, up to 16 hours in GPS mode, up to 40 hours in UltraTrac battery saver mode
Except for the price, this product truly is amazing. It has everything you need and it is designed to last long in the toughest environments.
It has a rather rugged look and it looks like a watch for men. However, some women have been using this watch and said that they are very happy about this watch.
I have done a complete garmin battery life comparison and the instinct has by far the best battery life for the price.
This watch is available on amazon:
Men/Women: Garmin Instinct, Rugged Outdoor Watch
6. Garmin instinct 2
Durability: 5/5
Features: 5/5
Price: $$$$$
The last option on the list is definely not extremely budget friendly. However, I feel like this watch has so many good features that it’s stilla great value product at the current price.
In fact, I was so convinced that this is the watch that I have currently bought and am using on my hiking trips. And believe me, I care about good value.
So, what makes this watch so great? Well, it has all the good features that the instinct 1 has, it’s just better on several levels and it has more features.
For example, you can connect this watch to Garmin Connect IQ, which let’s you download custom apps, widgets and watch faces.
Even though I’m mainly a hiker, I also go on an occasional run and I use strava for tracking. One of the many cool things that you can do is link your watch to some apps like strava. When I go on a run, I simple start a run by pressing a button on the watch and it automatically uploads the run to strava.
One of the many upgrades in comparison to the base version of this watch would be the improved battery life. Once again, take a look at my battery life comparison for specifics.
If you like the additional features and the idea that you can download custom apps, it might be worth it to go for the Garmin Instinct 2. However, if you really care about your budget and your main concern is finding a very solid GPS watch suitable for hiking, the Garmin instinct 1 is definitely the better option.
PS. I will probably write an in-depth review based on my hiking experiences with the Garmin Instinct 2 soon.
The best price can usually be found here: Garmin instinct 2
Honorable mention: Garmin Forerunner 25
Long story short, it’s a very basic watch, but it does come with a GPS. If you are looking for the cheapest -somewhat reliable- GPS watch, this is the one to get.
Available on amazon: Garmin Forerunner 25
Do you need a GPS as a hiker
The short answer to this question is a simple no. At least, regular hikers doing regular hikes will not need a GPS.
Now it might be handy and fun to use a GPS on your hiking trips, but it’s definitely not a necessity.
The price of a hiking watch will drastically increase once a GPS is included. Therefore, I would advise against buying a hiking watch with a GPS if you are on budget.
If you absolutely want a GPS, but you are still on a budget, I would recommend Garmin Foretrex 401 Waterproof Hiking GPS. It’s not really a hiking watch, it’s more a portable GPS that you can attach to your wrist. The GPS itself is a great product.
Most important features of a hiking or outdoor watch
I will provide a list of the most important features of hiking watch below. Note that it will not mention a GPS because that feature is already covered in the previous subtopic. The list will be sorted from most important to least important. However, the sorting of the importance might change slightly under certain circumstances.
1. Durability
The main difference between a regular watch and a hiking watch is that a hiking watch has to be very robust in order to be durable. It has to be waterproof, have robust cases and durable straps.
Preferably the watch should also have some sort of scratch resistance glass. If you are wearing a watch while hiking, scratches might be a big problem. However, this would increase the price of the watch.
2. Compass
You would want to bring a compass on any serious hiking trip anyway. You might as well have a compass inserted into your watch. This would save you some weight, space and it’s more convenient.
3. Altimeter
An altimeter will show you how high above sea level you are. A regular altimeter is based on barometric pressure, this will give you pretty accurate information. However, a GPS based altimeter will provide even more accurate results.
Not only is it nice to know exactly how much you climbed, it can also help you with navigation. If you know at what altitude you currently are, it’s easier to find your position on a map. This can be pretty important if you do not have a GPS with you and you rely on map navigation.
4. Barometer
The barometer will detect changes in the atmospheric pressure. This will allow you to somewhat predict the weather.
If the pressure is falling, the weather will start to worsen. If the pressure is rising on the other hand, the weather will start to get better.
Very severe drops in atmospheric pressure can indicate that a storm is coming. This can be very important information and could prevent a potential disaster. Especially for high altitude hiking, I recommend to bring a device that is equipped with a barometer. Because weather changes become more dangerous at higher altitudes.
5. Heart rate monitor
A heart rate monitor can be quite handy. However, unless you have some sort of medical condition or you are really pushing you boundaries, I would not recommend this for a hiker on a budget.
It’s simply not that important as all the previous features and it will increase the price of your hiking watch.
6. Thermometer
Another nice to have would be a thermometer. It might be nice to know the temperature at any point during your hike, but it’s not really important. Additionally, the thermometer should not be attached to your wrist when measuring the temperature because your body provides heat. This could lead to inaccurate measurements.
The only time a thermometer would be actually useful would be in the morning before you put on your clothes. Knowing the temperate might give you an idea of how many layers you should be wearing.
All in all, not something I would recommend for a cheap hiking watch.
Conclusion
Finding a good cheap hiking watch can be a challenge. However, in essence you just need a durable product that is both shockproof and waterproof.
You might want some additional features like a compass, a barometer and an altimeter.
My first recommendation would be to buy the “Casio Men’s SGW-1000-1ACR” if you are a male. For the women, I would recommend the “Casio Women’s ‘ Pro Trek Quartz Resin Watch“. Both of these are very durable and they have all the features you need.
If you absolutely want a GPS, you can buy the “Garmin Instinct, Rugged Outdoor Watch” instead. If you like to get plenty of features and the possibility to download custom apps, the garmin instinct 2 is the right watch for you!
If all of these watches are still too expensive, I would forget about the additional features and just buy a basic but durable watch. The first two watches on this list are basic but solid.
Watches are constantly changing, some of my recommendation might go out of stock rather soon. However, I will try to keep this article up-to-date as good as possible.
Have you had good or bad experiences with cheap hiking watches? Do you prefer a watch with advanced features or do you rather stick to the basics? Let me know in the comments below.
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