There is a unhappy fact each open air individual should face, which is that ultimately, it’s important to transfer on out of your #vanlife and get an actual job. Even sponsored athletes get creaky or tear a rotator cuff ultimately. You should pay to your youngsters’ ski classes in some way.

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 loads of completely different out of doors hobbies and a little bit of disposable revenue. 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 lovely OLED display you should use to view many maps.

Those maps—Garmin’s attractive, detailed, and easy-to-use proprietary offline maps!—and the higher battery life are the 2 the reason why I’d nonetheless advocate a Garmin over the Apple Watch Ultra (particularly when you don’t have an iPhone). I discovered final yr’s Epix to be a bit of bit annoying, however this yr’s mannequin is considered one of 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 seen on the black watches.

The bezel is titanium, which I used to be shocked 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 considered one of your hobbies can also 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 may report that the Epix’s AMOLED display 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, working, climbing, and ebiking, I extra generally get round 14 days. That’s completely wonderful! Unlike the most recent Vivomove Trend, nonetheless, you continue to have to make use of Garmin’s proprietary plug-in charger. It additionally would not have a photo voltaic charging version, just like the Fenix.

As all the time, 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 prime of the case. You can decide the depth and whether or not you need it to be white or pink. Its positioning makes it a way more handy and succesful little mild than those on different screened watches. I really like not having to twist my arm round or scramble for my cellphone or headlight whereas rummaging round a darkish tent.