Survival watch

This Suunto Core survival watch has more features than I can count – at least for a watch of this price point.

We’re talking about…

… an altimeter, barometer, and compass – the whole ABC package. There’s also a storm alarm and dual-time features. And all of those work properly and with unmatched accuracy!

When I was just testing the Suunto Core out in Pikes Peak – I brought individual tools with me to compare the watch’s readings. So I found out that the compass was on-point, the barometer had about a 0.02 difference, and the altimeter was the same when rounded off.

This watch saved me from a dangerous hike on one of my trips when it alerted me of a coming storm.

Needless to say…

I fell in love with Suunto Core after the first try. So it became my go-to watch whenever I wanted to go hiking.

But I discovered it’s also great for swimming because of its water resistance. Suunto claims that it can go up to 30 meters underwater, but I haven’t tried that yet. But I know that salt or freshwater don’t have a say against this watch.

Just be careful…

Other users claim that the strap and band aren’t as durable as the watch itself. My Suunto Core is still intact after several years of use. But the straps indeed wear out faster than the rest of the watch.

They also say that the company doesn’t give spare parts for free even though it’s within the warranty. Maybe they just consider factory defects, I don’t know. But I haven’t had this problem since I met Suunto Core.

What I do know is…

I never needed to replace its batteries yet. Maybe it’s because I turn the ABC features off when I’m not hiking. But if you need those regularly, I’m guessing you’ll still find their battery life long-lasting.

And the best part is that Suunto Core isn’t the most expensive survival watch on the market! There’s no doubt about it being our Editor’s Choice.

If you want an affordable yet not-so-basic watch that can last several years, I can’t recommend anything other than the Timex Expedition.

You won’t find the ABC features, but there’s a dual time display, which is still more than the basic digital watch can offer. But the best thing that this Timex survival watch can offer is its long-lasting battery power and affordability.

That’s why it’s our Best Value award winner!

My outdoor buddies and I decided to go wake surfing and I just needed an uncomplicated yet  reliable survival watch. I thought it was the best time to put this Timex Expedition to the test.

And it passed with flying colors! It’s completely water-resistant. Although, I haven’t tried it with diving because, well, I don’t do that. But it’s safe to wear while doing some surface sports.

However…

This Timex’s straps are less durable than those of the other survival watches I’ve tried. After around five years of regular use, the straps had torn off, but not completely. 

Still, I looked for a replacement but it wasn’t possible. I have to buy a new one! But the one I have right now is still working so I’m just going to wait for it to completely break down before I decide if I want to buy another.

After all…

It’s an affordable yet great survival watch. I don’t regret getting this one, and I’m guessing you won’t either.

I was never a fan of smartwatches. I thought they had too many unnecessary features. But this tactical watch from Garmin changed my mind!

Unlike other smartwatches…

Garmin Instinct is a good survival watch. It has the necessary stuff – altimeter, barometer, digital compass, and other things that you’ll usually find on your phone.

My friends like that they can sync it with their smartphones. But I’m just impressed that this durable survival watch is still with me after five years and still looking good!

As usual…

I wore this to Pikes Peak for a quick hike. It’s not the smoothest climb, and it rained that day, but Garmin Instinct didn’t even flinch. After that, I wore it lots of times to different mountains, and to go wake surfing and swimming.

I surprised myself with how much I love this watch!

But like any other smartwatch…

Its battery doesn’t last as long as your usual survival watch. It can last only up to 14 hours when in full survival mode. I’d prefer more than that when in a survival situation.

That’s why Garmin Instinct isn’t my favorite. 

But it’s our Top Pick award winner for its durable build that doesn’t seem to wear out even after years of use!

The Casio Protrek 3500 is a super reliable watch. I found no complications when it comes to its basic watch features – stopwatch, countdown timer, alarm, sunrise/sunset, etc.

And when it comes to the altimeter, barometer, and compass – Casio 3500 is one of the most accurate survival watches I’ve tried.

But that’s not all…

The Casio Protrek 3500 has a storm alarm too. It will have saved many people from lots of run-ins with bad weather before. 

There’s only the matter of using all the functions at once. Once I turned the altimeter on, I noticed that the barometer became slightly inaccurate. When I calibrate it again, the altimeter or the compass gets disturbed. So they just go back and forth.

But that’s not a thing to worry about. You won’t have to use them all at once in a survival situation anyway. If you’re fine with calibrating now and then, you won’t have a problem with Casio 3500.

Especially because…

The Casio 3500 maintains its accuracy and performance even in cold weather conditions. 

It’s water-resistant, which is useful when I go swimming or do other surface sports. But I was most impressed when I wore this on a three-day hiking and camping trip with my friends in Pikes Peak.

I didn’t need to calibrate it as often as the other G-Shock models or brands. And it’s a solar-powered watch, mind you!

Plus…

You’ll easily see accurate readings whether you go hiking during the day or camp at night. I dare say Casio 3500’s backlighting is one of the best. And it’s quite important for someone with eyesight as bad as mine.

The only downer about this is the battery consumption. It’s hard enough to charge it fully, even if it’s exposed to the sun all day. Now all the functions and the best backlighting eat up the battery in just 10 hours.

Good thing…

Casio 3500 is solar-powered. The battery tops up as you wear it. And based on my experience, it lasts for the whole night. 

So I highly recommend this survival watch even though it’s a little heavy on the wallet. But it’s still less expensive than the Casio G-Shock watches if you’re familiar with those.

Besides, it survived years of rugged use with me. And I’m not the most careful watch owner in the world.

Based on my experience, smartwatches aren’t the best survival watches because of their batteries.

You might argue, “You can just charge it, dude,” But what’s the use of a rechargeable battery when you’re out in the wilderness with no power source?

Good thing…

The Garmin manufacturer thought about that and included a power bank in this Garmin Instinct survival watch package! And it’s compact and lightweight too, so it’s easy to carry anywhere.

Compared to other survival watches of this functionality and price point, Garmin has long battery life. Add to that the power bank’s energy storage, and I found it more convenient than other smartwatches.

Also…

It’s as rugged as expected from a Garmin watch – especially the price. The watch and the power bank survived different mountains and climates with me.

It got soaked, scorched, and fell off my wrist when I got a little clumsy. And its water, thermal, shock, and scratch-resistance claims proved to be true.

However…

Over the years, I had to reset and re-calibrate my Garmin’s functions several times. The watch features remained on-point, but the essential features for survival kept jumping up and down. 

More than once, I noticed that the digital compass went off a few degrees when I hadn’t even moved. At first, I thought I had just got a defective watch. But based on other reviews, this problem is pretty common for Garmin users.

And as much as I loved the durability of its overall build, I was disappointed by the display. One morning, I woke up to see a blotch on the corner of my watch’s screen. It’s still there right now.

Fortunately…

The blotch didn’t seem to affect this watch’s key features. And it doesn’t get in the way of the reading display.

So even now, I’m still enjoying Garmin’s stealth, dual-position GPS, waypoint projection, and Jumpmaster modes. I specifically loved how you can save ways and navigation, leave a “bread crumb” trail, the trackback function, and the good old storm alert.

This Garmin survival watch proved to be reliable and high-performing every time I wore it!

When I trek on familiar trails or sites, I usually go for a simple watch. I’d love to have more than the basics – maybe the ABC and other essential features for survival. But they’re not my priority.

Instead, I care more about battery, durability, and compactness. And this Casio Pro Trek model has those!

Take note:

This Casio has an altimeter, barometer, and digital compass. Right after calibrating, I was impressed by its accuracy. However, it seemed to keep on glitching, and I had to re-calibrate.

After reading about it in other reviews, I found out that it has something to do with how all these features affect their functionality.

Since there’s no GPS, the altimeter depends on temperature and other surrounding factors. So when the barometer reading changes, so does the altimeter. And my body temperature has a say in all these too.

So, I learned…

If I wanted to get the most accurate readings, I shouldn’t use all these features simultaneously. That means I had to re-calibrate as soon as I switched the display.

You can guess how I felt about that – disappointed. But it’s good that navigating through the watch’s interface was foolproof.

Besides, for this Casio Pro Trek’s price, I have to say it’s still more than I expected. Sure it’s not the most rugged and durable out there. But its stainless steel case hasn’t shown signs of wear just yet.

And in the end…

I’ve grown to love this Casio Pro Trek and its simplicity. I had no complaints about its digital clock, countdown timer, etc. 

In trails that I’ve almost memorized over the years – like Pikes Peak and other nearby mountains – telling the time is more important than the altitude.

On top of all that…

This survival watch lasted eight or nine months before recharging. That’s more than I can say about the Casio G-Shock and other brand models!

If you want an even simpler and more basic option than the Casio smartwatch, let me point you to Luminox. It’s the best among the analog watches I’ve tried so far.

Just to be clear…

As an outdoor enthusiast living in this century, my quest for the best survival watch was supposed to be focused on digital ones. But this Luminox analog watch caught my attention.

While swimming with a buddy, I saw his Luminox watch, and I thought it looked cool. I just had to try it.

Of course…

I expected it to be basic – no altimeter, barometer, digital compass, etc. It only had the time and date. But I didn’t expect it to be so pricey.

But before I could complain about it, I could easily guess that this Luminox watch would last years with me. And it did, even until now. It’s still one of my favorites to take on a quick trek or wake surfing.

Long story short…

Luminox stayed true to its promises. I usually wear it when I go swimming, jogging, and do other outdoor activities. It’s reliable enough in any weather condition, so I keep using it.

I’ve never had to repair this Luminox analog watch except when the batteries ran out, which happened years after I bought it.

And it’s one of the most comfortable watches I own!

When I started exploring analog outdoor watches, I kept getting suggestions to buy a Marathon watch. So I did, and despite its expensive price, I don’t regret a penny!

Once again…

I didn’t expect the altimeter, barometer, and digital compass trio. But durability is its expertise.

You’ll be able to tell, straight from the box, that this is more than just a stylish watch.

I found out that it’s recommended for military personnel because it’s water, thermal, and shock-resistant.

True enough…

It’s still intact, even after years of use and abuse. However, I’ve had its battery replaced more than once because it runs out quicker than the Luminox watches.

I was disappointed about that because it was more expensive.

But one thing I loved regarding the battery is how it tells you when it’s running low. The second-hand ticks forward in advance every four seconds before it starts slowing down and telling you the wrong time.

It took me a while to figure out why it did that. But my friend, a Marathon fan, told me that it meant the batteries needed changing.

Still…

It’s worth the money, and I love wearing my Marathon survival watch even when I’m not in any of my outdoor activities.

I was pretty impressed by Casio Pathfinder’s basic watch features. You can set up to five alarms with it, use the stopwatch, and its world time feature gives the date and time for 48 cities.

When it comes to key features for survival…

The Casio Pathfinder doesn’t disappoint as well! The altimeter, barometer, digital compass, and thermometer readings are accurate, and I didn’t have to recalibrate them as often as the other Casio G-Shock models and different brands.

Even when my body temperature was high, the watch still read the altitude and barometric pressure properly. This watch’s performance was great!

The only problem is…

Casio Pathfinder’s backlight isn’t as bright as I hoped. And after turning it on, it switches off immediately once I push another button.

I asked and researched how to get around that because I thought I just didn’t know how to use it properly. Apparently, I wasn’t the only one with that problem.

But anyway…

It’s an affordable watch, especially compared to most Casio G-Shock survival watches. So I expected it when I found out it’s not the best survival watch for durability.

The stainless steel case protects the watch well, but the band seems to be flimsier than the rest of it.

Still…

It will last longer if you’re careful enough. My Casio Pathfinder is still with me, and its battery can last for more than a year. If you often use it outdoors, that is. Otherwise, it runs for only five to six months.

Overall, it’s a pretty impressive Casio survival watch!

After my fifth analog survival watch purchase, I thought, “Why are they more expensive than ABC and GPS watches?”

The quick answer was…

… they last longer. These watches are usually made to stay with you for a lifetime with infrequent battery changes.

And the Luminox Recon is the third analog survival watch that proved true to its word. I’ve only had to replace its batteries twice in five or six years. And I use it all the time too!

That said…

I only wear this as an everyday watch. It’s not an ideal survival watch because I need more than the time and date when I explore a new trail.

But it’s a durable watch so I can’t blame it for its price. You’ll still find it worth every penny if you’re a minimalist, even in your outdoor adventures.

And by the way…

It doesn’t have a backlight like a digital display watch, but it has the brightest glow-in-the-dark clock hands. It’s not a unique feature, but I found that this Luminox watch is best in that case.