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Tundracamper
02-01-2017, 17:19
Been using an Apple Watch hand-me-down for a few days and actually thinking about getting a 42mm Series 2.

I'm curious if anyone has any experience hiking the trail with one of these. It seems it would be nice to be able to pin a waypoint or track a route using Gaia GPS, which can be controlled via the watch. I believe you can also glance at a map to see your location once the watch grabs the map from the phone. I am curious how long the batteries of both the watch and phone would last under such use. I know I can get a 10,000 mAh battery to recharge them at minimal cost. However, if using them while hiking the trail drains the batteries in a just couple of hours, it may not be worth the trouble. How well do they hold up?

Note that I always take a printed map. The watch/phone would be more for fun and convenience/tracking.

Maineiac64
02-01-2017, 17:34
I have apple watch 2 and have been having a tough time getting the watch to properly reflect the phone data as you walk with gaigps. I just reinstalled gaigps on my phone, hopefully that will fix it. It would be great and I think save your phone battery if it worked.

jgillam
02-01-2017, 17:39
I think they need to be charged pretty often if not daily. I'm wearing a Fitbit Blaze and because it doesn't have an internal GPS, the battery is good for 5-6 days. It relies on the phone GPS...I guess.


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Tundracamper
02-01-2017, 17:57
I just happened to walk outside and decided to try out GaiaGPS via the watch. It was a somewhat disappointing experience. Whenever I lifted the watch, it read "disconnected" at the top. After several seconds, one time close to 10 seconds, it would reconnect and update the information. I don't really see the advantage of having it run on the watch as I could have pulled the phone out of my pocket in less time than that. With a built in GPS, I'm wondering if Series 2 would be better.

It seems my short experience with this watch has led me to the conclusion that the watch apps are very limited and slow in what they can do. Kinda disappointing.

Maineiac64
02-01-2017, 18:17
My watch lasts 2 days on a charge. It works great with cyclemeter and most apps. Gaigps not so much.

tflaris
02-02-2017, 08:55
I tried the Apple Watch but prefer the Fennix 3.

Your mileage may vary.

TF


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Tundracamper
02-02-2017, 09:48
I tried the Apple Watch but prefer the Fennix 3.


Can you elaborate?

With regard to Gaia GPS, I did discover that Background App Refresh was turned off for that app. I turned it on. On a quick trial, there was still a disconnect after the watch was at rest, but it may have reconnected faster. Need to play more.

Does the Gaia App running on the phone make any difference? I'm not sure I understand the difference between the phone and watch apps, if there is any.

Still not real pleased with what the Apple Watch will do. Seems it's not really that useful for hiking.

Maineiac64
02-02-2017, 10:43
I put in a support ticket so maybe there is a fix. It did work correctly at one time.

tflaris
02-02-2017, 14:11
Can you elaborate?

With regard to Gaia GPS, I did discover that Background App Refresh was turned off for that app. I turned it on. On a quick trial, there was still a disconnect after the watch was at rest, but it may have reconnected faster. Need to play more.

Does the Gaia App running on the phone make any difference? I'm not sure I understand the difference between the phone and watch apps, if there is any.

Still not real pleased with what the Apple Watch will do. Seems it's not really that useful for hiking.

The battery life on the Apple Watch has the biggest drawback.

The pro for the fennix 3 was it was already geared for hiking and other outdoor activities. The phone app for the fennix is also convenient for downloading hikes and reviewing statically info.

A few screen grabs:

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20170202/a98a40e44e17f182021c6b39a7fe5688.jpg

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20170202/f9c6a3c2b88db255d930a0e8b7cfaac3.jpg
https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20170202/dc2595af977fea6abdcf7f20caf8879f.jpg

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20170202/cfb3ee16f9d2a5dfdec66c28efd37d66.jpg


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Tundracamper
02-02-2017, 16:46
The pro for the fennix 3 was it was already geared for hiking and other outdoor activities. The phone app for the fennix is also convenient for downloading hikes and reviewing

Ok, just watched a short video on the fenix and I'm impressed. I had no idea there was an alternative to the Apple Watch. So the fenix can talk to an iPhone and get messages, etc? Didn't know that was possible. Does it all work in the background or do you have to have an app running on the phone. The Apple Watch interface is pretty rugged. Just wondering how this third-party option compares in that regard.

Maineiac64
02-02-2017, 18:09
I ended up e-mailing the support people at GAIGPS back and forth about the issue and had to assure them that my phone and watch were connected through bluetooth, that I had the latest versions, etc. I sent them my user logs but they didn't seem to be able to diagnose through that. They did write me back and agreed there was likely an issue and said they would let me know what they found.

The fenix does look interesting but not sure I want to throw another $400 for a watch. I do like the apple watch for the interface to other things apple. I especially like the cycle/walk meter app and heart-rate feature, it works great, I benchmarked it against my polar HRM and it was extremely close.

penny b
02-02-2017, 18:59
I am glad you posted this and asked about the Iwatch ... I was considering getting one for the AT hike but now not so sure it is what I would want ... maybe a garman watch or something else ....

Tundracamper
02-02-2017, 20:39
I ended up e-mailing the support people at GAIGPS back and forth about the issue and had to assure them that my phone and watch were connected through bluetooth, that I had the latest versions, etc. I sent them my user logs but they didn't seem to be able to diagnose through that. They did write me back and agreed there was likely an issue and said they would let me know what they found.

The fenix does look interesting but not sure I want to throw another $400 for a watch. I do like the apple watch for the interface to other things apple. I especially like the cycle/walk meter app and heart-rate feature, it works great, I benchmarked it against my polar HRM and it was extremely close.

I emailed Gaia as well an and was informed that it is not possible to use the watch app without the phone app running. Well, I've started route tracking and marked many waypoints on the watch with the phone app closed. The only issue I have with those controls is the watch "disconnecting" with the route tracker. I assume the GPS tracking is taking place in the phone via some part of Gaia running on the background as it continues to track even when the watch "disconnects." Do you run the phone app simultaneously?

WRT the fenix 3, it appears Garmin has a strong competitor to the Apple Watch for hikers and outdoor people. If it will do the other stuff I need, I may forgo the Apple experience. The one I've been using is starting to feel like a phone remote. Kinda disappointing.

Maineiac64
02-02-2017, 20:44
I emailed Gaia as well an and was informed that it is not possible to use the watch app without the phone app running. Well, I've started route tracking and marked many waypoints on the watch with the phone app closed. The only issue I have with those controls is the watch "disconnecting" with the route tracker. I assume the GPS tracking is taking place in the phone via some part of Gaia running on the background as it continues to track even when the watch "disconnects." Do you run the phone app simultaneously?

WRT the fenix 3, it appears Garmin has a strong competitor to the Apple Watch for hikers and outdoor people. If it will do the other stuff I need, I may forgo the Apple experience. The one I've been using is starting to feel like a phone remote. Kinda disappointing.

Yes, I am ok with running GAIGPS on my phone, putting it in my hipbelt pocket and then being able to look at the stats on the apple watch, this will save phone battery and be more convenient. I hope they get this figured out, I really like gaigps except for the apple watch aspect at this point.

Tundracamper
02-02-2017, 22:00
Yes, I am ok with running GAIGPS on my phone, putting it in my hipbelt pocket and then being able to look at the stats on the apple watch, this will save phone battery and be more convenient. I hope they get this figured out, I really like gaigps except for the apple watch aspect at this point.

It seems an update was issued today. Perhaps this will fix things. Gonna play with it on the trail this weekend. Still, the fenix 3 looks tempting.

Maineiac64
02-03-2017, 10:05
The latest update does seem to fix the updating problem. I did a quick test this morning. :)

QiWiz
02-03-2017, 16:01
I have series 2 watch and use Gaia on my iPhone on most hikes. To have Gaia on watch interacting with Gaia on the phone causes more phone battery drain than just checking your position from time to time on the phone. I find that a charged phone and watch will last for a weekend trip but after that would need recharging. With just the phone, I often get 5 days of use (position checks with Gaia, photos, email check once a day, maybe a little music, not much screen time). So for an AT section or thru, I don't think I would bring my watch.

dervari
02-03-2017, 21:23
Just picked up a Garmin refurb Fenix 3 for $225

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Greenlight
02-03-2017, 21:46
Tundra: I love tech that is helpful, but you're not going to need an Apple watch on the AT. I use a Fitbit daily to get at least 10,000 steps in, and to do challenges with friends. It's great and it keeps me motivated. I'll sell my Blaze before stepping on the trail when I do my thru, because it'll be useless to me at that time, and by the time I get done five months later, the latest greatest model will be available.

Starchild
02-03-2017, 22:33
Wouldn't you need to put your phone off airplane mode and use soem energy drawing wireless communication method to sync to the watch? That presents a problem, your phone battery will drain faster. A solution would be to only turn off airplane mode when you want to use your watch, but for that you have to take out your phone, at which time you may as well use it.

dervari
02-04-2017, 09:17
Wouldn't you need to put your phone off airplane mode and use soem energy drawing wireless communication method to sync to the watch? That presents a problem, your phone battery will drain faster. A solution would be to only turn off airplane mode when you want to use your watch, but for that you have to take out your phone, at which time you may as well use it.
You can turn on airplane mode and then turn on bluetooth. It's not an all our nothing setting.

Your cell radio is the biggest hog. Wearables sync using BTLE (Bluetooth Low Energy).

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Tundracamper
02-06-2017, 21:51
As an update, I tried Gaia running on my iPhone on my latest hike this weekend. I was pleasantly surprised at the battery life on my iPhone 6. I did have a Mophie 3300 mAh pack on the iPhone. After 4 hours tracking on Day 1 and almost 8 hours on Day 2, I was still at 100% on the phone when I got back to the car and the Mophie wasn't dead yet (I had to leave the Mophie on to keep my phone from shutting of at 25F! So, I couldnt monitor just the phone. The low temp shutoff was a real issue even at 70% battery!). I did not control anything with the watch. However, based on playing with it today, it seems the watch will start the Gaia tracker on the phone EVEN when the phone app is not running. I'm really curious how that impacts battery life. I'm gonna test it with and without the iPhone app running to see if there is any difference.

I think Gaia will give me what I want for my 2-3 day section hikes. At least for now - even if the watch controls are not that useful.

38142

tflaris
02-07-2017, 08:01
Syncing only takes a few minutes. Watch can store multiple days of hiking.


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TX Aggie
03-29-2017, 10:00
If you just want to track your miles with your Apple Watch Series 2, try Runkeeper. It has the option in the Watch itself to use just the watch GPS. Just be sure to go to settings on iPhone and turn off the heart rate monitor if you want to extend battery life.

I haven't checked to see exactly how long the Watch battery lasts while using GPS, but I've heard about 18 hours continuous. If you have an Ankar the Watch doesn't drain it nearly as much as a full phone recharge, maybe 1/4 the drain.

I'm planning on getting Gaia, but was waiting to see if they would start allowing Watch GOS tracking only, sounds like they finally solved that issue.


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la.lindsey
03-29-2017, 10:27
I'm not interested in an Apple Watch for GPS stuff. I'd like one for everyday life, but for hiking, I want to use the watch to set up pictures and set the self-timer once I'm all posed and lookin' good.

Anyone tried this out? How far away does it work? I have a remote shutter but it loses connectivity and is so hit or miss that half of my pictures are me walking back to my phone looking to see if the dang thing worked.

Gotta keep the IG fresh, you know.


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ki0eh
03-29-2017, 16:27
I likewise have found the GaiaGPS Apple watch app to be glitchy and to cause battery life of both watch and phone to drop like a rock, as in won't make it through a dayhike much less be useful for sectioning.

Also recharging the Apple Watch requires another gee-gaw that plugs into a USB port. The magnet isn't very strong that holds the watch to the gee-gaw, and sometimes even now after 1.5 years I find to my chagrin that the watch didn't charge because it fell slightly off the sweet spot. And that's sitting on a flat table.

The watch does turn off, and you can eventually force it into a time-only mode. I used those tactics (no GPS-ing though) to get four days battery life out of the thing.

It survived a tubing trip through Boulder, so there may be some merit to keeping it as just a timepiece for a weekend hike when things get wet. I've ruined watches on weekend trips doing less.

The way to get longer battery life out of an iPhone is to off-board the GPS function to some device like a Bad Elf. If you remember to turn the Bad Elf off when not moving, you might get close to a week of on-trail time out of its charge. If you turn the iPhone on airplane mode and Bluetooth to the Bad Elf it will lose charge very slowly even if you are constantly checking your map app (on the phone, not the watch).

I must say I'm a bit disappointed with the Bad Elf's (Pro+ as recommended by another trail mapper) position accuracy for mapping purposes (i.e. making maps that get printed on the same presses as Trails Illustrated, etc.) even compared to a 10+ year old Garmin. It should be just fine for the "how far did I go today on the A.T." application.

ki0eh
03-29-2017, 16:29
I'm not interested in an Apple Watch for GPS stuff. I'd like one for everyday life, but for hiking, I want to use the watch to set up pictures and set the self-timer once I'm all posed and lookin' good.

Anyone tried this out? How far away does it work? I have a remote shutter but it loses connectivity and is so hit or miss that half of my pictures are me walking back to my phone looking to see if the dang thing worked.


I've done that all of once as a proof of concept. I've got a face for radio and a voice for newspapers, therefore don't try it out much!

TX Aggie
03-29-2017, 18:30
I just stumbled on what may be a great choice, especially if you don't already have Gaia.

GPS Tracks
https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20170329/fcb556f840d0cb05d41702073585315d.jpg

You can add in waypoints and do all of that, and I haven't delved that far into it. But I did try it out with my Bluetooth and WiFi turned off on my phone, then started recording the track with my watch walking in the backyard. Came back in, checked to insure my phone was indeed not connected and nothing showed on the app. Once I turned Bluetooth back on, the track I just did with the watch showed up with a decent tracking.

This looks just like what I was wanting. A stand alone GPS for my watch just to track distance and elevation, while using a more robust app on my phone for spot checking.


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