Are you in the market for a hiking fitness watch on a budget? Well, don’t worry. There are plenty of great options out there that can help you keep track of your hiking.
In this piece, we’ll share with you a list of the best hiking watch under $100 you can find on the market today. Our list contains household names like Garmin and Fitbit, all the way to lesser-known brands like Letson and Chereeki. Let’s dive right in.
The Best Hiking Watch Under $100
Here is the full list.
1. Fitbit Charge 2
The first watch on our list is the Fitbit Charge 2. Aside from being reasonably priced, this unit comes with advanced sensors that can help you track your hiking activities and heart rate. The watch can also measure sleep, the distance you travel, the number of steps, and even the number of floors walked.
The design is also good. It looks much the same as other Fitbit smartwatches, especially the Surge and the Charge HR. This watch comes with a small screen but that doesn’t mean you’ll struggle to read any data it provides. No!
The OLED display is legible even in bright conditions. The Charge 2 is also water-resistant, and its battery can last for up to 5 days. However, we noticed it has limited notification support compared to other Fitbits.
Pros
- Leviable display
- Multi-sport tracking
- Advanced tracking sensors
Cons
- Limited notification support
- No GPS
2. Letscom Fitness Tracker HR
The Letscom Fitness Tracker HR will provide you all-day tracking for hiking activities. This can also track distance traveled, number of calories burned, and active vs. sedentary minutes
Given its price, you probably think this watch has no heart rate tracking, but you would be wrong. This watch also comes with an HR tracker that you can use to monitor your cardiovascular health.
This Letscom tracker can also monitor sleep patterns, something most watches in its category cannot do. It also supports SMS or SNS notifications. The battery can last for up to seven days, which is very impressive. However, the charging mechanism could be better.
Pros
- Price is right
- Easy to use
- It does a great job of analyzing and displaying data
Cons
- The charging mechanism could be better
3. Chereeki Fitness Tracker
Chereeki Fitness Tracker ranks among the best budget phones out there and for good reason. This unit has 14 sports modes. No bone about it; it’s quite impressive.
The Chereeki Fitness Tracker is also a superb hiking tracker. It can track heart rate, steps, distance traveled, height claimed, and calories burned. And once you are done hiking; you can also use it to track your sleep.
How about the design? The design is lightweight and minimalist. The materials used to make it are also high-durable and can resist wear and tear. The battery is also good and will provide you with juice for up to 5 days. However, the set-up manual can be confusing and difficult to understand.
Pros
- Lots of tracking capabilities
- 14 sports modes
- Android and iOS compatible
Cons
- Set up manual can be confusing, difficult to understand
4. Willful IP68 Waterproof Fitness
This budget watch has everything you need to track your hiking activities. It is capable of tracking height climbed, distance travels, and calories burned. It can also track your heart rate and sleep.
But that’s not all. The Willful IP68 Waterproof Fitness, as the name suggests is also highly-waterproof. This means it can’t be ruined by your sweat or rain. It also means you don’t have to take it off when you go swimming.
The Willful IP68 Waterproof Fitness also provides easy to read and understand data. The data is also easy to use. The watch also has call, text, email, and social media notifications support and an in-built USB charger. The battery life is good. However, the heart rate monitor feels inaccurate sometimes.
Pros
- In-built USB charger
- Heart rate and sleep monitor features
- Phone calls, text, email, and social media notifications support
Con
- The heart rate monitor feels inaccurate sometimes
5. Garmin Vivofit 4
For those looking for a Garmin that’s simple and has basic tracking, the Garmin Vivofit 4 can be an excellent choice. This device is affordable and will give you stats such as the number of calories burned, distance travel, and more.
The unit can also track your sleep stages and patterns. The data it provides is comprehensive and easy to understand and use. The Garmin Vivofit 4 simple and has a basic design. It’s thinner than most Garmin watches meaning it’s occupied less space on your wrist. The watch is also lightweight and you can wear it all day and even at night when sleeping.
The plastic materials used to make it are durable and easy to clean off after a sweaty hiking activity. However, this watch has no notification support and no heart rate monitor. The user interface can also be difficult to understand.
Pros
- Comprehensive data
- Easy and comfortable to wear
- Sleep tracking
Cons
- The user interface can be difficult to understand
- No heart rate monitor
6. Xiaomi Mi Band 4
Looking for Xiaomi Smartwatch that won’t break your bank? The Xiaomi Mi Band 4 is the best hiking watch under $100 for you. This watch has everything an average hiking enthusiast would need: step tracking, height tracking, calories tracking, and more. The unit also has heart monitoring and supports notifications and alerts.
Are you a music lover? If so, then you’ll fall in love with this watch even more because you can use it to control music playing from your smartphone. Unlike its predecessor, the Xiaomi Mi Band 4 comes with an OLED display, which helps improve its viewability.
It also has a high resolution which makes it easy to use even in bright and dark conditions. The battery life is also great. The only downside we noticed about this watch is that it has no multitasking apps. Also, ithas no in-built GPS. But that’s not such a big issue because it supports connected GPS.
Pros
- OLED display and high resolution, which helps improve its outdoor viewability
- Impressive battery life
- Has Heart monitoring
Cons
- Has not in-built GPS. It only supports connected GPS
- It has no multitasking apps
7. Withings Move Hybrid Smartwatch
Looking for a budget Withing that still has the connectivity to Withings’ fully-fledged workout app? The Withings Move Hybrid Smartwatch is a great choice for you. This unit’s price is below $100 but it still enjoys connectivity to the Withings’ fitness app we have all come to love and enjoy.
This smartwatch also comes with powerful sensors that can track your hiking activities, steps, and calories burned, accurately and in real-time. The Withings Move Hybrid Smartwatch has a classy and subtle design that makes it look like a regular timepiece.
The silicone straps are also lightweight and we are confident that they can fit any type of wrist (Large, small, and normal-sized wrists.) However, this Withing watch has no heart rate. It is also made of plastic, meaning it’s easy to scratch.
Pros
- Classy, subtle design
- Easy, comfortable to wear
- Connectivity to Withings’ Fitness app
Cons
- It is made of plastic that can scratch easily
- No heart rate monitor
8. Fitbit Inspire HR
The Fitbit Inspire HR is probably the best-looking budget watch right now. It’s affordable and utilizes the latest Fitbit fitness tracking technology. This tech allows it to monitor heart rate, sleep, steps, distance traveled, blood oxygen level, and calories burned, accurately and in real-time.
The data that this unit provides is comprehensive, easy to understand, and easy to use.
The Fitbit Inspire HR has a touch screen, making it easy and fun to control and use. It also comes with more usable notifications than its predecessor.
What’s more, this watch is water-proof, which means you can wear it when swimming in the shower without worrying about it getting damaged. The battery life is also impressive; the battery in our unit lasted for five days.
However, the watch has a large bezel, which is very noticeable and can sometimes make it difficult to read stats. Also, the screen can be slow and unresponsive sometimes.
Pros
- Premium design
- Comprehensive data
- Great battery life
Cons
- Large bezel
- The screen can be slow and unresponsive sometimes
9. Amazfit Bip Lite
The Amazfit Bip Lite has been making a name for itself and it’s for all the right reasons. This unit is affordable and packs a powerful pedometer that will help track your hiking activities.
This smartwatch also has a GPS, so you’ll be able to map your hiking even if your phone runs out of battery. The GPS feature will also help you find your way home in case you get lost.
The Amazfit Bip Lite has an Apple Watch design style and this makes it look premium and classy. The watch is also lightweight so it’s comfortable to wear 24/7. The display is easy on the eyes.
However, step tracking and heart rate measurement is not always precise. The graphics are also low resolution, making it hard to use it when in bright conditions.
Pros
- The display is easy on the eyes and doesn’t need much energy to power it up
- GPS capabilities
- Comes with a powerful pedometer that will help track your hiking activities
Cons
- The graphics should be improved they are low resolution, which makes it hard to read stats when in bright conditions
- Sometimes step tracking and heart rate measurement feel inaccurate
10. Wyze Band Activity Tracker
Yes, the Wyze Band Activity Tracker is a good fitness tracker but will it deliver the performance and accuracy a hiking enthusiast like you is looking for? The answer is yes!
This watch offers good hiking metrics that are easy to comprehend and use. The watch also has Alexa built-in. This means you don’t have to keep touching it or pressing buttons to control it; your voice can do that for you.
This watch can also track other fitness activities such as biking, spinning walking, and running (both outdoors and on a treadmill). The display is bright and this makes it easy to use in bright conditions. However, you may encounter Alexa connectivity issues when using the watch. Alexa is also easy to trigger.
Pros
- Built-in Alexa
- The display is bright, making it easy to read stats even in bright conditions
- Long-lasting battery life
- Comprehensive data that is easy to understand and use
Cons
- You may encounter Alexa connectivity issues
- Alexa is also too easy to trigger
- List Element
11. Huawei Band 3
What is the best GPS watch for hiking? The Huawei Band 3 is one of them. This watch has a built-in GPS, which means you can track your hiking even if your phone is not in range.
The Huawei Band 3 tracking sensors can help you track steps, distance traveled, calories burned, etc. The watch also has heart rate monitoring and can track your sleep stages and patterns.
The watch is waterproof and even has swim-tracking. You can also use this watch as a remote shutter for your phone’s camera. But this Huawei tracker has a few things we wish could be improved. Heart rate monitoring sometimes feels inaccurate. You may also encounter GPS signal issues. The metal frame also makes it look and feel bulky.
Pros
- Powerful GPS capabilities
- Heart rate-monitoring and swim-tracking
- Classy design
- Great battery
Cons
- You may encounter GPS signal issues
- The metal frame makes it look, feel bulky
- Heart rate data feels inaccurate
FAQs about Hiking and Smartwatches
Here are some questions and answers.
Do I Need a GPS Watch for Hiking?
No, you don’t. But having a watch with GPS capabilities can help make your fitness data more accurate, comprehensive, and useful.
Are Apple Watches Good for Hiking?
Yes, they are. They are lightweight and have the tech that can deliver the performance, accuracy a hiking enthusiast like you needs.
Is Suunto Better Than Garmin? Is an Apple Watch Better Than a Garmin?
All premium smartwatches have sensors and tech that can track hiking activities accurately and in real-time so it’s hard to say which one is better than the other. The answer here depends on your preference, budget, and the key features you need.
The smartwatch world isn’t exactly known for being wallet-friendly, but it is. If you are on a budget, there are plenty of options for you if you know where to find them. Our lists of the best hiking watch under $100 will help point you in the right direction. Happy shopping!
