Last summer was supposed to be my Eat, Pray, Love moment, minus the emotional baggage and international flights. It was more of an Eat, Sweat, Grumble situation, set in the local state park. My trusty, three-year-old fitness tracker—a device that had faithfully counted my steps to the fridge and back—promptly had a meltdown. It met its demise during a spontaneous lake swim, an event I now refer to as the Great Splash-pocalypse of ’23. Its final screen read less like a farewell and more like a digital gasp for air.
This year, I was determined not to be betrayed by my wrist-based drill sergeant again. I needed a companion that could handle more than just a brisk walk. My summer plans involved two key challenges: conquering the murky depths of open-water swimming and navigating trails that Google Maps thinks are mythical. So, I embarked on a personal quest to find the ultimate fitness trackers for summer’s glorious chaos. I picked three contenders, each with a reputation for toughness, and put them through my own unscientific, but very real, trials.
The Aqua-Hero: For My Fledgling Michael Phelps Era
First up was open-water swimming. There’s a huge difference between swimming laps in a pristine pool and flailing around in a lake where the bottom is a mystery and the only lane lines are imaginary. My primary need was a watch that wouldn’t just survive the water but actually provide useful data in it.
My Pick: The Garmin Forerunner 955.
I took this bad boy to the lake that claimed my last device, partly as a show of dominance. I was immediately impressed. The open-water swim profile uses GPS to track your distance, pace, and even your stroke count with surprising accuracy. It even mapped my wobbly, slightly-panicked swim path. The screen was bright and readable even with water droplets and sun glare, and the physical buttons are a godsend—because trying to use a touchscreen with wet fingers is a special kind of modern torture.
The Verdict: If your summer involves any kind of serious swimming outside of a pool, you need a dedicated swimming watch. The Forerunner passed with flying colors, turning my chaotic splashing into measurable, analyzable data. It made me feel like an athlete, even when I probably looked like a drowning frog.
The Trail Boss: For When “Getting Lost” Isn’t the Goal
Next on the agenda: hiking. Not a gentle stroll on a paved path, but a proper, “are we there yet?” trek through dense woods with spotty cell service. For this, I needed two things: bulletproof GPS and a battery that wouldn’t abandon me halfway up a mountain.
My Pick: The COROS APEX 2 Pro.
While Garmin often dominates the trail talk, I’d heard whispers about COROS and its legendary battery life. They weren’t exaggerating. I took this watch on an 8-hour hike, using the full GPS and navigation features, and the battery barely flinched, dropping only a few percentage points. Its GPS connected instantly and held a rock-solid signal, even under a thick canopy of trees that usually scrambles lesser devices. The best feature? The breadcrumb trail. It displays your path in real-time, so if you take a wrong turn at that weirdly shaped tree, you can easily navigate back to your route.
The Verdict: For serious hikers, trail runners, or anyone who values battery life above all else, the COROS is an absolute beast. It’s less of a smartwatch and more of a survival tool that also happens to tell you how many calories you’ve burned while contemplating your life choices on a steep incline.
The All-Rounder: The Jack-of-All-Summer-Trades
What if you’re not a specialist? What if your summer is a grab-bag of activities—a little hiking here, some swimming there, a bike ride, a game of beach volleyball? You need a device that can keep up without needing a Ph.D. to operate.
My Pick: The Apple Watch Ultra 2.
Let’s be clear: this thing is overkill for most people, but it’s the undisputed champion of versatility. I took it for a casual swim at the beach, and its water resistance and depth gauge were fantastic. I wore it on a shorter, less demanding hike, and its bright screen and seamless integration with my phone were incredibly convenient. It tracks dozens of activities with the tap of a screen, from yoga to pickleball. It’s the “yes, and…” of fitness trackers.
The downside? The battery life, while a huge improvement over the standard Apple Watch, still can’t compete with the dedicated hiking watches. You’ll be charging it every couple of days with heavy use, not every couple of weeks.
The Final Say After a Summer of Sweat:
After putting my body and this tech through the wringer, my conclusion is this: the “best” fitness tracker truly depends on your brand of summer adventure.
- For the dedicated swimmer or triathlete: Go with a specialized Garmin. The data is unparalleled.
- For the serious hiker or ultramarathoner: The COROS is your ridiculously long-lasting best friend.
- For the versatile adventurer who wants one device for everything (and owns an iPhone): The Apple Watch Ultra 2 is a powerful, albeit pricey, choice.
As for me? I’ve learned that a good fitness tracker doesn’t just count your steps; it inspires confidence. It’s a silent partner that ensures you can get a little lost, push a little harder, and dive a little deeper, all while knowing you’ve got the data—and the way back home—right on your wrist.
Photo by Stephen Goldberg on Unsplash