Garmin has launched a pair of new wearable GPS navigators that can be strapped to your wrist for hands-free hiking, scrambling, hunting and more. The Garmin Foretrex 801 and 901 Ballistic Edition are both built for outdoor adventures and tactical use, and the 901 is also designed to help with rifle shooting competitions.
Both new Foretrex devices offer multi-band GPS for improved accuracy on tricky terrain, such as heavily wooded areas and near cliffs, plus a three-axis accelerometer, three-axis compass, and barometric altimeter.
Their new high-contrast 2.2in monochrome displays are easy to read in all lighting conditions, and the cases are thermal, shock, and water resistant. Both devices take two AAA batteries, which you can replace on the move. You can expect battery life of up to 100 hours with GPS tracking updated every second, or 1,000 hours in expedition mode.
Stay connected outdoors
The new Foretrex units offer ANT+ connectivity, allowing you to connect them to devices like Garmin watches and inReach satellite navigators. When your Foretrex is connected to an inReach device, you can use it to receive messages and send an emergency SOS alert.
For tactical use, both devices include a stealth mode that records distance travelled, but not location data in case the unit becomes lost. There's also a kill switch that immediately resets the device to its factory settings, clearing all saved data.
The Garmin Foretrex 801 is available now for $249.99 direct from Garmin, while the Foretrex 901 Ballistic Edition costs $599.99.
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