Garmin Instinct 2 Solar GPS Watch Review

Bottom Line

A long favorite of ours, the Garmin Instinct 2 Solar continues to land near the top of our lineup of best GPS Watches. It resists water, impact, and cold temperatures, making it ideal for those using it on rugged adventures. The solar charging capability through the watch face extends battery life significantly, reducing the need for frequent recharging when on the trail.

While equipped with only a single-band GPS, the Instinct 2 Solar still has impressive accuracy, even in tight canyons or mountain valleys. We never experienced any skipping. Expedition Mode limits satellite pings to once an hour for long-duration tracking. While this watch does not come with the option to download topo maps, back-to-start and breadcrumb navigation are more than adequate for finding your way on the trail.

With a tactically rugged exterior, the Instinct 2 Solar prioritizes function and durability over looks or a sleek design. While the .9-inch display size is on the smaller end of the spectrum, the watch is very large due to its bulky housing. We found that it frequently caught on jackets and backpack straps and protruded more than others we tested.

Overall, the Instinct 2 Solar is a high-performance, backcountry-oriented watch that will track all your activities accurately and stay powered on for days at a time, thanks to its continual solar charging and long-lasting battery.

How We Tested

We put the Garmin Instinct 2 Solar through extensive field-testing in Alaska, using it for trail runs, backcountry skiing, and everyday smartwatch functions to evaluate its performance across different scenarios. Throughout several months, we completely drained and recharged the battery multiple times to test its longevity, wore it for extended periods to assess comfort and usability, and verified GPS accuracy across varied terrains and conditions. By incorporating the watch into our daily activities, we ensured this review is thorough and based on direct experience.

Accuracy

While the Garmin Instinct 2 Solar is equipped with a single-band GPS, and other high-end watches reviewed are dual-band, it still has impressive accuracy across multiple environments.

From dense forests, steep mountainsides, and deep valleys, the Instinct 2 solar maintained connectivity and produced a smooth track. We tested the Instinct 2 Solar on a fixed-length loop and found that it usually shorted the loop by only a few hundredths of a mile.

The most significant discrepancy we noticed while testing is that the Instinct 2 Solar regularly shorted us on elevation gain by as much as five hundred vertical feet on bigger vert days. While the distance remained largely accurate, the vertical gain was the most affected by mountainous terrain. Despite this shortcoming, the Instinct 2 Solar provides reliable data for long days on the trail.

Battery Life

The Garmin Instinct 2 Solar is a standout option for anyone needing a watch to last for days at a time. With a stated GPS battery life of 30 hours, it packs more than enough battery life for most adventures.

The biggest feature of the Instinct 2 Solar’s battery life is its ability to charge through the watch face when the sun is out. This amazing feature gives it more battery life to go the extra mile. While Garmin states that the battery life in GPS mode with solar charging is 48 hours, in practice, it is hard to achieve. Inconsistent sun exposure, use amount, and GPS settings play a large role in battery health, and we found that the solar charging in GPS mostly helped to slow the rate of battery drainage by a few hours at most.

Garmin also claims that the watch has an unlimited battery life in smartwatch, expedition, or battery-saver modes. Once again, solar does extend the watch’s life, but in practice, solar charging on the wrist, particularly in cloudy places or while wearing long sleeves, is too inconsistent to rely on for indefinite charging.

Battery saver mode is great for extending the battery life without needing GPS, and expedition mode reduces tracking to once per hour. These are great features for using the watch for days at a time while on long adventures.

Comfort & Wearability

With a display size of .9 inches but an overall diameter of 1.77 inches, the Instinct 2 Solar has a large and, at times, bulky outer case. This gives the watch excellent durability and weather resistance, but can make the watch feel overly large for those with slender wrists.

If you’re looking for a nearly identical watch with a smaller size by almost a quarter of an inch, the Instinct 2S may be a better fit. We found that the Instinct 2 Solar frequently caught on backpack straps and was hard to fit under the cuffs of gloves and jackets.

Finally, with a stated weight of 53 grams and a measured weight of 51 grams, the Instinct 2 Solar is about average in weight for its performance.

Features

With many activity types, from golfing to fishing, backcountry skiing to horseback riding, the Instinct 2 Solar covers you no matter your sport. It’s easy to add and remove activity types from the watch to pare down the list to your top sports.

The Instinct 2 Solar also has a host of features, making it great for backcountry use. While it cannot download maps, it can upload routes to follow.

It also has breadcrumb navigation for back-to-start tracing. We were also impressed with the ability to add waypoints while on the go.

A unique feature found on no other watch is the ability to trace a polygon with the watch to calculate its area. It’s a unique feature for field science or search and rescue applications if that’s your niche.

While its small screen size does not make it a great smartwatch, we were surprised that the Instinct 2 Solar comes equipped with Garmin Pay, which allows users to easily pay on the go without a credit card.

Ease of Use

The Garmin Instinct 2 Solar is the only watch in our lineup that is not touchscreen enabled. While this may be a drawback to some, we appreciate this utilitarian approach with up/down buttons and a screen that is not accidentally touched and scrolled while in motion.

The Garmin IQ companion app is one of the best and oldest smartwatch apps on the market. It provides easy analysis of metrics, workout planning, and a social media component. Third-party apps connect quickly and easily, and activities upload seamlessly through Bluetooth.

The .9-inch display size is one of the smallest in our lineup, which makes trying to read charts, smartwatch notifications, and messages challenging. Additionally, the monochrome display improves battery life and visibility in bright conditions but lacks the vibrancy of other smartwatches. This makes the watch less suited for a daily smartwatch, but the perfect fit for outdoor enthusiasts who need solidly built basics without the extra fluff.

Should You Buy the Garmin Instinct 2 Solar GPS Watch?

The Garmin Instinct 2 Solar is a great choice for outdoor adventurers, endurance athletes, and anyone who prioritizes durability and battery life in a GPS watch.

Thanks to solar charging, it can last for days and even weeks at a time, making it perfect for extended backcountry trips. It’s highly accurate and has features like activity types, route navigation, waypoints, and breadcrumb tracking.

While it cannot load maps directly to the watch, it still provides enough performance for dedicated backcountry use. While the relatively small display size, lack of touchscreen, and elementary smartwatch performance make it not as good a fit for a daily smartwatch, the Instinct 2 Solar is perfect for anyone looking for a performance watch in a no-frills platform meant to go the distance.

What Other Watches Should You Consider?

The Garmin Instinct 2 Solar GPS watch isn’t the only backcountry-worthy option on the market. We tested and reviewed the best of the best, and they are all in our complete GPS watch gear guide.

Coros Apex 2 Pro Review: If you’re looking for another watch with impressive battery life, the Apex 2 Pro is sure to meet the demands of tracking for multiple days at a time.

Garmin Forerunner 165 Review: At a more affordable price, the Forerunner 165 delivers a lighter platform with a larger display size for improved display capabilities for different activities.

Garmin Vivoactive 5 Review: If the Instinct 2 Solar is too large of a watch for you, the Vivoactive is the slimmest and lightest in our lineup, perfect for smaller-sized wrists.