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Verdict
If you’re a hiker who absolutely must have a smartwatch then the Casio Pro Trek Smart WSD-F20 is probably your best bet, but this really comes down to the fact that there aren’t many true smartwatch alternatives that cater for the outdoors adventure types, rather than the Casio actually being a quality watch.
It falls down on basic comfort and wearability and the shoddy charging cable is unforgivable at this price.
The Pro Trek Smart WSD-F20 isn't a complete disaster though, thanks to the likes of a durable build and useful navigation features.
Who's this for?
This is a watch for people who like to take to the hills, lakes, pistes and generally get involved in the kind of stuff the North Face heralds in its epic rugged photographs.
Oh, but they also want to be able to get updates from halfway up Mont Blanc when someone’s just dropped an important message into their Gmail/WhatsApp and liked their latest Instagram post.
Despite having all the features from the latest version of Wear OS, what the Pro Trek Smart isn’t, is a watch for those looking for a regular everyday smartwatch. As Marc Chacksfield quite rightly said in our review of the Nixon Mission, “it would be like wearing a suit to a sauna, total overkill.”
Should you buy it?
The short answer is no. Even though it’s quite unique as a Wear OS smartwatch that caters for more serious outdoors activity, and it’s definitely rugged enough to withstand a lot of ‘adventure’, there are too many flaws to justify the $500/£450 price tag, particularly when there are other watches (though not fully smart) snapping at its heels in terms of features.
So unless you’re either a huge Casio and Wear OS fan, or someone who likes bulky, rugged watches enough to forgive some major missing links, there are more capable watches out there.
First reviewed: April 2018
There are other options for outdoor adventurers, such as the following three watches:
Nixon Mission
The Nixon Mission is a beautiful looking, capable beast of an Android smartwatch. One of the most well-built smartwatches we’ve tried, it’s made to withstand the toughest water and snow conditions and excels in the extreme.
Sadly – but not uncommon in Android smartwatches – it’s let down by poor battery life and some missed feature opportunities, such as a heart rate monitor and NFC.
Read our full Nixon Mission review
Garmin Fenix 5X
The Garmin Fenix 5X has an enormous number of multi-sport features, solid GPS, and a brilliant battery life all in an attractive albeit heavy build. It's not cheap, but for serious outdoor enthusiasts it's hard to beat.
Highlights include offline mapping, a hard-wearing sapphire screen and a Pro Trek-beating water resistance rating to 100 meters. If you want a GPS and activity tracker that does it all, this is worth the money.
Read our full Garmin Fenix 5X review
Suunto Traverse
It’s not brand spanking new and it doesn’t pack even half the smartwatch features that the Casio Pro Trek Smart WSD-F20 does, but the Suunto Traverse is a solid, rugged adventure watch that handles the outdoors with ease.
There’s GPS and GLONASS, automatic breadcrumb tracking so you can find your way back easily, route creation via the partner Movescount app and it’s good in the water up to 100 metres. Tides, sunset/sunrise and storm alerts are also on board. It won’t tell you your boss just emailed you, but who wants that when they’re busting a lung in the Pyrenees.
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