Mountain Life
  • Daily Content
    • Trips & Expeditions
    • Climbing
    • Mountain Biking
    • Mountain Lifer
    • Multiplicity
    • On The Trail
    • Paddling
    • Photography
    • Skiing
    • Snowboarding
    • Stay & Play
    • Surfing
    • The Great Outdoors
    • The ML Interview
    • Travel
  • GEAR
  • VIDEOS
  • STORE
  • Magazines
    • ML Coast Mountains
    • ML Rocky Mountains
    • Vie En Montagne
    • ML Blue Mountains
    • ML Annual
    • ML Subscriptions
  • ABOUT
    • What is ML?
    • Our Team
    • Newsletter
    • Adventure Grant
    • Distribution
  • Podcast
  • Contests
  • CONTACT
    • ML Agency
    • Advertising
    • Contribute
Subscription Form

Get notified of the best News

Social Links
Instagram 22K Followers
Facebook 25K Likes
Twitter 5K Followers
Pinterest 1K Followers
Vimeo 34 Followers
LinkedIn
22K Followers
25K Likes
5K Followers
1K Followers
Mountain Life
Mountain Life
  • Daily Content
    • Trips & Expeditions
    • Climbing
    • Mountain Biking
    • Mountain Lifer
    • Multiplicity
    • On The Trail
    • Paddling
    • Photography
    • Skiing
    • Snowboarding
    • Stay & Play
    • Surfing
    • The Great Outdoors
    • The ML Interview
    • Travel
  • GEAR
  • VIDEOS
  • STORE
  • Magazines
    • ML Coast Mountains
    • ML Rocky Mountains
    • Vie En Montagne
    • ML Blue Mountains
    • ML Annual
    • ML Subscriptions
  • ABOUT
    • What is ML?
    • Our Team
    • Newsletter
    • Adventure Grant
    • Distribution
  • Podcast
  • Contests
  • CONTACT
    • ML Agency
    • Advertising
    • Contribute
  • THE GEAR SHED

Apple Watch Series 5

  • August 14, 2020
  • Kevin Crawford
Total
0
Shares
0
0
0
0
0
0
Total
0
Shares
Share 0
Tweet 0
Pin it 0
Share 0
Share 0
Share 0

Apple Watch Series 5 Price Range: $529 – $1049 CDN
New Features: Always-on Display, Built-in Compass, International Emergency Services (to all cellular models).
Technology: Apple S5 chip which contains a 64-bit dual-core processor. 32 GB storage increased from 16GB in previous models.

I’ve been thinking about a smart watch for a long time now. Is it worth the money? Will it be beneficial or just another piece of tech? Can I track myself and my activities? Or am I being tracked and, if so, how much data am I sharing with the big corporations? I have been wearing and testing the Apple Watch Series 5 for over two months now and my final answer is—yes. It is worth the money. It is beneficial for tracking my health and activities. And, yes: Maybe I am being tracked more closely—but only by corporations and app developers that I allow to see/translate data based on my settings.

The watch is available in several different casings and with different tech specs. The base watches are around $529 CDN for GPS-enabled and $900 CDN for GPS and cellular enabled. With its Always-on Retina display, myriad of potential faces and sensors that remind me to move, stand and breathe, this is the most advanced piece of wearable technology on the market. I can also track my activities, select my music and stay in communication even without my phone present (cellular models only).

Wearing my Series 5 I have gone snowboarding, nordic skiing, swimming laps, paddleboarding and desk jockeying. I have even tried it out on the treadmill as not all days can be outdoor adventures. Compared to other watches I have tried, the activity tracker in the Series 5 is detailed and accurate with distance and altitude both indoors and out.

Water-Resistant

Indoor pool lap, stroke and time tracking. Water resistant to 50m
Capturing distance, avg. speed, time and types of strokes.

One of my top requirements for a smart watch was that I could wear it while swimming and paddleboarding. Many companies have provided either an IP or ATM rating. The Apple Watch Series 5 (and back to the Series 2) spec page states that it is water resistant to 50 metres. This would be equivalent to the 5ATM rating. The main thing to remember here is that although the watch can withstand the atmospheric pressure of a 50m depth, the water they are testing in is still.  As soon as you have added pressure, such as swimming strokes, the resistance changes. So although the Series 5 is great for swimming, paddleboarding and many other things in and around water, I do not recommend you take it waterskiing, cliff jumping or anything where there is potential for pressure greater than it can withstand. While swimming laps at the local pool it kept an accurate count of not only my laps but also average pace, stroke, overall distance and hear rate. And I found the Always-on display completely readable underwater while mid-stroke.

GPS Tracking

For paddleboarding, snowboarding and nordic skiing I wanted accurate GPS tracking. Previous devices would capture distance accurately but fail on altitude. Some were the opposite and others failed at both. The Series 5 is able to record my adventures showing accurate speed, distance and duration combined with average heart rate and altitude. And though Apple has provided an amazing piece of technology with built-in apps, several companies have also created apps for specific sports.

Strava App tracking a nordic loop

Strava is the best in my mind as a multi-sport app. The app works both on the phone and watch, tracking my adventures and when combined with the internal GPS and proper settings it takes your traveled route and then overlays it on a map, showing the route taken. The app also offers a deeper analysis of your workout, providing all the information in one place. As with many apps a subscription plan is available allowing you to see even more data.

Activity Tracker showing information recorded with the Paddle Logger app

For paddleboarding I chose the Paddle Logger app.  Again both with a free version and a subscription version, Paddle Logger tracks your time on the water showing wind speed and direction and laying out your route on a basic map. (Satellite imagery is available, however, you need to subscribe for that.) I just wanted to know how far I was going and the duration of the paddle. This is provided with the free version. This data is then fed into Apple’s Activity Tracker and there I can see the route overlaid on a map with all the data.

Health Tracking

The heath tracking features of Apple’s Series 5 watch are incredible. From constant heart rate monitoring to manual ECG reporting, this watch seems to be able to provide everything and more. But it is the little things I like the most. Sure it can count my steps but it also reminds me to stand, something I don’t do often enough. It can also guide me through a minute-long breathing cycle. And it will check audio decibel levels and warning me if the environment I am in is unhealthy for my hearing.

Battery Life

With all tech, I like to keep the running apps to a minimum in order to preserve battery life.  For the first month, and while swimming, I used the Always-on display and questioned how often I would have to charge it while using other functions. With the quick-charge technology, the Series 5 is able to charge up to 80% capacity in 1.5 hours, with the remaining 20% taking another hour. I found that within the first month I was removing and changing my watch every 16 – 18 hours. After turning off the Always-on display and combining that with my computer-driven, desk-riding lifestyle I found that I could get between 22-26 hours of battery life, allowing me to track my sleeping patterns and recharge at some point during the day.

Even with all its power, it is the small things I appreciate the most. Haptic notifications of incoming messages and phone calls allow my phone to be silent. And being able to hide my phone and remotely trigger the camera, I can capture images I would never have captured before.

Boston Oriole - iPhone triggered with Apple Watch
Remotely triggering my iPhone as it sat beside the feeder.
Total
0
Shares
Share 0
Tweet 0
Pin it 0
Share 0
Share 0
Share 0
Kevin Crawford

Previous Article
  • Skiing

Behind The Line: An Oral History of Callum Pettit’s Brush with Death

  • August 14, 2020
  • Ben Osborne
View Post
Next Article
  • Mountain Lifer
  • Stay & Play

Pitchin’ Tents: Mountain Life’s Guide to Styles of Camping

  • August 16, 2020
  • Ben Osborne
View Post
You May Also Like
Hunter-Bloom-Sandal-black-beach
View Post
  • SPRING GEAR
  • SUMMER GEAR
  • THE GEAR SHED

Gear Shed: Turning Algae into Sandals

  • Ned Morgan
  • May 3, 2022
OGC-Gear-Shed-cycling-Collage2
View Post
  • CAMPING GEAR
  • HIKING GEAR
  • RUNNING GEAR
  • SPRING GEAR
  • SUMMER GEAR
  • THE GEAR SHED

Gear Shed: OGC Spring Cycling Roundup

  • Mountain Life Media
  • May 2, 2022
Rossignol-Essential-ski-sustainable-top
View Post
  • THE GEAR SHED
  • WINTER GEAR

Gear Shed: Industry-First Sustainable Ski to Launch this Fall

  • Ned Morgan
  • April 28, 2022
Gear-Shed-Mothers-and-Earth-Day-Collage3
View Post
  • CAMPING GEAR
  • HIKING GEAR
  • RUNNING GEAR
  • SPRING GEAR
  • SUMMER GEAR
  • THE GEAR SHED

Gear Shed: Earth Week / Mother’s Day Edition

  • Ned Morgan
  • April 19, 2022
Climate_Plus_Stainless_Studio_1021_Family
View Post
  • SUMMER GEAR
  • THE GEAR SHED

MiiR: Antidote to Single-Use Plastic Bottles

  • Ned Morgan
  • April 13, 2022
Mountain-Hardwear-Polartec-Power-Grid-shoulders-mens
View Post
  • CAMPING GEAR
  • CLIMBING GEAR
  • FALL GEAR
  • HIKING GEAR
  • SPRING GEAR
  • SUMMER GEAR
  • THE GEAR SHED

A Layer for All Seasons: Mountain Hardwear Polartec Power Grid Hoody

  • Ned Morgan
  • April 9, 2022
Micro-Monster-kickboard-three-adults
View Post
  • SPRING GEAR
  • SUMMER GEAR
  • THE GEAR SHED

Gear Shed: MICRO Monster Kickboard

  • Ned Morgan
  • April 7, 2022
Smartwool-Gives-Old-Socks-a-New-Life-hiking-lookout
View Post
  • HIKING GEAR
  • RUNNING GEAR
  • SPRING GEAR
  • SUMMER GEAR
  • THE GEAR SHED

Smartwool Gives Old Socks a New Life

  • Ned Morgan
  • April 5, 2022

Leave a Reply

You must be logged in to post a comment.

Featured Posts
  • Jason-Hardrath-Journey-to-100-standing-peak 1
    Friday Flick: Journey to 100
    • May 20, 2022
  • 2
    Friday Flick: Waterproofing 101
    • May 13, 2022
  • Jamie-Mocrazy-portrait 3
    Jamie MoCrazy: Thriving after Traumatic Brain Injury
    • May 17, 2022
  • River-crossing-Cambria-Icefield-ABBY-COOPER 4
    Kwhlixhoosa’anskw: A River Runs Through
    • May 19, 2022
  • Relic-The-Beachcombers-Ben-Tour-illustration 5
    Requiem for a Relic
    • May 16, 2022
RECENT POSTS
  • Helly Hansen Presents: Adventure Planning 101 with Squamish SAR
    • May 16, 2022
  • Dynafit-Sea-to-Summit-Delphi-harbor-revised
    Friday Flick: Skiing with the Gods of Delphi
    • May 13, 2022
  • Nick-Gottlieb-Pereval-Dzhuku-pass
    Touching the Mountains of Heaven
    • May 12, 2022
Social Links
Instagram 22K Followers
Facebook 25K Likes
Twitter 5K Followers
Pinterest 1K Followers
Vimeo 34 Followers
LinkedIn
INSTAGRAM
mountainlifemedia
22K Followers
#ThrowbackThursday 👉Rhythmic raindrops pounded on the truck’s canopy. Wet snow avalanches growled down the slopes, and the river echoed its roar—evidence the Nass Valley’s spirit was very alive. According to the Nisga’a people, K’alii-Aksim-Lisims (the Nass River, one of BC’s richest river systems) is as much a part of them as their own flesh and blood, flowing through their land and lives.
Join us to hear from the Squamish Search & Rescue on trip planning, outdoor safety, outing ideas, and tips for backcountry travel while enjoying local beer and good company at @hellyhansenwhistler tomorrow eve! #Linkinbio to register!
@jamiemocrazy’s traumatic brain injury (TBI) occurred on her second competition run in slopestyle skiing at the finals of the World Ski & Snowboard Festival in Whistler in April, 2015.
Reel Rock 16 is coming to #Squamish! There are two showings 👉 May 20th and June 1st at the Eagle Eye Theatre, Howe Sound Secondary School, in beautiful Squamish supported by @climbonsquamish! #Linkinbio to get your tickets! #climbing #film #filmfest #climbers #adventure #climbon #adventure #squamishbc #tickets
Finding that picture perfect moment with @sweenyj #mountainlifer
The winter that just keeps on given-er! 🤘#mountainlifer
FRIDAY FLICK 💥 This past March, speed mountaineer Benedikt Böhm @benediktboehm rocked a five-hour sea-to-summit expedition up Mount Parnassus in central Greece. Starting at sea level on his road bike at the village of Itea on the Gulf of Corinth, he climbed up to an altitude of 2.414 metres. #linkinbio to watch the film!
I had no idea what to expect from this trip, neither from bikepacking, a fancy term for cycle touring and a sport I’d never done before, nor from Kyrgyzstan, a country most people cannot find on a map. Carl, who I’d only just met recently after moving to Canada—I’d flagged him down after backcountry skiing after seeing his Montana license plate—had invited me on this trip while on a mountain bike ride. I said no. A few weeks later I figured, “Why not?”
The @rab.equipment  dynamic Cirrus Flex is a soft, lightweight hybrid synthetic insulation for mountain-friendly layering. Keeping you warm and perfectly suited to journey in the mountains. #TheMountainPeople #WeAreRab
"@normhann and I lashed paddleboards to the roof of his truck and headed north along the Island Highway, towards Telegraph Cove. Norm had invited me to tag along on a commercial paddleboard group he would be guiding in the Broughton Archipelago. Despite a long history of SUP expeditions, I harboured some reservations."
Follow

Subscribe

Subscribe now to our newsletter

#ThrowbackThursday 👉Rhythmic raindrops pounded on the truck’s canopy. Wet snow avalanches growled down the slopes, and the river echoed its roar—evidence the Nass Valley’s spirit was very alive. According to the Nisga’a people, K’alii-Aksim-Lisims (the Nass River, one of BC’s richest river systems) is as much a part of them as their own flesh and blood, flowing through their land and lives.
Join us to hear from the Squamish Search & Rescue on trip planning, outdoor safety, outing ideas, and tips for backcountry travel while enjoying local beer and good company at @hellyhansenwhistler tomorrow eve! #Linkinbio to register!
@jamiemocrazy’s traumatic brain injury (TBI) occurred on her second competition run in slopestyle skiing at the finals of the World Ski & Snowboard Festival in Whistler in April, 2015.
Reel Rock 16 is coming to #Squamish! There are two showings 👉 May 20th and June 1st at the Eagle Eye Theatre, Howe Sound Secondary School, in beautiful Squamish supported by @climbonsquamish! #Linkinbio to get your tickets! #climbing #film #filmfest #climbers #adventure #climbon #adventure #squamishbc #tickets
Finding that picture perfect moment with @sweenyj #mountainlifer
The winter that just keeps on given-er! 🤘#mountainlifer
Mountain Life
  • Home
  • About
  • Contact
  • Subscribe
  • Advertising

Input your search keywords and press Enter.