Charging a Garmin GPS watch from a power pack
A number of you have been asking us regarding how a GPS watch performs when charging a Garmin GPS watch from a power pack.
When would you be charging a Garmin GPS Fenix watch from a power pack?
Many people who are undertaking ultra events with a Garmin Fenix watch may need to charge it at one of the checkpoints or rest points.
Therefore the speed of charge of a Garmin Fenix watch is an essential bit of information.
How fast does a Garmin GPS watch charge?
This is what we are looking at (figures below video), but I think the conclusion is -
30 minute charge of Garmin Fenix GPS watch - if you are just stopping for a 30 minute break you could get approximately another 2 hours of battery life (with the GPS on) for that half hour charge.
Quick sleep charge - if you are on an event and stopped for a two hour sleep, you could fully charge your Garmin Fenix watch again during that time.
What GPS watch are you using for your figures?
In this video we are using a Garmin Fenix 5s, but we have tried it with different watches (Fenix 5 plus and Fenix 6s) and a 30 minute charge is increasing the battery life by 20%. The 20% gives different extra battery life on each watch so it is just a case of working that out yourself.
What power pack are you using to charge the Garmin Fenix GPS Watch?
If you are doing an ultra-event or walking continuously a 30 minute charge will increase the battery life by 20% when charging a Garmin GPS watch from a power pack, for the test we used a Goal Zero Venture 30 power pack.
Key factors relating to battery life on a Garmin Fenix
You will see the key thing with battery life and time on a Garmin Fenix GPS watch is if you are using it as a smartwatch or with the GPS on. You will use it with the GPS on when tracking your activity or navigating a course. As you will see using the GPS does understandably use far more battery life when the GPS is on.
Main facts -
1. Time - 14.35
Battery life - 19% - 2.2 hours of battery using GPS or 1.5 days as smart watch
2. Time 15.10 (35 minutes passed)
Battery life - 48% - 4.5 hours with GPS on
3. Time 15.40 (1 hour 5 minutes passed in total)
Battery life - 72% - 8 hours with GPS on
4. Time 16.10 (1 hour 35 minutes passed in total)
Battery life - 95% - 10.5 hours with GPS on
5. Time 16.20 (1 hour 45 minutes passed in total)
Battery life - 100% - 11 hours with GPS on or 7 days as smartwatch only
Further reading
1. Review and differences of the Garmin Fenix 6 GPS watch
2. A look at the Garmin range of GPS watches - model comparison