5 outdoors deals for new and serious hikers – but they probably won't last until Black Friday
Deals on Apple and Garmin watches, hiking shoes, and other essentials
Staying inside all winter sucks. Sometimes, no matter what's on Netflix, I want to spend my winter (and spring, and summer, and fall) tackling the great outdoors with a spring in my step.
It's why I've made one of my 2024 resolutions "do more hiking", and the early Black Friday deals are going to get me there. The Apple Watch Black Friday deals and Black Friday Garmin deals are rammed with GPS watches equipped with features such as topographical maps, waypoints, and back-tracking features, so you'll never get lost. You'll also be able to closely monitor your health on the trail, and alert emergency contacts if you need to. The Apple Watch Ultra is my watch of choice for this, and it's great to see it discounted heavily here.
In order to get out on the trail, you'll need more than a watch: a sturdy pair of shoes and a good water supply. Wiggle is offering up to a massive 70% off hundreds of hiking shoes and boots, while Philips' self-cleaning Water GoZero temperature-controlled water bottle is 33% off.
Check out all the deals in full below. Given that we've still got a way to go until Black Friday proper, it's likely many of these deals will sell out before then. If (like me) you're determined to get out on the trail in 2024, these are the deals to shop.
Get the early Black Friday hiking deals here:
Garmin Epix (Gen 2) 42mm: was $799.99 now £599.99 at Amazon
Save £100 on the excellent Garmin Epix. The Epix line takes the Fenix 7 (a fantastic watch by any metric) and adds a phenomenal AMOLED screen to its existing suite of premium features. It's technically one of the best watches Garmin has ever created and will serve serious outdoor enthusiasts well with topographical maps, weeks of battery life, and pinpoint-accurate GPS features.
Garmin Instinct: was $249.99 now $169.99 at Amazon
It doesn't have a deals banner on it, so you may miss it, but Garmin's original Instinct outdoor watch is still a spectacular tool and a steal at this price. With tons of GPS and health monitoring credentials, it's a great gift for beginner and intermediate hikers and trail runners.
Apple Watch Ultra with Midnight Ocean Band: was $799.00 now $679.00 at Best Buy
Now that the Ultra 2 is out, we can expect to see more discounts like this on the original (but still excellent) Apple Watch Ultra. With a 36-hour battery life, robust titanium case, and new hiking features from watchOS 10, it's the Garmin alternative for Apple power users.
Philips Water GoZero UV Self-Cleaning Smart Water Bottle: was $74.99 now $49.99 at Amazon
Save 33% on a self-cleaning smart water bottle from reputable electronics maker Philips. Sterilize water from natural sources with the built-in UV light, or keep a mid-hike hot drink warm for up to 12 hours: two vital hiking essentials in one.
Sale: Save up to 70% on men's and women's hiking shoes at Wiggle
Specific shoe savings are always difficult to point out to readers, as prices tend to change rapidly as different sizes become available or sell out. However, Wiggle is holding a massive pre-Black Friday sale, with up to 70% off trail and hiking shoes from Adidas, Merrell, Keen, Scarpa, and loads more. Find your size with Wiggle's filter tool.
More Black Friday GPS watch deals:
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Matt is TechRadar's expert on all things fitness, wellness and wearable tech. A former staffer at Men's Health, he holds a Master's Degree in journalism from Cardiff and has written for brands like Runner's World, Women's Health, Men's Fitness, LiveScience and Fit&Well on everything fitness tech, exercise, nutrition and mental wellbeing.
Matt's a keen runner, ex-kickboxer, not averse to the odd yoga flow, and insists everyone should stretch every morning. When he’s not training or writing about health and fitness, he can be found reading doorstop-thick fantasy books with lots of fictional maps in them.