Looking for a recommendation for one for my wife’s birthday present
Can anyone recommend a waterproof one ?
I looked at the Fitbit “charge 3” and the Garmin “Vivosmart 4”
If any one knows of one that will track paddling info, (strokes, etc), I would like to hear about that
She will also use it for cycling and waking
Jack L
I got a Fitbit Ionic last Christmas. I reduced battery life in the last month and the watch went dead this weekend. I am back on my Charge 2.
I was looking at the Charge 3 which just came out, but it appears that not all the apps are functional and there are kinks. You may want to scroll through the Fitbit community site to see the issues new owners are experiencing. This one is directly relevant to you:
So, I have actually been perusing various reviews on the different Garmin models. Have decided one way or another yet. I am definitely not excited about going back to Fitbit.
sing
@sing said:
I got a Fitbit Ionic last Christmas. I reduced battery life in the last month and the watch went dead this weekend. I am back on my Charge 2.I was looking at the Charge 3 which just came out, but it appears that not all the apps are functional and there are kinks. You may want to scroll through the Fitbit community site to see the issues new owners are experiencing. This one is directly relevant to you:
So, I have actually been perusing various reviews on the different Garmin models. Have decided one way or another yet. I am definitely not excited about going back to Fitbit.
sing
Thanks,
Hopefully I’ll get some more replies on other makes.
Our oldest daughter has the Fitbit 2 and loves it, but that would be useless since it is not water proof
You are a brave man… or foolish… or maybe you know her well enough.
It’s like getting someone a membership to a gym as a gift. You need to be careful with this one. 
I won a Vivofit at a company raffle. It was the most useless watch I ever owned. Right when I wanted to tell the time the battery went dead. It did count “steps”, it was waterproof, and it worked when kayaking…………………and mowing the yard on the riding lawn mower…….and in the car if the road was bumpy. Counted a lot of steps. got a Fit bit for birthday…….now my wife has the Fitbit. She mostly uses a Garman Vivo Smart HR Plus watch that blue tooth connects to the phone fitness data. None of the three counts paddle strokes.
@Sparky961 said:
You are a brave man… or foolish… or maybe you know her well enough.It’s like getting someone a membership to a gym as a gift. You need to be careful with this one.
Not brave, not foolish and I know her well enough.
She is in perfect shape right now and I just want to get her it for some fun tracking, etc
I’ve become a reviewer of these devices ever in search of the best one for kayaking, I haven’t found it yet. Many of them don’t count paddle strokes as steps. That said, I’ve found a couple off-brands that do a decent job counting strokes and are waterproof but don’t have GPS. I just got a new one for review today and it is on the charger so if you give me a couple days I can come back with some feedback on it. Until then, if you find a really good one for kayaking I’m all ears. The best thing I’ve found so far is the Amazfit Bip. (I have no connect to/with them whatsoever.) Waterproof, GPS, easy to read in bright sunlight but doesn’t count strokes as steps. BUT, the GPS data makes up for that IMHO. Don’t expect any of them to get heart rate correct while paddling. You’ll need a chest strap for that.
I have Vivofit 3 and I use it for walking, but also for paddling. Although I’m not yet sure how accurate it is yet for paddling. It seems to measure the swing of your arm. I can fool it by swinging my arm while standing still. Also monitors your sleeping. It does more and seems more accurate than the Fitbit I lost.
@sing said:
I got a Fitbit Ionic last Christmas. I reduced battery life in the last month and the watch went dead this weekend. I am back on my Charge 2.I was looking at the Charge 3 which just came out, but it appears that not all the apps are functional and there are kinks. You may want to scroll through the Fitbit community site to see the issues new owners are experiencing. This one is directly relevant to you:
So, I have actually been perusing various reviews on the different Garmin models. Have decided one way or another yet. I am definitely not excited about going back to Fitbit.
sing
I just want to update that when I posted the problem I had with my Fitbit Ionic on the Fitbit community website, a company support person reached out to me. Seeing that I have gone through the various troubleshooting procedures, the company rep has authorized the replacement of my Ionic.
Good service and support.
sing
Got the Garmin Vivoactive HR. It works fine for my bike rides, hikes, etc. but anytime I’ve tried to use it for a kayak work-out it craps out. I start it by pushing the “Row” icon and everything likes fine but at some point it quits, doesn’t record the info and goes back to the watch mode. I’m not getting it wet so I don’t know what the issue is. I’ve just been using “Kayaklog” app on my phone.
I replaced my fitbit 2 with a fitbit charge 3. My fitbit two was still working but the band had worn out and they changed the band design on the two so it was difficult to get a replacement. I should mention that I regularly paddled with my fitbit two even though it was not waterproof. I never had a problem from the moisture. It did short me on distance when you converted the “steps” to distance paddled . My major complaint with the fitbit charge 3 is that I have more difficulty getting it to sync. I like the fact that the three is waterproof…
@The Nazz said:
Got the Garmin Vivoactive HR. It works fine for my bike rides, hikes, etc. but anytime I’ve tried to use it for a kayak work-out it craps out.
That’s strange, and too bad. I’ve put lots of miles on my HR in a kayak without any problems, and it frequently gets quite wet. I find it’s great for pacing on longer training runs.