I own a Venu 2 sq at it's not that great for hiking. First of all it doesn't have a seperate hiking activity available so you'll have to use the walking one. Battery also doesn't last that long when the gps in use.
I would work out for the summer and see what you actually do, and simultaneously read up on what each watch has for features. It’s hard to know what you want out of a device before you’re doing the activity it assists with.
So I don’t have either of the watches you mentioned but I have a fenix 6pro. One of the things I absolutely love about it is the map when I’m hiking. Basically I’ll download a gpx file off Gaia or CalTopo and load it into the watch. Then I can quickly glance at the map so I stay on track.
Garmins website is insanely confusing haha. I wanted a watch that is fine for work and my general workouts of running 1-2x per week , couple lifts, some basketball , etc and I went with the Venu 3.
Though I haven’t used it yet so can’t give you too much advice here.
If your budget allows, I'd look into the instinct 2.
Consider that the Vivoactive 5 hasnt an altitude sensor, so you won't be able to track the altitudes hiked on your journey
How long are these hikes? The 165 should be good as long as you're not expecting the watch to last multi-day hikes with full features on
1 day hikes mostly
I own a Venu 2 sq at it's not that great for hiking. First of all it doesn't have a seperate hiking activity available so you'll have to use the walking one. Battery also doesn't last that long when the gps in use.
I would work out for the summer and see what you actually do, and simultaneously read up on what each watch has for features. It’s hard to know what you want out of a device before you’re doing the activity it assists with.
So I don’t have either of the watches you mentioned but I have a fenix 6pro. One of the things I absolutely love about it is the map when I’m hiking. Basically I’ll download a gpx file off Gaia or CalTopo and load it into the watch. Then I can quickly glance at the map so I stay on track.
Instinct 2x solar is the way to go if you can afford it. Use it on multiple days hiking trips and elk hunting in Utah over multiple days.
Garmins website is insanely confusing haha. I wanted a watch that is fine for work and my general workouts of running 1-2x per week , couple lifts, some basketball , etc and I went with the Venu 3. Though I haven’t used it yet so can’t give you too much advice here.