Gearhead Picks: Garmin Forerunner 645 Music GPS

Shopping for a fitness watch? On this episode of Gearhead Picks, Backcountry Gearhead Ashleigh Mcclary shares the features she wants in a smartwatch, which led her to decide on the Garmin Forerunner 645 Music with GPS. She uses the Forerunner for running, hiking, skiing, and paddling.

Hey, I’m Ashleigh, a Backcountry Gearhead. Since I run, hike, ski, and paddle, I wanted a smartwatch to track my activities. I searched and searched, and then the Garmin Forerunner 645 Music with GPS came out. The Forerunner 645 may be a marketed as a running watch, but it also has a list of built-in activity profiles from swimming to skiing. 

In the winter, I use the skiing mode to track my speed, vertical drop, and overall distance for the day. 

My favorite feature is the ability to download songs to your watch. You can connect to it with Bluetooth headphones so you don’t have to bring your phone when you’re working out. 

A lot of the other smartwatches I tried felt big and clunky on my wrist, but the Forerunner’s sleek face won me over. I forget I’m wearing it!

Another thing that I’ve been really impressed with is the battery life. When I have it in the default Smartwatch mode, it runs up to a week on a single charge. 

The Forerunner 645 has a heart rate monitor built into the wrist, so you don’t have to wear a chest strap when you’re working out. This is another feature that I love having in a watch. 

You can even tailor the data the watch records to your training needs, since it comes with a barometer, altimeter, and pedometer. 

I also sync the watch to my phone with the Bluetooth so I get texts, emails, and other notifications while I’m on the go. Don’t worry, you can also turn off notifications for uninterrupted adventuring!

Thanks for checking out Gearhead Picks! If you have questions about the Garmin Forerunner 645 or just need some help choosing the smartwatch that’s right for you, you can reach out to our Gearheads or contact Ashleigh directly.