Using maps on a Fenix 5S Plus or Fenix 5 Plus

I am thinking of buying a Fenix 5S Plus and am wondering if I will be able to navigate my way around a city with it. For instance, say I was in York on holiday, will the maps show me street names (like a satnav) and can I then find my way back to my car with it. I am almost 80 years old and would find this sort of thing really helpful.

Thanks for any help that may be offered.

  • The 5s plus has the smallest screen I think... might be easier to see buying the 5 plus or 5x plus...(most of the new Fenix 6 range have an even larger screen.. but only some of the range has maps) 

    You can see street names and shops etc... and navigate back to your car.

    You can even put more detailed maps on the watch from other sources. Including satalite imagery from Garmin for anywhere in the world. 

    If you say lived in Europe... went to the US... you would only have main roads and you would need to download a map for the area before you leave for your holiday...

    All the best... 

  • Thank you very much Sam201176, very much appreciated.  I think you may be right about the size of the screen, I hadn't given much thought to that.  I will do a bit more research.

    Thanks again.

  • While you could use the watch to find your way back to the car there’s no easy way to input it’s location and have a route plotted to take you there. It can be done by inputting waypoints etc but not a simple task. I think you’d be better off getting a smartphone and using the mapping features. Can’t speak for Android, but iOS will place a marker when you park your car so it’s easy to find your way back.

  • I agree with @philipshambrook. 

    Additionally, I had many issues with the maps/navigation on my watch (bugs). You don’t want to run into these when you want to go back to your car. Me personally, I would use a smartphone for that. 

  • I would certainly try to see the screen for yourself, but it is possible to see street names and to use the watch to find your car back.

    'Easy' way to do so: make a shortcut (button combination or in menu) to save a location and after acquiring gps location (choose an activity with gps enabled, starting is not needed) you use the shortcut to save your location.

    To get back to your car choose the activity you want (navigation, walking,..) and choose navigation, saved locations. It is also possible to create a button combination to directly go to the navigation menu, so it is about 4-5 button presses to reach the saved locations (I would like to see an option to rearrange the navigation menu). 

    Another way to do so it so start an activity, so it starts at your car and use the navigation menu to return to the start. You can easily pause the activity and return to the watch screen in between.

    Yet another way is to use the garmin explore app in combination with the watch. Save the location using the explore app and after adding that waypoint to the active collection it will be automatically send to the watch from which you can use to navigate back to it.

    I did put 'easy' that way because the first time it might be hard to do so, but after a couple of times it can be done very quickly. 

    Good luck!

  • Thank you for this very comprehensive reply spinnekopje.  I have been looking at the specs of the watch on one website, I can't find again at the moment and, I spotted something called TracBack but there were no details of what it does.  I am assuming from the title that it would be something along the lines of what you say in your post.  Have you heard of it?

    I have found website that sells Garmin and the prices seem very good.  The site is called RunninXpert and I am wondering if anyone on here has any experience of them.  Here is an example of their prices......

    https://www.runningxpert.com/en/garmin-fenix-5-plus-sapphire.html

    Thanks again for all of the input.

  • Trackback is useful if you want to go back home yes..or back on route... or back to a starting point etc.. but in the city with tall buildings and GPS spikes.. going into shops etc... it isn't the best solution..

    As  said.. 

    all you have to do is save the cars location... then navigate back when your finished .. the watch will show you a route back.