Fenix 6 expedition mode experiences requested

Anyone with a Fenix 6 like to comment on their experience with the Expedition mode GPS?  (So I can stop hijacking Ultratrac and other GPS related threads...)

I'm keen to know if proves useful for tracking and navigating whilst doing activities that are not particularly time, performance, statistics or accuracy sensitive, like hiking.

I expect that it will NOT be useful for running etc where people care that they did or didn't cut that corner or took 90 minutes not 120 minutes and pace is needed down to the second/km, so any rants about how useless it is in those activities, whilst probably entertaining, are not necessary here..... On the other hand, if you DO find it useful when running etc, that'd be most interesting!

  • I don't envision that I'll ever use it, since the battery life is so long in normal mode. You'd have to be hiking for more than a couple days straight (with no access to a battery pack) for it to be worthwhile. That said, the default setting for Expedition Mode is to take 1 GPS reading every hour, however it can be customized in 15min increments, anywhere from 15min to 90min intervals. You can also choose to have it record GPS points after sunset, or not. Other than that, there isn't really any customization - it turns off ALL other sensors, and basically everything else except for a really basic watchface.

    You can turn off most sensors in regular modes, too, and extend the battery life by a LOT while still maintaining an accurate GPS track. On the 6x, for example, you should get about 60 hours of nonstop GPS usage between charges, which is enough for a weekend backpacking trip without even remembering to turn off the GPS when you're sleeping.

  • Does it still show a map with the GPS points on it? (Or would that chew up wayyyyyy too many milliWatts?)

  • As far as I have seen/understood, the Expedition Mode has 3 given (not configurable) data pages, you can only set a interval vor gps reading (15/30/45/60/75/90) or add a gps point manually by pressing a button.

    There is a map page, but you see only the last saved gps point as a light blue point (A "track line" is displayed between the saved gps points). The map screen also does´t show you your current position in real time if you are moving (you have to wait for an automatically saved gps point or have to save one manually). But maybe I am wrong, haven´t played around a lot with the Expedition Mode.

    set intervall to 15 minutes. The "14" next to the battery symbol is showing, the next gps point is tracked in 14 minutes

    Only the last saved gps point is shown (light blue point),  where the kink is before, is the second

  • Thanks, that's the sorta thing I am interested in. Real user reporting beats the heck out of reviews and manuals.

  • I am also interested in how it works. I'm doing the Marathon Des Sables (MDS) next year and want to take a Garmin so I have a record of the race. it's over 6 days and I want to keep the weight down so won't be taking a massive power pack. I'd also like to find out how effective the solar is and it its worth the trade off with the sapphire glass? I currently have a Fenix 3 and am upgrading for Christmas hopefully...

  • The solar won't help you with a 6-day race. In normal mode (not expedition), you might get 66 hours out of it instead of 60, but that doesn't effectively change anything for you if you need it to work for 144 hours. You're going to have to charge it twice regardless of whether it has solar or not.

    That said, you don't need a "massive" power pack. You get a tiny 3000mah battery charger that's about the size of a couple credit cards, it will be enough to completely recharge a dead watch at least 3-5 times. Then, you can use the watch in fully-functional mode (with heartrate, realtime positioning, and all your data screens) for the whole race, instead of the crippled expedition mode that only gives you a timer and a very basic map.

    Check this out: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07K9HJR4X/

    I'd rather find a way to carry that, than be stuck using stripped-down watch functionality for the whole race.

  • I use Expedition mode with a 15 minutes interval GPS when I'm on a road trip. 
    It works great. So: no running but driving.

  • How would you rate the accuracy when used that way?

  • I'm very happy with accuracy. It is used for a log book in my journeys.
    Every 15 minutes on a highway is enough to get very accurate tracks.
    And once of foot, it is perfect.
    Really I even enjoy the minimalist watchface provided. :-D
    Also I have set the recording to continue once the sun is set.
    :-)

  • Is there any way to view the coordinates (preferably UTM) while in expedition mode? A tiny dot on a hard-to-read, miniature topo doesn't seem too useful, but if you had UTM this would be an amazing way to position yourself on a good topo map.