Distance on the 8? Maybe a little too much?

I have had the Fenix 3, 5x+, 6xPro and now the Fenix 8 51mm. Up until the 8, they have consistently reported about 2-4% shorter distance than what I believe is accurate when in tight switchbacks with tree canopy. I bought the Stryd foot-pod and get remarkable results with that.
Having said that, I think the Fenix 8 did fantastic on my first trail. It was just a hike instead of a trail run so this is not apples to apples but I think it may have even reported 2% more distance. I only have 1 trail since getting it but am really curious if it's slightly over-calculating. I am using straight-up default settings. I'm not by any means saying it's inaccurate as I don't enough hikes/runs for that but am very curious if anyone has done trail runs and their impression on the GPS distance accuracy. The tracks look great.

0 silentvoyager 9 months ago

In my experience, Fenix 6 was 5-7% short on trails and Fenix 7 about 1% short. This applies to fairly twisty thick forest covered trails of PNW. On the open terrain both watches are much more accurate.

Also, when you move slowly there is more opportunity for wobbling of GPS positions, which may result in overestimated distance. On the other hand, when running fast, there is more opportunity for cutting corners and straightening curves, which may result in underestimated distance.