Ep. 231 | GEAR BREAKDOWN - A watch built for hunters
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The Bridger Reckon smartwatch isn't just another fitness tracker—it's a purpose-built tool for hunters, born from frustration with existing tech that failed to meet the demands of backcountry survival. Remy Warren and Bridger Watch founder Cody Rich reveal how a simple idea—putting Onyx maps on a watch—evolved into a full hardware and software revolution. What sets the Reckon apart isn’t just its high-definition, pannable topo maps or 38-day battery life, but the radical focus on solving real hunter pain points: avoiding phone dependency in the dark, preserving night vision with redshift mode, and syncing waypoints across devices. The watch was built from the ground up with hunters in mind, not as a 'one-size-fits-all' smartwatch, but as a durable, map-first wearable that also tracks fitness, sleep, and even future 'hunt readiness' metrics. After a sold-out pre-order and glowing feedback from turkey hunters in Ohio to big game hunters in Montana, the Reckon is now shipping—proving that when you build for a specific mission, the results can be revolutionary.
The Bridger Reckon is the first wearable with pannable, high-definition topo maps that work offline and don’t require constant phone use.
It features 38-day battery life and redshift mode to preserve night vision during nighttime navigation.
The watch integrates directly with Onyx maps, allowing seamless transfer of waypoints, tracks, and markups between devices.
Built for hunters, not general consumers, it prioritizes mapping, durability, and long-term field use over flashy features.
Future updates will include 'hunt readiness' metrics to assess physical preparedness for multi-day expeditions like mountain goat hunts.
…and 3 more takeaways available in PodZeus
Welcome to Live Wild: Hunting, Fitness, and the Future of Gear
Remy Warren introduces the podcast's mission: sharing practical hunting knowledge and preparing listeners physically for the wild through Mountain Tough, a fitness app tailored for hunters.
The Birth of a Hunter-First Smartwatch
Cody Rich recounts the origin of Bridger Watch, sparked by frustration with existing smartwatches during a turkey hunt when he realized he was constantly pulling out his phone.
From 3D Print to Reality: The Long Road to the Reckon
The team shares the evolution from a crude 3D-printed prototype to a fully functional watch, highlighting the challenges of building hardware and software in tandem.
Why Maps Are the Core of the Reckon
“We knew we wanted great topo maps to be able to navigate, but be able to pan. So with the way we built ours is like this offline mapping to where you can actually move the screen and look around and navigate.”
Onyx Integration and the Hunt as a System
“Now very easily I can just click and send the whole folder for say we're elk hunting in unit 1234 now I can send the whole file over and it's in my watch and have it as a backup.”
“do you maintain at 90 efficiency over a 10 day hunt? So like first day, you know based on your HRV, based on your caloric intake, based on the mileage, the heat, like all these factors.”
“We knew we wanted great topo maps to be able to navigate, but be able to pan. So with the way we built ours is like this offline mapping to where you can actually move the screen and look around and navigate.”
“Now very easily I can just click and send the whole folder for say we're elk hunting in unit 1234 now I can send the whole file over and it's in my watch and have it as a backup.”
Host
Guest
Bridger Watch
brand
Cody Rich
person
Remy Warren
person
Onyx
brand
Mountain Tough
brand
Garmin
brand
Real Hunting Magazine
media
TrueMed
brand
Whoop
brand
Day6 Arrows
brand
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