[pct-l] Lets Talk High-End Watches

[PCT]

I had the Timex Expedition for my 09 PCT hike. I had tested it on training
hikes and it seemed OK although occasionally I got some odd altitude
readings. However, on the PCT it was totally worthless. I remember setting
it, climbing at least 1500 ft and it told me I had gone up 150ft. I
mentioned this to a couple of other hikers and they told me this watch was
well known as the "The Liar's Watch". I would not waste your money on it
since once you take away the altitude sensor, the thermometer is useless
unless you take the watch off, and all the other functions you can get in a
$20 digital watch. 

I replaced the Timex with a Techo Traileader and I really like it for
real-time altitude and cumulative climbing/descending. It seems to be very
accurate over about a 10 mile/2000 ft vertical hike and it's always within
10 ft of my home altitude when I get back. I also use it for skiing to
calculate the total daily downhill. But, the distance & speed measure
doesn't do too well when hiking with poles. I tried it without and it seems
pretty accurate, but I get a totally different, and clearly wrong, answer
when using poles. I think it's the arm motion that it is expecting for
walking isn't replicated when using hiking poles so the accelerometer
algorithm doesn't detect every step. I'm guessing this might be an issue
with all of these watches.

Peanut Eater

-----Original Message-----
From: pct-l-bounces at backcountry.net [mailto:pct-l-bounces at backcountry.net]
On Behalf Of John Abela
Sent: Tuesday, January 11, 2011 2:20 PM
To: PCT L
Subject: [pct-l] Lets Talk High-End Watches

Hey Everybody,

I have been wanting to bring this up for a few weeks.

I would like to know every bodies thoughts on the higher end watches like
Suunto Core, Timex Expeditions, Casio Pathfinder and so forth.

None of these watches are cheap and some of them down-right crazy expensive
(600+ for some).

Me personally, being on the trail I often times (most days) like to know the
time, the date (hey, days get long sometimes on the trail, eh), what
elevation I am at, and how freaking cold it is while I am all bundled up
freezing and trying to sleep.

That said, a person can get by without knowing pretty much most of that -
and some would say all of that.


But, none the less, looking for thoughts from those of you who have dropped
the money for some of these higher end watches.

If there was a way to get the Suunto Core to display the time & the
temperature, I'd probably already own one. But, I don't want to fumble
around when it is 3am and freezing with pressing buttons, just to see the
time and temp.

John
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