Altitude watch

[kawboy]

I have been thinking of getting a watch that has an altitude guage, compass, and thermometer on it for hunting, my wife laughs and says get one with a calculator too. Anyways I think it would be very useful. Does anyone here have one? If so what would you recomend? Or is it a dumb idea. . . . . . Thanks

Rub some dirt on it, ya sissy!

 

[txhunter58]

I have a Casio pathfinder watch and really like it. Altimeter, barometer, alarm, temperature, and digital compass. I like mine.

http://pathfinder.casio.com/

txhunter58

venor, ergo sum (I hunt, therefore I am)

 

[kawboy]

LAST EDITED ON Jun-19-10 AT 04:10PM (MST)[p]That is the one I was looking at. Does it work well in cold temps?

Rub some dirt on it, ya sissy!

 

[txhunter58]

It has never had a problem in any temp.

txhunter58

venor, ergo sum (I hunt, therefore I am)

 

[BeanMan]

I've had an Avocet. Problem was it wasn't accurate enough to be useful. If it is a barometric altimeter it won't be worth the price.

 

[EROCK1313]

I have 2 and both different brands:

- Suunto Vector
- Origo Granite Peak

Origo Granite Peak
I first bought the Origo because it was a deal to good to pass up. It had a review in Field & Stream a couple of years ago and a few others and it seemed like a great value at the $65 I originally got it for versus the $215 it normally sales for. Plus, it is the Underdog, I seem to always gravitate towards those.

Ths thing has Altimeter, Barometer, Compass and my favorite feature is that you can tell the weather trend on the main screen with an icon such as a Sun, Clouds, Rain Clouds, or Partially Covered Sun. This watch is also very durable and a little heaver than others due to it's Stainless Steel Bezel and Mineral Glass. It also has the Indiglo Backlight and is stgraight forward and easy to use.

I have had this watch for 3 years and what I just recently found out, is the company - Origo, is a subsidary company of Brunton. If you know anything about Brunton, they have BEYOND EXCELLENT CUSTOMER SERVICE! I have had 2 occasions where they have exemplified this fact.

Only thing I don't like about the watch, is the temperature can be a little off if it's on your wrist, but that is common with any watch like this. For a more accurate temp, it should be taken off the wrist for a few mins. I usually just subtract about 6 degrees off this and it gets me close if I am wearing the watch as normal.


Suunto Vector
I got this for another great deal brand new on KSL.com ($100, normally $220) and mainly got it just to see what all the hype was about and if it really was better than my Origo. Allot of people will probably chime in and say "Buy a Suunto" and there is no doubt they are great watches and very accurate. It seems that after everyone read Cameron Haynes' book - Back Country Bowhunting, Suunto stock went way up for would be and wannabe DIY Back Country Hunters.

What I like about the watch is, it's extremely light weight and has the Reverse Display (black Display, White Lettering) and is Camo Green and Black. It also was one of the first watches of it's kind and the Vector is STILL one of the most popular Weather Watches available. I like that it has this kind of history because it says something about the product and performance.

What I don't like about the Vector, is it's is not as durable with it having a face made of some plastic instead of Mineral Glass and the bezels seem to scratch up pretty easy too, though I have yet to give mine that much torture yet. This is easily remedied though from scratches on the display at least, by purchasing a display protector from Invisi-Shield based here in SLC. The watch has a few more functions that take a minute or 15 to get used to based off their sub-menus, but there is no denying it is accurate. I wish it had the Weather Icon on the front like the Origo or the Mineral Glass, but it is every bit as good.

Both watches require you to set a reference Altitude in order for that to be accurate and the Barometers on each seem to be pretty accurate. It's great to look down at your wrist and have an idea of all the details that helpd you down a BIG animal!

As an opinon, I prefer the Origo a little more but that may be because I have put it though hell for the last 3 years (through every harsh terrain and a BRUTAL DIVORCE)and have only had the Suunto for about 6 months. So as fas as to which watch is better; I guess only "Time" will tell the tale...LMAO!!


?-ERock-> ?

 

[BeanMan]

The problem with setting a reference altitude is changing pressure. I bought mine with the hope it could assist in orienteering. I found that in when climbing or descending in Colorado you had to constantly be resetting reference altitude. If it was within 200 feet it was doing pretty good.

 

[Blank]

I have the Origo Guide Pro, and like it quite well. As mentioned before, the temperature reads about 7.5 degrees high on my wrist, but I just subtract it out. Very weather and water proof (50M), and the compass and alt and bar are reasonably accurate. It is heavy, so if that bothers you, you won't like it. All in all, a pretty good value.

 

[sageadvice]

EROCK1313, All good info but Your reply was one of the best i've ever read here on MM!!

Great job and Thanks!!

Joey

 

[EROCK1313]

LAST EDITED ON Jun-20-10 AT 01:50PM (MST)[p]Thank You Sage, I really appreciate the comment. I have learned allot on MM and it's always great to give back to this community!

Kawboy...Be sure to let us know what it is you choose and if you were able to find one with a Calculator and be sure to lets us know why you chose one over another (If you get one with a Calculator, make sure it can also add fractions so you can add up your trophy rack from this years hunts!) - LOL.

If you decide to go with the Origo Granite Peak, you should be able to do a good Google search and find it Brand New for $89 or less (bonus of being the underdog, I guess). If not, lemme know and I am sure I can find ya a good deal to find one.

For the Suunto Vector if you decide that route, Ebay can be hit and miss, especially at the end when you add in shipping. Amazon and KSL are probably the best bets for finding this watch for the lesser funds, because lets face it...the less you spend on the watch, the more you can spend on another Hunting Item!

One thing also to maybe consider on the Suunto Vector, is that there is a new Suunto Vector that also has a Heart Rate Monitor which I wish they would of had before I got mine so I could track that during my workouts, hunts and hikes. Oh well, I guess there is always room for another watch in my gear stash.

Sportsman's Warehouse has both The Origo Granite Peak and the Suunto Vector to look at, but they are both for sale at $200.


Good Luck and keep us posted

?-ERock-> ?

 

[kawboy]

Thank you everyone, this is great information. Not only do I have more watches to look at, but now I have other ideas on where to make my purchase. I never thought to look on ksl or ebay. I have a lot of information to look up to make the right purchase. Thank you everyone, great comments

Rub some dirt on it, ya sissy!

 

[kawboy]

I ended up getting the casio pathfinder, found a buddy that worked at the watch place in the mall and got a great deal. I am not sure its the one I want now though, I went for a hike and the temp seems way off, but when I don't have it on the temp is dead on. I might return it and get a different one.

Rub some dirt on it, ya sissy!

 

[DEADicated]

Sorry, I'm a bit late to this party. You may want to consider a runner's GPS watch, such as the Garmin 305. It does elevation via GPS (not barometric) and thus it is close to perfect. You can see how many feet you've climbed, how many miles walked, calories burned, etc. It's kind of a pain to set up the Garmin for the first use, but I love mine. I haven't used the other brands.

A major drawback is that it must be recharged after a day of use.

BTW, I always wear a regular watch, even when I have my Garmin. I prefer the regular watch for "normal" watch functions, like Time, Alarm, Stopwatch, etc, and for a backup if I stay out too long and my Garmin's battery goes dead.

Good luck,
DEADicated