Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Backpack Hunting budget watch with altimeter, time, direction, and temp. ....

I hate wearing watches..... But i hate pulling out my gps, turning it on, just to check time or see how high i am even more!

So I'm looking for something I can hang of my pack that has an altimeter, time, temperature, clock and that I can set alarms with.

It doesn't have to be super accurate as it is more or less to fix my curiosity. I would say in the $100 range. And it can't be huge. No computer monitors on my wrist!

What do you guys think would fit the bill?

Thanks for the link Brad.

I looked at those before and im looking for something with a little more battery life. Thats why i keep my GPS off all the time unless fully in use.

Even though I plan on throwing it on my pack i still would like it to have the "wrist watch" concept.

Heart rate monitors with altimeter is another option. http://www.ebay.com/itm/Polar-S720i..._DefaultDomain_0&hash=item3a8c782c94

I use my Polar just for this (when I'm not using it for cycling)!!

-Doug



Checking out the pressure altitude on the plane flying to Reno.

Not sure what all you're looking for but I wear one of these when I'm out in the woods.

http://www.amazon.com/Casio-PAG240-...1-catcorr&keywords=gshock+pathfinder

Snubbie,

That is one of the models I was looking at. How do you like it. How accurate is the altimeter? One thing I can't find out is if it remembers the high and low temperature.

On another note does anyone have any experience with watches from high gear?

I have one of the Casio watches. Altitude is not extremely accurate, Around +/- 200' would be my experience compared to my GPS. You also have to calibrate it from a known source before each trip. I calibrate it from home. Not a huge deal.

Temps are not accurate if you're wearing it since it picks up body temp.

Overall I like it. I use the compass mostly. It is not a replacement for a real compass or GPS, but since I prefer to wear a watch anyway it is nice to have the features at hand. I find myself checking directions often at times where I would normally not carry a compass.

I would pretty much agree with JMR40 except the part of the altimeter. Mine is mostly within less than 100'. I does have to be calibrated. If I get on a plane and fly out west, the plane pressure, change in barometric pressure, etc, etc. will require it to be recalibrated. Not a difficult thing to do, I've passed signs on the interstate stating elevation and calibrated the thing while driving. Heck, my Garmin Rino will vary from known elevations by 50' at times.
Also remember the altimeter function works off barometric pressure. Which means storm fronts, changing weather can affect the altimeter. On the other hand, keeping track of the barometric pressure can indicate an approaching storm front with the barometer steadily falling.
The compass function is handy. I don't navigate with it but it is handy to quickly check direction without pulling out my compass. If I'm using a map and compass for any type navigating I'm going to use a compass, not the watch.
Body heat does elevate the temperature readings, although it's handy to take it off at night and next morning it will give an accurate reading of your tent temp. I do not believe it records high and low temps.
It has stop watch functions and countdown timers that are useful. Multiple time zones is handy if you travel. I go out west and just change time zones without actually re-setting the watch. Lots of other bells & whistles I don't use or have no use for.
Overall I like it. I've swam with it, hiked, camped, hunted, gutted deer & covered it in blood(should have removed it!), snorkeled, biked, jogged, gardened etc, etc. with it and it's never complained. Scrub the crud off with a toothbrush & soap, rinse and go on. It's also solar powered so no worry of battery failure. Supposed to run like 10 months or something on a full battery charge. Of course, when using it it's being charged continually as long as it's daylight.
I'm lost without a watch & ordered this one specifically for outdoor use.

edit to add: It's also very lightweight. You said you hate wearing watches. If you're not used to a watch, most men's watches nowadays are fairly heavy & that can be irritating, again, if you're not used to wearing one. This watch is large but very lightweight. The case, bezel, strap are all plastic. The crystal is also recessed to help protect against scratching or breaking.

So im still trying to figure this out. The casio seems to be a solve for most of my problems except that it doesn't store the max/min temp.

I looked into the Suunto stuff but everywhere i read people complain that below 20deg the watch just fails and it runs through battery and struggles at best to function.

I have looked and looked for even a small thermometer that will just record temp and tell time and i havn't found one yet. It seems like they all run about 14-20deg's. Below 14 is where im interested in knowing.

Found your huckleberry... and through tomorrow it's an additional 25% off with SECRET25 code:

http://www.rei.com/product/861899/b...l-altimeter-2013-closeout#descriptionTab

This looks great

Do you have one? I can't find any specs on it and I looked at a ton of sites. How low does it go for temp?

Heck, no idea... but for $33 who cares!

I ordered one! I will let everyone know. I found a site that says it goes to -4 so I will test it and see.

I essentially think most electronics start to give up the ghost much below 10*F anyway... I carry an actual compass, topo, watch and this:

http://www.taylorusa.com/delrinandreg-plastic-thermometer.html

No batteries needed!

But as cheap as it is, I'm going to get the Brunton and fiddle with it just because.

I have had the basic Suunto compass, altimeter watch for 10 years now- it has never failed on me, at any temperature, including sub-zero temps. In 10 yrs, I have replaced the battery twice, maybe three times. The compass and altimeter are surprisingly accurate. The only weirdness I experienced was on a float hunt in the NE Brooks Range and the compass could not deal with that latitude...