FOCUS: Five watches for #hiking, #trekking, #walking and #travel
Read out ultimate round-up of the best watches for the great outdoors
Does your watch tell you just how high you just climbed? Armed with an altimeter and – if you choose wisely – a barometer, compass, a thermometer and even GPS mapping, these tough water-resistant watches demand some serious adventuring. These five altimeter (and more) watches are the latest and greatest on the market from the four main brands; Casio, Suunto, Garmin and Momentum.
Momentum VS-3 Altimeter
Weighing 76g, this great value hiking watch covers all the basics and more with an altimeter, barometer, compass and a thermometer. It’s also water resistance down to 50m, and boasts a two-year battery life.
Price: £142.50
Buy the Momentum VS-3
Casio G-Shock Mudmaster GWG-1000-1A3
Water resistant to an impressive 200 meters and with a ‘triple sensor’ that gives a compass bearing and readings for barometric pressure/altitude and temperature, the new Mudmaster is solar-powered and weighs 100g.
Price: £432
Buy the Casio G-Shock Mudmaster GWG-1000-1A3
Garmin epix GPS
This GPS navigation watch has a 1.4-inch colour touchscreen and an antenna that can pick-up your location using the GPS and GLONASS satellites in the skies above. You can track where you’ve been and where you’re going but only with a subscription to Garmin’s BirdsEye Satellite Imagery maps download service. Luckily, it’s free for the first year. Weighs 85g and has a 50-hour battery.
Price: £299
Buy the Garmin epix
Suunto Ambit3 Peak GPS Multisport
Although its battery life is only 25 hours, this is one clever watch. With a compass and using GPS to calculate your altitude, it has the ability to track fitness metrics while you hike, bike, or swim and then offers stats and advice via a smartphone app. Connects to smartphones via Bluetooth.
Price: £234
Buy the Suunto Ambit 3
Garmin Fēnix 3
Ask any hiker what their favourite altimeter watch and at some point the Fēnix will be mentioned. The third version of this classic hiking watch adds VO2 Max, which offers statistics about the wearer’s fitness for everything from hiking, climbing and downhill skiing to running, cycling, swimming, trail running, indoor training and cross country skiing. However, it’s the altimeter, barometer, compass and GPS we like most – the latter powers the useful TracBack feature, which lets your retrace your steps if you get lost.