Hello All
Anyone here use a GPS watch ? I am looking into one, i don’t need fancy , just the basic info ,distance paddled and time, I prefer a GPS and not GPS enabled. Any thoughts ?
Lost ?
Why not a $100 gps handheld ?
Garmin Forerunner 10
I don’t know the difference between GPS and GPS enabled, but I have a Garmin Forerunner 10 and have been quite happy with it. It gives me real time info on time, distance, speed, and with Garmin Connect I can get post paddling info about the route on a map.
Garmin Forerunner 310XT
is what I use, with a heart rate monitor. I like its easy to read large display. Mine is set to display paddling time, HR, speed, and miles.
It can do a lot more than that, including creating maps and courses. 20 hour battery life.
Transfers the data from the watch to my computer wirelessly.
canyon reception ?
are these instruments capable in logging a track then computing ETA or COG ?
accounting for hand motions vs antenna effectiveness…a smaller ant than a CSX
and general reception capacity in the hole ?
there should be a reduction vs handhelds but by what measure ? function or dysfunction ?
does the watch tell you: 5 left 300’ …
with accuracy ? or are yawl lost in space ?
my question also
anything with a display not requiring me to don reading glasses won’t fit on my wrist
you can try Suunto Traverse Alpha works really well been using it on any outdoors activities and its my everyday watch… you can find it at https://adventuregearhub.com/which-suunto-watch-to-buy/
I attach a Garmin 230 (basic watch) on my deck bungees to act as a very basic dashboard. Seems to work well and it hasn’t broken/failed during my use which is saying something for machinery around me.
See you on the water,
Marshall Seddon
The River Connection, Inc.
9 W. Market St.
Hyde Park, NY
845-229-0595 main
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While it has its limitations, I use the “Motion-X GPS” app on my iPhone. It’s gotten me home many a time from maze-like backwaters. I also take along an auxiliary battery should my phone need recharging.
The Forerunner is more of a jogger’s watch.
The Foretrex is made for the Paddler. IPX-7 with features that a paddler can use.
I’m absolutely in love with the Amazfit Bip. Relatively cheap, battery life >30 days, waterproof with GPS. Just don’t expect to read it while you are paddling because you’ll have to synch it to your phone when you are done to get the stats. Prior to it I used the Garmin Foretrex 101 for years and still use them both when I need to monitor speed, etc. in real time yet be able to generate an overall route map after the fact.
I’m currently using a Garmin Fenix and really like it, but it is expensive. I used a Forerunner 310XT for years. It’s an older model, so bargains are available. The 310XT is advertised as swim-proof and waterproof to a depth of 50 meters,
@datakoll said:
In case your questions weren’t rhetorical: I can’t know if the reception will satisfy you. But I can answer some of your other questions with basis in the two Garmin Fenix watches I have owned.
are these instruments capable in logging a track then computing ETA or COG ?
Yes.
But regarding ETA, the Fenixes do have an annoying habit of stopping the ETA calculation and all information of bearing and distance to the next waypoint if you deviate from your course, even if they can see that you are still moving towards the next waypoint. They have been to focused on road navigation when they coded this functionality.
does the watch tell you: 5 left 300’ …
When you reach a waypoint, you will get an alert and the course to the next waypoint. You will also all the time have a marker showing the difference between your current COG and the bearing to the next waypoint.
To the OP: The Forerunner 310XT is fine for paddling use (water). It will handle the basic stuff you listed. The one thing I dislike is that full instructions do not come with the device. They just provide a skeletal summary and the full manual is online.
Regarding use in canyons, it depends on the canyon. I have used it while walking in the one adjacent to our home. But it is not a SLOT canyon, so if that is what Datakoll asked about, the device might not work well.
I picked up a “refurbished” 310XT on the cheap and use it for paddling only. It’s fine, only complaint is it sometimes drains the battery without use - sometimes not. So just have to make sure it is fully charged just before use.