3 Features You Must Have In A Hiking Watch

When you’re out hiking the trails you want the best watch for the situation. This means that you should leave that Omega or Rolex at home and strap on a hiking watch. You don’t need a hiking watch to be fancy or impress people with its striking design. It needs to accomplish only one thing: make sure you get around safely. Of course, there are some other issues. Namely, you want one that is comfortable, has the right features for hiking, and also a watch that is strong and won’t break if you take a tumble and fall down.

 

Below are the three most important aspects to look for when choosing a hiking watch. If you get these three features, then you will be in good shape. There are different price ranges. But none of theme are super expensive. You can wear any of these watches as your daily wear, not just for when you go hiking, but many people do choose to have a second watch for their day to day business, so it’s up to you. Personally , I think that the Suunto is a fantastic looking watch, but if you have a job which requires a suit and want a more fashionable, dress watch you probably want to keep your Omega, Rolex, or Tissot for day to day wear.

 

Get The Right Strap: Rubber Is Good, Metal Is Bad

 

This one is for comfort. If you wear a metal watch normally, then you might understand that your wrist can swell in hot weather and the band will get tight. Well, when you’re out hiking you are going to get hot and sweat. A metal watch will get tight. It’s also not a good idea to get a leather strap. They will expand more than metal, but the problem with leather is that it will breakdown due to the amount of perspiration. Also, leather is tricky to clean. A nice rubber strap will expand, and it can also be washed clean under running water. It’s the perfect material.

 

 

Barometer For Bad Weather

 

O.K., so you really don’t need this is you go for short hikes in the local park, but if you ever plan on going to a large state park, or somewhere where you might be hiking for several hours then this is a must. It will alert you of temperature changes. This can save your skin if a storm is happening to roll in. You don’t want to be at the top of a trail, climbing forward if a huge thunderstorm is coming towards you, you want to be turned around and headed back down the trail. The barometer will help you with this sort of weather notification.

 

Built In Compass For Direction

 

Gone are the days of having to carry around a dedicated compass. If look at the hiking watches on sale, at least one of the better models out there, then you will find that they have a compass built in. This is an absolute must. If you hike, and even occasionally go off-trail, then you want a compass. Especially in huge parks and forests, you don’t want to get lost. A compass is an excitement way to get your bearings. Just remember to fix your starting position so you know which way to head once you know the North/South/East/West orientation. It doesn’t help to know where East is, if you don’t know if you parked and entered the trail on the eastern side, northern side, etc…..

 

Bonus Points: GPS

 

These are like a super compass. Some of the best hiking watches have them. Think companies like Garmin. They are really excellent because you can write down your entry point and then locate it with the GPS. They are easier to use than a strict compass and a must have for deep woods hiking, especially for newbies who are not used to compass navigation.

 

 

My Top Three Picks For The Best Hiking Watch:

I’m listing three here. The first one is a great all around watch for people on a budget. The second is the best watch for serious hikers, it’s from the world leader in outdoor adventure watches. The last one is for people who want GPS and want the ability to have the watch guide them back to base.

 

 

 

 

 

Lad Weather Brand

This has:

Compass

 

Altimeter

Barometer

Plus some other cool features. It’s also very clear and easy to read.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Suunto Vector (The Best Hiking Watch Bar None)

Suunto is really top of the line. It’s like the Rolex of outdoors watches. If you want a serious watch, then this is the one to get.

It’s loaded with features, but it is also very simple to operate.

  • Altimeter
  • Compass
  • Barometer
  • Weather  Indicator
  • Temperature Display
  • Altitude difference measurement Feature
  • Have An Altitude Log Feature( Track Height of Hike)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Garmin GPS Hiking Watch

While Suunto is still the best choice for serious hikers, if you want a mid range model that has GPS….then Garmin is your go to watch.

 

This it the Garmin Trackback. The names says it all. If you’re afraid of getting lost, then this watch is perfect.

It can get you back to camp, base, your car, the enyry point. Whatever.

It also has

Temperature Sensor

Altimeter

Compass

Barometer