I do a lot of camping and I'm looking for a wrist watch for that exact use. I use my phone for time keeping when I'm around town but when I'm camping I like to keep my phone in the tent so it doesn't get broken or lost while I'm hiking and climbing during the day so I'm not too concerned about how pretty it is more so how rugged.
What watch are you using for this purpose and why?
I'm quite interested in the new G-Shock Rangeman (GW-9400-1) It comes with a impressive list of features including:
200M Water Resistant
Shock Proof
Altimeter
Barometer
Compass
Thermometer
Sunrise/set Info
Various Timers
But I'm still interested to see what else is out there and what you guys are using as my understanding is that even Casio offers a more outdoors dedicated range than G-Shock so other brands might be even better but I figured I need something that can withstand a lot and I know G-Shocks are known for that.
Damn Tidal information would actually be great. I've been stuck a few times waiting for low tide..
But the G-Shock still has the upper edge in toughness and dive depth and in my opinion looks when compared to the Pathfinders in the similar price range but as I said I'm not too worried about looks. The Pathfinders can be cheaper though which is pretty compelling.
1. Suunto Core series (i own Suunto Core All Black for 2 years, and its still running like a charm, and a looker too)
2. Timex WS4 (big, ugly, hefty, but gets the job done)
3. I previously owned the Casio's Pathfinder/Protrek series, tough as nails, but the Barometer and Altimeter are not as precise and accurate as Suunto.
The reason i go for Suunto was due to the 'Storm Alarm' feature. i can tell ya how many times it saved my ass from oncoming storms during my outing days. it's even more effective if you adjust the altimeter with your current altitude provided by your GPS.
That is a nice looking watch, I just wish it was a bit more rugged. The 10M dive limit is a bit tight and that lens looks very vulnerable to scratches from rocks on my last trip I witnessed my friend ruin his Aviator's lens during rock climbing.
If I wore a daily watch I think I would like a Suunto Core though.
The Rangeman is the first G-Shock ABC watch so it's essentially a Protrek with all the ruggedness of G-Shock and it uses Casio's latest (V3) module that the newest Protreks would have do you know anything about the accuracy of the sensors on those?
The Rangeman also has a storm alarm feature but it's not automatic you have to turn it on and it will alert you to sudden drops in barometric pressure for the next 24 hours but that seems reasonable enough so long as the sensor isn't useless I guess haha.
It's a great watch, I've had mine for three years with no need to change the battery or get it fixed. Being a Boy Scout, I use it all the time in the water, mud, rock climbing, hiking, and manual labor (raking and chopping wood and so on). Takes a Lickin' and keeps on tickin', as they say!
My only complaint about this particular watch is the band - The resin strap will more than likely become victim to dry rot, as mine did. I replaced that with a different brand strap, which was a better quality resin/rubber mix, and that has lasted me two years so far.
This watch has 3 alarms, a countdown and count up timer, two separate time zone settings (for if you constantly travel cross-country), and it has this night mode, where if you hold the Indiglo (backlight) button for five seconds, the watch will beep once and a moon will appear on the face. Then, for the next twelve hours, no every button you press will activate the backlight, even if you don't press the indiglo button. You can disable that as well by holding the button again until it beeps and the moon symbol disappears.
The glass watch face on mine seems to be unscratchable. I can't scratch it with any knife that I own.
i got a fairly cheap $30 watch. i tend to be rough with my things so i got a watch with hard plastic and rubber around it so i can bash shit into it all day and even if i break it i wont care cause it didnt cost much.
