Average Reviews:
(More customer reviews)I am a HUGE fan of Suunto wrist computers (watches for the layperson), and I have owned several versions over the years, and my latest, the yellow Suunto Core is my new #1 favorite gadget--or rather WAS until I opened up my Traileader 1. Holy freakin' $#&*!! this watch does it all! It does basically everything my Core does, and goes even further with the addition of the incredibly useful Accelerometer, and tells me (accurately) just how FAR I've walked, hiked or ran. It gives me an approximation of my calorie expenditure, how fast my walk/run was and exactly how many steps I took on my trek. One additional handy item that the Traileader has that is missing from all Suunto models (at least that I am currently aware of) is similar to the HighGear Altimeter/Barometer watches, a visual representation of what the weather should be like depending on current barometric pressure. It'll have a sun for clear days, clouds, rain, or partly cloudy image on the top of the screen giving you an instant take on today's conditions. Where this is a great tool for outdoor people, it is sometimes incorrect and unlike my HighGear model, won't allow me the ability to correct the image if it is in fact incorrect. If they give me this option, then I honestly don't think I'd have pretty much ANY gripe about this watch whatsoever.
Sure, it's big--but name me another watch that packs as much as this one does and in a smaller package and I'll buy it. As big as the Traileader is, it isn't really any larger than other watches of comparable abilities available. It fits comfortably on my wrist and isn't terribly heavy or bulky, either. Still, you're going to want to see it in person before you make a purchase just in case. It IS a shade bigger than my Core, but not that you can tell without holding them both up at the same time. It isn't as 'visually friendly' as the Core, but man does it more than make up for that with what it CAN do.
It DOES take a bit to set up the functions that this watch is capable of performing. The Pedometer/Accelerometer takes a bit of time, but not much if you are even remotely tech-oriented. Just measure 10 steps (make sure to do each step the same as you would on a regular hike) and figure out how many inches you walked total, and divide that by 10 and you've got your "Stride". Put that into your watch, and the next thing is to set the sensitivity rating so it'll count properly as you walk. I measured mine with a local Jr. High track so I knew that walking around it once was exactly a quarter-mile, so it makes calibrating actually simple. It DOES take some time, though. But if you want the most out of your purchase, I recommend you take the time.
Setting up the altimeter is easy, and yet another feature the Traileader has that is absent in all the Suunto watches I've owned is you can record a Reference Altitude that you can store for whenever you finish or begin a hike that involves altitude changes. If the weather influences your altitude--which it eventually will do--it's nice to just go back to your Ref. Altitude and you don't have to play with it further.
The Sleep Mode is also particularly useful. When you are using the Pedometer function, if you happen to stop for a few minutes, you can set your watch to save battery power by going into Sleep mode until you are ready to get back to your hike. If you are familiar with how quickly these types of watches need battery replacement, you will immediately appreciate what a genius idea this really is...and wonder why nobody else has copied it.
The digital compass is also quite useful, and I particularly like how it looks on the oversized screen.This is one area where some digital compasses are all kind of unique in how the display works...my personal fav was the display on my Suunto X6HR model, but this one comes a close 2nd place.
Overall, this is a phenomenally useful tool for the person who loves the outdoors and wants to know where they are, and how far they've gone when doing it.
PROS: Pedometer is accurate--IF you take the time to set it up properly. Visual aid of weather is great--when it works. Altimeter is handy and far as I can tell, accurate as well. Barometer is also handy. Oh yeah, it also tells time!
CONS: Large, if you have a small wrist, or just dislike big watches, you're going to want to see it IN person before buying to make sure its what you want. Not as 'Pretty' as Suunto--but remember beauty is in the eye of the beholder.
For those die-hard Suunto fans, I say give this watch a SERIOUS look before spending the nearly twice what it'd take to get less features. I don't see me abandoning my Suunto products just yet, but if the Traileader is any indication, the company that gets me to do it will be called Tech 4O.
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Eureka Traileader By Eureka
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