Mountaineering watch

[6CAB5N]

Any mountaineers/climbers among the forum members? I’m looking to replace my old Casio pathfinder. I loved that watch, but am leaning towards switching to Suunto (probably Spartan HR due to a pricing deal, GPS, and the HR monitor.) I don’t have any experience with the brand though, beyond having purchased and returned one about 15 years ago because it was obnoxiously yellow and oversized.

Are the extra bells and whistles on the Spartan worth it, or would you go the route of the Core since the battery lasts a year?

I’d prefer an Apple Watch since it’d be useful for regular life too, but the comparatively poor battery life is a deal breaker — not even mentioning durability.

Edit: apparently one can add a HR belt to the Suunto 9. So, I guess that’s in the running as well.

[chrissimons]

I'm not really a mountaineer, however I often use an Spartan Wrist HR to run / walk / train. The wrist HR function is very convenient for me, a little bit less precise than a belt but still sufficient for my use. Would I buy now, the Suunto 9 would probably be my choice for the better autonomy and the baro. (more accurate for altimeter even with GPS).

[DCheeta]

I spend a lot of time in the mountains, mostly the Sierra Nevada these days, but we always just wear Casio Pro-Treks. Not even the newer smartwatch ones, just the previous generation. Sorry I have no experience with Suunto so I am no help to you, but now I am curious to check them out myself!

Let us know what you decide to pick up, I'm curious.

[ajas]

I have Sunto Ambit 2 with HR belt. My wife bought it to me second hand for 100 USD few years ago, and apart of changing strap one , never had problem with it. awesome watch with lot of functions you can find second hand for very reasonable price.

[evsnow]

I have a Suunto core all-black that I like and have used on quite a few climbing / mountaineering trips. The altimeter has been pretty accurate as long as I calibrate it before a trip and the battery lasts forever which the GPS watches won’t (though with GPS turned off they can last a couple weeks without charge or a couple days with lower power GPS mode).

That being said I have warrantied it twice; once for a failed waterproof seal and once it just stopped working... Suunto replaces it both times without question which was great. I personally would go with the Core, especially now that an iPhoneis waterproof and on airplane mode the GPS tracker lasts forever and it’s easy to carry a lightweight charge pack that you can get 4-5 charges out of on a trip. I personally like to use Gaia as my tracking app on my iPhone as it has good topos that you can download and easy to store / navigate with waypoints.

[JPBlackBay]

I've got an Ambit 3 and I'd definitely go for the extra bells and whistles. I use mine mostly for running (GPS, heart rate, pace) plus it integrates into Strava.

I've used it backpacking in the Smokies and the Sierras and there are some cool features in the Movescout app. I second the extra charger. A couple of days running GPS in the mountains and you'll want to recharge it.

[ashbaug2]

I've got a Core that I have used for over 13 years now (it's the all black, no obnoxious colors for me!). The most recent battery has lasted over 2 years. I like the Suunto systems and have looked at upgrading to the Traverse, but the battery life on the new GPS/Smart models are atrocious. If you are really mountaineering, a max of 14 days of battery life might not cut it. Personally, I'd keep my Garmin Montana GPS and the Core. If you're a "two is one, one is none" type of person and need that backup, maybe check out the Garmin Fenix or Instinct series, as well.

[watchfan0529]

Garmin Fenix 3 HR. Has most of what you need, and fits well outside the jacket. I also have a Rolex Explorer in the bag as a backup timekeeper..

[stockae92]

I replaced all my Pathfinders with a Garmin Fenix 3, then replace that with my current Fenix 5X.

[Theothergreg]

Another Garmin convert here. I use the Fenix 5 Plus now.

[6CAB5N]

Thanks all for the feedback. I was hoping for a more clear cut winner, but it sounds like Suunto and Garmin are pretty evenly split!

I may have to flip a coin.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[chrissimons]

My vision regarding Garmin and Suunto is that you will have maybe more technical sides and options in Garmin, but a more pleasant interface in the watch and on movescount for Suunto :)

[Teetime71]

I prefer mechanical watches - and these have served me well in thin air...


ORIS ALTIMETER @ GLEN PASS, JMT


16570 @ MT BALDY, SAN GABRIEL MTNS


1655 @ EVEREST BASE CAMP TREK

Favre-Leuba also produces an interesting piece with a barometric altimeter function up to 9000m...
https://favre-leuba.com/collection/raider/bivouac-9000/