Looking for all-in-one gadget

[FiferStu]

Hi,

I'm a technophobe par excellence, so forgive me if this seems a bit basic.

I'm looking for a gadget that can, at the end of a hillwalk, tell me the following:

1. Precise route taken (on electronic map, once uploaded to Mac computer)
2. Distance walked
3. Total ascent over the route
4. Time taken

I'm not interested in much else, e.g. it seems many walkers have been tempted by GPS gadgets that can replace map and compass. That's not what I would want it for.

Ideally I'd like it to be a watch, but if it's a hand-held gadget, fine.

Suggestions/recommendations?

Any help much appreciated.

Stuart S

[prog99]

An old school handheld gps will do this for you. Should be able to pick one up cheap I'd have thought.
eg Garmin etrex or Gecko.

You'll need some suitable software on your mac as well (there may be online tools too)

[Fiona Reid]

There are loads of GPS watches out there but many have relatively short (e.g less than 8 hours) battery life which makes them a bit rubbish for hillwalking. E.g my Garmin Forerunner 610 can do the stuff you want but the battery dies after <8 hours so not ideal on a long hill day. Basically it's designed for running and not big hill days. You can tweak sampling rates for the GPS etc but Prog99's suggestion of a small (no maps etc) gps will likely be better and cheaper.

[Sack the Juggler]

I've got the garmin vivo active HR, which can do all the above. The battery normally lasts a week, but in GPS mode, it lasts about 13 hours.

But the newer Garmin watches have taken the battery life to the next level (I think the Fenix 5 does 42 hours in GPS mode).

At the end of my walk, I open my garmin app on my iphone and sync the data to the app, which uploads it to my garmin connect account, so I can either review the route walked (uses google maps) on my phone or my laptop.

I'm sure there are loads of other things it can do, but I just use it to record my routes, times, heart rate, speed, and alititude.

Actually, talking about altitude, for the last year or so, the altitude readings have been crazy . I think there is a bug, but not sure if it only affects my model or all Garmins?

So maybe look at the Suunto watches, which have a good reputation.

This was yesterday's walk

https://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/3154182848

[Caberfeidh]

How about a brain?

[Robinho08]

Not a watch, but a basic Garmin Etrex 10 would do the trick. You won't know total ascent until you upload your route to your computer though.

Costs under a £100 and less faff than a watch.

[Sack the Juggler]

Not a watch, but a basic Garmin Etrex 10 would do the trick. You won't know total ascent until you upload your route to your computer though.

Costs under a £100 and less faff than a watch.

.... maybe I'm missing something on the faffing front, but I put a button to start recording the walk, and push the same button to stop recording the walk. Then I open the app on my iphone and it syncs automatically to transfer the walk data to my Garmin account. I can then review all the walk and route info on my laptop or my iphone.

[Fiona Reid]

Not a watch, but a basic Garmin Etrex 10 would do the trick. You won't know total ascent until you upload your route to your computer though.

Costs under a £100 and less faff than a watch.

I didn't find my watch to be any faff, it's simple enough to start and stop recording but as mine is older technology and meant for running shorter distances the battery wouldn't last long enough for a long ish hill day.

If the OP wants a watch then it sounds like the more recent models will now last long enough, some of them are pretty pricey though. For example, the Fenix 5 (lots of variants) seems to range from about 350 to over 600 quid which to me seems excessive if you just want a GPS track to pop on your laptop. Cheaper GPS watches do exist.

A simple handheld GPS like the Garmin eTrex 10 will set you back about 75 quid, you connect to your Mac via micro usb to standard usb. It takes regular batteries so you can be away from chargers/power supplies etc.

[Mal Grey]

I've also got a Garmin Vivoactive watch (3), though I've only had it a week so not tried a full hillwalk yet. It does everything you ask, and is really simple to use, as is the phone app that goes with it. Longest continuous exercise I've done is 3 hours mountain biking, which used up about 10% of the battery life.

I use it primarily as a fitness tracker, but it certainly gives me altitude gains, distance , time and a very accurate track in google maps that can apparently sync with other apps like Strava, but that's way beyond my knowledge.

I like it, light and comfortable to wear, and smart enough to be an everyday watch. You do need to get used to charging a watch every few days, which takes a bit of getting used to. Charges very quickly, including from a power pack thingy, much quicker than a full phone charge.

[mluiesp]

Hi,

I'm a technophobe par excellence, so forgive me if this seems a bit basic.

I'm looking for a gadget that can, at the end of a hillwalk, tell me the following:

1. Precise route taken (on electronic map, once uploaded to Mac computer)
2. Distance walked
3. Total ascent over the route
4. Time taken

I'm not interested in much else, e.g. it seems many walkers have been tempted by GPS gadgets that can replace map and compass. That's not what I would want it for.

Ideally I'd like it to be a watch, but if it's a hand-held gadget, fine.

Suggestions/recommendations?

Any help much appreciated.

Stuart S

Why is that data important?

[kaiserstein]

Is there not apps on smartphones that can do this?

[FiferStu]

Hi,

I'm a technophobe par excellence, so forgive me if this seems a bit basic.

I'm looking for a gadget that can, at the end of a hillwalk, tell me the following:

1. Precise route taken (on electronic map, once uploaded to Mac computer)
2. Distance walked
3. Total ascent over the route
4. Time taken

I'm not interested in much else, e.g. it seems many walkers have been tempted by GPS gadgets that can replace map and compass. That's not what I would want it for.

Ideally I'd like it to be a watch, but if it's a hand-held gadget, fine.

Suggestions/recommendations?

Any help much appreciated.

Stuart S

Why is that data important?

mluiesp - it's the sort of basic data I like to compile at the end of every walk, as part of a report. To some, those details will seem trivial, while others would perhaps agree with me.

Besides which, the whys or the wherefores don't really come into it. That's for another thread.

[FiferStu]

Thanks to all who replied with helpful suggestions and recommendations.

[Scottk]

I have a Suunto Ambit 3 peak which does all those things plus more and has a good battery life. This and the Garmin Fenix 3 should both be available at a discount as newer versions have been released.

[roborts25]

Sorry for the late reply, I've only just seen your post.
I have a Garmin Vivoactive HR watch that lets me track walks and then automatically uploads the data to an app on my 'phone.
I've also used Strava and the OS Online Mapping app allows you to plot and then follow a route

Both work on a mobile phone and don't kill the battery. I have both loaded to an old handset that doesn't have a sim card in.

Paul