[pct-l] Lightest slimest altimeter watch? (NOT the Helix)

[bharve at dslextreme.com (Bruce Harvey)]

The least bulky wrist instrument with altimeter I've seen was an Avocet. 
Met a hiker wearing it and quizzed him about it.  He was hiking with it for 
the first time and
hadn't assessed the altimeter accuracy.  It appeared slightly slimmer than 
the Helix, with other dimensions notably smaller.  Had a cushy looking band 
that apperared to be a combination of fabric and neoprene, and spanned the 
width of the watch case.

I've used a Helix for a year, when driving autos, and on about 18 hiking 
days in the San Gabriels and Sierras.  It IS bulky.  I knew that wrist wear 
would be uncomfortably sweaty/sticky with the supplied resin band, so 
replaced it with a 1.75 inch-wide fabric webbing band ('The Band' brand). 
That width is needed span the Helix case and the provide fabric-only skin 
contact that is most comfortable for me.  Wrist wear with the webbing band 
has been comfortable hiking vigorously all day.  The case is so thick that 
long sleeves would certainly hang up on it, unless they were long enough to 
be pulled over it and elastic to hold snugly around the wrist joint.  When 
hiking with long sleeves I'll probably carry the watch attached to a pack 
shoulder strap in some fashion (likely without the wrist band) or in a pack 
pocket .

A thermometer in a watch of course doesn't read ambient air temperature when 
worn on the wrist, and the Helix is no different than any other wrist 
instrument in that respect.  (Mine reads consisistently te to three degrees 
high off the wrist.)

Reading and resetting an altimeter on the wrist, even with with trekking 
pole straps on the arms, is more convenient than fishing it out of a pack 
pocket.  Operation of any chronometer, including the Helix, on the wrist is 
very convenient.  They all have pushbuttons for start, stop, and 'lap' or 
'split' operations.  Large buttons are the only thing facilitated by a large 
watch case, such as the Helix'.  I've found its combo altimeter & 
chronomoter function quite useful for hiking.  It records the elevation 
change and the time duration between pushbutton punches.  I imagine other 
wrist instruments may have the same combo function.  Using that function, 
the chronometer can be started at the start of a hiking day, the split 
button pushed at the beginning and end of each ascent, rest stop, and 
descent; and the stop button pushed at the end of the day.  Later, at 
liesure, the duration and elevation change of each 'lap' can be read. 
Conveniently for hikers, the term on the Helix display is 'segment', not 
lap.  For each segment the Helix shows in a single display the duration and 
elevation gain (indicated by a + sign and the number of feet or meters) or 
eleveation loss (indicated by a - sign and the numeric).  Little or no 
elevation is displated by the Helix (or similar instrument) for rest stops 
or trail sections that were net flat.  Segment durations and trail mileage 
data can be used to calculate hiking speeds ascending, descending, flat, 
morning, afternoon, etc.   Hiking rates may be trivia, but at times may be 
useful.  Knowing recent individual rates may can be useful when, in the 
afternoon, deciding whether there is enough time to safely (with some 
margin) get over a particular pass and then down below some target 
elevation.

On various drives and hikes, on segments with elevation changes of 1500~3000 
ft., my Helix altimeter has has on about two-thirds of the occasions read 
100~200 ft. too low at the end of ascents and 100~200 ft. too high at the 
end of descents.  On the other one-third of occasions it has been accurate 
within 30 ft. at the end of the elevation changes.  When hiking, I now 
regard it as accurate within 200 ft. if reset every two hours or so.

You wrote that you want a watch with alarm function, so supposedly they can 
awaken you.  Along with other wrist watches, the Helix alarm doesn't wake 
me, even when in the pocket provided for a watch in a North Face sleeping 
bag hood.  Helix price is attractive, and as another respondent wrote, the 
instruction book IS hip.

Regards

---- Original Message ----- 
From: "Monty Tam" <metam01@earthlink.net>
To: "pct-l" <pct-l@mailman.backcountry.net>
Sent: Saturday, December 25, 2004 10:24 PM
Subject: [pct-l] Lightest slimest altimeter watch?


> Question:  Lightest and slimest
>
> I'm looking at Altimeter Watches.  Like all my gear, I don't want it 
> there, I just want what it does.
> What I've seen in real life are huge and heavy.  On the internet??  Can't 
> tell.
> All I need is Altimeter, time, backlight and alarm.
>
> Another similar question:  Timex Helix
>
> Has anyone used the Timex Helix?  I'm sure it's big but the price is real 
> good right now.  ($50)
>
>
> Monty Tam
> metam01@earthlink.net
> EarthLink Revolves Around You.
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