Best Watch for Backpacking.

[rjhouser]

+1 on the casio. They may be viewed as "cheap" but a better term would be "great value." I'm wearing my casio on my thru. it's minimal, it's lightweight, it's reliable, and casio stands behind their products and have a great reputation.

[rocketsocks]

I am down with the Timex indiglow.Analog all the way baby.

[Odd Man Out]

I am down with the Timex indiglow.Analog all the way baby.

Me too. I use it most for navigation. In time I am pretty good at estimating my rate of walking. So if I have been walking 2 miles per hour, I know from my watch how far I have traveled, or when I will get to the next road/shelter/water source etc.

[Ktaadn]

I have a Casio Pathfinder PAW-1300. It has a compass, altimeter, barometer, alarm, etc. It receives updates from an atomic clock and it's solar powered. My only complaint is that the alarm isn't louder. I pretty much can't hear it when I'm in my sleeping bag with a hat on.

[BoiledPeanut]

My normal watch is a nice dive watch.

Am I likely to get mugged for this?

[daddytwosticks]

I have an old Timex Indeglo (minus wrist band) attached to a mini-carabeener. This gets fastened to my chest strap of my backpack for easy viewing while I hike. When I go to hang my food, the carabeener is used to attach my food bag to the bear cable hook or bear bag rope. Wearing something on my wrist while I hike will get tangled up with the straps on my hiking poles.

[kayakjax]

I'm a boilermaker and very hard on watches.

I really like the Casio Forester. It's analog, has the Luminous feature (I think Indiglow is a trademark), and has a velcro strap. They're the toughest watch I've ever worn.

I usually lose watches (and sunglasses) and have had the band ripped off a few, but I have NEVER seen one quit working.

I'll wear a fancy watch for show, but whenever I NEED a watch, the Forester is it.

They're about $20.

http://www.walmart.com/ip/Casio-Clot...Watch/10745987

[Sarcasm the elf]

Can't go wrong with a basic Casio. They are inexpensive and have an alarm, which can be useful.

+1 Low end casios with a rubber wrist band and an alarm on it. It's something that does it's job well and since they're around $20 I don't get worried about breaking or losing them. I like to have an alarm, useful if you take a mid-day nap and are afraid of sleeping clear through until dark. Also I find that leather or nylon webbing watch straps can get funky after being used for a while, the rubber wristbands are durable and don't get as nasty.


FWIW, I've had very bad luck with Timex watches, I went through three of them before switched back to the casio ones. The Timex Ironman ones in particular cost twice as much and lasted half as long as the old Casios.

[Summit]

The only watch I use (on and off trail) is my cell phone. Since I keep my phone completely powered down to conserve battery, I just ask my hiking buddies what time it is . . . 15 times a day! Gotta find some way or other to be annoying!

Seriously, if hiking solo I wouldn't change a thing. Many years ago, before cell phones were even a dream, I hiked from NOC to Springer (150 miles) and forgot my watch. The first day on the trail when I realized I didn't have a watch I kinda freaked! Then I said, "oh well, just have to do without knowing the time." Turns out I didn't miss not knowing the exact time AT ALL. Woke up when it got light, went to bed when it got dark, took breaks when I felt the desire, ate when I got hungry.

[Papa D]

Timex Indiglo - pretty good - used for along time - thru-hiked with a HamiltonWatch that I lost - looking into a Garmin now.

[OutdoorsMan]

Why do you need a watch? On the trail there's dark-getting light-light-getting dark then dark again. Who cares what time it is on the trail? Not having to follow a schedule is one of the things I like most about hiking.

[Mags]

Why do you need a watch? On the trail there's dark-getting light-light-getting dark then dark again. Who cares what time it is on the trail? Not having to follow a schedule is one of the things I like most about hiking.

A watch is very useful for dead reckoning. Walk X hours at Y pace and you have a good idea of where you are on the map.l

When I did the CDT, the watch was a key navigation aide for me.

YMMV.

I also use a Timex Indiglo. The band wears out before the watch!

[ChinMusic]

A watch is very useful for dead reckoning. Walk X hours at Y pace and you have a good idea of where you are on the map.l

When I did the CDT, the watch was a key navigation aide for me.

YMMV.

Yeppers. The time til dark give me a quick idea of where I can get before dark too. I suppose I could get by without since my phone has a clock, but that would mean turning it on. I often like to leave my phone off.

[Pioneer Spirit]

I use a cheap clip watch from Walmart that is designed to hang from a belt loop ( face is upside down to others). It clips to a ring at the chest strap. I thought mine died but it did not like the winter cold and worked fine was warm. Probably a little heavy but it hang nicely from the tent roof loop in the hubba. Glows in the dark for awhile but has a light button but get used to reading it upside down when not on the pack.

[bflorac]

Best bang for the buck:
La Crosse XG-55 Digital Altimeter Compass Watch

You can find it on Amazon for $60. Works great, I had one for 4 years.

[tophatxj]

citizen eco drive

[earlyriser26]

I am down with the Timex indiglow.Analog all the way baby.

Yep, my choice too. However, I once bought a $300 altimeter watch. Worked great and you could estimate your exact location prior to GPS. Worked for 3 years and then went in the trash. Never again.

[PinkRaven]

If I could have my pick...
Harry Winston Project Z6 Black Edition timepiece.... I'm all for style.
PinkRaven

[fiddlehead]

Watches are like cell phones, you can do a lot with a good one, or just use a cheap one for what it was originally made for: telling time (comparable to talking on a cell phone)
I have used cheap Timex ones with the light and alarm as the simplest on the trail.
I have used all the way up to and advanced Suunto complete with altimeter, altimeter alarm, barometer, thermometer, waterproof, etc. etc. etc.

On the AT, you don't need all that fancy crap, but learning how to use it is not a bad idea, especially if you have intentions of doing other trails (where map reading, weather forecasting, etc) and have knowledge already learned to help you have your best experience.

Yes, having a Suunto is a little overkill with all the information out there on the AT. But knowing that a spring's blue blaze trail (that you need to find) is another 600 feet higher or lower than you are presently, can stop some worrying about missing it, and a good watch (with altimeter alarm) can help.
It's all a learning experience.

[moocow]

i use the timex digital grip clip. has indiglo. i just clip the biner to my pack and keep moving. nothing i hate worse than that sticky feeling you get from wristbands. and its only $20 from campmor.