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ATaBoy
05-30-2016, 18:49
How valuable is a pedometer on trail? An absolute must have? An it don't matter?Does it prove to be something brought along and then not used? Any thoughts appreciated.

kayak karl
05-30-2016, 19:28
bring a trail guide and/or maps.

Lone Wolf
05-30-2016, 19:38
How valuable is a pedometer on trail? An absolute must have? An it don't matter?Does it prove to be something brought along and then not used? Any thoughts appreciated.

useless gear

soumodeler
05-30-2016, 19:41
If you are speaking strictly of a pedometer that only counts steps, absolutely not needed.

If you are talking about a fitness tracker that attempts to track miles, and stairs, etc, mostly worthless. The couple that I have tried were WAY off when it came to miles, and I suspect the steps were off as well since using trekking poles are not the movement it is expecting. My mileage was overstated by approx 50% over the section I tested it on. I used a Fitbit Charge HR.

All you really need is an AWOL guide book. Want more info, get the Guthook app for your phone.

OkeefenokeeJoe
05-30-2016, 19:53
Old fashioned pedometers are about as 20th century as you can get. If you want to keep accurate track of your distance/steps/heartbeat/sleep/whatever, enter the 21st century and get yourself one of the new electronic sports trackers. There are numerous makes and models on the market, and they're all the rage with millennials who like to stare at themselves in the mirror while living in their parent's basement. I, personally, would prefer the watch-type if I were inclined to wear one. Any of the offerings from Garmin are notable examples. My wife wears a Fitbit Charge HR, which she enjoys. Drive over to your local Best Buy and look at the vast selection. There are so many your head will hurt; however, any of the bubble gum chewers working there can (hopefully) answer any questions you might have.

OkeefenokeeJoe

Shutterbug
05-30-2016, 20:09
How valuable is a pedometer on trail? An absolute must have? An it don't matter?Does it prove to be something brought along and then not used? Any thoughts appreciated.

I carry a Fitbit all of the time, but I don't find it useful for measuring distances. All it does is count steps. The length of my steps varies a lot depending on trail conditions. It is particularly inaccurate when climbing steep mountains.

I carry the Fitbit just to motivate me to keep walking. My personal goal is 10,000 steps a day. I blow way past that when I am hiking.

Connie
05-30-2016, 20:10
Pedometers rely on the length of your step for the estimate of distance: the AT has a steep up and down trail, that has hikers lengthening and shortening their stride.

Christoph
05-30-2016, 20:27
Completely useless on the trail. Not only the inaccuracies, but just another tech thing to worry about. Not my thing, but if you're into all that maybe a fitbit like posted above, but even then I wouldn't rely on it for anything other than a fun thing to bring. Connie said it perfectly.

Lone Wolf
05-30-2016, 20:46
have a major heart attack, emergency open heart surgery and die 3 times post surgery. you'll not care about numbers

rocketsocks
05-30-2016, 20:52
Ive heard people say the trail is 5,000,000 steps, be pretty cool to see how many it is for you...just as a fun thing to do, but yup, not nessasary.

rafe
05-30-2016, 20:58
Required? Heck no. A map of some sort, and a compass, if things get dire.

Spirit Walker
05-30-2016, 21:05
As others have said, the length of your stride will vary considerably, depending on whether you are walking flat, on smooth trail or climbing steep rocky trail, or descending steep trail.

GPS devices like Garmins are great for runners who are only out for a short time, but they have limited battery life so aren't much good for hikers on a long hike. The less expensive ones are only good for a few hours, the more expensive for 12 or so. That is worthless for a LD hiker.

PD230SOI
05-30-2016, 21:07
Useless. I don't even like Fitbits. I don't find steps a useful thing for working out or hiking. For some extremely sedentary folks they may be good reminders to get moving.

MuddyWaters
05-30-2016, 22:09
How valuable is a pedometer on trail? An absolute must have? An it don't matter?Does it prove to be something brought along and then not used? Any thoughts appreciated.


Why do you think you would need or want one?

Your guide will tell you how far you walked each day. Add a few tenths for side routes for water, etc and you know it within ~1/4 mile. More accurately than the pedometer could tell you anyway.

is it needed? no. but neither is half the stuff many bring. bring what makes you happy.

Wise Old Owl
05-30-2016, 22:47
Useless - attempted to calibrate several models on a 2 mile excersize trail... none worked... doubt fit bit is of any value ... GPS or good smart phone, maps, compass only.


By the way - I am loosing interest in owning Garmins... I agree with Christoph above.

Hikingjim
05-30-2016, 22:59
my mom got me a pedometer when I was 8. I used it a lot for a day around the field then lost it. Haven't replaced it since

Traveler
05-31-2016, 07:27
It really depends what you want to use the pedometer for. If you want to track the number of steps you take during a given hike, the pedometer will work well. I wore one for years (before GPS and the fashion sportswear industry produced Fitbit devices) to count steps. However, when I compared that data against trail maps/books at that time, they rarely matched. That said, trail mileage accuracy differs across the available technologies used to measure them, the counter wheel perhaps being the most accurate, the GPS is the most handy but won't be as accurate, pedometers being the least accurate.

Malto
05-31-2016, 07:53
How valuable is a pedometer on trail? An absolute must have? An it don't matter?Does it prove to be something brought along and then not used? Any thoughts appreciated.

Absolute Must? Certainly not because I'm not sure what value it is other than entertainment value of knowing how many steps you've taken. If you are think to track distance then you are better off learning your pace and using time. You will likely find that to be more accurate way to track distance. Why are thinking of taking one?

FreeGoldRush
05-31-2016, 08:38
A watch watch that displays altitude might give you the information you need. if you know your altitude then you can look at the AWOL guide and know where you are in many cases.


Old fashioned pedometers are about as 20th century as you can get. If you want to keep accurate track of your distance/steps/heartbeat/sleep/whatever, enter the 21st century and get yourself one of the new electronic sports trackers. There are numerous makes and models on the market, and they're all the rage with millennials who like to stare at themselves in the mirror while living in their parent's basement. I, personally, would prefer the watch-type if I were inclined to wear one. Any of the offerings from Garmin are notable examples. My wife wears a Fitbit Charge HR, which she enjoys. Drive over to your local Best Buy and look at the vast selection. There are so many your head will hurt; however, any of the bubble gum chewers working there can (hopefully) answer any questions you might have.

OkeefenokeeJoe

Offshore
05-31-2016, 09:16
If you are speaking strictly of a pedometer that only counts steps, absolutely not needed.

If you are talking about a fitness tracker that attempts to track miles, and stairs, etc, mostly worthless. The couple that I have tried were WAY off when it came to miles, and I suspect the steps were off as well since using trekking poles are not the movement it is expecting. My mileage was overstated by approx 50% over the section I tested it on. I used a Fitbit Charge HR.

All you really need is an AWOL guide book. Want more info, get the Guthook app for your phone.

+1 on the Guthook app. Good point on the trekking pole effect too. I think another issue with the fitness trackers like yours (and my Garmin Vivosmart HR) are that you set your stride length and the device counts steps and bases the distance on that and the programmed stride length. That may be OK for walking, but for hiking the stride length is a lot more variable.

ChuckT
06-02-2016, 11:25
The Fitbit folks are currently being sued for false advertising. I tried comparing mine (I had 2, first one died one day for no apparent reason) with a Garmin GPS and an Android cell phone. The results showed me that I didn't want to depend on any of them for truly accurate data on flat land.😨

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N900A using Tapatalk

rocketsocks
06-02-2016, 12:58
My wife has one that the clasp broke on, she wrote the company and ask if there was replacement part...they sent her a whole new Fitbit...promptly, no proof of purchase or hassle.

Another Kevin
06-02-2016, 13:08
I tried a pedometer once. I found that its pace count didn't come even close to mine, and switched back to ranger beads.

Nodust
06-02-2016, 13:14
Not very valuable. I have a Vivo fit. It if great at counting steps. On flat pavement the mileage is really accurate. On the trail carrying a pack you stride will be very different length so mileage accuracy cannot be trusted.

I got it as a cheap waterproof watch that can monitor my activity. Not as an odometer.

Offshore
06-02-2016, 13:16
The Fitbit folks are currently being sued for false advertising. I tried comparing mine (I had 2, first one died one day for no apparent reason) with a Garmin GPS and an Android cell phone. The results showed me that I didn't want to depend on any of them for truly accurate data on flat land.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N900A using Tapatalk

The Fitbit lawsuit is due to their alleged misrepresentation of the accuracy of the 24/7 optical HR monitoring, not distance measurement but you're right, the distance measurement is bad for most of the non-GPS fitness bands (OHR technology has its own separate issues). This is especially true with hiking where the terrain and stride length vary. I've worn my non-GPS vivosmart HR along with my GPS-equipped Fenix 3HR and the vivosmart was not only way off, but both over and under reports distances on various hikes, so its not even consistent in the direction measurement error. The Fenix3 HR is generally dead-on with my handheld Garmin GPS.

egilbe
06-02-2016, 13:32
Only thing I found even remotely useful is the elevation gain with my Fitbit HR. But even that, compared to my gf's can be off 100 feet during the course of a day. It does have a clock, and I don't wear a watch, so I guess that comes in handy, too.

booney_1
06-02-2016, 13:35
For navigating, keep track of your time. Note the mileage between some major landmarks. Pretty soon you will be able to tell how far you've gone by your watch. Most people new to hiking have no idea how fast they are hiking, it becomes pretty useful to know your pace. (it's not 3 mph!)

The elevation profiles for the AT will allow you to tell almost exactly where you are on the trail.