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View Full Version : Carry a Watch?



stickman
03-31-2005, 15:55
I'm curious how many long distance hikers carry a watch. I generally do on my section hikes, because its useful for dead reckoning: I know from experience generally how fast I walk in a particular kind of terrain; knowing mytime walking gives the distance; knowing the distance puts me on the map.

But I also know there is a certain kind of freedom you get when you don't have a watch or give a damn what time it is. Eat when your hungry, stop when your ready, etc.

What do you more experienced folks prefer/

Stickman

hikerjohnd
03-31-2005, 16:05
I've stopped wearing a watch when I hike, but I have a caribeaner type watch on my pack. I definitly lose track of time when in the woods and I have trouble remembering what day it is even when not hiking... but I have found it helpful when planning my stops (like getting to a PO before closing.)

Mother Nature
03-31-2005, 16:19
I stopped wearing a watch when I retired. I thought it was an omen when the watchband broke a few days before I left work and tossed it in the basket.

When I am out hiking, I use a very cheap dimestore watch that lights up and has a date feature. I remove the watch bands and hang the watch on a loose neck strap along with my Photon light.

I find it useful for planning post office visits, observing the amount of daylight left in each day etc. It is particularly useful when sleeping in a shelter full of snorers. I don't have to estimate how much longer I am going to lay awake before daylight. :jump

Mother Nature

Footslogger
03-31-2005, 16:20
I have a small waterproof watch that is on a short strap (along with a small compass) that hangs from the sternum strap (upside down). All I have to do is glance down to see what time it is. Otherwise I don't even know it's there.

'Slogger

Stoker53
03-31-2005, 16:24
I wear a watch..... always. If I were to take it off I'd loose it for sure. Trail / home / work....makes no difference. If I'm breathing my watch is gonna be on my wrist.

schwenkler
03-31-2005, 16:50
Nope. Watches have one purpose only, and that's to tell you how soon you can get out of work. If you think of hiking as work, bring a watch. I just let time pass however it wants to and dont' check up on it.

If you just want to know how long until sunset, or dawn, the sun can tell you :sun

Panzer1
03-31-2005, 18:41
If I didn't have a watch, I would never get out of the sleeping bag in the morning.

And I also use it for estimating distance and speed. Useful for determining if I am going to be able to make it to the next shelter before dark.

Also useful in town.

Also, the watch has a date/day on it. That's how I know what day it is.

Panzer

Oracle
03-31-2005, 18:44
I wear a watch, a cheapo Timex Expedition that I got at Wal-Mart several years ago for $10.00. It's worked as a hiking watch for years for me, as it's small, light, unobtrusive, tells the date, and has an alarm that works well. I like to hike on a schedule, and as I usually have to get back by a certain time on the last day of my hike, I usually have to hike on a schedule. I'm married with a child, so my time, most of the time, is not my own.

minnesotasmith
03-31-2005, 18:58
It helps me plan, and to judge how my day is going. Too, I see them as particularly useful on overnight and extended hikes. You can tell at a glance at night if you should try to go back to sleep, or should go ahead and get up. Plus, if you're out more than a couple of days, the embarassment of losing track of what day it is can be avoided.

I like the idea of a waterproof watch; the AT does get some rain, and has the occasional stream that one could slip and fall into. A webbed wristband will allow drying (from sweat or precipitation) more easily, as well. I don't care for alarms and lights on watches, having had those drain the charge from a watch battery too quickly for my taste in the past.

Oracle
03-31-2005, 19:24
I have an alarm and a night-light on my watch, and have used them on many occasions. My watch has the same battery in it that I bought it with (I don't even know if you could replace the battery, like I said, it's a cheapie) and I've had it for at least 5 years. I just hope when this one dies, I can find another like it.

rickb
03-31-2005, 20:04
I need a watch on my wrist. I have a well used Casio twin sensor altimeter watch that wore down around one of the strap pins, such that the band only attaches to one side. For me it holds zero value. I just found it in the bottom of the junk drawr, still running. FWIW, I think its about the lightest watch with an altimeter out there.

If any wants it, first come first served. Post your e-mail and I'll send you my address. Then send me a SASE (padded), and I'll get it right out.

Rick B

saimyoji
03-31-2005, 20:18
Don't need a watch...my cell phone tells me the time :banana

grrickar
03-31-2005, 23:15
Yep. Watch. One with an alarm to wake me up (not that I need one on the trail with all the snoring going on around me) and with an altimeter/barometer to play with along the way.

Panzer1
04-01-2005, 02:16
I found a timex watch on the Amazon.com that also has an electronic compass.
Usefull for those of you who get turned around on the AT and start heading south without knowing it.

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B00026SD2E/sr=1-10/qid=1112335232/ref=sr_1_10/102-0179636-4335346?%5Fencoding=UTF8&n=3375301&s=sporting-goods&v=glance

Panzer

Doctari
04-01-2005, 08:57
I tried to go without a watch last section hike (3 weeks) I figured it would be annoying for the first few days but thought that would go away. I was wrong!

By the end of week 2, not knowing the time was driving me nuts. I now carry a small watch in my pack, so if I really NEED to know the time, I can stop & dig out the watch.

Of course, this made getting into town much more enjoyable. i could look at the clocks inside the various businesses (5 times in about 5 minutes in Hot Srpings :) )

Doctari

peter_pan
04-01-2005, 09:18
My watch is really to keep track of position....Since I know and can adjust my rate of travel for terrain, knowing how long I've been hiking will pin point my map position accurately in seconds.... All kinds of decisions go smoother when you know your position accurately.

JLB
04-01-2005, 09:53
I carry a Casio triple sensor watch, with compass, altimeter, and baraometer. I like ti read the barometer charts, to see if bad weather is moving in.

I was taking the tour in Mammoth Cave, Kentucky, and the tour guide had been leading us around for hours, and he asked the group to guess how many feet we were underground. I said "168 feet", and he was amazed. He asked "how did you know that?", and I pointed to my wrist. I also gave him our bearing, and the average temperature. He wanted one. :D

Ender
04-01-2005, 11:48
I voted yes, because I usually carry a watch, btu not really because I want to know what time it is. I use it to figure out my speed (mph). I'm not trying to go fast or slow or anything like that (well sometimes, like maybe when I'm rushing to get to a post office or restaurant or bar), but I like to figure out those things while I'm hiking. Gives my brain something to do, and I can make a little game out of it, trying to gauge to the minute when I'll show up at a shelter or view or something. Like I said, it's a mental game I play, not a race or anything so droll.

Ender

lumpy
04-01-2005, 12:32
Yes. Unfortunately my job dictates I carry a watch as I'm required to be "time oriented" with all the driving I do. However, when I'm out on the trail I still carry my watch but attached to my pack so I have to actually remove the pack to check the time. This works out great as it lets my mind wander and releases me of my everyday regimented work schedule. It's nice to know that time seems slower when I'm hiking. Sometimes it feels like 3PM and when I check my watch it's only 11AM or so and then forget about it until I stop for the day. It's nice to have when you need it but located where I'm not constantly looking at it.

Kerosene
04-01-2005, 13:32
My watch is really to keep track of position....Since I know and can adjust my rate of travel for terrain, knowing how long I've been hiking will pin point my map position accurately in seconds.... All kinds of decisions go smoother when you know your position accurately.This reflects why I wear one also.

"ME & U"
04-01-2005, 19:17
adding in cuz no one mentioned it. I use a High Gear Teardrop and fixed it with a lanyard to use as a pocket watch. got a clot in my chest and get pumped on the left side so I went pocket watch instead.

Tear drop has a digital compass and a temp gage which I enjoy reading in the am, especially when I'm holed up in my hammock cover.
On our thru I was still able to lose track of time despite the damned thing and would do it again!

grrickar
04-02-2005, 01:05
Don't need a watch...my cell phone tells me the time :banana
My Red Ryder BB Gun has a compass in the stock :p

Tha Wookie
04-02-2005, 15:12
I usually do not carry one for most long hikes. But on the West Coast Trail, as we traveresed the tide line of the Pacific Coast, I used a watch to keep track of the dirunal tidal cycles. However, after a while, the tides became second nature. But I still carried it.