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.
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.
bring a trail guide and/or maps.
I'm so confused, I'm not sure if I lost my horse or found a rope.
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.
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
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.
Shutterbug
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.
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.
- Trail name: Thumper
have a major heart attack, emergency open heart surgery and die 3 times post surgery. you'll not care about numbers
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.
Required? Heck no. A map of some sort, and a compass, if things get dire.
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.
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.
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.
Last edited by MuddyWaters; 05-30-2016 at 22:24.
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.
Dogs are excellent judges of character, this fact goes a long way toward explaining why some people don't like being around them.
Woo
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
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.
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?
enemy of unnecessary but innovative trail invention gadgetry
+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.