Gps Plus Information Guide

By Kevin Woodward (Soquel, CA United States)

I’ve owned the Suunto Vector for more than three years after purchasing it when I first became interested in adventure racing. While many top racers wear it, I would highly recommend it for the serious hiker, climber or backcountry skier for it’s solid construction, design and versatility.

While I also wear this as my everyday watch, it’s extra large size should be taken into consideration if that’s something you have in mind.

There are a couple other brands available in this market segment, but the relatively low price and exceptional feature set are what continues to set this tool apart from the crowd.

Here’s what you should know:
* Expect to replace the battery at least once a year. This is due to a number of reasons, one of which is the powerful backlight on the face that when activated can nearly illuminate the inside of a small tent at night. If you believe the manufacturer’s warnings and want to play it safe, you may want to have this procedure performed by a professional (watch, not outdoor) shop. Suunto sells a battery pack that comes with a replacement seal and screw-in back, and this is definitely something to consider every other replacement opportunity, but you can get by with a lower-cost Duracell type 2430 3V lithium if you’re on a budget.
* The altimeter is one of the strongest features, allowing you to quickly pinpoint your location on a topo map. However, plan to reset it regularly, especially after a plane ride or frequent and significant changes in altitude, or weather. This is rather easy as along as you have a confirmed location metric, but you have to remember to do it regularly to ensure the greatest accuracy. The 24-hour memory provides a total measurement of your ups and downs (ascents and descents) over that time period, a really cool record for runners, mountain bikers and skiers.
* The compass is one of the strongest in this class of devices, which to be sure isn’t the greatest to begin with … but even the serious orienteerer would be impressed. The ability to adjust for local declination is really nice.
* The barometer is good, but not great. However, if you want to be aware of potential weather changes, this will provide you with some peace of mind. Better to be safe than sorry (or worse) in this regard.
* The thermometer isn’t accurate at all unless you take the watch off for 15-20 minutes or so to eliminate the warming effect of your skin/body temperature.
* Some of the controls and settings are not easy to comprehend or remember. I’ve never been able to figure out how to use the stopwatch, timer and lap features. If you’re a swimmer or triathlete and this is important to you, look to the Timex Ironman standby.
* Waterproofing is rock solid. No worries.
* The soft-rubber watchband is comfortable to wear, but will deteriorate over time, even more rapidly in chlorine. Suunto offers a much lighter nylon/velcro alternative that I personally prefer.

Overall, I really like the Vector. But for a number of reasons already mentioned, would not feel comfortable giving it a perfect 5.0 score. But consider my 4.0 more like a 4.7 … you can’t go wrong here.

By Jeff Edwards “RadioJeff” (Twin Falls, Idaho)

I am a watch collector, and in many instances, the bigger the better, and it truly IS difficult to find a timepiece bigger than your average Suunto Wristop Computer (other than the Observer). But despite its size, the Vector is quite comfortable on my wrist. It doesn’t seem too bulky, and I know that sounds impossible to believe — especially once you see the beast for the first time, but its true.

If you are an avid outdoor person, whether you’re into hiking, mountain climbing or just a regular fisherman, you simply should NOT leave home without a device like this. First off it has a highly accurate digital altimeter, which admittedly needs regular calibration, but as long as you keep close track of what it says, you should have no trouble keeping up on exactly where you are above (or below) sea level. Next up is another widely under-used tool, a digital barometer. Sure it may SEEM intimidating — at FIRST, but spend a few minutes closely reading the instruction manual, and you should have it down fairly quickly. I wouldn’t say you could bet your life on the accuracy of this barometer, but it IS a LOT closer to predicting the real weather than any meteorologist I’ve ever encountered. I’d say it was around 80% correct — and when was the last time you could say that about your local weatherman, huh? Also, the barometer features a built-in thermometer. Now again, for a totally correct temp reading you must take the watch off your wrist for about 15 minutes first, and as far as I am aware, all watches that feature this function must be done the same way, so keep that in mind before you look at your watch and declare it’s 90 degrees when it is more likely 75. Finally the last nifty gadget crammed into this watch is a highly accurate digital compass. Once calibrated (and once again you may need to re-calibrate once-a-week or so to be spot-on) this compass gives you great assistance, especially for the avid hikers out there who rely on map reading in unfamiliar territory.

Oh yeah, I almost forgot, it also can tell the time…it has an alarm and even a stopwatch. What will they think of next? The ONLY reason why the Vector received 4 stars instead of 5 is because despite how GOOD this timepiece really is, it really SHOULD have come with crystal or glass rather than a plastic face. I have the Suunto X-Lander which is pretty much a clone of the Vector built inside an aluminum body rather than plastic and comes with a mineral crystal face. The one thing the X-Lander is missing that the Vector has is the tiny bubble in the upper right of the watch face which is invaluable in taking accurate readings by knowing how level you are. REALLY helpful. I dunno, maybe it isn’t possible to put a bubble inside of the glass face, but if it IS possible, they ought to think about doing that sometime soon.

One more thing: the various colors you can find the Vector help to make it as much an accessory to your hiking outfit as an invaluable tool needed for a safe trek. I personally like the yellow the best, but I was surprised at how cool the Khaki face looked, so I went ahead with that one.

All in all, if you are looking for something that will combine the incredible usefulness that the Vector has in such a small package, I would definitely say Suunto has another winner on their hands…or on their wrists, so to speak. Outstanding product.

Read more about Suunto Vector Wrist-Top Computer Watch