Suunto recommendations?

[jon]

Looking to get a new Suunto watch and the seem to have 20 different watches now instead of 3. Anyone have any recommendations for one that works well for climbing and multi-sport?

[ScaredSilly]

Years ago I bought a Suunto watch from their woman's Core series because one could get a rubber case that allowed it to hung from a lanyard around one's neck. Not sure if any of the newer watches can be set up the same but in most usages actually wearing a watch on one's wrist is a PITA.

Edited December 7, 2018 by ScaredSilly

[Bosterson]

I have a Core that's a few years old. For outdoor use I keep it in altimeter mode so I haven't tried the barometric storm warning alarms or whatever. The display seems easier to read than the older Vector model. Nothing fancy but it works well to gauge how high you are on a ridge, etc. The battery seems to last for about a year.

 

[boppjo]

I'm pretty happy with my Ambit3 Peak years later, a great ABC watch, has waypoints, and will make cool videos of your runs/climbs/hikes through the Suunto app. The brand new 9 looks nice with a touch interface but pricey. Outdoor Gear Lab has a good write up of some options: https://www.outdoorgearlab.com/topics/camping-and-hiking/best-altimeter-watch

[dougd]

I've had my Suunto Core for about 6 years and I like it. It's durable (I'm tough on gear) and easy to set up after replacing a battery. My recent experience of buying a cheap 5 pack replacement batteries from REI is that they last a few months each, if, I don't mess with the watch much... A good watch for climbing. I've not used the barometric storm warning system either but everything else works fine.

d

 

[landoclimb]

The Ambit3 Peak works great.  Its proven to be pretty durable so far.  For running it's great and also pairs with the Suunto heart rate monitor.  Without GPS the battery lasts for a little over a week it seems.  Its got a bunch of different modes to track activities like skiing, climbing, hiking, etc.

[dyerh]

I can also back the Ambit 3 Peak. I really enjoy the alti-baro feature as well as the compass is also nice ot have on occasion. The battery life is good, lasting a week or two without GPS tracking and GPS tracking, when in use is quite accurrate. Works great for climbing as well as tracking just about any sport you can think of. Never had any durability or weather issues with it. The size/weight is also nice, not too big and annoying, with a decent size screen. I’ve got nothing bad to say about this watch, it just works great.

[olyclimber]

Bish, I also have the Ambit 3 Peak.  Its aight.  You can check it out if you'd like next time you're down.

[vsigler]

I have had a Suunto Traverse for a year and it has functioned well. I live in Indiana, and get out west to climb in the summer, so I don't have dozens of climbing experiences with it, but I used it for a total of seven days in the Cascades last year and it was reliable (altitude, waypoints, etc.).  I also use it for xc skiing, running, paddling, etc. I find the display easy to read and interpret, although finding your way through all of the functions was a little cumbersome at first...give yourself to some time to become acquainted with it before you rely on it to pull you out of the woods. One quick story; we were coming down from the Ruth Mountain summit towards a camp on the SW shoulder of the mountain and passed through a notch in the ridge that we would need to pass through again on the way back off the mountain the next day. it was a bluebird day, but the forecast was for unstable weather the next day, when we would be descending. I took a waypoint with the watch at the notch, just in case visibility was poor later.  Well, visibility became really poor the next day, probably less than 100 ft. We would have found the notch with a little searching, but I wanted to see if the watch would guide us in navigation mode, and it did, exactly to the spot where I marked the waypoint...nice insurance in case you really need it one day. It interfaces nicely with the MovesCount app, which I believe meshes with most of the Suunto watches.  The app is great, allowing you to not only upload trip data from the watch, but also to manually input data for any type of workout/activity...a nice logging tool.  It also will differentiate different activities based on what sport mode the watch is in (mountaineering vs. running vs. skiing, etc...all customizable). Some people report issues with the watch syncing seamlessly with the app when uploading data, and while it does take a little time to upload hours and hours of data, I have not had any problems.  I have no other "navigation" watches to compare with, but I would recommend it. PM me if you would like more info. 

[Loco Raindrops]

I have a core(brushed steel) that Ive had for years. Im not a fan of the newer GPS models because 1st it eats batteries like a madman.

2nd is I am always using maps and compasses. The knowledge is never lost and the batteries never die. 

As far as the Core goes it tells me all that I need from a wrist gizmo. 

Its user friendly as far as battery life goes it lasts about a year(I swap a for a new one on my bday every year.)

Keeps it simple.

The storm alarm can be annoying if out and about. Ive had it go off many a time and was like wth is that lol. 

I typically leave it on alti so its not singing to me randomly.

Dont over think it.

...just my 2 cents.

(Also had a ProTrek 2500)

Edited March 25, 2019 by Loco Raindrops