Recommendation for a Hiking Pedometer?

[mattB]

I'm getting tired of my poor attempts at guessing mileage on the trail, so I'd like to get a pedometer, and was looking for any tips, hints, or suggestions if anyone knows of any that work well for hiking.

[calicotraveler]

I've had a couple of these but found that they don't work very well. I'd be interested in finding a good one that actually works.

[Ear Mountain]

Seems like most pedometers are based on step length. They'll work OK on flat ground that is fairly even. But when on trails where your step changes frequently as when going up or down the pedometer cannot accurately record distances.

[poky5mom]

Our garmin gps tracks mileage - would that be very accurate while hiking?

[Ear Mountain]

I have a Garmin etrex Vista and it does indeed track mileage if left on and in a location it can receive satellite signals while hiking. I rarely use it that way because the batteries (2 AA) run down in 12-14 hours. For single day or short backpacks this might be OK though. Generally I turn my GPS unit on to determine how far it is to the next feature, campsite or trail junction. This provides only an "as the crow flies" distance but that is usually good enough for me. I also use the GPS for route finding but, again, rarely leave it on for very long. Others I know keep track of everything including speed, distance and elevation gain/loss.

[scott-atl]

i have an etrex vista that is very useful on paddling trips but i have a hard time reading the screen. i've never used it hiking on trails.

[Ear Mountain]

i have an etrex vista that is very useful on paddling trips but i have a hard time reading the screen. i've never used it hiking on trails.

I agree that the screen is small. I bought that unit because it is small overall and has enough memory for storing all the topo maps I need which include all the maps for Glacier and the rest of the area south of Glacier in the Bob Marshall Wilderness. There is now a color version of the Vista - I wonder if it is any easier to view?

[Rose]

Robert uses his GPS unit to also track our mileage on some hikes. We use the lithium AA batteries and they last longer than the alkaline AA.

I used my Omron pedometer on some of our hikes this year in the Canadian Rockies. It wasn't accurate based on the documented length of the hikes as it was anywhere from 1/2 to 1 mile off due to the step variation.

[Heff936]

There are also GPS capable watches that will track your mileage and speed. The batteries in these should be fine for many days or weeks. Suunto, among others, makes these watches, though they are salty and like any GPS will be of less value in heavily forested areas.

Heff

[Ear Mountain]

they are salty

[Heff936]

Hi Ralph - Salty as in "Expensive"


Heff

[Ear Mountain]

Ah Ha! I get it.

[joybird]

So, it's been a few years since this thread was active. Has anyone found anything they recommend in the interim?

I've used my tiny ipod nano (the very simple, square ones) as a basic pedometer for the past couple years and although I know the mileage isn't quite accurate, it gives me a relatively good idea and is certainly better than nothing -- especially since the nano only about an inch-and-a-half square, can ride in my pocket and weighs virtually nothing. The problem is, the battery only lasts a day, or at most two, so it isn't going to do me any good on a multi-day backpack.

It looks like there are lots of other lightweight pedometers out there with watch-type batteries that last for months...anyone have personal experience of any of them?

One of the things I like about my nano is that it can record multiple walking sessions during any given day so you can restart the step counter anytime you want without losing your entire day's totals. I find this a really useful feature, but most of the pedometers I'm seeing out there don't seem to let you do that?

Anyone have any suggestions? (A real GPS, while definitely a cool gizmo, is out of my price range this year, I think.)