I’ve all the time loved reviewing Suunto’s sports activities watches. Over time I’ve appeared on the 9 Peak and Spartan Baro HR and every time they impress me, drawing me nearer to leaping ship completely into the Suunto world. With their newest providing, the Suunto Vertical, they’ve lastly satisfied me.
Why choosing the proper watch is vital
When you concentrate on it, there’s one thing so completely private in regards to the watch you select to put on. It’s not like underwear, you don’t change it on daily basis; it’s extra like a automotive, your trusted GP, a financial institution or perhaps a superannuation plan. When it’s time to vary, we do our analysis, take a look at the options we would like, evaluate what is accessible in our worth vary and lock ourselves in for the subsequent foreseeable future.
Contemplating worth for cash and what I’m gonna name ‘Price Per Look’ (CPG) a long-held watch is one thing that carries its weight.
I’ve owned two different sports activities watches in my time (a Casio ProTrek (2004-2010), Garmin Fenix 5s (2016-2023) and after carrying and testing for a month, I’m now bought on the Suunto Vertical (2023-?). It’s undoubtedly on the main funding finish of the spectrum at $1299AU for the top-of-the-range titanium or $999AU for the chrome steel model, so yep, I plan on carrying it for a really very long time.
Navigation perform
Finnish model Suunto has been related to outside pursuits since 1936, after they began manufacturing compasses; or what I affectionately name, ‘analog GPS’. Bloody dependable issues they’re that by no means want recharging.
Their firm identify comes from the Finnish phrase suunta, which means course, path, bearing or heading.
Enjoyable Reality
Now, as a lot as I like a great compass and practising conventional navigation, I loved the nav options on this smartwatch and located them intuitive and straightforward to make use of.
The navigation features on this watch are glorious and mimic most of the options you might already use in a navigation app on a smartphone.
Maps
By connecting to the Suunto app while on wifi, I used to be in a position to obtain free topographical maps (Open Avenue Maps) for the entire of NSW and QLD. The 49mm actual property of the Sapphire crystal face actually comes into its personal when utilizing the maps. Tracks had been clearly outlined, together with contours and the straightforward 3-button interface makes it simple to maneuver round, together with the contact display. A phrase of warning right here although: don’t be in a rush to obtain the maps, like earlier than you run out the door for a visit. Even with obtain speeds from my house NBN of 40mbps, it nonetheless took a few hours for every state.
Map Show
You’ll be able to select to view the map in 3 methods, I discovered the Outside view probably the most sensible and was one thing that I used to be visually conversant in. Firstly of every exercise, you possibly can decide to have the map off/on if you’re desirous to preserve battery.
Navigation sorts
I examined Climbing and Trekking sport modes. Inside these you possibly can select a navigation ‘kind’ (or none in any respect) from breadcrumb, POIs (Level of Curiosity), Routes, Bearing, Snap to route or Compass. You too can direct it to a easy back-bearing, taking you again to the place you began.
Place Format
For us bushwalking/mountaineering/path working sorts, we are able to choose from the commonest codecs utilized in Australia: UTM and MGRS. When you actually can’t pull your self away from the lat/lengthy (you wacky maritime, 4WD and aviation sorts), don’t fear, all 3 of these WGS84 codecs are in there too, together with a bunch of different worldwide ones.
Battery Life
With the Vertical sports activities watch, Suunto have actually checked out battery life. The titanium photo voltaic mannequin has integrated a characteristic that I like – photo voltaic charging. One much less gadget to fret about draining my valuable energy financial institution power at camp. Within the month I’ve been utilizing it, with a median of three recorded mountaineering actions per week (as much as approx 7 hrs every), I’ve solely recharged it twice.
The specs are fairly spectacular with Suunto stating that in time-only mode, the titanium photo voltaic model ought to final 12 months (WTF!?) on one cost and as much as 60 days for the non-solar model. That’s loopy lengthy battery life; approach in entrance of its rivals.
It provides useful alerts earlier than you begin an exercise to point out you what number of hours you possibly can train on the present cost. You’ll be able to simply swap between totally different energy modes that adapt the watch’s capabilities and providers to avoid wasting and preserve energy. Select from Efficiency (max options and battery use), to Endurance, Extremely or Tour (minimises power-hungry options and saves battery).
After some time, the Suunto Vertical will get to know you and the actions you do. Based mostly in your historical past, it is going to advise you to vary energy modes if it thinks you’ll run low. Sensible.
App and evaluation
I’ve to confess, I’m not a type of gear reviewers who goes into minute technical testing element, that’s not the type of particular person or bushwalker I’m. When you’re after that kind of drugs evaluate, perhaps try Ray from DCRainmaker. Provided that, right here’s my abstract of the app options and evaluation screens that I do use and discover useful.
Coming again to my visible bias and focus, there’s rather a lot I like on this a part of the watch and the Suunto app.
Have a look on the internet interface show of day 4 of my Sunshine Coast Hinterland Nice Stroll. You’ll be able to play the 3D video of the crimson observe worm and perhaps get a bit enthusiastic about doing it your self sooner or later!
What I like
Design and interface
There’s no denying I’m a visible particular person. I like good design and interesting interfaces which can be intuitive; I’d go as far as to say, humanise the binary of expertise. I imagine Suunto does this higher than another sports activities watch that I’ve examined. The menu structure, 3 button or contact display interface and colors, all conspire to make the Suunto Vertical simple to make use of straight out of the field, with out feeling like I must learn a wordy handbook. It simply makes logical sense.
Weight
I admit that I used to be nervous about this. Having examined the Suunto Baro HR 5 years in the past, having the load of a small weapon was the one main downside, particularly for girls. With the usage of titanium on this new mannequin, they’ve cracked the code of a light-weight easy watch, full of options, strong battery life, glorious consumer interface and (this couldn’t go with out point out) an orange band 😉
Dawn/Sundown alarm
I like that I can select to be woken on daily basis 15 minutes earlier than dawn (to greet the day) or 15 minutes earlier than sundown (to shut my greenhouse and defend my veggies from frost).
Photo voltaic charging
I like the useful graphic that exhibits how a lot solar energy is being harvested.
Suunto App
Constructed into the Suunto App is a ‘coach’. It doesn’t have to be hooked as much as another coaching app (though you possibly can if that’s your bag), which let’s me understand how I’m doing. The mixture of the language used and design for this doesn’t translate into snarky or preachy – extra like a useful and inspiring pal. Good.
Customised exercise mode
Once I’m in the course of a bushwalk, there’s a bunch of data that I discover useful to have at a look. I designed my excellent display shows that work for me. It’s simple to do with the Suunto app and means the precious actual property of the 49mm display isn’t wasted with reporting stuff you don’t want. Right here’s a take a look at the display setup with my preferences.
What I reckon they might work on
Variety of alarms
Aside from the dawn/sundown and a storm alarm (linked to the barometer), there seems to be just one different alarm within the menu which you can set for both as soon as, weekdays or each day. No biggie, I’ll simply change my behavior and use my telephone for a number of alarms in the identical day.
Auto pause throughout exercise
This characteristic prompts while you transfer lower than 2 km/hr throughout an exercise. For the sadists amongst us who relish off-track scrubby pursuits together with my favorite, wombatting, the place bodily taxing train is happening at lower than 2km/hr (I recall one heinous journey at 250m/hour), it doesn’t actually work for us. Perhaps they need to add wombatting to the listing alongside impediment racing, curler snowboarding, Nordic strolling, paragliding, SUP or mermaiding (!), that are choices.
Climbing exercise shows tempo not velocity
Out of the field, I discovered that the Climbing exercise shows my velocity as tempo (minutes per km) as an alternative of velocity (km/hr). Once more, not a biggie, it simply meant I wanted to arrange a customized exercise.
I used to be supplied this product for evaluate functions. You should buy my time to check, evaluate and write – you possibly can’t purchase my opinion.
