Hoiday wish list

[scamlin]

I've had very good luck with a Casio Pathfinder Triple Sensor watch. It has a barometer with an 18 hour trend graph at two hour intervals (9 data points). The axis has only about 7 bars, but scrolls as the pressure changes. It is not labelled either, but you can see the current reading and guage the rest. Allowed to see overnight trends and gave a very intuitive sense of pressure. Reliable, durable and intuitive.

Can't say I predicted a storm with it, but learned a lot about weather by tracking it. The real value is if on an extended trip without access to weather forecasts.

Got the watch originally for $99 ($250 retail). It was a metal case and had analogue hands. Lost it October 2005 on the beach at the Merrimack. Found the same watch on line last winter, this time for $150.

See http://www.princetonwatches.com/shop/casiopathfinder.asp for examples of the current Casio line up with different combinations of features.

General Comments

Some Casio watches have a much shorter trend period (six hours?). Find one with the 18 hour trend.

The tempurature feature on a wrist watch is decidedly limited use: mine is not accurate when worn since it is influenced by body heat. The only time it is accurate is when it off my wrist for 10-15 minutes.

The compass feature can be very handy, but a similar feature on my GPS eats battery life, so consider if it is worth it.

I don't like the backlighting when tilted feature on some watches: it would be triggered often when paddling and anyway consumes battery life when you don't need it.

Much prefer analogue watch with glow-in-the-dark hands. Easy to see at night and no fuss with backlighting.

Have had several Casio watches with resin cases die after a couple of seasons. I don't think they are as rugged as metal cases, though the resin ones are less expensive.

100 meter waterproofness is the minimum you should consider. 50m watches don't last while kayaking.

Scott

[gyork]

I've had my Casio triple sensor for about 10 years. Thermometer, barometer/altimeter, and compass still very accurate. Way too many bells and whistles for me, but still works like a charm.

Gary