Solar Powered Watches with compass

I’ve had the misfortune of two different watches’ batteries expiring during backpacking trips, and following the second one caused some really serious difficulty, I vowed to prevent that knowledge once again. Enter the Casio Pathfinder Solar Powered Watch range – with five months of energy offered by full charge, I’ll never have to go watch-less again.

You can find fifteen watches within the Casio Solar Powered lineup with a fair difference in features. Fundamentally, they’re the same: an ABC watch (altimeter, barometer, and compass) that gets its juice from sunlight. The specific design we possess, the 1300B-4V, features a laundry list of additional functions: atomic timekeeping, solar energy, electronic compass, thermometer, world time, timer, and a calendar that is pre-programmed through 2099 (in the event you like the view).

This watch has arrived on every journey I’ve already been on since I obtained it as a bithday present two years ago. It’s already been slammed against talus, held underwater, snowed upon, hailed on, kept in sub-freezing temps, left in above-100-degree heat, also it however works along with the day i obtained it. I also always go on it whenever I travel, as compass function alone is equally as beneficial in foreign urban surroundings because the wilderness. Do beware if you go right to the southern hemisphere though, because you’ll have to re-calibrate as a result of the switch in magnetized poles.

If you don’t choose the chunky styling of many adventure watches, Casio in addition arrived with a Pathfinder “Slim Series” which has less profile than its predecessor. I’m pretty ambivalent about watch size, but sporadically I have the comment such as, “What is that, a laptop on your wrist?”

On actual backcountry trips, i personally use the wide variety watch functions on a regular basis. I’ve discovered that i actually do a better job of checking my bearing when it’s simply a quick glance at my wrist (the watch gets the option to adjust for declination).

I use the timer as note for when you should turnaround on summit days, which includes aided myself stay away from multiple afternoon thunderstorm, and I also utilize the alarm just about every day to have myself out of my resting bag (or about recognize that I should begin getting up).

Similar to altimeters I’ve used that rely on barometric stress, I’ll usually re-calibrate once or twice per travel, but the function remains helpful (and precise) whenever you’re attempting to evaluate exactly how really far you need to go to arrive at the ridgeline in the topo.

The thermometer is ideal for responding to the ageless concern of, “How cool can it be?, ” but I typically just make use of this feature in camp, as temperature from your wrist throws from the reading while walking around.