ozzy

I do a lot of hill walking and running and need to accurately measure distance, min/max speed, average pace, etc..

There's a few specialised watches on the market that use GPS, but they seem overpriced for what they do.

I'd rather spend a couple of hundred quid on a decent GPS unit that will effectively do the same plus much more.

Does anyone have a GPS unit (like a Garmin)?

Can they tell me if the unit can log total distance, min/max speed and average speed?

Will it also tell me altitude information, like total ascent/decent?

Basically what I'm after is a unit that can give me very detailed information on the route of a run or when I'm just hill walking.

I need to download all of this onto a PC too.

Thanks,
Stefan

TopBanana

What about a pedometer?

Pete Croney

Ozzy

A Garmin eMap will do everything that you have listed there. The eTrek may also do it too, but the eMap is very handy for use in the car as well, as it has a world road map loaded in and you can upload very high detail road maps to its data card. The trip computer shows distances covered, long/lat, average speed, moving average, altitude elapsed time etc. You can set up waypoints to navigate to and it gives you eta based on current average speed and heading. You can also use it to measure straight line distances between points on the screen map. I found it very good when mountain biking in the middle of no where. Your path creates a breadcrumb trail, which can be handy for returning to a starting point or rejoining a path already used.

I've just sold mine to Jason Crozier and am now using a Garmin GPS196. That has turn by turn navigation on it too, but would be a bit heavy (and overkill) for a hiking aid.

Pete Croney

Just re read your question...

It logs max speed, total average and moving average but not minimum speed as this would be 0, assuming you stop at some point.

These things are especially useful for navigating at night/twilight when hiking/biking.

ozzy

stop what's that then?

Pete,

Can youd download the info onto PC? Want to match it too my heart rate monitor info.

Thanks,
Stefan

ozzy

I thought about a Pedometer, but that's a bit basic and only works out the info based on your average stride length and that's gonna vary big time from uphill/downhill and on the flat stuff.

Stefan

TopBanana

I thought the better pedometers had accelerometers in them - giving you remarkably accurate readings? Educated assumption I guess you'd say

ozzy

Don't think it'll work out ascent/decent suff though. I'd like that for fell running as well as walking/climbing on the hills.

Stefan

Pete Croney

You can download the route you took onto your PC and store it in a tracks log. I've never done this and I doubt it would give you speed data along the route.

If I get a chance, I'll do a download this afternoon and see.

ozzy

Thanks Pete.

Pete Croney

I may have a swift one after work, as you are asking