Suunto Traverse

The Suunto Traverse is full of features that make it the perfect watch for a variety of outdoor endeavors. Chart your route and follow your chosen path using the GPS and get weather alerts so you don’t get caught in a storm. It will accurately track your speed, distance, and altitude, so you can explore uncharted territories with ease all while maximizing your fitness levels.

The Traverse is capable of tracking stats and aiding you in numerous activities such as trail running, mountain biking, hiking, mountaineering, backcountry skiing, adventure racing and petty much any outdoor excursion you embark on.

The Suunto Traverse has all the basic characters of many other fitness tracking watches: heart rate monitor, time, alarms, sstep counter, calorie counter, incoming call, text, and push notifications but that’s just the beginning of the features packed into this watch.

The advanced features are where this watch shines. With an altimeter, barometer and compass to give you feedback and guided by the GPS and GLONASS navigation systems, exploring is made super simple.

The digital compass and barometric trend information, including storm alarms keep you safe. Route planning is made easy using the Suunto Movescount app with topographic maps. For speed, distance and altitude tracking, FusedAlti™ is super easy to navigate.

Also, any location or point-of-interest information can be stored quickly with the press of a button from any view.

Altimeter - When compared to the other GPS watches, the Traverse scored very high for altimeter accuracy. The FusedAlti function provided reasonably accurate readings but could vary day by day so make sure you calibrate it regularly and compare to known numbers for the best accuracy. All in all, it is quite accurate and will help you know where you're at elevation wise.

Compass - The Suunto Traverse comes with a digital compass that is tilt-compensated and provides you with essential directions and a reference to true north. The compass accuracy was very dependable when compared to other watches with a compass feature. It can also be manually calibrated for declination, which is nice.

Step Accuracy - The Traverse tested true and accurate for step count as well as caloric output. Just a reminder that every company uses a marginally different algorithm in their watches for calculating step count so make sure to calibrate yours correctly.

Heart Rate - Resting heart rate testing on the Traverse reported data accurately, but during extreme training it often read lower than actual heart rate number - sometimes by 5 to 10 BPM, but mostly within range when compared to other heart rate monitors.

GPS - Although the connecting time to a satellite was a tad sluggish, there was no noteworthy difference in time or accuracy of connecting to a satellite, compared to other GPS watches in the same price range. The Traverse normally was off a minimal amount during the middle to long distance hikes, which is well within a workable margin of error for a GPS device. The GPS and GLONASS navigation systems combined were very accurate and make this system a big-time leader.

The Suunto Traverse GPS watch is both iPhone, Android smartphone compatible via wireless (Bluetooth) or USB cable

Other connections such as watch customization, linking between devices, phone notifications can all be performed wirelessly.

Review daily, weekly, monthly or yearly activities like tracking of steps or calories by using the USB cable, which is faster, or by using Bluetooth. Your phone can also be connected as a secondary display of the wristwatch using the Suunto Movescount App.

Joining online sports communities such as Strava, TrainingPeaks, MapMyFitness, and others are a snap because they are all accessible on the Suunto Movescount website.

The Suunto Traverse is compatible with Suunto Movescount App (iOS and Android) that keeps a documentation of all of your efforts and will even construct a 3D map of your outings, which is useful for reviewing your training later. This app was super fun to explore but can get addicting, so beware. The only complaint is the period it takes to connect via Bluetooth, but when using the cable it was very easy and user-friendly.

The Suunto Traverse is certainly on the larger side, but not without reason. It feels dense but not too hefty, sturdy but not overbearing. The face is robust but it makes it easy to read and buttons on the sides are certainly accessible even with gloves on. The silicone strap is adjustable and comfortable and can be swapped out if you prefer a different color or material. The functions on the Traverse are simple to comprehend and manage and can be used as a great everyday watch.

Overall, the Suunto Traverse is stylish enough to wear cruising around town or breaking trail in the backcountry without feeling like your sporting an unfashionable fixture on your wrist. If you are looking for a tad more style then you can always up your game with the bright amber watchband for an attention-grabbing look.

Each and every Suunto product goes through exhaustive testing during development both in the lab and outdoors via field analysis. The Traverse is no different than any other Suunto watch - tough as nails. They even let impartial laboratories test products for toughness by aggressively abusing them and challenging the bounds. The Suunto Traverse is also rigorously tested for durability according to the military grade standards so you know it’s solid in the field.

The Suunto Traverse comes with a large mineral crystal glass display, which is easy to read and features sizable fonts in the interface. It Measures 50x50x16.5 mm in diameter and 1.97x1.97x 0.65 mm thick

The tint can be adjusted and the contrast can be altered, which can be helpful for both viewing during daytime or at night. The backlight feature has three settings available to use: normal, night, and toggle.

In addition, the Traverse GPS watch face has a flashlight mode feature, similar to a smartphone that keeps the face on at its full illumination until it is manually turned off. This comes in very handy when its pitch black and you need to rummage something out of our backpack and your headlamp is inconveniently nowhere to be found.

Overall, the Traverse crystal display face is very impressive both in quality of construction and usability.

The Suunto Traverse GPS watch features a lightweight slim silicon watchband that is adjustable and fits nicely around the wrist and over or undergarments. It comes in a variety of colors to choose from Silicone Amber Black Graphite and White. One downside to note is the band only has watch holes on one side which may or may not be a factor for some users.

The Traverse only comes in one size but the adjustable band will accommodate a wide variety of users making it a good choice for anyone venturing outside for open-air endeavors.

The Suunto Traverse is super easy to configure and learning is simple with exceptional manual found online as well as video tutorials. All your data is easily transferable to the Movescount app so you can have a record your undertakings. As you explore all the features on the Traverse the more you will discover the ease with which you can navigate from feature to feature. The face is large, the buttons are user-friendly and the app is sound.

The Suunto Traverse comes with a powerful Lithium Ion battery that is listed to last up to 100 hours in continuous GPS mode or up to 14 days when in watch mode. The Lithium battery is rechargeable via a connector cable and usually recharges in a couple of hours.

The Suunto Traverse is not the most expensive in the lineup of Suunto watches but it will still cost you a small chunk of cash. With that said, if you are looking for all the features provided in the Traverse you get a power-packed watch with GPS for a reasonable price.

You can accessorize your Suunto Traverse with a variety of watch straps in a variety of colors and materials, i.e. steel or leather. Other accessories available for purchase include additional USB chargers or even a face shield protector. However, this watch doesn't have any additional accessories like a heart rate strap or foot pod.

• GPS Tracking - GPS and GLONASS timekeeping and navigation systems record your route, time, distance so that you can then upload and review the data to tweak your fitness regimen to boost your training efforts.

• Suunto Movescount App - Route forecasting is made easy using this free app. Topographic maps show trails, speed, distance, and detailed elevation reports.

• FusedAlti™ - The altitude tracking app informs you of vertical speed, and total ascent, is super easy to navigate and a huge plus when climbing or descending high peaks.

• Wireless Syncing. Bluetooth technology allows you to wirelessly sync the data from your Suunto Traverse to your computer, tablet and more than 100 distinctive smartphones.

• Long battery life. The lithium battery in the Traverse will last for up to 100 hours of continuous use. It charges to full capacity within a couple of hours.

• Incoming call, text, and push notifications. This helps you stay connected while out training and is displayed on the screen with a silent pulsation.

• Flashlight and Backlight- This feature automatically boosts illumination to full power.

• Water Resistant- Although not waterproof the Traverse is water resistant up to 100-meters so safe to shower or swim with.

Curiosity pushes us to seek out and uncover new places, but it’s the self-confidence of navigating the new terrain with assurance that encourages us to stray from the beaten path. The Suunto Traverse uses both GPS and the GLONASS systems for powerful accuracy so you can always navigate with self-confidence.

In a nutshell, the Traverse gives you a sense of confidence to get out and discover new terrain, which is exactly what it supposed to do. So, if your adventures consist of hiking unfamiliar trails, summiting high mountain peaks, exploring in the backcountry, or simply surviving the frenzied jungle of a new urban area, the Suunto Traverse will be your guide no matter what explorations you seek.