Suunto Traverse Hiking Watch Review (By Experts)

Updated: April 3, 2023
Suunto-Traverse-Hiking-Watch-2

The Suunto Traverse is our editor’s choice watch. Its modern, lightweight, sleek design means that it can easily be worn daily, besides during your hiking and other outdoor activities.

One of its biggest pluses is that it is aimed at hikers and trekkers, meaning that Traverse features are all made specifically with hiking in mind.

Including a GPS, altimeter, barometer and a compass, you can be sure that you can easily plan and record all your hiking adventures.

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Suunto Traverse Hiking Watch

Manufacturer: Suunto

Pros

  • Accurate GPS 
  • Compatible with Suunto Movescount app
  • Sunrise and sunset times
  • Altimeter, barometer and compass (provides information on elevation, weather changes and direction)
  • Water resistant up to 100m
  • Watch face is scratch and impact resistant
  • Comfortable and attractive strap

Cons

  • If you are wearing the watch on your wrist, you will have to take it off to get an accurate (initial) temperature reading
  • Quiet large in size
  • Shorter battery life if you are using the GPS
  • Sensor for heart rate monitor does have to be purchased separately

Conclusion

The GPS is very accurate and the altimeter, barometer and compass can provide you with information on elevation, weather changes and direction, going so far as to have weather trend and storm alarm features.

Another handy aspect of the Suunto Traverse is that it informs you of sunset and sunrise times, meaning you can easily plan your hikes around daylight hours, maximising daylight hours.

The device features all the typical aspects of a GPS watch, such as an alarm and a timer. Handily, the watch also has customisable sports modes and displays, having 5 modes and 4 displays per mode.

This means that even if you aren’t using the watch to track your hiking activities, you can still use it, such as for running or cycling.

Best Hiking Watches

Finding the right watch for your hiking adventures can be a daunting task, especially considering the vast number of watches out there, each with their own differentiating technological features. To help make your life easier you can check out our expert review on the best hiking watches here.

Key Features

ABC features

The ABC features of a hiking watch are namely an altimeter, a barometer and a compass, all of which are useful features when out on the trails. The handy Suunto Traverse has all three of these functions.

The digital compass makes for easier navigation, and when the watch is on compass mode north is constantly shown. 

The watch also continuously measures air pressure using its built in sensor. There are three settings available, namely automatic, altimeter and barometer. The barometer mode shows a sea level pressure recording graph, as well as the current sea level pressure.

The watch also has a weather trend indicator with a storm alarm feature - this is especially handy when out hiking as it means that you warned of storms beforehand, and, if you are on multi-day hikes, knowing the upcoming weather means that you can plan ahead.

The altimeter informs of your elevation on the trail and the Suunto can show both barometric altitude and GPS altitude, and log altitude changes to show you an altitude graph, which is a useful plus in tracking your progress.

Durability

Durability is an important element to consider when picking your next hiking watch. The straps and face should be resistant to breaking and scratching, and having a waterproof watch is always a major bonus. 

The Suunto Traverse is water resistant up to 100m, meaning that you don’t have to worry about the watch getting wet, whether you are caught in a storm or you fancy a dip in a river along the way.

Made from mineral crystal, the watch face is scratch and impact resistant. This is paired with a silicone watch strap, which is comfortable, waterproof and durable. 

Comfort

If you are going to be wearing your watch for multi-day hikes, for miles at a time, it is critical that the watch is comfortable to wear. The Suunto Traverse is a bigger watch with lots of features, this means that you may find it less comfortable if you have a smaller wrist. 

The silicone wrist strap is comfortable and attractive, which is definitely an important aspect considering you may be wearing the watch for considerable periods of time when out hiking. 

Although not a feature that impacts on your physical comfort, the watch also comes with a flashlight, something that is very handy when needing to find something in a dark tent.

GPS

Arguably one of the more important features of a hiking watch is its GPS functions, which are useful for both navigation and tracking purposes.
Using both GPS and GLONASS, the Suunto Traverse keep track of where you are going and help you plan your routes, with GLONASS increasing the GPS accuracy. 

The watch also features an automatic ‘bread crumb’ of your track, meaning you can easily retrace your steps if needed. You can also plan, log, view and share your routes, as well as GPS track analysis, using Suunto Movescount.com and the Suunto Movescount App.

Heart rate monitor

Another handy feature that watches can have is a heart rate monitor. The Suunto can track your heart rate but requires a heart rate wrist or belt monitor, it can even track your heart rate when swimming if paired with the Suunto Smart Sensor.

The Suunto Smart Sensor is the smallest Bluetooth compatible heart rate monitor on the market, and its comfortable compact fit gives you real time data on your heart rate and calories burned.

Unfortunately, the sensor does have to be purchased separately, which makes the set-up slightly more expensive. However, it is a nice add on if you are interested in this sort of information. 

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See more reviews of outdoor equipment and our detailed hiking technology guide. Or check out these reviews:

About the author 

Adie Marais

Adie is a nature and wildlife lover living in Cape Town, South Africa. Growing up, she had many opportunities to explore the outdoors by hiking, going on safaris and venturing into the karoo with her family. This led to her love of animals, the environment and discovering new places to explore.

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