Suunto Traverse
Suunto Traverse Review Facts
Maybe you want to go out and connect to nature. Maybe you want to go out and hunt your dinner. Maybe you want to camp by the riverside in a state park or wildlife preserve and before hiking back out. Maybe you want to go mountain biking on unmarked trails for a weekend. If any of these sound like you, maybe you should seek out the Suunto Traverse outdoor watch. Designed in every way with being out in the wilderness in mind, this watch is for those who seek the clean air, the fresh sunrise, and the star-filled night sky. Breathe deep the world around you; the Traverse will get you there and back safely.
Editor's Pros & Cons
Pros
- GPS and GLONASS to map your route
- Weather trends and daylight readings
- 4 days maximum battery life
- Multiple design features for durability
Cons
- App changeover may cause glitches at first
- Confirmation of all old app features pending
- High price tag
Positive
- Everything works great on this watch and is very accurate. The GPS is quick and has very good battery life. You can use the MGRS on its own. It isn't the easiest for input but it works fantastic otherwise. It is for real hikers and explorers.
- This has it all and it works great. The app is fantastic and I can customize it to what I need for what I am doing. It has so many uses it is unreal. I love the topography feature and the fact you can track on a down ski slope is fun. I highly recommend.
- I use handheld devices as well and this has matched up great with my Garmins. I hike and climb and this gives some great feedback. The Movescount is so easy to use and download. I like that it supports Google Earth. My Vector lasted for years. I am really happy with it, great upgrade.
- I really love this watch. I have had it a couple years without any issues. I sail a lot and it is so on point and guides and tracks so well. The barometer has never let me down. It has a nice beg read out and is great for countdowns. I did switch the band out after the old one snapped I replace it with the Alpha band, way more rugged.
- This is better than I expected. I have tried many other devices and they all got sent back. This does everything I need plus some and works every time with no issues. The website is so user friendly and has so many pointers. The breadcrumb works so well and it is amazingly accurate. Also, the battery has so much juice!
- I am shocked at how long the battery lasts. I mean other devices have no longevity due to this and this watch does it all. The GPS is so good and fast and the watch never has glitches. The App is so user friendly. It is light and fits secure. Has a light on it, wow! I also took it out in the wilderness for a week and nt one problem I am more than impressed.
- It has every feature you can think up and it all works accurately and fast. The battery is a game changer. It lasts and lasts. It also sleeps when it isn't being used to keep a charge. I love this thing.
- This is a backpackers dream. It tracks steps great and has a super reliable GPS. IT isn't a smart watch like the Apple watch but that isn't what I wanted. I need rugged and sporty and this is it. 100 hr of GPS tracking on this thing, I mean you cannot beat that.
- I can hike for over a week with this watch before I need a charge. Now, that is impressive. It is easy to read and the barometer is epic. It does a great job with the weather.
- Really enjoying this watch and it is so easy to use. I used to have a fitbit but this is way better and more geared for the outdoors, which I needed . I feel like I have been missing out. Great watch and not a bad price.
- Really enjoying this watch and it is so easy to use. I used to have a fitbit but this is way better and more geared for the outdoors, which I needed . I feel like I have been missing out. Great watch and not a bad price.
- It looks nice and performs to my military standard. Took it out in the field and it worked great. I didn't get lost. My battles were impressed too.It does more than I was expecting and exactly what it says it does.
- This is my favorite watch ever. It offers so much. And the battery, wowza! I use it mostly without the GPS and it lasts a couple weeks on one charge. This has to be great for those hikers out there. I am just a techy nerd and this is great.
- It charges in 20 minutes and lasts a week or longer depending on the GPS usage but never dies before a week. It guides the sun for me and allows me to follow the light and know when I should start unpacking for the night. I have taken it thorough rapids among other extreme circumstances ad it holds in there great. It works really well when Sailing. I mean I am super outdoorsy and this thing is like a little partner with tons of info and help. I love it.
- It charges in 20 minutes and lasts a week or longer depending on the GPS usage but never dies before a week. It guides the sun for me and allows me to follow the light and know when I should start unpacking for the night. I have taken it thorough rapids among other extreme circumstances ad it holds in there great. It works really well when Sailing. I mean I am super outdoorsy and this thing is like a little partner with tons of info and help. I love it.
- It is a good size and the features are really good. Only issue is when I sync it with my phone the time changes. I feel it is the app that does this so I just use the watch without the app and I am happy with it.
- The GPS si incredible, fast, and super accurate. It has military grids on it and tracks everything with complete accuracy. I am able to get notifications but it doesn't disturb me. It is a nice fit and size as well. I like it overall.
- This is exactly what I was looking for. Works wonders when I am out hunting. I like to hike a bit to and it tracks great, weather and all. I got 2 weeks out of a charge and used the GPS a bit. Make sure you keep up with the firmware for it to work to its maximum potential.
- Look and feel gives me all the feels. It works so well and tracks EVERYTHING. I have never had something so functional. It works in most temps I have found. No stalling in cold weather. Like knowing the tem and the barometer is great. Love this thing.
- This is a well thought out and well made device. It looks great on and hs so much to offer. I am so pleased with it. It does have a lot of input menus layered with more menus but if you have time you will be surprised. Play with it. You won't be disappointed. So much info on the website as well.
- The battery life is insane. I use it to track my surf spots and fishing and it hasn't let me down yet. This is my daily jam now. Loving this watch.
Negative
- Had it for around 6 months and it just stopped working. Went black and won’t come back on. They want me to send it in for repair and it will take months. They have no service centers in Texas. I am disappointed.
- The display is really dull and hard to read. I couldn't connect it to any of my devices and GPS hardly worked. Customer support is useless. I sent it back. I am disappointed.
- When the battery dies, all the info goes with it. The battery kept dying every 12 hours or so and made it really uslss for long hikes. The accuracy is bad on most of its functions . Like the Altimeter is way off and I climb a lot. They do not allow returns either. I threw it away I was so frustrated.
- I am a very avid hiker. I tried to get this to calibrate and it would not. I updated everything and charged it, nothing. I was really wanting to use the GPS on this after I read all the great review, not working either. I am not a negative review writer but this watch sucked.
- Everything on it is inaccurate. I run the same distance and route daily and I always get different info. One time I was running 200mph. Haha. Sometimes it takes up to a half mile for it to log anything or connect to the GPS. IT honestly is off by a mile most of the time as well. I am disappointed, really.i can get a Garmin for less money and it is known to be more accurate.
- The strap fell apart very quick and they GPS never locks in right. It is garbage, honestly. The altitude reader fluctuates wildly all the time and the distance is off a mile or more each time I track. I trashed it. I am super dissatisfied.
- I just started using it as a watch because everything else it is supposedly supposed to do is way off. It only works with GPS far a few minutes at a time and eats the battery. The charger is really flimsy and breaks easy. I wouldn't recommend eating your money.
- The band kept popping off and I almost lost ir a couple times. Customer service offered to sell me another for half off. Seriously, your stuff is faulty. Such a waste.
- Temp is way off and the altimeter doesn't work at all. It is all over the place. The ap doesn't work well at all and loses info constantly. Really has a lot of flaws. I would not recommend buying at all, so frustrating.
- Super disappointed in this thing Moecount is useless and doesn't show anything worth tracking. It is so expensive and not easy to use. The screen lacks visibility. It is old tech with new clothes. I hate it.
Reviewmeter
The Reviewmeter shows you an overall score that you can easily refer to. The highest rating is 10 (100% positive feedback)
Of the 200 reviews we found in total,
24% were negative, and
76% were positive.
Activities
This particular fitness tracking watch is very much intended for outdoor use. The functions and features gear it towards the wilderness, giving you GPS and topographic maps to get you through mountain biking, skiing, running, or just a leisurely hike or swim out in the world. You could certainly use it to keep track of your urban escapades as well, but it would be a severe limitation of all of the features you have at your fingertips by investing in this device. If you also happen to be a hunter, this watch may come in handy depending upon how far you need to trek to reach your blind or nest, though it is geared more towards the expectation of travel than hunting. There is no reason not to use it as a hunter, of course – hunters like to know where in the world they wandered while seeking their quarry.
Basic Features
At its base level of function, the Traverse is a pedometer, a calorie counter, will notify you of incoming calls, texts, or push notifications, and keeps time. It has a GPS to tell you where you are and help you navigate your route. It is waterproof to 100 meters (or 330 feet) so that if you happen to need to cross a stream or river and get it wet, you need not worry about the integrity of your device- it does not drown easily. These functions are where some simpler fitness trackers and smart watches stop, but the Traverse blows them all away with everything else it has up its sleeve.
Advanced Features
In addition to all of the normal functions, the Traverse really steps up to the plate with everything you need for outdoor hiking. The Movescount software (and corresponding app to your smart phone) has topographic maps, integrated GPS and GLONASS satellite navigation systems, as well as a step retracing function in case you need to follow the virtual breadcrumbs to get back to camp safely. It also offers weather trend and daylight logging, meaning it will warn you when a storm is coming by measuring barometric pressure where you are and telling you when to find cover. The daylight hour tracking will tell you how long until sunrise or sunset and has a backlight flashlight function to help you with tasks that require illumination as you get ready for bed. It also offers vibration alerts that are strong and noticeable, but at the same time keep noise disturbance in nature to a minimum. Nobody wants the heartbreak of seeing a wild creature in its natural environment, only to have an unnatural tinny chime frightening the creature off before you can properly appreciate its majesty.
Connectivity
The Suunto Traverse connects, as most smart watches and fitness trackers do, via Bluetooth to your smart phone. You can either look up online how you do this (the instructions for Android or iOS will be slightly different) and it is noted that you should always make sure your system and apps are all as up to date as possible to ensure peak performance capabilities. Through its integrated GPS and GLONASS systems for navigation it can convert and calculate data into information you need on your hike. It can calculate your speed and location; through it’s Fused Alti software it can read your altitude, vertical speed, and total ascent and calculate out every readout you could ever need for your journey, including the barometric pressure and satellite altitude. You may want to lose yourself in the great wide wilderness, but you will never be lost while you are out there.
Apps
Suunto is going through a transition from the Movescount App to the Suunto App in general for all of their users. While this is a wonderful way of keeping everyone connected, the transition does offer some glitches. For example, you cannot have Movescount and the new Suunto App both on your phone and paired to your device at the same time – it will crash and glitch frequently if you try. Suunto recommends transitioning to the new app sooner rather than later in order to already be on board when Movescount is ultimately discontinued. For the nuances of what this might mean in terms of available functions carrying over, where your treks will be stored, and what features are remaining the same or being remastered, it is recommended that you go online with specific questions in mind and find the answers on their site to be sure you know exactly what you are getting into. Hopefully all of the bright features of Movescount carry over, including the Heatmaps feature, which shows the most popular routes for various activities and locations, with millions of Moves from users collected and stored and shared on the app in compilation. If you would prefer to take a road less travelled, however, there is also the topographic maps available to blaze your own trail. Another feature that is hopefully carried through to the new app is the movie making option. The Movescount app currently syncs up any photos you take with your recorded trek, and when you sync up on your device you can format into a movie and upload it to share on their YouTube channel or even on your own social media.
Comfort
With an adjustable buckle-style closure and several band materials to choose from, you are more than capable of finding an option that best suits your comfort. As with most other wrist-worn devices of this nature, be sure to take it off from time to time and let your skin breathe to avoid skin irritation or buildup of dead skin in the area. With a four day lifespan between charges, the idea of ‘my skin will breathe when I charge it’ might not be adequate; try to give yourself a night off every now and then between charging cycles, for optimum cleanliness and health. If you miss a few tracked calories in your sleep, or the drive home from a hike, so be it; your overall health and safety should always come first.
Style
The Suunto Traverse is a highly customizable watch, not only in quick access features within the software but within the hardware itself. The straps and buckles are customizable in several different combinations, which will be touched upon in detail later in this review. The appearance of the face and housing is just as detailed when broken down into individual parameters. The bezel comes in brushed steel or grey steel. The bezel screws can be chosen in color apart from the bezel color itself, giving you the option to have them stand out against the bezel as a pop feature or blend in for uniform look, coming in steel, black, or grey. The case comes in either black, blue, grey, lime, or white. The buttons come in either a flat design or a rounded design. The rounded option only comes in polished steel appearance. The flat design come in brushed steel or brushed grey steel, or in black or brushed black. You can even personalize something to be printed on the back of the case, pressed against your wrist like a watch engraving from a movie. The character limitation or precise location on the back of the case, or any fonts available was not as readily detailed as the other parameters for customization, so keep an open mind until you are ordering your watch.
Durability
After being put through Suunto’s own rigorous durability testing in Finland where every watch is handmade, the Suunto Traverse watch is handed over to the military to run their own standard testing. This ensures that not only are Suunto’s expectations met, but also real, inarguable levels of real-world comparison rugged durability can be assured by having the military run their gambit of exercises and quality controls upon it. Only being waterproof to 100 meters (330 feet) it is clearly not a deep sea watch, but if you take it kayaking or stand-up paddle boarding down the rivers or rapids from campsite to campsite, you will not have to worry about it. Your watch is in good hands, and with its composite case, stainless steel bezel and recessed screen, it can take a beating.
Face
With a mineral crystal material glass composition, the face of the Suunto Traverse is designed to withstand the wilderness right along with you. It’s recessed mounting within the bezel ensures it will not bump or scratch as easily as some flat-faced smart watch screens, keeping it looking pristine for years to come. It offers a black or white (normal or inverted) appearance setting, and a backlight option for nighttime use and flashlight capabilities, as well as being framed by four buttons outside the bezel for simplicity of function. Including the bezel and buttons, the face of this watch reaches 50 millimeters (or 1.97 inches) in length and width, sitting at a depth of 16 millimeters (or 0.65 inches). It is big enough to see and be seen and lean enough not to be cumbersome as you seek out the world.
Band
Being a watch for every kind of outdoorsman, the Traverse is designed with several different options of band to choose from to suit your personal style and preference. There are different looks to choose from individually between the buckle and the strap: the buckles can be brushed steel, polished steel, polished steel in black, or a matte black metal. The straps have even more options depending on what in the Suunto family you buy, though it was not made distinctly clear if you could cross an Ambit3 strap with a Traverse watch, if you wanted that particular color instead, so be careful in your selections. As for specific colors available, in the listed Ambit3 Vertical (silicone) you can choose between white, lime, blue, or a shorter white strap variant for smaller wrists. The standard Traverse (silicone) bands come in black, amber, or graphite. There are also three leather strap options: grey, black, or white. Additionally, for the Traverse Alpha, you can opt for the foliage (green) or stealth (black) textile strap, a sturdy woven material.
Ease of Use
This watch is designed to be functional with ease while you are on your hike so that you do not need to spare much attention to use it – you are out in the wilderness in order to see the world around you, not stare at your wrist the entire time. As such, it has multiple buttons designed with customizable quick access features, easily scrolling menus, and several items can be done with a single touch rather than selection from a series of screens. It also records your trek in real time, so you can get home safely and then transfer the data, instead of having to try and remember what your watch said at various points along your hike.
Battery
It would not make much sense to have a watch that wants you to seek the wild if you were going to be tethered to a charging point at all points during a day, so it comes as no surprise that the Traverse can boast up to 100 hours of battery life while recording – that is four days of use between charges. Even if you plan on being out longer, the charging cable can be plugged into any compatible solar charger during your trek. If you intend to hike the Appalachian Trail, you may want to include recharge sticks at checkpoints when you mail yourself supplies ahead of time, but if all you bring is a good powerful solar charger and your charging cable, you will still be able to log your entire journey.
Price
The capability of customizing the appearance of your watch when you order it comes from ordering directly from the Suunto site. Other retailers may or may not offer the same level of detail, difference in colors, or minutia of selection categories. If your heart is set on a specific conglomeration of options, be prepared to see a much higher price tag than that of an already-constructed standard appearance watch for sale. These watches, depending upon your preferences, can climb into the $500 range, so watch your budget carefully.
Accessories
Being so customizable, the Traverse is something that you can buy standard and swap out wristbands later if you so desire. Just be aware that not all aftermarket swaps will include every customizable feature if you build your watch yourself on their site or order it that way through a direct dealer. You will save money by purchasing “off the rack” so to speak, but if you have your heart set on every specific parameter being met to suit your mental image of what this watch could be, then by all means. In terms of a pairing accessory, there is a chest strap heart monitor that is directly correlated with the Suunto line; whether a different brand is just as functionally compatible is unknown. Before you invest in such a thing, double check that it will work, especially if you are caught up in the phasing out of the Movescount App and the phasing in of the general Suunto app.
Key Features
• GPS & GLONASS navigation systems
• 100 hours battery life
• Phone notifications and alerts
• Highly customizable (depending upon retailer)
• 100 hours battery life
• Phone notifications and alerts
• Highly customizable (depending upon retailer)
Bottom Line
In summation, the Suunto Traverse is a watch to help you seek the world and then seek home safely at the end of your journey. Strapped to your wrist you will have thousands of topographic maps, weather advisories and tracking, daylight hour marks, altitude and ascent measurements, and a Hansel-and-Gretel-esque fail-safe way home should you need to turn back ahead of schedule. It is built to survive your journeys, built not to drown, and built to last. You can customize its appearance for a look that is uniquely yours, mark the places you like en route, and log photographs along the way to compile into your recorded memory later. This watch is a way to help you get out there with confidence and find your way through the wilderness.