Backpacker Magazine – November 2009

Gear Review: Timex Expedition WS4 Watch

This one-glance watch was built with the input of renowned alpinist Conrad Anker.

by: Testers Ted Alvarez, Anthony Cerretani, Shannon Davis, Jonathan Dorn, George Heinrichs, Dennis Lewon, Kris Wagner

Tags:
• Watches
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• GPS
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• Gear
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Alpine
When Timex set out to create an easy-to-use altimeter, they consulted a guy who knows a thing or two about altitude: renowned alpinist Conrad Anker. His main advice? Make as much information as possible available in one glance so users don't need to shuffle through multiple screens. The result: "I could customize a display, set it, and not touch a button the rest of the day," says a tester.

"Which is one less thing to worry about if you're on sketchy terrain." The menu is easy to learn, and the altimeter was consistently close to known landmarks. And thanks to a graph that tracks 36 hours of barometric pressure, one New Hampshire tester was able to predict–and avoid–an afternoon storm. Downsides: G.I. Joe styling and smaller-than-average readouts. $200; 3 oz.; timex.com.

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