watches!?!

"A date function isn't a bad thing on a longer trip. "

I agree wholeheartedly, even if we're not talking about the same thing….

I use an old Timex Indiglo Expedition that I got long before I started backpacking. It has a small face that matches my small wrist. I suspect it is a woman's or kids version, but it's black and has the same styling as the larger ones, so it doesn't look feminine. The Indiglo feature is nice to have. .86oz iirc.

How about this?

"For those of you who don't use the bells and whistles, why carry a watch? Or are you going phoneless?"

1. Dead reckoning. Along with a map and compass, a watch is very useful for navigation. Off-trail, it is also good to note where I am on a map at a certain hour. An hour later, I can make a note again. Less likely to get lost/off-track and I do, easier to correct.

2. First aid situations. Taking vital signs with a watch is critical. Plus you make note when you took the vital signs. In my WFA class, the instructor emphasized how a cell phone would not cut it. An amusing side note: Almost no-one under 30 had a watch. The exception? A nurse (and a doctor was in our class, too. Closer to my age…but she had a watch for similar reasons already). In fairness, knock on wood, I only had to do this once outside of a classroom setting.

3. Good to know if you have enough time to get back to the TH so you can make happy hour. This is known as The Truly Important Things. :)

My watch of choice:
http://www.pmags.com/gear-review-timex-indiglo-watch

My phone has a clock. It counts seconds. It's in an accessible pocket. Not sure I see why this is inferior to a watch for any of those things. I suppose the battery wears out quicker but on short trips that isn't an issue either.

Though if I wasn't on 24/7 call I'd happily dump the phone.

Michael,

A watch is easier for taking vitals than a cell phone for mainly ease of use and practical reasons. I suspect the under-30 nurse did not use a watch to be fashionable. :)

The good doctor and the instructor also were watch advocates.

For non-medical reasons, I find a watch is just quicker to look at then pulling a cell phone out my pocket. Of course, if I am bushwacking and/or going through creeks, I'd rather not have an expensive phone easily accessible in a shorts or pants pocket. Ditto with skiing.

I am also 40..so I am starting to fall into the old phart category so YMMV. ;)

Katherine:
"No, the OP should not listen to Ian. I suggest the opposite: Do not be a man about it."

Here you see one of the foremost issues faced by men these days, which is that no one wants them to BE a man, particularly women. They want weaklings, cowards, guys they can manipulate and control that double as an extra girlfriend, and put up with all their bullcrap. That, and the fact that most male children are being raised as girls by their single mothers, is how we've come to live in such a sissified society full of mouthy and perpetually butt-hurt little pansies that range from critical of to horrified by anything manly, yet somehow still consider themselves "men".
And so we end up here with suggestions for WOMEN-SPECIFIC accessories…for men to wear!

You need to listen to Ian, rise above all that, and get a real watch.
Stop asking other people what it should be, too. As long as your testosterone level is over 300 or so, it should be the one that you want.

Since you asked, I wear a Seiko Black Monster. If you're having to ask opinions from other people, you're probably not ready for something like that just yet, but don't worry, there are plenty of fine masculine watches out there :p

I'd agree that there isn't anyone telling men how to be men anymore. But the second biggest problem after that, is that those who do try to tell men how to be men, do so by telling them to buy a certain product. You're not a man without a manly watch! Please..

"You're not your job. You're not how much money you have in the bank. You're not the car you drive. You're not the contents of your wallet. You're not your xxx khakis. You are all-singing, all-dancing crap of the world."
-Fight Club

OP, as stated by others, check out the Timex watches. They should suit your purposes just fine.

Yeah, the part about the watch was sarcasm. The rest, unfortunately, was not.

Actually the largest problem is that we live in a world full of professional victims who spend their days looking for an opportunity to be offended by something.

By all means though, feel free to take my humorous jab at Max seriously and run with it.

Edit: shouldn't type stuff like this after my third cup of coffee. Came across more @$$holish than I intended. I do however have an agreement with Jerry to not delete my posts so I'll let 'er sit.

So to pull my foot out of my mouth and to get back on track.

"A watch is easier for taking vitals than a cell phone"

Yes it is. I guess I could throw the phone on the patient and count respirations, heart rate, etc but it's easier with the watch. You can also use a regular ole watch as a compass (can't remember if I mentioned that here or another thread and too lazy to re-read what I wrote). You can also do this with a digital watch by imagining where the hands would be.

http://www.wikihow.com/Use-an-Analog-Watch-as-a-Compass

Not a technique I'm likely to use since I carry a compass but it's nice to have options when things break.

I agree with Paul's three points and use them. When I buy my wife (an MD) a watch as a gift, it has to have a sweep second hand. She always wears a watch to work. As well as Ian's thought about watch-as-a-compass, which I do use, quite a bit. Compasses work better when you can't see the sun, but a watch plus sun works better in a car or boat where the is magnetic interference. I can find north within 5-10 degrees with a watch which is enough for many (but not all) purposes.

I'll also time myself to gauge my conditioning each season. If one of my common hikes is, say, 35 minutes to the pass this year versus 29 minutes last year, then doing a Half Dome or GCNP hike is going hurt that much more.

Yes, the watch is cheaper, tougher, more accessible, lighter, and almost never runs down, compared to a phone. But the timer on a phone is a marvelous thing and it makes the elapsed time trivial to figure out.

Timex Expedition watch with real hands. Doesn’t have a thermometer. In 50 years of backpacking I have never really needed a thermometer.

My backpacking watches

When I hiked the PCT, I realized that I prefer watches that are on a carbiner and hang off my pack instead of my wrist when hiking. My wrist eould swell in the heat so I 'd have to loosen the band only to find it too loose when it was cooler. So for years I used a Timex carbiner one before moving to HighGear altimeter carbiner watch. When you aren't wearing it, it doesn't matter how big or small it is except if you care about the extra ounce.

Not to hijack all of the jocularity, but which is the lightest of the acurite thermometers? Their site doesn't list weights…

Rich,
Here is the BPL article on thermometers including the Acurite…. Backpacking With A Thermometer

Rich,

I have this one at it weighs 1.2oz.

Thanks. got to be more accurate than the zipper pull alcohol one I have now.

The trick is to keep it out of the sun. Direct sunlight will add >30* to the reading.

I run the shockcord on the side pocket of my Prophet through the loop of the Accurite before running it through the cordlock and tying a knot. The pocket is mesh and I try to keep it in there so it's reading the ambient temperature but still getting some protection from the sun.

I started carrying it after reading Rex's article a year or so ago. I think it's tremendously helpful in determining how well/poorly my gear performs in certain conditions. This helps me figure out what to bring on future trips.

Regarding small, light watches…

If you're not concerned with looking professional or what ever, I highly recommend a kid's watch, like mine below.
It has a stretchy band and is adjustable. I have tiny wrists, but it even fits on my thick-wristed lover.
No thermometer, so it doesn't answer your question, but this is for others who may be interested.

Indiglo, analog, stretchy, waterproof, scratch resistant, super light, and the seconds hand is lizards who appear to be chasing one another with each tic and toc…the perfect watch for me!
____