Suunto Traverse Alpha Review | Team Backcountry

[@masterchief6280]

This is by far the best Suunto Traverse review I have seen and I have been looking for weeks. Now I just have to wait until my birthday....

[@davidg5759]

Same , this is going to be a gift to myself (:

[@kevinhayden9030]

Did you get it?

[@davidg5759]

@@kevinhayden9030 I got it, it's the best watch for me. Battery lasts roughly two weeks , take two hours to charge. I use this for hiking and cycling (sometimes the MPH I'm doing while I cycle is wrong BUT that's because I have it on GPS OK refresh rate of ten seconds) GPS BEST REFRESH RATE OF A SECOND IS GREAT BUT it'll use up more battery so expect roughly a week or so if you use it daily as such, it's great for detailed exercise routes. Replace the bands because they're scruffy and itchy though (be careful you can damage the lugs if not done right, I would have it professionally done just in case, but your choice. ) I've bashed it against door frames , the area in between the seats of my truck , against jagged tree trunks , and I clean it off by showering with it. No scratch ,NO SCRATCH ON THE GLASS COMPONENT, THE BEZEL LOOKS RUGGED WITH NO signs of wear. The sunset alarm is helpful when I'm out hiking , which it tracks my steps nearly perfectly. I'm so blessed for this watch , it's been my daily driver. Once I take off my work watch this bad boy comes right on. I used the find back feature , albeit confusing in the beginning , but it did lead my girl and I back safely. Syncing to the app can take a hot minute which some people are not a fan of , me? I don't mind because I enjoy watching the suunto movie (it draws out your route and adds information such as fastest MPH or highest elevation, etc) any more questions let me know I'm an avid watch man.

[@sandymilne224]

Good review. Well explained. My only issue with this watch is that, as my eyes deteriorate with age, it’s hard to see the screen. Not specific to this watch, but with any shadows, I need to shield the screen and use the backlight to read it. I have my backlight set to red. I call it “The Devil’s Eye”. I still love this watch. I wear it everyday. I clean the strap regularly using ‘Fantastic’ spray and a toothbrush. It cleans up well and doesn’t fade the black color of the strap. Also, I have had the main button get clogged with dust and not work. I boil some water, pour it into a glass, let it cool some and place the watch in the very hot water. That always gets the watch button freed up again.

[@philp411]

My first Suunto was a Core. Then I got the Ambit 2. Now...darnit...I need to get the Traverse Alpha.

[@The-Huntian]

Haha, sorry. It's just money though ;)

[@KroniklyStoned]

I just bought two of these, one in foliage and stealth black. AU$270 second hand in mint cond and Au$469 online. RRP is $699 here in Australia , so I reckon I got a steal! I knew my brother would get jealous so I had to do it! Spent the last day reading the pdf manual to get familiar. So excited to get out in the wilderness and try it out

[@fitnesshiker]

Good review and excellent watch. Had mine for over a year now. The only downside is the moves application. Application crashes continuously. The app also doesnt correlate with watch features. But your review was about the watch.

[@The-Huntian]

I haven't had many problems with the Moves Count online program... I haven't done much with the app though. I did download it and try it out but I wasn't overly impressed so I just deleted it off my phone. But the watch is great so that's all that I really care about :)

[@mattis1600]

Use alcohol hand sanitizer for the strap. Very effective and does no damage to the strap!

[@The-Huntian]

Good to know. Thanks for the info!

[@Thelegendhaha]

Nice review thanks. Mine arrived today and I’m looking forward to getting out in the mountains with it 👍🏼

[@The-Huntian]

Thelegendhaha nice! Holler if you’ve got any questions!

[@hjarsen7296]

What about now? You got home?

[@summittaedae2323]

I have the Shinto traverse alpha and I honestly just use the gps for speed to find myself and revert to maps. As a watch it’s really cool but I should learn how to use it. Especially since it was not a cheap piece of kit.

[@The-Huntian]

Yes, it is capable to doing a lot of using things that are worth learning about :)

[@summittaedae2323]

Team Backcountry I really do need to learn how to use it properly. I just use it to locate my position fast and then map read. I usually go walkabout no predicted route. I’m a wanderer 🙄

[@AndyRoma68]

Best review so far, thanks, just a question: in my display there's TIME, DATE and STEPS; how Ican I see how many KM correspond to that amount of steps? Thanks again

[@kimpatton2488]

Very helpful. Getting ready to hike a 14 er with my new watch

[@eva2k0]

My only complaint with this watch is that even if you're not using all the smart features, it still only has ~14 days of battery life. It would be nice if you had the option to turn off all the smart features and get 6+ month battery life in a timekeeping only mode.

[@Raptorx007]

Exactly. And that is why i have the Rangeman gw9400. It never runs out of battery. A truly surviver watch which will outlast WW3 and be found by apes or aliens after we are long gone :p

[@copyriteprinting2354]

Well knowing that you cant disable features makes this a hard watch to purchase since the battery life is poor and no solar charging.

[@nightlynic]

Best review I have found for this watch. Thank you so much.

[@The-Huntian]

andrew semrick thank you!

[@Krod50]

Nice Video! Suunto Traverse Alpha Crew!

[@UserFormelyKnownAs_hjkh]

I find that when i go back to a trail in my logbook and want to follow it the watch wants me to start a whole new recording and wants to save it afterward. Kind of defeats the purpose of "following" something youve already saved. Any thoughts/ideas?

[@1986mrcrj]

I take a toothbrush an dish detergent and clean my band. It seems to help so far.

[@The-Huntian]

1986mrcrj nice. Good idea. I’ll have to do the same to mine!

[@madenciufuk]

Hey, great watch and video. I got some questions to buy it for engineering operations. First how is the accuracy of the gps, i mean sensitivity? What about durability, i work at a mining site with rocks? And last how about daily use, i had a g shock right now and don't take it off even in the shower?

[@The-Huntian]

Ufuk Koca the GPS seems pretty accurate to me. I constantly mark spots on the mountain and then upload them to Google Earth and it looks like it within 1-2 feet of where I marked the location And it’s pretty durable. I wore it for two years out in the mountains hunting without any issues. A couple weeks ago I was giving one of my llamas a haircut and he tried to kick me and hooked his foot on the strap and broke it off the watch. Now I just throw the watch in my pocket and it still works just as fine...

[@madenciufuk]

Team Backcountry thx mate 👍

[@zanekidd4394]

Looks like you could get a zulu style strap but it will actually cross behind the watch and your wrist when you wear it

[@sandymilne224]

Mine has a problem with the brightness of the screen starting to go. Any chance of getting it repaired?

[@mmrtactical7764]

Great review! Just got mine and I love it.

[@The-Huntian]

Sweet! I'm glad you like it. It's a great watch. Thanks for watching!

[@shino9797]

Stupid question, but if the battery is all the way dead, can you still tell the time? I want a new watch but I can't wrap my head of charging it often at all

[@RobertBrown-vi4xl]

Thanks for a very informative review Bob

[@nolbertomontesinos9884]

Cool video. I’ve a question. How can i delete savings from the logbook? Thanks.

[@SCQT]

great piece of gear thanks for the upload

[@thysdreyer6886]

Learned all i need to know from your video , thanks for sharing . One question i cant seem to find an answer to is what charger is best to use with this watch ? I have a samsung note 8 and it comes standard with the "fast charging" charger . Will it end up damaging my watch battery or would you say its safe to use ?

[@The-Huntian]

Thys Dreyer thanks for watching! As far as which charger, I just use a standard USB plug wall charger. I’m not sure if a “fast” charger would hurt the battery or not... sorry I’m not much help with that!!

[@thedevilsadvocate886]

@@The-Huntian far Chargers have a lighting bolt on the charging head 😉

[@2204pc]

watching constantly this review for the past days. i will buy it tonight because of team backcountry. QUESTION: with COUNTDOWN, can we set minutes and SECONDS or just minute as on casio protrek650 solar. For instance, can i set a 1 minute and 30 seconds COUNTDOWN ?

[@andrewazorian2786]

Hi I'm looking to purchase this watch and really need a reliable altimeter. Have you noticed the altimeter to be quite accurate?

[@ayna5793]

very good review, very well explained. i am considering this one.

[@slamminsammy24sw]

Should i get this or the Garmin Instinct

[@carlweiderick]

Great watch! Great review! Thanks! I might have to get one.

[@The-Huntian]

Carl Weiderick thanks for watching!

[@bryanstarrett1919]

“3.10. Find back”. The User Manual states that “Find back” is found in the Options menu/Navigation. I’ve scrolled through the Navigation menu but don’t see “Find back”. Where is it?

[@RAJRAHI-h3r]

Is it digital or smartwatch

[@inspector1973]

Hi. Does the Traverse measure speed in m/s? Thanks for the review.

[@The-Huntian]

It measures in MPH, and also your average time per mile.

[@gianky073]

Great watch! i have a traverse too and i love it during my hiking! ❤

[@The-Huntian]

Nice! All of Suunto's watches are pretty awesome in my opinion!

[@johnv7223]

How do you sort the points of interest? They are in the order I added not alphabetical order. Easier for me to find if they points of interest are alphabetical.

[@The-Huntian]

John Vukson that is a good question! I’m not sure how to do it or if you can do that. Mine has always been in the order they are added. Maybe someone else knows the answer??? Sorry I’m not much help.

[@pedrosoares8153]

Hi i've got a question: when you are in POI navigation mode it is possible to have a warning when you got close to the POI or getting away from it?

[@The-Huntian]

Pedro Soares I’m pretty sure it already does that (as long as you haven’t silenced the alerts). It should vibrate and beep when you are approaching your POI. I don’t know the exact distance, but when you’re within 100-200 feet it alerts you to let you know you’re getting close... I don’t think you can have it warn you when you’re getting away from it though... hope that helps!

[@pauliecaccamise1980]

Then you so much for the overview!

[@danzeck59]

thanks for the detailed review!

[@Pablo-ok1hh]

hey there really nice video, if i may ask, does this watch have auto-repeat countdown(like casio gshock)?

[@MrdPicek]

Question about the compass... you have it in Degrees, is it possible to change it over to milliradian? we use Mils in the canadian army.

[@MrdPicek]

Never mind! I googled the manual and after some digging i found that it does!

[@The-Huntian]

Awesome, good to know! Thanks for letting us know!

[@jayfish9810]

I have one of these but It seems like you have more exp. with the watch. As it relates to routes, is there an ETA based off current pace or miles left till end of route/next way point displayed anywhere?

[@The-Huntian]

I don't believe so. If you are hiking to a marked way point it will be counting down the distance as you get closer... but I don't think it gives you an estimated ETA based off your hiking pace...

[@Graciashauf]

But according to this review, it'll give u your average speed on another screen so do the math with average speed and total distance left to cover.

[@happycamper9300]

Does it will display your actual coordinates ?

[@Cuchulainn42]

If you cross a dateline, time zone, or daylight savings time. Do you still have to set the time manually?

[@The-Huntian]

Michael Conniff from what I have seen, in order for the watch to update to the current timezone/daylight savings/etc, you have to use the GPS on the watch in some way (for example, set a new waypoint or calibrate the altimeter or something like that). If you do that then the watch with then update to the correct time.

[@Cuchulainn42]

@@The-Huntian Thank-you I really liked your review.

[@justinthrasher2008]

I did not have to reset my time manually when day light savings time came around, it updated itself.

[@Throughdarkforests]

50% chance to get the usb cord in the right direction when you plug it in and I get it wrong EVERY time too. 😂

[@The-Huntian]

justin bushaw hahaha seriously man. Every Single Time!! Lol

[@87sandipan]

Same here.. Don't know why

[@renatusdominikus7318]

super montre la suunto traverse ,mais comment change t'on la batterie sur cette petite bête ?

[@malmiller8109]

Great video. Thanks

[@The-Huntian]

Thanks Mal!

[@fitnesshiker]

Wash the watch band with antibacterial soap after activities to reduce smell from bacteria buildup.

[@The-Huntian]

Yes I have done that. It definitely helps, but the smell usually returns after a couple days

[@buford3838]

Love it its the best hunting

[@NoName-im4tj]

Nice job. Very helpful

[@devendati]

Great review!

[@The-Huntian]

devendati thank you!

[@silverxxvi8193]

Can I export the recorded route as a GPX file to PC (to view on a mapping app like MemoryMap)? This would allow me to leave the mobile phone (or Garmin GPS unit) at home and just wear a watch if I didn't need to view a detailed map en-route.

[@SinZCrosS]

yeah u can with movescount

[@JohnSmith-bn7bl]

what about for a daily wear... this ok ? thanks

[@The-Huntian]

John Smith yes, I would wear it daily. Like I said, the strap gets smelly so I would recommend upgrading to a silicon strap for daily use so it doesn’t get stinky :)

[@JohnSmith-bn7bl]

thanks. it was more about features i may not use. i dont go hiking, but prefer more fitness options on the watch, would the spartan ultra be the better choice. or still the traverse alpha ? thanks again.

[@The-Huntian]

@@JohnSmith-bn7bl I think both would work great. The Spartan is probably better for fitness only, so I would recommend that instead of the Traverse. But both would get the job done.

[@poncianokinaso2900]

Suunto is also water resistance?

[@lcm7541]

What’s the difference between the alpha and the normal traverse

[@The-Huntian]

The Traverse Alpha is designed specifically for hunting and fishing. The bezel (metal ring around the glass) is more "robust" and durable looking and then there are hunting and fishing specific POI's. Hope that answers your question!

[@weavel020]

Does this watch have its own heart rate monitor built it?

[@The-Huntian]

weavel020 no it does not. I believe the Spartan watches are the only Suunto’s that do have a HR monitor.

[@METEORA_47]

how long batery life if gps system on?

[@The-Huntian]

If you are running the GPS and tracking your path all day long, the battery will probably last about 24 hours. If you just use the GPS occasionally it will last for roughly 7+ days.

[@Marcin79W]

@@The-Huntian Aren't there 3 modes (1s/5s/60s interval)? In 60s interval mode is suppose to last up to 100h.

[@MrKeys57]

Cant you just wash the strap, from time to time? its textile, isnt it? - i have done that with Nato bands

[@jadsoagapinan9018]

Nicr watch just got mine traverse alpha concrete

[@kevinhayden9030]

Jadso Agapinan what made you get concrete version?

[@matthewmesa1238]

How do you delete routes, not POIs but routes??

[@edmund8954]

whats the difference between alpha and the normal version?

[@The-Huntian]

I believe the Traverse Alpha has hunting specific POI’s (like trail cam, elk, deer, etc...), while the regular Alpha has standard POI’s

[@incognitoburritto3333]

Does this watch have the capability of updating via firmware ETC

[@The-Huntian]

I'm not sure what you mean by ETC... but yes, Suunto watches update their firmware when you plug it into the computer via Movescount (Suunto's computer app).

[@emiliobernal223]

The back light is red?

[@keelansarnecki]

Does any of the metal touch your skin? Reason why I’m asking is I have a nickel allergy and it looks as though only the Velcro band and composite back actually touch the wrist.

[@The-Huntian]

Sorry for the slow response! There are some metal rings on the wrist strap that occasionally touch your wrist. I would suggest looking into getting one of the silicon wrist straps instead.

[@keelansarnecki]

Team Backcountry no problem and thanks! I ended up going with a Velcro gshock band and it works amazing!

[@The-Huntian]

good to hear!

[@getlost3094]

Can u set magnetic declination on this compass mode?

[@justinthrasher2008]

Yes you can. Under the navigation settings

[@getlost3094]

Justin Thrasher awesome! Thank you for the quick reply!

[@jrgenj.7604]

Thank u for the nice video ;-)

[@zoomin6420]

How much thsi cost.....sir

[@CrimsonRaven51]

I just bought this. Need to learn how to drop “bread crumbs” when I hike in the woods or chase down a wounded deer so I can find my way back.

[@edmund8954]

yo watch out with those words,vegans gon be triggered.

[@zebratruck]

Can you change this watch to not read military time?

[@The-Huntian]

zebratruck yes you can. I just prefer military time because I work in EMS and that’s what we use :)

[@kevinhayden9030]

Team Backcountry I need a watch for EMT would you suggest this watch or Kailash (hope I spelled that right)

[@MrNubix]

The main thing with those watches is the limited battery life. If they had solar like the better Casio G-Shocks i'd probably buy one.

[@The-Huntian]

Yeah, it would be nice if the battery life was longer... but I'm sure this watch can do 10X the things the Casio watch can so you've got to choose what is more important to you :) I'm my opinion, the battery life isn't a big deal. It's pretty easy to charge it out in the mountains if needed...

[@jamesdalton2847]

I agree but I can't justify the $800 price tag on the new rangeman. You could buy several battery packs for the price difference.

[@carlopaglialunga3965]

Suunto Traverse Alpha has no Tide Graph ?....if its a Fishing watch it needs the Tides ?..

[@KAWONDAVARNAHA]

Use a chart -

[@neilrischl9569]

Is there a watch like this with no GPS. I hate plastic btw.

[@The-Huntian]

Neil Rischl check out the Suunto Core All Black

[@bestwatchesreview5657]

Nice

[@tuurask1511]

What's the lug width? Blu Shark makes amazing straps

[@The-Huntian]

I'm not sure what the lug width is!

[@tsegreto]

24mm

[@G37u73]

Is this watch good for military use?

[@oshaughnessyrof5201]

Jesus Escareno I don’t know but I use it for my BMQ

[@ryanflynn9920]

For everyday use does this watch work with spotify?

[@hishy2009]

Man, simply the strap needs a good wash and leave it to air dry, don't wear it wet.

[@choppergirl]

I can't seem to customize the watch face with anything different at all. Where do you find different watch faces for this watch? I want one that displays the year, because that's kind of important to know when it comes to time. I can't find any extra apps to install on it either. Also, the solar cell on the front doesn't seem to recharge the watch at all.

[@The-Huntian]

CHOPPERGIRL's AIRWAR Are you sure you’re talking about the Suunto Traverse Alpha watch? It seems like you’re asking questions about a different watch... Anyways, as far as I know, you aren’t able to change the look of the watch face (if that’s what you’re asking)? And if you need a watch to tell you what year it is then you’ve got bigger problems 😂. If you’re looking for a phone app, Suunto has an app called Movescount. The watch itself doesn’t have any apps you can install on it...? And I have no idea what you’re talking about with the solar cell...??

[@choppergirl]

Yeah, I got rid of it, I found it to be a rather pukey gray screen and stupid watch. No boys wanted to play with it and it just looked like a big ugly grey brick on my wrist. No way to change the watch faces or really upgrade it at all with any new apps. I ended up taking it back and getting a LG Watch Style . Now everybody wants to play with my watch where ever I take. Makes dinner dates and luncheons more fun and that rubs off on me and impresses my guests. My Casio 1500 has atomic time, ABC, solar recharging so I never have to recharge it, and can tell me the year, so that kind of set the bar for what a basic watch should do. I don't care what anybody might say, year is pretty important in a time piece. I time stamp and write my dates and times with the most significant bit first... YYYY:MMDD:HHMM. When you're diabetic, or writting out checks to pay your bills, it's pretty easy to forget the year. So if a watch can't tell me the year, it fails completely as a time keeping device, because that's the most significant time information of them all. Not particularly smart. Tell Doc Brown the year is not important. If I told you men landed on the moon on July 20 at 20.18 UTC does that really tell you when they landed on the moon? Maybe knowing it was in 1969 too might help... ya think? :) Kind of the most significant piece of information, the year...

[@citytianyu]

CHOPPERGIRL's AIRWAR I like the way you talk about the year : j, although it's still a non-sense to me whatsoever. This watch is a utility watch for those guys who enjoy the outdoor life, especially hiking, fishing, and hunting. If you wanted to show off your watch, this is definitely a wrong one to go, or even wrong brand. No offense, this watch is intended to be shown off to your dusty buddies who are eager for the mountains, but not to some instagram-obssessed bosom friends.

[@choppergirl]

Tianli Bi - I decided my Lowrance Airmap and Nuvi 255 ($10, fits in your pocket) had way better GPS capabilities with maps than a Suunto Traverse which was basically useless if you forgot to mark the start of your trek or get you anywhere but back to your starting point, so I got a Huawei Smart Watch instead for $60 as bling bling to show off to my bosom buddies. :) 400x400 color screen with WiFi and Android Wear 2. As my daily driver I'll still use my Casio Protrek 1500 ABC just because I really am not interested in having to charge my daily driver watch every friggin day or couple of days. It's solar and never needs to be plugged in, you can wear it through the night and it will time sync with WSV

[@The-Huntian]

Hey, guys and GIRLS who enjoy the outdoor life :)

[@krzysiekmazan9823]

Pulsometr?

[@ward4251]

I am having major difficulty with my compass. Maybe I’m doing something wrong. Can you help?

[@The-Huntian]

ward4251 are you having trouble getting it to calibrate or what exactly?

[@ward4251]

Team Backcountry Thanks for the quick reply. When I calibrate, it says successful. First, the dark arrow is magnetic north and the clear arrow is the true? I’m at work right now, CLEARLY facing true north, and beneath the degrees say “W”..... It’s like everything is backwards.

[@AlexeyHK1]

ward4251 I Think the clear arrow is choosen direction

[@The-Huntian]

Yes, the clear arrow is a chosen direction. You can lock in a specific direction

[@edobihac82]

Hello I'm having issues with GPS location taking a long time to locate GPS seen on this video it worked within seconds mine isn't loading at all

[@edobihac82]

@Spikey Scenes thanks for the reply

[@shinblzz]

Am I the only one who thinks that not having a Solar charge in any outdoor survival watch IS a huge downgrade.

[@petrmorris8351]

Takový lempl.

[@NathanChisholm041]

As nice as it is I still prefer my G-Shock with GPS the WR on the Suuntos are pathetic! Also Tough solar is were it's at non off this recharge nonsense. But I will admit it does have some cool features the G doesn't and like wise. One feature I wish it had was a tide graph! As a fisherman/diver it's a must have that were Casio pro treks are great. Lastly at 9:30 mate that's not moon phase that's sunrise sunset! Come on man get with it.. Cheers

[@TR-Mead]

He is with it. If you just press the side button once more, it shows the moonphase.

[@soidog659]

Just wash the nylon strap in clean water after “stinky use like dressing out game. Problem solved.

[@largecheese1006]

the worst thing known to man... steenky strap

[@jamesc6137]

Can you set it up for regular time instead of military for Pete sakes

[@NathanChisholm041]

Of course

[@hello-u2w]

My traverse alpha is a piece of shit!! It won't receive notifications from my Huawei p20 pro. Suunto customer service has been giving me the run around for over 6 months! They have no plan to fix it!!!! #suunto #suuntosucks

[@macben3266]

maybe its your Huawei thats the piece of shit, sport 🤔

[@MrPerroballoo]

Hunting watch for hunting trips for hunting idiots ... omg

[@rodneygivens89]

Its pronounced spar-tan...not Spar-in.

[@The-Huntian]

Judas Priest… that nit picky huh?

[@AR9ify]

4 ads during your review. You must be desperate. I will not click on your vids again

[@harveysguesthouse8888]

Good job, thanks for the insights

[@yd3941]

Great review!