The Suunto Traverse Review

The Suunto Traverse is a GPS-integrated smartwatch that promises the functionality of traditional GPS units. It’s the first watch from the Suunto brand to be designed specifically for wear outdoors. While this watch may be bulkier than conventional options, the engineering is incredibly solid. In fact, it’s a match to military standards.

The Background Of The Suunto Traverse

The Traverse collection was released by Suunto back in 2015. There are five watches within the range – the Amber, White, Black, Slate, and Graphite versions. All offer outstanding performance paired with attractive designs. The Traverse is made specifically to suit the needs of outdoor pursuits enthusiasts. Those who require a high-quality timepiece to wear during their adventures. For this reason, the Traverse is fully equipped with a host of advanced features. For Example GPS, a Bluetooth chipset, barometer, and compass.

What’s The Suunto Traverse’s Design Like?

The Traverse has a user-friendly interface. It features buttons that are used to select different screen options and functions. While it isn’t exceptionally intuitive, it’s fairly easy to get to grips with.

The watch is incredibly durable – something which is absolutely essential in an outdoor watch. Both face and straps are resistant to scratches and breakage. It’s waterproof to 100 meters so you won’t need to worry about wearing it in the rain or in a river. The strap is also waterproof and durable, made from comfortable silicone. For most people, this watch is easy to wear. However, if you have very small wrists, you may find it more difficult to wear for extended periods because of its bulk.

Does The Suunto Traverse Have Lots Of Features?

There is a wealth of features integrated into this outdoor-wear fitness tracker watch. This makes it a great choice for anyone who is keen to improve their fitness level in the outdoor environment while keeping a close eye on their progress over time. It goes without saying that this watch can also be used as a countdown timer or stopwatch. Furthermore, it features a digital compass to make navigating a breeze.

Another interesting feature of this watch is the inbuilt sensor which is capable of measuring the air pressure continuously. There are 3 different settings – altimeter, barometer and automatic. This watch displays your elevation and shows barometric and GPS altitudes which can be logged in to an altitude graph to easily track your progress. There is also a weather trend indicator that comes with a storm alarm function. Ideal if you’re out trekking or hiking.

The Suunto Traverse connects to the Suunto Movescount site. This allows you to view and download your activities and to export your GPS files to a range of other apps like Strava.

What Are The Suunto Traverse’s Fitness Tracking Functions?

Although the Suunto Traverse can track your heart rate, it needs a belt or wrist monitor which must be purchased separately. This is a bit of a downside and will also add extra cost to the price of your fitness tracker. On the positive side, it allows users to configure 5 different sporting modes. You’ll be able to see all the key data you need during your workout, including your pace, ascent, speed, and heart rate. After your workout, you can see a more in-depth analysis in the app along with GPS tracking.

This watch enables you to install as many as three apps for each sporting mode. You can either create them yourself or choose them from the Movescount app zone, enabling you to get even more information about your physical fitness. The Suunto traverse is a good choice of watch for anyone who likes to vary their outdoor sports between activities such as hiking, cycling, and paddling.

What Are The Main Advantages of The Suunto Traverse?

Solid military standard engineering
A fairly intuitive user interface
Comfortable silicone strap
Non-scratch screen
Integrated GPS tracking

What Are The Main Disadvantages Of The Suunto Traverse?

A slightly bulky design for anyone with slim or small wrists
No integral heart rate monitor
8 Hour battery with GPS enabled

Is The Suunto Traverse Right For Me?

One of the best things about the Suunto Traverse is that it offers the combined functionality of a watch and a GPS unit. Comfortable to wear around your wrist, this device is robust enough to take anywhere, whether you’re hiking in the mountains or swimming in a river.

While it can be used at its most basic level to track your physical activity, it can be pushed to a higher level, allowing you to benefit from the advanced route and navigational options. The altimeter functionality allows more convenient tracking, while the storm alert option is an interesting additional feature – very useful for any outdoor enthusiast.
Despite this watch being rather bulky compared to some of its rivals, it can be worn relatively unobtrusively. Its ability to sync with the Movescount app means that it’s a breeze to track your progress over time.

It may not be a complete replacement for the most advanced GPS units that feature inbuilt mapping, but if convenience is your goal, this watch is pretty hard to beat. It’s much quicker to access than any GPS unit and as an added bonus, leaves your hands free.

Summary

The upshot is, if you love your outdoor pursuits and need a watch that combines a host of sports tracking functionality paired with sufficient robustness to withstand anything that the outdoor life can throw at it, the Suunto Traverse could tick all your boxes. On the other hand, if your preference is for indoor sports or you want a more streamlined, sleek option to wear on your wrist, you may want to look at one of the other options on the market today.