Biographical Information
Name	Jennifer Pope
Age	24
Gender	Female
Height	5 ft 7 in (1.7 m)
Weight	140 lbs (64 kg)
Email address	Jennifer dot Pope at gmail dot com
Location	Los Angeles, CA
Backpacking Background Newbie. I’ve been a car-camper as long as I can remember and started backpacking in Northern California when I was 16. I'm starting to get back into backpacking after a hiatus during college. I recently moved to Southern California and so far I've only backpacked in the Angeles National Forest but I'm planning on branching out to other low elevation mountain areas; the California desert; and the high Sierra in the summer months. I'm a tent camper leaning towards lightweight; but I am a fan of gadgets and I like being comfortable. I also do a mix of short and long day hikes in and around Los Angeles.

Product Information (back to top)
Manufacturer	Freestyle USA
Manufacturer's URL	www.fsfitness.com
Year of Manufacture	2004
Listed Weight	none given
Actual Weight	1.9 oz (54 g)
MSRP	$40 US
Product Features (from website)	Accurately counts steps Calculates distance in miles or kilometers Calculates calories burned 24 hour clock with day and date Alarm, countdown timer, stopwatch Weekly memory Night Vision™ LCD backlight Pulse meter displays heart rate

Note: The pedometer can be used in Imperial and Metric formats.

Initial Thoughts (back to top)

I've used this pedometer off and on for the last year. It wasn't initially a backpacking purchase; I actually bought it so I could try and increase my day-to-day walking distances since I sit at a computer during working hours. I quickly realized that this pedometer might also be useful for hiking/backpacking.

Using the pedometer (back to top)

Before I could start using the pedometer for the first time I had to input some information. The first thing I had to do was calculate my stride length. The manual describes how to do this and it's a pretty painless process. I simply measured the distance I traveled in 12 steps, divided this distance in inches by 12 (to get my stride in inches), then divide that number by 12 to get my stride in feet. Then I entered this into the pedometer (again this is explained in the manual). I also had to input my weight (in pounds). I believe the weight allows the pedometer to better predict the number of calories burned. Then the pedometer is ready to go.

Using the pedometer on a daily basis is pretty simple. I just clip it to my waistband and go. The manual does specify that the pedometer should be kept perpendicular to the ground while it's being worn for accuracy purposes. I've never noticed a problem with the pedometer getting off-balance while I'm wearing it. It's very simple to switch between the different functions on the pedometer: just press the mode button and toggle through them.

I should mention that other than switching between different functions (modes) on the pedometer, other tasks are more difficult to figure out. I preface this by saying that I'm not a big manual reader. I like to mess around with something to figure out how it works rather than sit down and read the manual. Lucky for me I married someone who gets joy out of reading manuals, so usually he'll read them and explain things to me if I can't figure it out. Back to the pedometer, the buttons are not entirely intuitive. Most of the buttons I don't use on a day-to-day basis, but I know I couldn't figure out how to use them on my own (i.e. without referencing the manual). This actually prompted me to save the manual (which is something I don't usually do). But there's also a PDF copy of the manual on the manufacturer's website.

Functions (back to top)

functions and size

Step Counter This function provides a running total for the number of steps taken in a single day. I don't really pay attention to this function because I don't really have anything to base the numbers on (what does 1,000 steps versus 2,000 steps mean?).

Distance Calculator This is my most used function, and I think the function that most specifically applies to backpacking. I usually get some idea of how long a trail is either from a Tom Harrison map or a trail guide. Then when I set out on the trail I can keep track of how far I've traveled. I use this to make sure I don't miss trail junctions or just so I have some idea of how much farther I have to go. My pace varies widely depending on trail difficulty and how scenic the trail is (my husband stops to take lots of pictures on particularly scenic trails and even on average trails) so it's hard to guesstimate how far we've traveled. I find this pedometer helps us keep track so we know if we need to pick up the pace to make it to a certain spot by a certain time. And so far, it appears to be very accurate.

Calorie Counter This seems to be a feature for people trying to lose weight, and I don't really use it except for out of pure curiosity.

Count-down Timer I occasionally use this feature if I'm cooking something that needs a particular cooking time. This feature does not get all that much use.

Time/Day/Date/Alarm This is probably my second most used feature. I use the clock as a clock obviously, I don't wear a watch while hiking or backpacking (I don't like the sweat accumulation under the watch or the watch tan). I also use the alarm as a regular alarm clock. I will usually clip this somewhere on the inside of my tent (my tent has a pouch that runs above my head). I have not had a problem waking up to this alarm; but my husband is a deep sleeper and this never wakes him up (although not much does).

Thermometer I use this feature quite frequently too. It seems to be fairly accurate (although I have not confirmed this with a thermometer I know to be accurate). I know a lot of watch thermometers are often skewed by body temperature, making them unpredictable while you're wearing them. This has not been a problem that I've noticed. I wear the pedometer clipped to my waistband or hipbelt, so it is not in direct contact with my skin.

Stopwatch Obvious function, but I have not used this feature.

Recalls weekly and total record The pedometer keeps track of the total steps taken on the current week. I don't find this total useful for my needs.

Pulsemeter There's a sensor on the pedometer that I can place my thumb over to calculate my pulse. I really don't have any use for this feature and when I have tried it I have gotten error messages or readings that are not reasonable. This doesn't really bother me, because I really don't have a use for it anyway.

Pacer I had actually forgotten about this feature until I started writing this OR. I think this could be useful if I wanted to keep up a certain pace while hiking. I should try this one out. But I generally go by whatever pace my body tells me I need to keep.

Field Conditions (back to top)

The first hike I took this pedometer on was a 4.5 mile (7.25 km) out and back summit of Ryan Mountain in Joshua Tree National Park. Ryan Mountain's elevation is 4,461 ft (1360 m) and it was a warm sunny day in the mid-80s F (30 C). I was pretty skeptical of the pedometer's accuracy when I first set out on this hike. And after I had been hiking for a while I was beginning to hope that the distance was off because it was beginning to get hot and I was ready to be to the top. But as it turned out, it was very accurate. I only had an approximate distance to the top, but the pedometer was pretty much dead on. I was quite impressed. I had thought that perhaps going uphill it might not be as accurate as on flat land, but I guess I just don't know how it calculates distances because it seemed to be right on target. It was also useful in telling me the temperature that day (it was just too hot) and the time.

Since this first trip I have used the pedometer on numerous occasions. It's been used on day hikes as well as backpacking trips. I haven't used it in the rain because I try to stay out of inclement weather. But it's been used below freezing temperatures with no ill effects.

Durability (back to top)

Up until this point I've only had one problem with the pedometer. For some reason it started beeping every few minutes for no apparent reason. This caused me to stop using it for a while because I couldn't figure it out. I then replaced the battery thinking that might help, but it still beeped. So I decided to just wear it and see if it would eventually stop. And it did. After a pretty short distance it just stopped beeping. After that it seemed to work fine. Distances seemed accurate and nothing was abnormal. Now, I'm not sure if this is entirely the fault of the pedometer. It is entirely possible that I could have set something and forgot to unset it. However, it wasn't obvious why it was beeping at such short intervals or how I could stop that beeping.

Otherwise, the pedometer has performed fine. It's holding up well. I haven't had any issues with it scratching or pieces breaking off (even though I never take it off my hipbelt before I set my pack on the ground). It seems to be working as well as it did the first day I started using it.

The Good (back to top)

accurate
lots of functions
relatively cheap

The Bad (back to top)

not intuitive to use
difficult to troubleshoot problems

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