sports watches

I'm down to getting only about one a year. Chalk it up to old age. I no longer need to know how fast I run to the nanosecond and the umpteen other options that come with today's running watches.

My current running watch of choice is the Garmin Forerunner 201, a really wonderful GPS watch that leaves the Timex GPS in the dust. It's enough for me to know pace and distance and download it to my PC. Unfortunately though, it's not a knockaround watch due to its size. Its only useful purposes besides running - to the best of my knowledge - are biking and perhaps swimming. Highly recommended to anyone into running - and if satellite signal is weak in your area, the Nike SDM is a reasonable alternative.

I'm on the hunt for a hiking watch - one that can show me altimiter readings, GPS and maybe temp. and barometer. And the ideal such watch would be suitable as an everyday knockaround watch. The GPS funciton might make such a watch too cumbersome to be worn all the time, so I'd even consider foregoing this. What do you techno geek mountain climbers use?

I've got a CASIO Sport Trek Triple Sensor Tough Solar watch. I think the code for this watch is PRG-50. It's solar powered, does barometer, compass and altitude. It has also got some sort of recording mode where it records your altitude every 5, 10, 15 or so minutes if switched on. The Casio website might even have the complete manual as a pdf. I am very happy with mine. Being solar powered you don't have to worry every time you press the Illuminator etc. Oh, and it's 100 meters waterproof rated. No GPS though, maybe check out Suunto watches. They got one with GPS I think. Not sure what other functions that has. Hope this helps.

The Tossot T-touch does not have GPS, but does have temp, altimiter, barometer, compass, and stopwatch. I believe the temp function is accurate only if the watch is not being worn, though. It is styled like a semi-dressy everyday wearer rather than like a G-Shock.