![\"Suunto](\"http:\/\/larsonweb.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/09\/ambit2.png\")
<\/a>Form Factor and Physical Design:<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n The Ambit2 is not all that big. \u00a0It’s more or less the same size as my old Suunto Vector. \u00a0The Ambit2 is maybe a tiny bit wider, but it is also a tiny bit thinner than the Vector. \u00a0It’s a large watch, but it isn’t so large or bulky that it is annoying to wear. \u00a0One thing I do miss, however, is the lanyard kit that you could buy for the Vector. \u00a0If I’m rock climbing, I don’t ever wear a watch on my wrist, and in such instances, I typically would wear the Vector around my neck, using the accessory lanyard kit that Suunto sold. \u00a0I have not seen any similar kit available for the Ambit2. \u00a0I may have to jury rig something myself if I want to carry the watch in this manner.<\/p>\n I paid a bit extra and got the sapphire crystal. \u00a0I like the extra durability and scratch resistance that a sapphire crystal provides, particularly because I occasionally subject my watch to some bumps and scrapes during the hard-knock backcountry activities of climbing, hiking, and skiing.<\/p>\n The Ambit 2 is water proof to 100 meters. \u00a0I’m not a scuba diver, so I will never have to test that claim. \u00a0(If I’m at 100+ meters of depth when I’m fly fishing, something will have gone terribly wrong.) \u00a0 The battery is re-chargeable via a USB charger, which is nice. \u00a0I always hated having to change the battery in my Vector, so being able to just plug in the Ambit 2 and have it charge up is a nice feature. \u00a0Charging doesn’t take very long. \u00a0It will go from 40% power to 100% in about an hour. \u00a0Battery life is pretty good. \u00a0The watch will run for weeks if you aren’t using the GPS, and with the GPS engaged, (in hiking mode with 1 minute updates) I have been able to go for 14 hours and still have 84% of my battery life left. \u00a0From my use, the Suunto estimates of 50 hours of battery life in GPS mode appear accurate. \u00a0This battery life has been sufficient for my uses. \u00a0If you’re hiking a long trail over more than a week, and planning on tracking your progress via the GPS function, or if you’re settings have the GPS updating every few seconds, you might need to plan on recharging your batteries at some point during the trip.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Generic functions, Alarm and Backlight, Barometer and Altimeter<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n The Ambit 2 has various time keeping functions, including 12 or 24 hour display, stop watch, date, etc. \u00a0One big improvement that the Ambit 2 has over the Vector, and many other digital watches I’ve used is that the alarm is pretty loud. \u00a0Many watches have very weak alarms, which don’t have the volume to wake you up for an alpine start, especially if they are muffled by your sleeping bag. \u00a0The Ambit 2 alarm is much louder than the Vector’s alarm, and not nearly so easy to sleep through.<\/p>\n Another great feature of the Ambit 2 is the backlight. \u00a0It’s really bright. \u00a0Not only does it really light up the watch face, but it is actually bright enough to illuminate the area around you a bit. \u00a0It’s perfect for navigating your way through a darkened alpine hut, where you don’t want to use a headlamp because you don’t want to shine your headlamp beam on others who are sleeping around you. \u00a0It’s also great for shining around in your tent when you are trying to find your headlamp. \u00a0Obviously, it’s not going to replace a headlamp, but I have found it to be very useful in a number of nighttime situations.<\/p>\n The altimeter function is GPS corrected, which makes it very accurate and not as affected by weather as a traditional altimeter that relies solely on barometric pressure. \u00a0I’ve found it to be accurate to within a few feet. \u00a0There is a barometric pressure tracker as well, which graphs the pressure over time. \u00a0This is useful to look at in the morning, to see what the pressure has done while you were asleep. \u00a0If the pressure has risen, that’s generally a good sign of fair weather. \u00a0If the pressure has dropped, then that’s often a portent of incoming storms.<\/p>\n GPS and Navigation Functions<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n This is where the Ambit 2 really shines. \u00a0The GPS in this watch is really good. \u00a0I have never failed to get a quick GPS fix when I have been in the backcountry. \u00a0The Ambit 2 can almost always get a location fix in about 30 seconds or so from the time I turn on the GPS function. \u00a0Once the GPS is activated, the Ambit 2 will give you your GPS coordinates, which you can then use to locate your position on a map.<\/p>\n However, even better, the Ambit 2 can be used in conjunction with your computer to pre-plan routes. \u00a0You can create a route using Google Earth and export it to Suunto’s website (called Movescount.com) as a .kml file. \u00a0Then, you can download the route into the Ambit 2’s memory. \u00a0When you activate the navigation functions, the Ambit 2 allows you to select one of these pre-stored routes and will point you in the direction you need to go to follow this route.<\/p>\n I have found this to be very useful. \u00a0For example, this past summer, I was planning to hike and climb a local peak, however, we would not be following an established trail for part of the approach, and we needed to locate a specific ridgeline in the dark. \u00a0I plotted out my path on Google Earth, then uploaded the path to the Suunto web site, and downloaded it into my Ambit 2 as a route. \u00a0Sure enough, in the pre-dawn hours, we became confused as to the path we needed to take, and I used the Ambit 2 to help us navigate the correct route. \u00a0Having the Ambit 2 was sufficient for us to navigate even though it was too dark to see any decent land marks. \u00a0We just followed the path on my watch, correcting our path to keep the arrow pointer on the route layed out on the watch face.<\/p>\n To give an example of how this works, below are two pictures which show how routefinding is done. \u00a0This first picture is of a short route that I created using Google Earth and then uploaded to the Suunto Movescount Site. \u00a0 You can see the path laid out on the map.<\/p>\n This next picture is a photo of what this route looks like when downloaded to the Suunto Ambit 2. \u00a0The route path is laid out on the screen, and the arrow pointer shows my current position and direction. \u00a0I can use this arrow pointer and the track line to keep myself on the selected route.<\/p>\n The usefulness of this functionality should be readily apparent to anyone who has ever been lost or just unsure of their position. \u00a0For a climber, you could, for example, create a route showing you the descent route down the Emmons Glacier on Mount Rainier. \u00a0With the GPS navigation function, you could have the possibility of finding your way down from the summit even in whiteout conditions.<\/p>\n You also have the ability to create GPS waypoints at any time while using the watch. \u00a0If you are hiking, and discover an interesting place, and want to be able to find your way back, you can mark the location and save it in the Ambit 2’s memory as a point of interest. \u00a0This feature also allows you to leave a “trail of breadcrumbs” as you go, so you can retrace your footsteps whenever you wish.<\/p>\n The Ambit 2 does not have the benefits of a standalone GPS with a big color screen, that is loaded with area maps, but it does provide a lot of navigation functionality, particularly if you spend the effort ahead of time to create your routes in advance.<\/p>\n Tracking features \u00a0<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n In addition to helping you navigate and know where you need to go, the Ambit 2 is very good at tracking your progress and showing you where you’ve been. \u00a0You can activate the GPS and have it track your location as you move, and then you can upload this data to the Movescount web site and see where you were. \u00a0Here’s an example of an uploaded track that recorded one of my hikes on a local mountain.<\/p>\n As you can see from the screen shot above, the data collected includes the path traveled, as well as aggregated information on average speed, altitude gain and loss, distances, etc. \u00a0This is great for tracking your training and assessing your accomplishments.<\/p>\n Training Aids<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n In addition to the various navigation features, the Ambit 2 will keep track of training. \u00a0It works in conjunction with a heart rate belt to monitor and track heart rate. \u00a0You can track both distance (via GPS) and heart rates if you’re running or biking or doing other mobile training activities. \u00a0 I use the Ambit 2 to keep track of my work outs at the gym. \u00a0I don’t use the GPS function because I’m staying in one place, but I do keep track of my heart rate data.<\/p>\n<\/a><\/a><\/a>