Which GPS watches do you guys recommend?
When I'm swimming in open water, I want to know the straight-line distance of the course. I'm not nearly as interested in how much extra I ended up swimming by veering off course. That's an interesting data point, but I don't get credit for the extra distance in a race, so I don't count it in training either.
Because of that, I don't care too much about the swim correction feature. I'm fine if the data ends up with a bunch of zig-zags. As long as I can hit lap to pinpoint landmarks on the course, I can figure out the straight-line distance in Google Earth.
I do care about how quickly it can get a signal.
A lot of my triathlete buddies have the Garmin 310XT. That seems to have a bunch of features I don't need. Plus, I think it's really ugly. I truly hate the idea of spending that much money on a humongous gray and orange watch.
The reviews I read on Timex and Polaris GPS watches don't look that great--I see a lot of complaints about them being slow to connect and the software being a pain to use. Have any of you had good experiences with them? What about lower-end Garmin models?
If I did break down and get the 310XT, would I ever even be wearing it on my wrist, or would I have to wear it under my cap?
Katiek: are you using GPS to keep track of your laps in a swimming pool?
I don't think is going to to work well in that scenario for a few reasons:
1) Flip turn will make the GPS loose track of the satellites
2) GPS coordinates are not precise enough for a good track in the pool
3) GPS measures your position at intervals and the sudden change of direction will affect the track.
To keep track of your pool workout is better to use something like the Finis Swimsense.
For OWS a GPS in a cap works great, look at my track in the La Jolla Rough Water:
connect.garmin.com/.../113749552
Katiek: are you using GPS to keep track of your laps in a swimming pool?
I don't think is going to to work well in that scenario for a few reasons:
1) Flip turn will make the GPS loose track of the satellites
2) GPS coordinates are not precise enough for a good track in the pool
3) GPS measures your position at intervals and the sudden change of direction will affect the track.
To keep track of your pool workout is better to use something like the Finis Swimsense.
For OWS a GPS in a cap works great, look at my track in the La Jolla Rough Water:
connect.garmin.com/.../113749552
