Highgear AltiTech 2 Altimeter - 2006 BCS

For cold weather and winter climbing or skiing, a clip-on altimeter is far better in my opinion, since I find that a wristwatch is hard to get at under multiple clothing layers or glove/mitten gauntlets- particularity when using an ice tool leash or down jacket. The HighGear AltiTech 2 is a little bigger and heavier than you might expect, but is very durable due to it's beefy construction. It preforms with the same accuracy and quality functionality as all other HighGear products- which in my opinion is equal to Suunto for basic functionality, but at a better price.(I own a few Suunto product also.) However, a different model- the HighGear ATF8- is much lighter, more compact, more streamlined, and just as functional as the AltiTech 2- so I prefer the ATF8 now over the AltiTech 2. Unfortunately, Backcountry.com no longer carries the ATF8.

Excellent to have for sking, biking, hiking or just being in the mountians. A clip on altimeter is the way to go as getting to a watch under ski gloves can be a hassle. It works great and is quite accurate. On a ski resort it was only a little off (10 feet or so) and I had not calibrated it yet at the base. It is nice to have for days both on and off the resort as well as on a longer bike trail.

This watch is great I love it, but when you combine both an altimeter and a barometer it doesnt work. The temperature is a nice setting and its far enough away from the body that it is pretty accurate, but when the weather changes the altimeter changes and the barometer changes, since they use the same mechanism to detect than it doesnt work, and you have to reset the altimete everyday if you want it to be accurate.

I have had the altitech 2 for nearly two years of many backpacking and bc skiing outings, and 1 wildland fire season and the altimeter and barometer finally quit functioning. Luckily I was just within the warranty time period and I sent it in for repair or replacement after consulting with customer service. The customer service was great, I sent my altitech in and recieved a new replacement the next week. I was quite pleased with their service so I decided to write up a positive review. Also I will note as others have that the altimeter is usually within a couple hundred feet of accuracy (as most of the watch/barometric altimeters are) and that the button layout is rather intuitive = good. I think it's a fun gadget to have around to check temperature, provide a decent estimate of elevation, and show very significant swings of pressure warning of a storm. Of course the compass feature shouldn't replace a good compass with sights, mirror and declination. Also for travel (SA hostels) I liked the standup feature for seating it as an alarm clock near bed.

I bought the Altitech Altimeter for the altimeter feature to use on a planned trip to Peru, where elevation changes from general travel will go from sea level to well over 11000. I live in Tucson, and drove from 2400 feet in 106 degree weather to the peak at nearby Mnt. Lemon which is 9080 feet and about 71 degrees. The distance is about 25 miles. When I reached the peak, the altimeter reading was nearly 500 feet off - I checked the altimeter readings to elevation posts on the drive up, and it was always off by around 300 feet. When I returned to my start point, the alitmeter was off by around 300 feet. I don't mind barometric drift, but something that is 300 feet off is of little use to me. The manual says I need to calibrate the altimeter often to known points of elevation - but to constantly have to do this renders the instrument useless as an informational device. I consulted my brother who is a Helicopter Instructor Pilot for the Army - he told me that he had given up on Altimeter watches, after trying several. He suggested a GPS unit instead, which is what I purchased (cheaper by about 10 dollars too and I am very pleased!) - I was concerned that there may not be GPS coverage in Peru, but my brother also assured me that there would be (since commercial airlines use them as standard equipment) - I must admit I was rather saddened by the poor performance of the watch - I think it has to do with barometric altimeters in general, not the Altitech specifically. And there is something nice about an instrument that does not depend on satellites!
I was very happy with the ease of sending the instrument back - This site does a very good job at letting you know that it got the returned item and posted a credit to your credit card. Certainly no hassel there and I would not hesitate to use this site again !

Aloha, We use our altimeter a lot on the Big Island of Hawaii. Since we are real estate agents, this comes in handy when people ask us what the elevation of properties are.

This product is nice and small and easy to carry around.

We recommend this product.

Personal Regards,

Team Carlson

Fine for the money.

I compared the AltiTech 2 Altimeter against the Suunto Vector, the Kestrel 4000 Weatherstation, the Thommens 5000 altimeter, and the Garmin Etrek Vista GPS. After testing, I found the AltiTech is accurate to within 1.5 degrees in bearing, 1mB of absolute pressure (which is a little too much error, it should be within 0.5mB--and you can't recalibrate the pressure sensor, unlike the Vector and Kestrel), and 0.7 degrees F in temperature. The AltiTech resolves 1 ft increments as compared to 10 ft for the Vector; I have not tested the AltiTech's accuracy over a wide elevation range (only 550 ft in New Jersey) but I suspect it is OK if the temperature compensation works. The AltiTech's altitude and pressure graphs favorably distinguish it from the Vector. An excellent feature of the AltiTech is the altitude hold which prevents altitude wander during long rest stops. The AltiTech display is highly readable and the "button logic" is as easy (or difficult) as the Vector. Remembering the button sequences when switching between the AltiTech and Vector is an intelligence test... HighGear and Suunto could both learn from Casio. Overall, at $100, the AltiTech is a winner.
Few other comments: I love my Thommens for sentimental reasons. The Kestrel qualifies me as a meteorologist. The Garmin Vista is an indispensable space age nav system for extended wilderness forays (still bring a paper map). And my Vector takes a beating (along with my hand and wrist).

This product has a lot of nice features, plus it’s easy to use and it looks cool. The compass works great and is very accurate. Two time zones on the clock are nice. What I don’t like is that some of the instruments are not very precise. The altimeter will fluctuate over long periods, even if you don’t gain/loose altitude. If the barometer is dropping that night, I wake up and my apartment is 30 meters lower than it was when I went to bed. This isn’t bad for a three-hour tour, but it sucks for a three-day backpacking trip. The barometer is a bit inconsistent as well. It does not accurately reflect the daily stats on the National Weather Service website. It is close, but rarely on the button. Overall, if you are a recreational day tripper and don’t require meticulous precision, this thing is great. But, if you are an expedition-grade mountain climber, or any other industry professional, I recommend finding something else.