Jesse Trimble

This is more of a first impression than a review (pertaining to the Alu Brown variation), but I'm mostly satisfied with this watch so far. It's larger than any other watch I've owned, but it's not uncomfortably large. For its size, it's surprisingly light. The user interface is pretty straight-forward and changing settings is a breeze. I haven't used it enough so far to really comment on the accuracy of the alti&baro, compass, thermometer, etc.The only problem I have with this watch so far is the display. Unless the face is catching some direct overhead light, it's a bit hard to read, even after the backlight has been engaged. If you get this watch and are hopeful that the dark display is a result of a worn out battery, don't bother. I swapped out the battery and saw no significant change in display brightness. This may not be a problem with the dark-on-light display colors.Most definitely worth mentioning is the backcountry.com customer service. They definitely went the extra mile for me...although the watch didn't get a 5-star, bc.com service department deserves it. Here ya go: *****

UPDATE 1/17/10:

This watch is still awesome. I've gotten used to the dim display, and there is a setting in the watch that allows for any button press to turn on the backlight (also I followed the instructions in the comment left by matt6476 - this helped a bunch - thanks Matt!). The barometer has been amazingly helpful in weather prediction and seems to be quite accurate. I still haven't been back to the mountains since I bought it, so I can't comment on the altimeter yet.

UPDATE 6/16/11:

Still loving this watch; definitely still my favorite. After having moved to CO, the only thing I can note is that the altimeter is a bit hard to keep calibrated. After a calibration at roughly 7500ft, a return to the same spot about 2 weeks later yielded about a 200ft discrepancy. I guess this is to be expected with a barometric altimeter, but otherwise I still dig this watch. I also bought the 'Light Brown' strap to replace the original leather version (purchased: http://www.backcountry.com/suunto-core-accessory-strap-sun0092) and much prefer the new strap - the leather is nice looking, but not so great for lots of physical activity.

I've never ridden with a pack before, so I was worried the added weight and movement might get a little annoying. After about 30 seconds on the trail, you don't even realize it's there. Enough space to bring a few necessities on the trail, plus the cord laces on the pack allow for a little more cargo, but not much. Overall a good product.