Tech4o Traileader 1 Review
The Tech4o Traileader 1 watch is a relative newcomer to the multi function outdoor watch market. It’s got all the standard features one would expect from a watch in this category including an altimeter, barometer, compass, thermometer, and chronograph. Oh, it tells time too, in two different timezones no less.
However, the one thing that sets this watch apart from others in it’s class is the fact that it will measure distance while you’re walking or running. You’re probably thinking, wait a minute, GPS devices are not allowed in adventure races, and you’d be right. But this watch doesn’t use GPS, or a foot pod for that matter. Somehow Tech4o has included a tiny accelerometer inside the watch and it counts strides, and when calibrated to ones stride length, it measures distance.
Being somewhat skeptical of the accuracy claims, I set out to calibrate and test the Traileader 1 to see exactly how good it is. Using a treadmill at the gym, and the stride length calculator on the Tech4o web site, I figured out my walking and running stride lengths, and then proceeded to run on the treadmill for about a mile. Not surprisingly in the controlled environment the watch was only several hundredths of a mile off the distance reported by the treadmill.
The real test would be outdoors. Why not jump into a race with it, and so I did. I wore the watch for the Currahee Duathlon and wanted to see what it would tell me. We started out with a short run, which I was told was .389 miles each way and that seemed about right. After that, we jumped on bikes and I quickly realized that the watch wasn’t going to measure cumulative running distance when jumping on and off a bike all day. By the end of the race I had logged 27.6 miles, which was obviously way off. Of course, this isn’t the watches fault, it’s operator error.
Leaving the pace counting on while riding a bike aside, I did find I was paying attention to my stride length while running more than I typically did. On steep uphills, the stride naturally shortens so the watch will over report distance, while striding it out downhill it will under report. To get accurate distance readings I think one would have to calibrate the watch to the particular terrain one usually runs in, possibly with an accurate trail map, or maybe a GPS. Of course with a trail map or GPS you may not get an accurate distance either as neither would account for distance traveled in the vertical direction.
All this being said, I think my main use of the distance function will be to pace count checkpoints from a known location, and usually for distances under 1 km. I haven’t tried yet, but I think it will get me as close or closer than the guesstimation I do in my head without having to keep track of counting, navigating, and looking for a checkpoint.
Enough about the distance, what about the usability? I used to be the kind of guy who would pour over the instruction manual for any new gadget I got, learning what every button press, menu and setting would do. As I’ve matured, I’ve either raised my expectations, or become lazy, as I expect to pick up a device and want to be able to “get it” without having to look at a manual if that’s possible. I’m happy as the Tech4o engineers have done a good job. With the Traileader 1 I was able to figure out most of the watch without consulting the manual.
There are 2 main menus one has access to, the first including the time based functions (time of day, 2 alarms, count down timer, stop watch, and dual time) and the other holding the outdoor functions (altimeter, barometer, speed/distance and compass). Scrolling through these can be done in two different methods and it is easy to find the function one wants. Compared to the older High Gear altimeter I had, this is much better way to pack more features into a watch. I’d say it compares favorably to the Suunto Core that I have been using for the last couple years.
For those that have used a Suunto Core, the biggest thing I like about the Traileader is that the stopwatch on the Traileader is actually usable. The Core stuffs the stopwatch display in row of tiny numbers under the time making it virtually impossible to read while moving. The Traileader has nice big numbers and can be read with a quick glance.
The size of the Traileader is the same as the Core, but the weight is slightly less as it uses more plastic in the construction. I don’t notice the Traileader nearly as much as Core while wearing it. Comparing the Traileader 1 to the Traileader Jet, I think I prefer the traditional LCD as opposed to the black face. It isn’t as stylish, but I find it easier to read at a quick glance. The functionality of both models is the same, so it comes down to personal preference of looks when choosing between the two. The Traileader Pro has a similar look to the Traileader 1, except with green highlights, but it also adds heart rate monitor functionality as well as PC sync to download workout information. I’d love to try one of these out, but as a Mac user at home, I’m going to have to see if the software would run using emulation, or just have to find a Windows PC to download the data and hope I can port it to my software of choice. I realize that Mac’s are quite as ubiquitous as Windows computers, but there are a fair amount of us out there and it bugs me that we can’t get a software driver.
All in all, I’ve found this watch to be a worthy companion on the trail. As with any tool, it is only one of many that we have at our disposal and with further experience I’ll learn how and when to really trust the distance measurements. Until then, I know I can rely on the accurate altimeter and the other easy to use features on the Traileader 1.
Untamed New England – Day 1 – Wet feet and great locals
Having been raised in NY, but spent much of my adult working life in the south, I’ve not had a chance to do any adventure racing in the north east. When Eastern Mountain Sports approached me to join them at Untamed I jumped at the opportunity, not only to race in a new area of the country, but with some of the best and most experienced racers I have the pleasure of knowing.
The race started with paddles on a series of lakes connected with portages of varying difficulty. We got off to a reasonably quick start, and got off the first lake in about 15th place, but a quick transition to portage mode, we passed most of the teams as they struggled to load boats onto wheels and balance gear. The first portage turned particularly heinous very quickly, turning from a nice paved road to a hiking trail I’d be hard pressed to ride my mountain bike on. Trees were so close together in places the boats had to be tilted sideways to get through. In others, we had to lift them over stumps, through mud, up and down over steep embankments. Nothing like starting a 3 day race with a red lined heart rate.
Water pouring from the dam we were let across
Tecnu Extreme/StaphAseptic Takes 1st Place at Equinox Traverse
Charlie Kharsa, Matt Hayes, Mari Chandler, and Kyle Peter of Team Tecnu Extreme/StaphAseptic were off to Covington Virginia for the 2010 Equinox Traverse 2 day adventure race. Looking at the course layout and number of CP’s (19 mandatory, and 21 optional) the night before the race, Kyle predicted we would finish within 36 hours. We talked to the course director Chris Caul and he predicted the winning time to complete the entire course would be about 40 hours, we wanted to prove him wrong. This race was unsupported and with the exception of paddling gear, we had to carry everything we would need for the entire race from start to finish. We were a little concerned about the 83+ degree temperature and 90% humidity, but it would be the first race this year that we would not be freezing cold and wet at any point which would be a nice change of pace.
The race started with a 30-k bike ride. Unfortunately after fixing a flat tire we over shot the 2nd CP and spent about 1.5 hours looking for it and re-attacking the point. The CP was ‘optional’, but knowing we needed every point to win it was not optional for us to skip. Kyle and Matt worked well together and were able to finally get us to the control and we were back on our bikes, slightly frustrated, and in last place motivated to put the hammer down, and make up the time, and catch the front-runners.
We did catch one team at the final CP before getting to our canoes for a 65-k paddle. The first half of the paddle section was in Lake Moomaw followed by a 5-k portage down a paved road to the Jackson River for the remaining 28-k. While we were at the boat takeout we were told we were 1 hour and 53 min behind the lead teams, which was somewhat of a shock as we were not accustomed to being that far off the pace. We entered the river at 9:30 pm and the warm air mixing with the cold river water created a thick layer of fog over the water which was kind of eerie, and quiet, and we stealthily gained on some teams . We had been told earlier that there were class I rapids down the length of the river. What would normally be tiny little ‘ripples’ in the water during the day time sounded like raging white water to us in the dark and our headlamps were almost useless in the fog. But after we ‘survived’ the first few rapids we got comfortable running the river ‘blind’ and learned to navigate the small rocks. Earlier while on the bikes we had crossed a bridge over the same river and Matt had noticed that there were 2 gnarly strainers on opposite sides of the river hanging out over the water where the water was moving fast. He reminded us of this which was very helpful and we were able to maneuver around the strainers in the darkness without any trouble. Unfortunately 2 teams did not do so well, and had caspsized in the fog. We saw a team standing on shore and we asked them if they were ok, and they said they could not find their boat. A few seconds later we saw their boat upside down with another team’s boat also upside down and pinned against it into a large rock. We immediately pulled over to the shore to help them. 20 minutes later we had both boats on shore, and made sure they had all of their gear gathered back up and we were back into our boats and continued on our way feeling good to have helped out some fellow adventurers in need. Shortly after 1 a.m. we left the river and were off for a 25-k trek. We knew we had our work cut out for us as we were still 2 hours behind and were all motivated to let fly our feet and close the gap. We set a strong pace throughout the night working very well together, and by day light we had passed several teams and at the next TA we were told we were only 25 minutes behind EMS and ImOnPoint, the 2 lead teams.
After fixing another flat tire, we were back on the bikes and with our spirits high we hammered out the next 25-k bike section. We caught sight of EMS on an out and back section and knew we had closed the gap a bit more. We were now back in the hunt for the win, and we were excited to be racing once again. At the next TA we were able to unload some weight out of our packs as the this section was a 10 point optional orienteering section and we would be returning to the same area to pick up our bikes and gear again. With the heat of the day coming on strong, and starting to take its toll on all our competitors, we took off on the O course about 10 minutes behind EMS and ImOnPoint had not checked in as of yet. Kyle’s spot on nav and great route choice brought us back to our bikes with all 10 points and into the lead. We would NOT relinquish this lead, and wanted to push hard and stretch it out a bit. We were in the home stretch but it wasn’t over yet and we transitioned quickly and were off on our bikes. We had 28-k to go with 3 CP’s and a monster 3000′ foot climb ahead of us to the last CP at a look-out tower high up on the ridge and then a short rappel right as the sun was setting. What a beautiful sight and a welcome, albeit short respite off our feet. Once we finished the rappel we had a short hike back up to our bikes and were off for the final 25-k to the finish.
We hammered the final stretch, and we finished the race at 10:13 pm, with a race time of just over 36 hours (as predicted by Kyle…..) and our first win of the season after so many trips to the podium, finally a first. Yeah Tecnu Extreme/StaphAseptic! We had a great time at this event and take great pride in our ability to work well together as a team despite having a terrible start, and having to recover, we were able to rally and push on for the win. Thanks to Doug and Chris for putting on a great race. Thanks to EMS and the other east coast teams for great competition. As one of only two 4-person co-ed teams to complete the course, we are excited by the way the team is gelling going into the second half of the season. We are fit, experienced, and have some great races ahead. We are looking forward to seeing you at there Tahoe Big Blue in july and the Untamed Adventure race later in the season. It’s going to be a epic battle.
Adventure Racing National Championship Heads to Moab, Utah
The first ever Checkpoint Tracker Adventure Racing National Championship will take place on October 29th, 2010 at the world famous Red Cliffs Lodge in Moab, Utah.
350 of the nations best adventure racers will compete in 6 divisions to determine who among them is tough enough, smart enough and determined enough to beat all comers on an all new, world class course created by Gravity Play Sports, a well known and respected event production company based in Durango, Colorado.
In keeping with the fact that only the top ranked Checkpoint Tracker teams will be invited to attend, Gravity Play has created an epic course worthy of a national championship. Racers will face mountain biking, trekking, rappelling, white water kayaking, canyoneering and ropes as they navigate by map and compass through the breathtaking natural terrain that’s made Moab a favored destination for adventure seeking outdoor athletes the world over.
“When we made the decision to launch our own national championship in 2010 I immediately made the decision that the venue had to be world class”, said Paul Angell, President of Checkpoint Zero, LLC. “Moab’s unrivaled landscape and unpredictable weather are a perfect fit for adventure racing and the Red Cliffs Lodge provides an idyllic setting combined with exceptional lodging and event facilities. I think this race will earn a special place in adventure racing history. October 29th can’t get here soon enough.”
While the focus of the Checkpoint Tracker National Championship is the race itself, there will be more going on than just fierce competition between the best adventure racers in the country. Attendees will be treated to a Vendor Village, seminars by adventure racing legend Ian Adamson and a post race party and awards ceremony. The top ranked teams in each division will share in a prize purse valued at over $30,000 including $10,000 in cash and an all expenses paid trip to compete in the 2010 Adu Dhabi Adventure Challenge.
Checkpoint Tracker is fortunate to have the support of a growing list of exceptional sponsors including Hi-Tec Sports, Tech4o, the Abu Dhabi Adventure Challenge, SOG Specialty Knives & Tools, Mountains Plus, Swiftwick, Ultimate XC, Zoik Inflatables, Breathe Magazine, MyTopo.com, Brooks-Range Mountaineering, Numa Sport Optics, Headsweats, nuun andSportMulti. Additional category exclusive sponsorship opportunities are available.
About Checkpoint Tracker
Checkpoint Tracker is the largest national, competitive adventure racing series in the United States. It is comprised of over 85 events ranging from Sprint length races lasting just a few hours to Expeditions that run non-stop for several days. Racers and Teams create free profiles at CheckpointTracker.com and compete in participating events to earn points that contribute towards their national ranking. Top ranked teams in each of the six Checkpoint Tracker divisions (Solo Male, Solo Female, 2 Person Coed, 2 Person Open, Open Elite and Coed Elite) will be invited to compete in the inaugural Checkpoint Tracker National Championship. For more information visit http://www.checkpointtracker.com.
Checkpoint Tracker Welcomes Adventure Racing Legend Ian Adamson
Ian Adamson
Checkpoint Zero, LLC announced today that Ian Adamson, the winningest adventure racer in the history of the sport, will be working with the company on it’s long term strategy for the Checkpoint Tracker Adventure Racing Series and with production of the Checkpoint Tracker National Championship which is set for October 29th at an as yet unannounced venue in the Rocky Mountain Region.
“To say that we’re excited to have Ian on board would be to understate the obvious”, said Paul Angell, President of Checkpoint Zero, LLC. “Ian’s adventure racing experience and event production expertise are unrivaled. His involvement will help ensure that Checkpoint Tracker reaches it’s potential to reshape the landscape of competitive adventure racing in the US and beyond.”
In addition to providing Checkpoint Zero with his insights about how best to leverage Checkpoint Tracker’s dramatic growth since the 2009 season (86 events in 2010 vs 23 in 2009), Ian will be contributing a monthly blog post on a wide range of adventure racing topics. He will also attend the Checkpoint Tracker National Championship where he will address competitors at the Pre-Race Briefing and Awards Ceremony and deliver two seminars for attendees, one on event production for adventure racing promoters and another for adventure racers on “natural running”.
“Checkpoint Tracker is an exciting development in the evolution of competitive adventure racing”, commented Ian. “I think it offers a remarkable opportunity to introduce adventure racing to a wider audience. I’m very happy to have been asked to be a part of it and I’m eager to get started.”
About Checkpoint Zero
Checkpoint Zero is an adventure racing focused sports marketing company based in Greenville, SC. The company operates the popular adventure news website http://www.checkpointzero.com and produces Checkpoint Tracker (http://www.checkpointtracker.com), the largest national competitive adventure racing series in the United States.
About Ian Adamson
Ian Adamson is a 7x World Champion, 3x Guinness World Record holder for endurance kayaking (262 miles in 24 hours) and Director of Research & Education at Newton Running. You can read more about Ian and his remarkable career at http://www.ianadamson.com.
Brooks-Range Mountaineering Sponsors Checkpoint Tracker Adventure Racing
Brooks-Range Mountaineering Equipment announced today that the company will be the Official Map Tool of Checkpoint Tracker Adventuring Racing and the Checkpoint Tracker National Championship, a national Adventure Racing event that will culminate after 85 regional events and is set for October 29, 2010 in the Rocky mountain region.
In addition to providing product to the adventure race winners both regionally and nationally, Brooks-Range has sought input on product development from representatives of the organization, making the products worthy of the Checkpoint Tracker endorsement. The Checkpoint Tracker logo will be included on the Brooks-Range Adventure Racing Map Tool line of products, including the Adventure Racing Map Tool Pro and the Pocket Adventure Racing Map Tool.
“We’re very excited to have partnered with Brooks Range Mountaineering to design what we think will quickly become the gold standard in mapping tools for adventure racers,” commented Paul Angell, president of Checkpoint Zero, LLC. “Their support of Checkpoint Tracker will help ensure that we are able continue pursuing our long-term goal of offering adventure racers the most innovative and exciting competitive adventure racing series in existence today.”
The Brooks-Range Adventure Racing Map Tool line of products, including the Adventure Racing Map Tool Pro and the Pocket Adventure Racing Map Tool will be available online at www.brooks-range.com this summer.
About Brooks-Range
Brooks-Range is a manufacturer of mountaineering and outdoor equipment located in Fremont, Calif., providing innovative, top-quality backcountry and outdoor gear for professional guides and recreational travelers alike. Brooks-Range products — designed to deliver the ultimate in utility, comfort and safety in the backcountry and outdoors – are tested by some of the world’s top mountaineering, avalanche and backcountry professionals. These experts form the core of the Brooks-Range Advisory Board. Most products are made in the USA and are sold at outdoor retail shops nationwide, and on the web at www.brooks-range.com.
About Checkpoint Tracker
Checkpoint Tracker is the largest national competitive adventure racing series in the United States. It is comprised of more than 80 events ranging from Sprint length races lasting just a few hours to Expeditions that run non-stop for several days. Racers and Teams create free profiles at: Checkpointtracker.com and compete in participating events to earn points that contribute towards their national ranking. Top ranked teams in each of the five Checkpoint Tracker divisions (Solo, 2 Person Coed, 2 Person Open, Open Elite and Coed Elite) will be invited to compete in the inaugural Checkpoint Tracker National Championship.
Checkpoint Tracker Winner Will Compete in Abu Dhabi
Checkpoint Tracker Adventure Racing is thrilled to announce that for the 3rd year in a row the Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority will award the overall Checkpoint Tracker points winner in the Coed Elite division a free entry to the 2010 edition of what has quickly become the premier event of it’s kind anywhere the world, the Abu Dhabi Adventure Challenge.
Racers head into the Liwa Desert from the Qasr al Sarab resort
The ADAC is a multi-sport race in which coed teams of 4 race over 6 consecutive days in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi. Disciplines include Sea Kayaking, Cross Orienteering, Mountain Biking, Adventure Running, Rope Activities.
Past Checkpoint Tracker winners that have gone on to race in Abu Dhabi include nuun-SportMulti and Checkpoint Zero.
The addition of this exceptional prize brings the value of the 2010 Checkpoint Tracker Prize Purse to over $30,000 in cash, gear from Checkpoint Tracker’s partners and entry fees to ADAC and the Ultimate XC. No other adventure racing organization in the United States offers such a large, and growing, prize purse.
Get ready for adventure at the Ouachita Adventure Race.
Rappelling at the 2009 Ouachita Adventure Race
The course for the 2010 Ouachita Adventure Race is complete. It’s going to be quite a challenging event.
This Sport class (12 to 14 hour) event will showcase the spectacular Lake Ouachita area in Arkansas. Expect tough course features like the Ouachita Mountains and flat water paddling, hard mountain bike climbs with some fun descents, all coupled with the breathtaking views of the Ouachita National Forest and Lake Ouachita.
This is a smaller event, so its a great way to get points for the Checkpoint Tracker National Rankings. Registration closes on Thursday April 22 so sign up now. Visit www.ouachitaadventurerace.com for more information and online registration.
Racers competing for Checkpoint Tracker Points will receive a $20 Discount when then register this week(4/15-4/22). You must be registered at CheckpointTracker.com to receive the discount.
Tech4o Named Official Timepiece of Checkpoint Tracker Adventure Racing
Tech4o TraiLeader Jet
Checkpoint Zero, LLC announced today that Tech4o will sponsor the Checkpoint Tracker Adventure Racing Series, the largest competitive adventure racing series in the United States, and the Checkpoint Tracker National Championship which is set for October 29th at an as-yet-unannounced venue in the Rocky Mountain region. Tech4o manufactures performance watches for a variety of outdoor activities.
“We’re very excited to have the support of Tech4o as we continue working to introduce competitive adventure racing to outdoor enthusiasts,” said Paul Angell, President of Checkpoint Zero. “Their TraiLeader line is ideally suited to adventure racing. Having a compass, altimeter, barometer and accelerometer strapped to your wrist will offer racers of all skill levels a distinct advantage in terms of navigation and keeping an eye on the weather while racing.”
Checkpoint Tracker is the largest national competitive adventure racing series in the United States. It is comprised of over 80 events ranging from Sprint length races lasting just a few hours to Expeditions that run non-stop for several days. Racers and Teams create free profiles at CheckpointTracker.com and compete in participating events to earn points that contribute towards their national ranking. Top ranked teams in each of the five Checkpoint Tracker divisions (Solo, 2 Person Coed, 2 Person Open, Open Elite and Coed Elite) will be invited to compete in the inaugural Checkpoint Tracker National Championship.
“Checkpoint Tracker represents the future of competitive adventure racing in the United States and we’re very happy to be able to support their continued growth,” said Linda Grebe, product manager of Tech4o. “Their new website, national rankings system and the first-ever Checkpoint Tracker National Championship represent an infusion of new ideas and innovative leadership that makes this an exciting time for outdoor athletes to give adventure racing a try.”
Tech4o’s TraiLeader line of watches offer a feature set ready made for adventure racing. The built in compass, accelerometer and altimeter provide quick access to information critical to accurate land navigation, which is a core discipline of any adventure race. The barometer and thermometer provide insight into changing weather conditions which often play a role in route choice and safety considerations. The TraiLeader Jet packs these features and more into a stealthy black aesthetic that racers will be eager to display on and off the course. Those seeking a more rugged design will appreciate the TraiLeader 1, TraiLeader 2 and TraiLeader Pro.
About Checkpoint Zero
Checkpoint Zero is an adventure racing focused sports marketing company based in Greenville, SC. The company operates the popular adventure news website www.checkpointzero.com and produces Checkpoint Tracker (www.checkpointtracker.com), the largest national competitive adventure racing series in the United States.
About Tech4o
Tech4o is known for innovative instruments that provide feedback on one’s personal performance and environment including handheld and watch-style digital computers with functions such as speed, distance, heart rate, altitude, barometric pressure, compass and time, for a number of activities. Tech4o, www.tech4o.com, is part of the Johnson Outdoors’ family of innovative, market-leading brands. The company turns ideas into adventure with a portfolio of award-winning, innovative brands that span the globe, including among others, Old Town® canoes and kayaks, Ocean Kayak™ , Necky® kayaks, Minn Kota® motors, Humminbird® fishfinders, Scubapro® and UWATEC® dive equipment, Silva® compasses and Tech4o® digital instruments. For more information, visit www.johnsonoutdoors.com.
Can Tecnu Extreme/StaphAseptic Finally Win One in KY?
Despite vocal predictions of victory at the North Georgia Adventure Race, Swamp Stomp and Endorphin Fix, this new team of veteran racers is current sitting in 5th place (tied with Berlin Bike) at 164 points after placing 3rd, 3rd and DNF respectively.
There’s no doubt they’ve got the talent, experience and desire to win, but so far, for a variety of reasons, this team’s story is one of their earring’d captain writing checks that the racers on the ground haven’t been able to cash.
Earring Doug’s most recent proclamation awaits spectators in the comments section of the next event on Tecnu’s schedule, the LBL Challenge in KY on April 10th:
Tecnu Extreme/StaphAseptic is looking forward to pushing the pace at the LBL 24 hour challenge after leading the entire E-Fix and having a 5 hour lead over EMS, only to have to withdraw due for medical reasons. Argh!!! We look forward to great competition. We are due. See you there!
While the field at the LBL Challenge won’t be as deep as it was at E-Fix, there are at least a couple of teams that have been around the block a few times that won’t roll over without a fight. I’m thinking about Alpine Shop and WEDALI in particular.
Only time will tell if Tecnu can close the deal on their 4th attempt.
Let’s hope so, because as they say in Zombieland…it’s “time to nut up or shut up” :-)