Altimeter 203

A Basic Altimeter at a Decent Price

I bought the Sun Altimeter 203 because I want to track altitude changes I experience during mountain hikes. This is a basic unit where you initially set the altitude to match a known value (say, your phone's GPS height) before you set out on foot. This minimizes errors due to changes that will occur during the day due to weather (barometric pressure rising or falling). This simple, low-tech unit doesn't require any GPS signal or batteries, which makes it perfect for "off road" use. Unfortunately, in converting pressure measurements to altitude, this unit (most likely) uses an assumed vertical temperature profile called the U.S. Standard Atmosphere. In most locations during the summer, daytime temperatures will be warmer than this profile, causing the unit to underestimate altitude changes. The error could be 5% or more, meaning that if you gain 1000' in altitude during a hike, it will register a height difference of around 950'. This particular error disappears when you return to your starting point. Granted, most people wouldn't care, as absolute accuracy is unnecessary when a relative measurement is all that's needed. And youthful hikers probably would love the big, easy to read dial that shows the height changes on your journey. But as a meteorologist, I am sort of obsessed with accuracy. For me, I would rather have a digital instrument that also measures temperature and can convert pressure to altitude changes more precisely. So I went and bought a fancy gizmo that will do that for three times the cost of this simple unit. Sigh. I recommend the Sun Altimeter 203 as a basic, starter unit that will be helpful in many hiking situations. Its simple, attractive design makes it a great gift for kids of all ages -- heck, the kid in me bought one my myself. But if you expect atomic clock precision during your nature walk, you'll probably need something else :)

Like knowing the altitude

Recently spent a week on the Middle Fork of the Salmon in Idaho. There was no internet, electricity or other creature comforts. The altimeter worked like a champ; always on and available. It became the source of how far we descended each day.

Haven't put it through any rigorous testing with major elevation changes, but it did accurately record going from approximately 270 ft above sea level down to about 80 ft on a recent drive. Solid build while not being too heavy. Very satisfied and look forward to using it on more tasking treks.