Mile Counting Walking/running

[Randy Winkman]

I have a phone with Strava on it but the battery lasts just a handful of hours when it's in use for GPS. Are there any accurate ways of recording mileage that don't use loads of battery power? All I need is something that shows I've walked x miles. I'm working on the basis that step counting isn't accurate but perhaps if I used a suitable device to count the number of steps I do in 10 miles cross-country it would be a reasonable basis to work from?

[Saleen836]

I found a basic pedometer works just fine, and when is very accurate when attached to my ankle rather than wrist

A hairdresser friend claimed she was walking approx 15k steps a day according to her 'fitbit' i told her it wear it on her ankle to get a more accurate reading, she did and after a day at work the fitbit was reading aprox 5k steps

[deckster]

If Strava on your phone does everything you want, then a £20 battery pack would seem to be the obvious solution.

[Randy Winkman]

Thanks both.

I'll do a bit of research on the various step-counters. They don't cost much so it's worth a try.

With Strava my issue is that I want something that'll last a few days when camping, recording for most of the daytime. So I'd need about 10 battery chargers. I was thinking of posting the following question in The Lounge "Any ideas for places where people can get a phones charged when out and about?".

[deckster]

Ah...the several day requirement changes things somewhat. I've had a few GPS watches (Garmins and the like) which happily last a full day hiking/biking/skiing, but 12-15 hours continuous use is about as good as you're going to get I reckon.

Pedometers are sort-of OK for distance if you calibrate your stride length and also walk on the flat, but they're less good the steeper the hills get.

You might need to get creative...solar charger on the top of your pack whilst walking??

[Randy Winkman]

deckster said:

Ah...the several day requirement changes things somewhat. I've had a few GPS watches (Garmins and the like) which happily last a full day hiking/biking/skiing, but 12-15 hours continuous use is about as good as you're going to get I reckon.

Pedometers are sort-of OK for distance if you calibrate your stride length and also walk on the flat, but they're less good the steeper the hills get.

You might need to get creative...solar charger on the top of your pack whilst walking??

Nice idea. So far, the best bet seems to look like a Garmin Vivofit 4 which doesn't have GPS but I've seen good reports about its accuracy. I'll test it a few times against Strava to see whether it tends to measure short or long.

[gregs656]

You might get better battery life and accuracy from one of the handheld garmin GPS units used for hiking etc.

The older ones use AAs (the current ones may do as well) so even carrying a spare set is not too onerous.

[Scabutz]

Saleen836 said:

I found a basic pedometer works just fine, and when is very accurate when attached to my ankle rather than wrist

A hairdresser friend claimed she was walking approx 15k steps a day according to her 'fitbit' i told her it wear it on her ankle to get a more accurate reading, she did and after a day at work the fitbit was reading aprox 5k steps

Edit - wrote bks which I realised after I hit submit.

Edited by Scabutz on Friday 4th January 21:27

[Randy Winkman]

Thanks again. I've just bought a Garmin Vivofit 4 (for a good price in Argos) and will see if it looks reasonably accurate. I'll let you know what I think in a few weeks. I need to test it a few times over fairly long distances. The battery lasts about a year so there's nothing to worry about from that point of view.

[Pistonheader101]

Polar M2

[Randy Winkman]

Pistonheader101 said:

Polar M2

Looks nice but I fear the battery wont last long enough. This says 6-days but at only 1-hour a day.

I need at least 2 full-days.

https://www.techradar.com/reviews/polar-m200/3

[johnwilliams77]

MI FIT Band, cheap, track steps/sleep and battery lasts a month.

[Steve Campbell]

https://www.enigmabatteries.net/category-19/EB-MS6...


Probably not the solution you are looking for :-)

[Randy Winkman]

Steve Campbell said:

https://www.enigmabatteries.net/category-19/EB-MS6...


Probably not the solution you are looking for :-)

For me or the tracker?

[Randy Winkman]

johnwilliams77 said:

MI FIT Band, cheap, track steps/sleep and battery lasts a month.

Thanks - that looks similar to the Garmin I've just bought. I decided that nothing with GPS will last long enough.