The Suunto Traverse Alpha is Suunto’s latest addition to the Traverse range. It features all the same features of the traverse, GPS/GLONASS, Bluetooth connectivity with HR belts and smartphones but with some extra functionality aimed at people heading out hunting and fishing.
A steel bezel, scratch resistant sapphire glass screen and tough water repellent Fabric strap make the Traverse Alpha a very tough outdoor focused GPS watch. Tested to (MIL STD 810G) military standards, in particular shock, freeze/thaw, immersion and dust tests you can be sure its pretty much bomb proof.
The two major differences that set the Traverse Alpha apart are:
- A red back light which can be used in conjunction with night vision equipment.
- Shot detection. This uses the built in accelerometer to detect specific sudden movements which it will interpret as a shot being fired and mark as a POI.
When recording an activity you can add points of interest such as hides, or viewpoints along the way, helping you navigate back to them, or use the automatic ‘breadcrumb’ feature that will automatically plot the route you have just taken and navigate you back home. Useful when that thick cloud and rain rolls in and navigating back home becomes difficult.
The Traverse Alpha comes preloaded with 3 sport modes: Hunting, hiking, fishing and has room for two more which can be created and customised using the Movescount app. With a total of 5 sport modes it does not have the same multisport training potential as the Ambit 3 but some basic customisation and rejigging via Movescount can turn the Traverse Alpha into an effective training watch. To this end it is also compatible with Suunto’s Bluetooth Smart Sensor HR belts.