The Suunto 5 Peak is a more affordable sports watch for outdoorsy sorts
Lighter on wrist and wallet
It costs nothing to explore the great outdoors. OK, so you might drop some readies at the visitor centre. But besides a ploughman’s and a postcard for your nan, you don’t need to spend anything on a day out in nature.
Sadly, the same can’t be said for activity trackers. Outdoor watches might be good for all sorts of sports, but most of the top tickers will also take a good chunk of your change. Not the new Suunto 5 Peak.
Lightweight at 39g, the multi-sport timepiece also treads lighter on your wallet. Sure, it’s not a pocket-money purchase at £259, but it’s still significantly cheaper than both the Suunto 9 Peak and Garmin’s Fenix 7.
And don’t think it skimps on quality to keep the price down. Shelled in sturdy stainless steel and fronted by the same kind of nylon lens you’d find on durable summer sunnies, the Suunto 5 Peak is built to withstand weather worse than anything you’ll encounter in the Peak District.
That casing also harbours a full suite of GPS sensors for accurate location data. With support for 3D and heat maps via the Suunto app, the 5 Peak promises turn-by-turn route guidance on your wrist, while integrated music controls mean you can easily switch up your playlist as you navigate.
It’s all-in on activity, too. Fuelled by feedback from the heart-rate monitor, the Suunto 5 Peak will deliver the kind of adaptive training guidance that serious steppers expect, as well as the exact amount of fat and carbs you torched on your last romp across the moors.
Battery life isn’t budget either, with three modes to last you anywhere from 20 to 100 hours, depending on the features you need. Only clock-watching? Switch to the Time setting for 10-day longevity.
Alas, you can’t escape the cost constraints completely: the wrist strap is made from rubbish. Proving the old adage that one man’s trash is another man’s band, Suunto’s offering a 22mm loop crafted using waste materials from the production process. Which should be a big tick for those keen on green stuff.
Available to pre-order in the UK right now, the Suunto 5 Peak will ship from 1 February.
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Chris Rowlands
Freelance contributor 
