What watch do you wear up north? Why? Post a picture of it. Or maybe you don't wear one....in that case, why not?

I never wear one in the BWCA. The reason is because I rarely care what time it is.

Im fairly good at keeping a rough track of time with the sun and can usually guess the time within about 15 minutes throughout the day which is more than accurate enough for my purposes on a canoe/camping trip.

Besides I find its better to let your body tell you when its time to do things versus a clock. When my body says I'm hungry I'll eat, when it says I'm tired I'll rest, and when it says its time to go fishing I'll grab the rod.

From the very first trip in the BWCA I ever took and thru today--Trip Rule: No watches allowed.
One major point of wilderness trips is to get off clock time and get on sun time.
We have really enjoyed this aspect of the trips.

I take mine off my wrist and put it in the guide pack. I hear that, about getting off the clock, but I sometimes like to compare my sense of time with that standard, or get an idea of how long it took to cover a portage, etc.

About 35 years ago I was loading a pallet that was sitting on the jacks of a fork truck with an impatient driver. My watch went away with the pallet. Luckily my hand didn’t. The only watch I now own is my grandfather’s gold plated 1965 retirement watch, which rarely comes out of the safe.

I take a watch with me but only use it on the last night to set an alarm for the next morning so I don't miss the tow ride back at PP. It does have a temp gauge on it so every now and then when it gets really cold I will look to see what the temp is.

I take a Timex Ironman. I like to check the time once in a while, like to know how long my food has been rehydrating, how fast/slow I'm traveling, how long back up chemical water purification has been working, etc. It also has uses in an emergency, medical or otherwise. Just because I have one with me doesn't mean I'm on "clock time" to me; if I have it I choose when to look at it or not, but I can't use one I don't have.

I take my ironman, I set my alarm for morning because, I can easily over sleep when in the B-DUB. Much more peaceful then home in my bed.

Do not wear a watch at home or for most activities near, never wore one at work. Do wear on on trips.
Switch between, Timex Intelligent Quartz Chrono's. I use the chrono functions a lot at road racing events that I attend several times a year.


butthead

I wear a Luninox watch with a silicone band. It is waterproof, tritium light vials so I can see at night what time it is, and a spinning dial so I can time cooking food.

Having enjoyed disconnecting from a timetable, I typically I go without a watch. The exception to that was the Voyageur Challenge. I thought is might help me wake up earlier or stay on the water longer. It did help with some short term time goals, but all in all, I'd leave it home.

My wife gave me this watch more than 20 years ago. It goes with me everywhere.

In real life I don't have a watch. However, I do have one specifically camping. It goes in the kitchen kit, it's main purpose is timing noodles cooking. It is wrist watch, the kind with hands and no other gizmos. BTW the band doesn't fit me, so I never wear it.

Timex expedition chronograph like butthead but on a green NATO strap.

I like to bring my faithful Suunto Observer. Aside from standard time and alarm, it has a barometer, thermometer, and compass built in - all of which I consider very valuable. It's like a Swiss Army Watch. I don't feel beholden to any schedule, but i do like to know how much longer to sleep until sunrise.

I have a Garmin Forerunner GPS watch for running, and I wear that in the woods mainly because I want to get the GPS track. Before GPS watches, I was a "no watch in the BWCA" person, and I wear the watch for its tracking and not for the time, but I have to say that knowing what time it is doesn't hurt anything. Sometimes without a watch I'd end up putting off dinner, which was all well and good until I was doing dishes in the dark, so I don't mind having the time.

Of course, a GPS watch does require charging every night, which is a PITA.

Like many others, I don't wear one at home or work, but I do wear one while tripping. It's very similar to the o.p.'s. I use it for cooking and others camp chores, but mostly I like to keep track of time and routes for my journal. It's nice to look back for future trips or to share with people here on how long it may take to get somewhere.

I always wear a watch and wear it camping. There the primary purposes are cooking, timing water purification when we used iodine (which we still carry as a backup), and once in a while for an alarm when we need to cover some ground. I'm often up at dawn on my own but sometimes get up when it is still dark to be on the water at first light. I may glance at it now and then but I don't really live on a schedule most of the time anyway.

I wear no watch or rings on wilderness trips, mainly for safety. Sometimes I carry a sports watch (without band) in my pocket, but don't use it often -- prefer to flow with nature's clock on trips.

no watch at home but I carry a cheap military style one looped thru my shirt pocket button hole.going solo I feel I need to keep loose track of the time as i'm making for a camp site.i keep another one in the tent so I know if all that light in the AM is 5 or 8AM years ago I went without one and passing thru Loon lake on drizzle and low overcast I
passed by some camps and thinking it was still early went up river to the parking lot.
the clouds lifted around the Devils Cascade to reveal a deep red setting sun.
I made it thru a heavy fog by following the shore line up river and now I always have
a watch along.

I do not own nor wear a watch other than some old things in a drawer somewhere I intend to sell one of these days. But time is important and I do not read sun time that well. I take my cellular device which serves many functions including clock and alarm clock.

No watch at home unless going to a formal affair. I lost a watch I was wearing while portaging in 2016 on the first day so I don't wear it anymore but keep it in the small pack.

I use a 15 year old Timex Expedition model now. I like to set the alarm for early morning fishing or leave time. I'll note the time I break camp and leave a site for my trip reports. It's also used for cooking and remembering what day it is.

I found out I like not wearing it. It's fun to just go with the sun. Get my body in a natural rhythm and guesstimate how much daylight I have left. I get pretty good at it around day four.

Cheap Casio with a rubber band. Big numbers on a white background so I don’t have to go through my 326 pockets to find my glasses to see what time it is!!

I set the day on my watch to 1 as I head out and keep track of days out that way.on long two week trips
with lots of traveling sometimes which day it is slips by,really.

I always wear my fitbit, although I should probably take it off when canoeing in case we dump.

I always wear my women's momentum pathfinder watch with an alarm. This is the best watch I have ever owned

..

Cheap Casio with date and day of the week: Old guys often need help in remembering when to exit the wilderness. Being able to time food preparation and meeting an outfitter for extraction also makes a watch handy.

I bring my Timex Ironman on canoe trips, but instead of wearing it on my wrist, I strap it around the thwart in front of me. Prevents the wristwatch suntan. :)

I'm not anal about the time during our trips - just like to keep a perspective. It's funny, though. One of the other guys will ask me what time it is and I ask them to guess the time first. They're seldom close.

I always wear a watch. I'm very military in my time up there as I want to maximize fishing time during the good fishing hours and I am always with a group.
Fishing days , I'm up at light, don't need a watch for that. Fish until 8:00 eat breakfast then back on the water fishing. Eat lunch at about 12:00, Start supper at 5:00, clean up, get everything ready for bed. Go fishing and fish until you can't take the skeeters. Then when you get back all you have to do is get your fishing gear put away, tie down the boats and hop in the tent.
For the other people in the group the only rules I have is that the eating times are at 8,12, & 5. If you miss those times you fix your own meal and clean your own mess.
Unless we're changing camps, Then everyone up by 6, eat an easy breakfast, pack gear, and on the water no later then 8:00.

Captn Tony: "I always wear a watch. I'm very military in my time up there as I want to maximize fishing time during the good fishing hours and I am always with a group.
"

Do you do any early morning PT up there? I'm imagining there's cadence calls on the portages. HA HA! Just kidding. My son is military. He'll be in 8 years in June.

TomT: "

Captn Tony: "I always wear a watch. I'm very military in my time up there as I want to maximize fishing time during the good fishing hours and I am always with a group.
"

Do you do any early morning PT up there? I'm imagining there's cadence calls on the portages. HA HA! Just kidding. My son is military. He'll be in 8 years in June.

"

No but tp is a part of my morning schedule

I bought a Suunto Vector watch years ago. I like that it records the barometric pressure over time so you can see if the barometric pressure is rising or falling. I can look at my watch and see the barometric trend line right on the face of the watch and predict with some good accuracy if it is going to rain.

The Suunto Vector is an exceptionally large sized watch and my buds that paddle with me always make fun of the gargantuan watch on my wrist.

I have my best fishing up north when there is a “steady” barometer over the week I am fishing. An up and down barometric pressure usually means tougher fishing.

A steady barometer with a New or Full Moon ... more often than not means “fantastic” fishing.

Captn Tony: "

TomT: "

Captn Tony: "I always wear a watch. I'm very military in my time up there as I want to maximize fishing time during the good fishing hours and I am always with a group.
"

Do you do any early morning PT up there? I'm imagining there's cadence calls on the portages. HA HA! Just kidding. My son is military. He'll be in 8 years in June.


"

No but tp is a part of my morning schedule"

HAHAHAHAHA

TomT: "

Captn Tony: "I always wear a watch. I'm very military in my time up there as I want to maximize fishing time during the good fishing hours and I am always with a group.
"

Do you do any early morning PT up there? I'm imagining there's cadence calls on the portages. HA HA! Just kidding. My son is military. He'll be in 8 years in June.


"

Haha - Twenty-five - 8 count body builders - begin.
1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 ONE
1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 TWO

I'm like nofish, jcavenaugh, and others.

No watch. I am trying to get away from the office, the emails, rush hour, the honey do list, etc.... I want to get away from all of it and unwind, the clock can stay home too. Granted I most often base camp, so we don't have to keep on a schedule, or meet a tow operator etc. So we have little reason to keep time.

My fitbit pretty much never leaves the wrist unless it's charging... then I've got my phone (in airplane mode) for a camera. Plus the GPS has a clock in it. Kind of hard to avoid the clock but I get the urge to disconnect as completely as possible.

Prior to the fitbit & phone coming on trips, I would typically have a rugged timex with me. I used to call it my adventure watch. Naturally, it disappeared shortly after I gave it to one of my kids to take to camp. Such is the way of things...

jcavenagh: "From the very first trip in the BWCA I ever took and thru today--Trip Rule: No watches allowed.
One major point of wilderness trips is to get off clock time and get on sun time.
We have really enjoyed this aspect of the trips."

My first trip too. I expanded my rule to not even taking it with me to MN; it stays back here in MO. I'm on vacation, I have to be conscious about "Time" at work. Don't need it when I'm not.

Time is irrelevant to me when I am up there! :) just sayin

No need for a watch. When the fish quit biting you know it's time to pack up and head back to camp. On the last day time is of little concern, just rise normally, have a quick bite, and paddle out. In all actuality you'd be amazed at how in-tune you become on a week long trip to general time of day. Sometimes it's really nice (liberating) to roll with nature's time-clock.

agreed - we use it mainly for cooking times and for an alarm on the last morning. speaking of tuned in....how long does it take for you to become tuned in, or decompress from everyday life? my first trip it was a couple days. this last trip, i dont know if i really ever did, we were in for 7 days. I remember distinctly my first trip all of a sudden everything relaxed for me. I don't recall having that feeling last year. Hopefully this year!!

Instead of a camera, we bring IPhones which of course also keep time. However, we make a conscious effort not to check the time. It's better to let your life find its natural rhythm.

While I understand why people don't wear watches on back country trips I always wear one. It's surprising how often my trip mates w/o watches request the time from me.

I use an old and cheap Casio with a band from a previous watch since Casio watches seem to last a lot longer than the bands that come with them. When the watch finally gives out I get another cheap Casio.

boonie: "I take a Timex Ironman. I like to check the time once in a while, like to know how long my food has been rehydrating, how fast/slow I'm traveling, how long back up chemical water purification has been working, etc. It also has uses in an emergency, medical or otherwise. Just because I have one with me doesn't mean I'm on "clock time" to me; if I have it I choose when to look at it or not, but I can't use one I don't have. "

Pretty much dead on for me as well. But, being the competitive person I am, I will sometimes set a goal time to get across a portage and race the clock.