More and more walk distance measurement tools are available on the market — from classic pedometers and pedometer apps on your smartphone, to smart fitness bands. Faced with this wave of technology, should hikers embrace these gadgets on their outings?
What exactly is a pedometer?
A classic walking pedometer is a small device you clip to your hip that counts the number of steps you take. Many pedometers use an oscillator to detect steps — either a small pendulum or a ball on a curved surface that registers each stride. Others are now fitted with an accelerometer, as is the case with smart fitness bands and smartphones.
As well as counting steps, these devices give you an estimated distance travelled. For classic pedometers, this is calculated by multiplying your step length by the number of steps taken. You will have previously entered your average step length into the device, or the device will have suggested one for you. If you measured it yourself, the accuracy of that measurement depends on how carefully and objectively you followed a precise process.
You will immediately understand that this distance measurement is fairly crude. In reality, your step length varies enormously depending on the terrain and your physical condition. Furthermore, when step length is measured, it is almost always done on completely flat ground — and there is a tendency to overestimate one's stride. This leads most pedometers to overestimate distances. Different classic pedometers can show a 20% variation in distance covered within a group of walkers. After a full day's walking — say a 15 km hiking route — that still amounts to differences of 3 km!!
Why a pedometer is not ideal for hiking
The first issue is that distance measurements are far from accurate when there is elevation change and the terrain is anything but flat. And that is most often the case when hiking!
On top of that, there are obstacles to navigate, fatigue that builds up and shortens your stride, and perhaps a rucksack that changes the equation entirely.
If you use this type of pedometer, you risk misleading yourself if you take the measured distance at face value. You could even get lost if you rely on it to navigate.
You can of course still use it to compare elements (your step count, for example) from one hiking trip to the next — not between different people. But avoid checking it during your walk and avoid placing too much weight on the data collected.
What are the alternatives to a pedometer when hiking?
Before your hiking trip, you can of course establish distance measurements using route planning software. These tools will allow you (among other functions) to calculate distances accurately and provide you with reference points. You can also print a concise summary of your route so that you have the key data with you.
You can also use smartphones with a built-in app. These can be GPS apps for continuous tracking and distance evaluation, or dedicated apps specifically designed for hiking.
Finally, smart fitness bands are now available, fitted with an accelerometer to give you an estimated distance covered. However, these devices are not particularly accurate and should only be used to review your statistics at the end of a route — not for navigation. They are better suited to giving you a rough idea of your daily physical activity than to evaluating distance covered in the mountains or through woodland. The distance measurement is simply not precise enough and will lead you into errors of orientation or position assessment.
We will return in a future article to GPS and navigation tools that are accurate and modern enough to assist you on your outings.
In conclusion, a pedometer is a useful statistical aid for the hiker. But it cannot be considered a precise way of measuring distance covered on rough terrain, and even less so as a navigation aid for finding your way!
