On top of that, many tools for measuring walking distance exist on the market — whether standard pedometers, pedometer apps on your smartphone, or even smart bands. Faced with this wave of technology, should hikers convert and use these gadgets on their outings?
What exactly is a pedometer?
A standard 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 step. Others now use an accelerometer, as is the case with smart bands and smartphones.
As well as counting steps, these devices give you an estimated distance covered. In the case of standard pedometers, this distance is calculated by multiplying your stride length by the number of steps taken. You will have entered your average stride length into the device beforehand, or it will have suggested one for you. If you measured it yourself, it still needs to have been done seriously and objectively, following a precise process.
You can see straight away that this method of measuring distance is fairly rough. In fact, your stride length varies enormously depending on the terrain and your physical condition. Moreover, when stride length is measured, it is usually done on completely flat ground, and there is a tendency to overestimate it. This leads most pedometers to overestimate distances. Different standard pedometers can give a 20% variance in distance covered within a group of walkers. After a full day's walking — say a 15 km hiking trip — that still amounts to a difference of 3 km!!
Why a pedometer is not ideal for hiking
The first issue is that distance measurements are not at all accurate when there is elevation change and the terrain is not flat. And that is almost always the case when hiking!
On top of that, you have obstacles to navigate, fatigue building up and shortening your stride, and possibly a backpack that changes the equation.
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 for navigation.
You can of course still use it to compare elements (your number of strides, for example) from one hiking trip to the next — but not between different people. Avoid checking it mid-walk and don't place too much weight on the data it collects.
What are the alternatives to a pedometer when hiking?
You can of course, before your hiking trip, use route-planning software to calculate distances. These tools will allow you (among other functions) to calculate distances accurately and give you reference points. You can also print a concise summary of your route so 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 estimation. Or dedicated apps specifically designed for hiking.
Finally, there are now smart bands equipped with an accelerometer to give you an estimate of the 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 to navigate. They are more suited to giving you a general estimate of your daily physical activity than to measuring distance in the mountains or through woodland. The distance measurement is not precise enough and will lead to navigation errors or misjudgements of your position.
We will return in a future article to GPS and navigation tools — precise enough and modern enough in their technology — to help you on your hikes.
In conclusion, a pedometer is a simple statistical aid for the hiker. But it cannot be considered a precise way to measure distance covered on rough terrain, and it is even less useful as a navigation aid for finding your way!
