The GPS Super Store.™ Since 1994.

United States

1-866-GPS-CITY • Live Chat

Cart (0)

Videos

Reviews

Testimonials

What's New

Rebates

Gallery

Events

GPS City Questions & Answers

Q&A Home

Newest Most Viewed Most Replies Search:

Got questions? We've got answers. By the thousands!

If you have a question about a product, be it units, mounts, software, or accessories, we'll do our best to answer it correctly and in a timely manner. All questions are answered by one of our knowledgeable technical support staff. Everyone is welcome to participate! No login required.

How Do I Ask A Question?

Go to a product's webpage, then click the 'Q&A' tab and enter your question (no login required). Your question will then appear here in the Q&As where you can check back for the answer.

GPS City Q&A » Outdoor GPS » Comparison of the Foretrex 401 Altimeter vs Forerunner 310XT?

Outdoor GPS (4 replies)

Item

Original Question

Comparison of the Foretrex 401 Altimeter vs Forerunner 310XT?

› Garmin Foretrex 401

Author

Reply

David
Vancouver

Original question asked on Dec 7, 2011, 7:21pm

I'm looking for a altimeter watch and have given up on Suunto. If that is my main motivation is there any reason to consider a 310 XT instead of 401? Performance in cold, water resistance, battery life, etc? I know the 401 has a barometric as well (not like the 310 XT).

Jordan
GPS City

Reply #1 on Dec 8, 2011, 8:00am

Your choice will dependent on your use. The forerunner 310XT is made pretty much for fitness only. It can not do as much as the foretrex 401. Foretrex 401 is very popular with military because you can change the co-ordinate system, map datums and more. It also has the Barmoteric Altimeter which if calibrated will give you more accurate elevation readings. It will also have a elevation plot pressure trend graph because of the extra sensor.

The Forerunner series is a little more like a watch so it looks and feels better but may lack some features you need. What is you main uses for the product?

David
Vancouver

Reply #2 on Dec 8, 2011, 11:02am

My main use would be to track and know the elevation when backcountry skiing and mountaineering, so it sounds like the 401 is the better choice (and you can also replace batteries in the field, right?)

How does altimeter on the Foretrex 401 work? Can you switch between GPS and barometric based elevation readings? (ie one or the other). Or can the altimeter barometric based and "guided" long-term by GPS (attempting to take out pressure changes due to weather when the unit isn't moving)

David
Vancouver

Reply #3 on Dec 8, 2011, 11:13am

Sorry one other question: Is it possible to load routes into the 401 from a .gpx or other file type?

Thanks for your help!

Jordan
GPS City

Reply #4 on Dec 8, 2011, 2:03pm

Unfortunately you can not switch between the two altimeters but you can have the barometric altimeter use GPS to calibrate it. If you use a known elevation you will get better results. It is recommended to recalibrate every time you take it out to use because of pressure changes. The barometer measures your elevation based on barometric pressure.

Routes can be loaded via Garmin Basecamp. You can load a route into basecamp via a GPX file.

The unit uses AAA batteries so you can swap them in field. It is best to use lithium AAA in cold weather.

Follow:

Learn:

Videos, Q&A, Reviews

Gallery

Buzz: