© Kaori Photo / kaoriphoto.com

TomTom recently came out with the new TomTom Adventurer GPS Watch. I had the opportunity to give it a test and see how this new watch compared to my older TomTom Spark that I received over two years ago during the Spartan Race World Championships as part of the Cliff Bar Base Camp program. Instead of writing a review right away out of the box, I decided to hold on and really give it a try before reviewing it.

Product Stats:

Photo Credit: TomTom

Features:

When I received the TomTom Adventurer GPS Watch my initial impression was that of a sleeker version of the Spark watch. But quickly I learned how much more powerful the Adventurer watch was and all the cool features.

The first new feature that differentiated it from my previous TomTom Watch is the daily trackers. Much like many other smart watches, it tracks your steps, daily mileage, and (based on your age and height) your calories.

Additionally, now music can be uploaded directly to the watch and the package comes with a set of Bluetooth headphones to listen to your favorites while out and about. This is perfect for those who like to trail run or ski with music.

Speaking of skiing, the Adventurer watch now lets you track your skiing whether in the backcountry or at a resort. To say the watch is smart is an understatement. Additionally, you can get real-time stats while out on a trek, or plan a route before you head out into the wilderness with your watch.

Finally, the built-in compass should help you from getting lost in the woods. At the very least this little watch is a powerhouse for any outdoor enthusiast.

Testing it Out:

© Kaori Photo / kaoriphoto.com

Fortunately, days after the watch came to my house I headed to California to take on my first Adventure Race, read about that here. This offered the perfect opportunity to test out the TomTom on a seven-hour course featuring mountain biking, trekking, running, and kayaking.

Using the TomTom Adventurer “in the wild” I flipped the settings to freestyle because of taking on so many different types of activities in one go. It seemed the best to fit my needs. Even better I found out after the fact was that you can change the activity type or create your own online after you sync it to the TomTom App.

My only regret using it in the race was that I had not read the instructions on the usage of the device before the race. Time was just not there to do it, if I had known I would have used the compass during the event but no worries, I figured it out. The watch was comfortable on my small wrist during the 7-hour race. The battery held up well and the coolest part (to me) is it tracking my heart rate the whole time without having to wear a chest strap (I remember the old days when you had to wear a chest strap).

I got home and since then I have used it to track my daily moving around. Some days are like yikes when a lot of deadlines come in, but it is nice to have a tracker that is multifunctional and rugged to keep up with my lifestyle, whether it be at an obstacle race, adventure race, mountain biking, or just gardening in the backyard. I can easily wash it off and go about my day.

Since receiving the watch it has been on more than one bike ride with me as I continue my journey into the world of mountain biking. Sometimes I forget as and then regret not bringing it but it’s a great way to track the ride and as I am just learning the sport tracking my progress on the same trails.

The best part is with the TomTom App I mentioned before I can literally sync up the ride/run/adventure I just went on as I head home and then pull up the information either on my phone or on the website when I am back at my computer. If you like sharing your adventures TomTom lets you through the app create an overlay with your workout.

These days I normally keep my workouts and adventures to myself but for those who like to share this is a great feature and you can add your own photos like I did above. This was literally the ride I did in the middle of writing this review. Also if you like to connect to websites like Strava you can do so with your TomTom Adventurer Watch.

Overall, The TomTom Adventurer GPS Watch is an investment but like my recent mountain bike purchase you get what you pay for and with the TomTom Adventurer Watch it is a powerful package all rolled into a small and sleek looking watch.

Oh, and it will tell you the time of day when you just want a “normal” watch! 

*This watch was given to me in exchange for a clear and honest review. All the opinions are of my own and were not influenced by TomTom. This post contains affiliate links.