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Fitbit

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    • anybody use one?

      i've worn a timex ironman since the mid 90's (obviously more than one!) and it meets all my needs for hiking and running.

      but costco had a fitbit as one of their black friday specials which i ordered online and it just arrived yesterday. more curious than anything else.

      anyone have any tips or advice?
      2,000 miler
    • max.patch wrote:

      anybody use one?

      i've worn a timex ironman since the mid 90's (obviously more than one!) and it meets all my needs for hiking and running.

      but costco had a fitbit as one of their black friday specials which i ordered online and it just arrived yesterday. more curious than anything else.

      anyone have any tips or advice?
      Which did you get? I have been using one for four years now. Currently a Charge 2, but considering moving up to Charge 3.

      Overall happy, but does not seem as accurate when hiking. On multi week trips still switch back to Casio watch.
      The road to glory cannot be followed with much baggage.
      Richard Ewell, CSA General
    • Astro wrote:

      max.patch wrote:

      anybody use one?

      i've worn a timex ironman since the mid 90's (obviously more than one!) and it meets all my needs for hiking and running.

      but costco had a fitbit as one of their black friday specials which i ordered online and it just arrived yesterday. more curious than anything else.

      anyone have any tips or advice?
      Which did you get? I have been using one for four years now. Currently a Charge 2, but considering moving up to Charge 3.
      Overall happy, but does not seem as accurate when hiking. On multi week trips still switch back to Casio watch.
      charge 3
      2,000 miler
    • My wife upgraded to an Apple watch so I guess I'll give her old fitbit a try, she bought me one a couple of years back but I had her return because I thought I would never wear it...would like to see what it says about my sleeping habits.
      I may grow old but I'll never grow up.
    • Drybones wrote:

      My wife upgraded to an Apple watch so I guess I'll give her old fitbit a try, she bought me one a couple of years back but I had her return because I thought I would never wear it...would like to see what it says about my sleeping habits.
      me too. i'm not sleeping as well as i used to -- i have a referral to a sleep doc -- but i'm going to see what the fitbit says first. that's not why i got it; but i'll take advantage of it's functionality.
      2,000 miler
    • I do not sleep as well as I used to, which the Fitbit confirms (my wife had already told me). Have family members that use CPAP machines. But prefer to avoid that. Just as another reason to loose weight. :/
      The road to glory cannot be followed with much baggage.
      Richard Ewell, CSA General
    • fitbit rates sleep quality as:

      excellent
      good
      fair
      poor

      i am consistently rated as fair which is believable (although poor would not have surprised me). no way would i have believed a higher score. now will try some to make some changes and see if the score improves.
      2,000 miler

      The post was edited 1 time, last by max.patch ().

    • max.patch wrote:

      fitbit rates sleep quality as:

      excellent
      good
      fair
      poor

      i am consistently rated as fair which is believable. no way would i have believed a higher score. now will try some to make some changes and see if the score improves.
      Fair is my average and mode (most frequent), but I have had some poor and good. Don't remember an excellent, perhaps I when I am bored sometime I will have to look back and check (relatively new feature, previously it just tracked hours without quality rating).
      The road to glory cannot be followed with much baggage.
      Richard Ewell, CSA General
    • a couple days ago i used it at the soccer field which has a 0.50 loop. it was pretty darn accurate; the first loop measured at 0.49, and it registered just slightly above the 3.0 miles i walked.

      because of the brutal cold -- 44 degrees! -- today i used it inside at the Y. i have a real consistent 16 minute per mile walking pace -- yet today according to the fitbit it took me 31 minutes to walk a single mile. i should have been real close to 2 miles at that point. so that's disappointing. the battery was low -- 15% -- so maybe that was the issue. i'll make sure it has a full charge next time i'm at the Y. in the meantime i'll see what mr. google has to say.
      2,000 miler
    • LIhikers wrote:

      Last year we took a friend on her first backpacking trip. We hiked from route 301 be (or is it 302?) To the RPH shelter. I'm not sure of the mileage, maybe 7 miles, bit her Fit Bit had some astronomical number as a step count.
      Interesting, I always get shortchanged, sometimes by 50% or more.
      The road to glory cannot be followed with much baggage.
      Richard Ewell, CSA General
    • max.patch wrote:

      I almost wish I hadn't seen this...I've only had my FitBit Charge 3 for 4 months. :)

      Has a hiking mode...and GPS...and other stuff.


      Considered buying the Charge 3 during the past Christmas sale season, but decided hang on to my Charge 2 despite cracks and scratchs on the display part. Then replaced the band last week to get me to 2020 Christmas sale season, so probably will go with a Charge 4 then. :)

      Of course like MaxPatch they will probably come out with Fitbit Charge 5 a few months laters. :rolleyes:
      The road to glory cannot be followed with much baggage.
      Richard Ewell, CSA General
    • LOL, I just got an email from Fitbit telling me my battery was low and needed charging. They were right...

      As long as this thread is open...A couple days ago I got another one of their "awards" which I guess is supposed to keep me motivated. I got the "Italy badge" since I've now walked 736 miles or the length of Italy. I wonder if I'll get an award when I hit 2,190 miles. It'll look good on the wall next to my 2,000 miler and 80 miler (Georgia) certificates. :) All you Fitbit experts -- don't tell me -- I want to be surprised.
      2,000 miler
    • max.patch wrote:

      LOL, I just got an email from Fitbit telling me my battery was low and needed charging. They were right...

      As long as this thread is open...A couple days ago I got another one of their "awards" which I guess is supposed to keep me motivated. I got the "Italy badge" since I've now walked 736 miles or the length of Italy. I wonder if I'll get an award when I hit 2,190 miles. It'll look good on the wall next to my 2,000 miler and 80 miler (Georgia) certificates. :) All you Fitbit experts -- don't tell me -- I want to be surprised.
      Good thing you wrote that last sentence, I would have shared the road ahead. :D
      Also just realized I have not received a lifetime distance badge/award in two years. And a lifetime climb in nearly three years. :huh:
      Something must be broken. :(
      The road to glory cannot be followed with much baggage.
      Richard Ewell, CSA General
    • Astro wrote:

      max.patch wrote:

      LOL, I just got an email from Fitbit telling me my battery was low and needed charging. They were right...

      As long as this thread is open...A couple days ago I got another one of their "awards" which I guess is supposed to keep me motivated. I got the "Italy badge" since I've now walked 736 miles or the length of Italy. I wonder if I'll get an award when I hit 2,190 miles. It'll look good on the wall next to my 2,000 miler and 80 miler (Georgia) certificates. :) All you Fitbit experts -- don't tell me -- I want to be surprised.
      Good thing you wrote that last sentence, I would have shared the road ahead. :D Also just realized I have not received a lifetime distance badge/award in two years. And a lifetime climb in nearly three years. :huh:
      Something must be broken. :(
      Somethings broken? Lets hope it's not you! :)
      2,000 miler

      The post was edited 1 time, last by max.patch ().

    • max.patch wrote:

      Astro wrote:

      max.patch wrote:

      LOL, I just got an email from Fitbit telling me my battery was low and needed charging. They were right...

      As long as this thread is open...A couple days ago I got another one of their "awards" which I guess is supposed to keep me motivated. I got the "Italy badge" since I've now walked 736 miles or the length of Italy. I wonder if I'll get an award when I hit 2,190 miles. It'll look good on the wall next to my 2,000 miler and 80 miler (Georgia) certificates. :) All you Fitbit experts -- don't tell me -- I want to be surprised.
      Good thing you wrote that last sentence, I would have shared the road ahead. :D Also just realized I have not received a lifetime distance badge/award in two years. And a lifetime climb in nearly three years. :huh: Something must be broken. :(
      Somethings broken? Lets hope it's not you! :)
      No, I believe it is with their cummulative tracking database.
      The road to glory cannot be followed with much baggage.
      Richard Ewell, CSA General
    • Charge 2 pixels for the time are no longer showing up that well, so hard to tell the time of day.

      Was tempted to leapfrog like I planned at Christmas to the Charge 4, but with $50 less for the Charge 3 decided to go with that and should have it tomorrow. :)
      The road to glory cannot be followed with much baggage.
      Richard Ewell, CSA General
    • I know exactly how far my walking loops are. Today my Fitbit overstated how far I walked by 35% (that would have been frustrating if I had been using it on a trail headed to a campsite or water source that I'd never been to before). I'm used to minor differences (both high and low) but I've never had anything like this (except indoors). As I understand it the Fitbit 3 uses your phones GPS (as opposed to the Fitbit 4 which has it's own GPS). I assume the transfer of data gets wonky sometimes. Anyway, after finishing my 4 mile loop I restarted the Fitbit and walked an extra 1 mile as a test. Worked fine.
      2,000 miler
    • Fitbit says I have walked over 10,000 miles. :thumbup:

      Have maybe at least 1,000 if I used it on the AT and other multiday hikes the past few years (usually switch to cheap Casio watch so I do not have to worry about charging it).
      The road to glory cannot be followed with much baggage.
      Richard Ewell, CSA General

      The post was edited 1 time, last by Astro ().

    • Dmax wrote:

      It sounds like the Fitbit isn't too accurate?
      Are there any similar devices that are accurate? I've been thinking of getting one.
      There are a ton of Fitbit clones out there. I have no idea of the accuracy. I know with my Fitbit there is a way to program the length of your stride to make the distance more accurate
      "Dazed and Confused"
      Recycle, re-use, re-purpose
      Plant a tree
      Take a kid hiking
      Make a difference
    • max.patch wrote:

      I just got my weekly progress report from Fitbit.

      On Sunday night I cut the front yard.

      Fitbit thinks that was a bike ride.
      My Fitbit used to record steps as I was riding my motorcycle. I can't recall the number of steps and elevation gain it recorded as I did a long all-day ride from Central PA to the the outskirts of the Smokies, but it was impressive.

      My Garmin golf watch doesn't make the same mistake, which was a shame as I participated in a company-wide step challenge. Then again, the golf watch also doesn't recognize bicycling as an activity. Only walking. Might need to invest in a new tracker.
      Trudgin' along the AT since 2003. Completed Sections: Springer Mountain to Clingmans Dome and Max Patch NC to Gorham NH

      "The days I keep my gratitude higher than my expectations...those are pretty good days." Ray Wylie Hubbard
    • Astro wrote:

      max.patch wrote:

      I just got my weekly progress report from Fitbit.

      On Sunday night I cut the front yard.

      Fitbit thinks that was a bike ride.
      Riding or push mower?
      Mine is push, so after doing 1.5 acres I don't have a problem taking credit for those bike miles.
      Push mower. I guess you've already noticed this.

      After reading Stalking Tortise's post I remembered something I read several months ago on the Fitbit forums when I went there to figure something out.( Caveat...This is all from users not the company.)

      Fitbit does not record steps if the arm your fitbit is on is not swinging. This would explain why pushing a mower doesn't show up as a walk. Fitbit knows I'm doing "something" so I guess riding a bike is its best guess. Lot of user comments that it doesn't record steps when they go grocery or Costco shopping as their arm is pushing the cart and not freely swinging.

      And to mirror what ST said; saw comments that the normal hand motions made when driving a car is interpreted by Fitbit as steps.
      2,000 miler
    • Fitbit loves to give out rewards; yesterday I got my second Minions badge for walking exactly 22,222 steps in a day. I think my first Minions badge was for walking 12,345 steps in a day. These were both accidental and I learned of my "accomplishment" the next day.

      One day, no badge for this, at exactly the stroke of midnight I recorded my 10,000th step. This was totally accidental, I had no idea what time it was and how many steps I had at the time. I think this is more noteworthy. :)
      2,000 miler
    • After 3 years my fitbit is no more. It still works and passes data to the app and the website, but the screen is permanently dark. (If I go inside the bathroom that has no windows and shut the door and squint really hard I can (barely) read the screen.) Impossible otherwise. Known issue with no fix according to google.

      So I upgraded to the Charge 5 and the screen is fantastic and much better than the old screen when it was new. It has a bunch of new stuff that I'll probably never use. The transition was seamless and all my old data remains.
      2,000 miler
    • Garmin has really wiggled their way into my fitness tracking. First, the Garmin Connect app on my phone pairs with my golf watch, my smart watch and my bike computer. Both watches record steps and automatically upload the count to the app. Then the app is linked to a corporate tracker where I get 10 points for >10,000 steps, 7 points for 700-999 steps, and 5 points for 500-699 steps. When I hit 1000 points, I get a $500 discount on next years health care payroll deductions. That's enough incentive to wear a Garmin watch until I hit my 1000 points.

      The Garmin bike computer is pretty cool and tracks data such as time, distance, elevation gain and speed. All data is automatically uploaded to the Connect app and I can screen shot my ride map. Perfect to show my hiking partner that I'm in training.

      Garmin Pay on the watch is also a cool thing. I can keep my wallet in my pocket and just tap my watch to pay. Perfect for crowded venues or when one hand is holding something.
      Trudgin' along the AT since 2003. Completed Sections: Springer Mountain to Clingmans Dome and Max Patch NC to Gorham NH

      "The days I keep my gratitude higher than my expectations...those are pretty good days." Ray Wylie Hubbard