One of the basic rules of selecting lightweight gear is to choose items that can serve as many functions as possible. If you’re going to wear a watch, why not choose one that can do more than just tell time? These days, watches can provide any number of additional features such as:

• Compass
• Thermometer
• Barometer
• Altimeter
• Alarm
• Stop Watch/Timer (useful when cooking)
• Heart Rate Monitor

I was interested in all of those features except for the heart rate monitor. The new Casio Pathfinder watches offer all the features I was looking for. The model I chose is also solar powered so there’s no battery to worry about changing.

Suunto makes several really great watches that can do almost anything you can think of. However, they’re pretty expensive and some of them are about the size of hockey pucks.

A cheaper and lighter alternative is the Timex Expedition digital compass watch. As the name implies, this watch features a digital compass, but lacks the barometer, altimeter and thermometer found on more expensive watches. However, for the price (about $40), they’re a real bargain.