Review: Enjoy the winter outdoors with the winter-style Casio PRO TREK Smart WSD-F20X

Pro TREK is robust enough to withstand hard natural environments and has featured various sensors such as compasses, altimeters, and barometers , and is a trusted brand for many outdoor enthusiasts, including mountaineers. The company's nameless smartwatch PRO TREK Smart on this site since its release, packing its tough body with offline maps and a variety of features made from Android Wear, and is a genuine outdoor smartwatch that can be recommended for many outdoor enthusiasts with reasonable prices .

In November 2017, the new winter version of the WSD-F20X (hereafter F20X) was added to the lineup. I was able to try it out right away on this site, so this time I will focus on introducing this new model and report on how it feels to use PRO TREK Smart (WSD-F20 and F20X)

table of contents

• What can PRO TREK Smart do? ~A review of previous reviews~
• What's changed with the new PRO TREK Smart?
  • The band part can now be removed. What is the "fitting feel" of the new band?
  • Original watch face "Place" has been added
• What is the power of PRO TREK Smart in Winter? I tried using it in a real battle right away
  • Is it resistant to low temperatures? What is the waterproof performance?
  • How easy is the screen to be viewed and operable on the snow?
  • What apps are best for winter activities?
  • How much does the battery last?
• summary

What can PRO TREK Smart do? ~A review of previous reviews~

Before checking the signs of use in winter mountains, I would like to briefly explain what Casio's "Smart Outdoor Watch" PRO TREK Smart is, looking back at my previous reviews.

Features 1: Tough body and appearance

Complies with MIL-STD-810G (US military material procurement standard established by the US Department of Defense) that can withstand tough situations such as falls and vibrations. Furthermore, it is waterproof to 5 atm and low temperature resistant (-10°C), making it durable enough for use in mountainous outdoor activities such as mountain climbing. With its highly visible color, monochrome, double-layer LCD display and graphically easy to operate 1.32-inch touch panel, it is easy to see and use as a smart watch, providing a stress-free operation from everyday use to the field.

Features 2: Various sensor information that can be accessed with just a button

Not only can you access compasses, barometers and altimeters, which are essential for a typical outdoor watch, but you can also easily access sunrise sunset, tide graphs, and activity (calorie) graphs with buttons.

Features 3: Offline maps that can be used even if no signal is received

One of the biggest features that traditional PRO TREK lacks is that you can display a map with just one button and display your current location using GPS. Furthermore, by downloading it in advance, you can display a full-color outdoor map even in places where radio waves are not available.

Features 4: Extensibility to customize a variety of functions, including dial design, to your liking

PRO TREK Smart an Android Wear device, allows you to choose the screen design (watch face) of your watch. There are quite a variety of faces, and there are a wide variety of options available depending on your purpose and mood, such as everyday life, travel, and mountain climbing. Another major attraction is that by adding various apps released by countless third parties (or soon to be released), you can continue to customize and evolve functions to suit your preferences.

What's changed with the new PRO TREK Smart WSD-F20X?

The band part can now be removed. What is the "fitting feel" of the new band?

With the basic features in mind, let's take a look at F20X Basically, the functionality of the contents remains the same as WSD-F20 (hereinafter referred to as F20) but what has changed dramatically with the F20X is that the band can be easily removed and a cross band that can be attached over clothes is now standard equipment. This has greatly expanded comfort in a variety of outdoor scenes. There are two standard bands: traditional soft urethane bands and a new nylon cross band.

The new F20X comes standard with two types of conventional soft urethane bands (bottom) and nylon cross bands (top) as well as interchangeable.

The band connection part has been changed to a removable joint part as shown in the photo.

The text on the bezel has also been changed from the traditional monochrome to some green. Personally, I prefer this design.

The cross band is a long type that can be wrapped over layered clothing, and is mainly intended to be worn over outerwear such as ski wear or gloves.

Until now, in winter mountains, I used to wrap my watch directly around my wrist, but every time I tried to check something, I had to remove my gloves and roll up several sleeves, which took me a lot of effort. PRO TREK Smart, which often checks your current location, has more frequent access to watches, so these specifications can be hoped and fulfilled. So, I put it on as soon as I was excited with anticipation.

The double-layered, flexible nylon band has a hard, hard shell that fits comfortably even when moving violently, making it a great fit . The length is just a little too long for me, as I have a thin wrist (you can also cut the excess parts yourself), so there is room even over a thick piece of clothing.

However, this may be just me, but it is extremely difficult to put it on my wrist, and requires some getting used to it . To be precise, the velcro on the inside makes it difficult to tighten with one hand. After trial and error, I found out that in my case it would be easier to tighten the bands on both ends in reverse order than those found in Casio's manual (photo below).

In the instructions, I installed the one with metal fittings on the top of the watch, but in my case, I decided to turn it over because it was easier to tighten. There are no particular issues.

Another thing that caught my eye was the belt loop that covers the outer velcro (photo below). This is not fixed anywhere, so it seems like it will soon go somewhere. Normally, I can understand that I should be careful, but I have no confidence that I won't lose it if it's extremely cold and still can't handle it. The only thing I'm holding is the short part of the Velcro anyway, so I finally removed it and put it back in the box (it's not solved). The new cross band is comfortable once it's attached, so I was a little curious about the slightly more quirky way to adjust and wear it.

Be careful as the loop over the Velcro is likely to fall off easily when attached.

Original watch face "Place" has been added

The latest original watch face, "Place," released in November, has an exquisitely laid-back face that allows you to place up to three instruments and app buttons you've chosen on the dial, making it the most wasteful and exquisitely laid-back face in your history . In winter mountains where each operation is heavy, we are absolutely grateful for this mechanism that allows you to access the necessary information stress-free. Furthermore, in the background, a map of your current location and planned location registered in Google Calendar are displayed faintly. To be honest, I couldn't tell if the map would be usable because it was difficult to see, but the design was very good. This is available to all PRO TREK Smart users, even if they are not F20X

The new watch face "Place" displays to the altimeter (top), barometer (left), and compass (bottom), making it extremely convenient to access the information you need instantly even in winter mountains (photo is WSD-F20-RG (on-regi)).

What is the power of PRO TREK Smart in Winter? I tried using it in a real battle right away

In this review, we looked at whether it's a winter mountain activity, so we used it from late December to early January to ski slopes, short distances, snowshoes hiking, winter mountain tent staying in a backcountry.

Is it resistant to low temperatures? What is the waterproof performance?

Officially, this model has a cold resistance of up to -10°C. The environment I actually used this time was -15°C, which was even lower than the limit thanks to the huge cold wave at the end of the year, and the temperature was around -20°C late at night when I was staying in a tent. Although it was under such low temperatures, PRO TREK Smart was operating as usual without any problems such as suddenly stopping. Of course, the 5 atm waterproof body will not tremble if it is buried in the snow.

Even if it is buried in snow, it works without any problems even in extreme cold conditions below -10°C. As expected of PRO TREK.

How easy is the screen to be viewed and operable on the snow?

In sunny, sunny mountains with severe direct sunlight, the LCD screen is generally difficult to see, but there was no need to worry about visibility with the backlight double-layer LCD display. Even at noon, when the brightest glares are in the brightest, by maximizing the brightness of the backlight, it allows for a very clear display just like in the snowless season . If you are concerned about battery drainage, even if you lower the brightness, it will not be possible to read.

The photo shows the screen brightness at MAX around noon, and the map is displayed using the "YAMAP" app (photo is WSD-F20-RG (on register)).

In snowy mountains, where gloves are often used to operate while still wearing them, you should try to minimize the operation of the clock, but the PRO TREK Smart, which has only three large buttons, also has a good feel to it. However, since the touch screen is the premise, operations that require touch, such as moving a map, are inevitably stressful (although it is obvious). It's not the "glove mode" that is found on recent Android smartphones, but it would be nice if there was a mode that allows you to replace screen operations with buttons.

What kind of apps can you use for winter activities?

One of the great advantages of Android Wear is that by installing a variety of Android Wear apps, including commercially available, you can add useful features to suit your needs. In my case, "YAMAP" and "Strav" are essential for use in mountain climbing and trail running during snowless seasons. So this time we've also looked into what kind of apps are useful during the snowy season.

Check out the ski slopes with the activity app "Snow"

First of all, we have Snow, a standard activity app that you can use without having to add it again.

If you launch the app while enjoying skiing on the slopes, it keeps track of your skiing, and as shown in the photo below, you can easily check the distance, time, top speed, and elevation difference with each skiing route along with the skiing route . It was my first time visualizing how fast I was sliding, and I was a little impressed. However, at the moment, it wasn't any more or less, and it was also true that I wanted to see more information that took a step further. In the future, if we can obtain more detailed data (or more specifically advice), not just speed, it will turn into a more usable app, which will help you improve your skiing skills.

The activity app "Snow" records the route, distance, top speed, time and elevation difference with each skiing. It's a shame that it can't be saved.

Ski Tracks in detail records, saves and shares a variety of winter activities

The next thing I tried was "Ski Track," an activity tracking app specializing in winter sports, with many users all over the world.

The biggest feature is that it is extremely easy to operate . It has a super simple design that doesn't involve any complicated tasks such as creating an account or logging in, and all you need to do is launch the app and tap the "Record" button. While recording, the app will automatically record position, speed, altitude, distance, number of skiing, slope, etc. in detail . It automatically detects that you have rode the lift and automatically sorts out the results of your skiing. The recorded information is organized into a corresponding content by setting a variety of activities, such as skiing, snowboarding, snowshoes, and snow bikes. Not only can you check the trajectory you walked or slided on the map, but it also displays data for each walk and skiing, as well as graphically changing graphs for altitude and speed .

From the left, there are slope skiing records, snow hiking records, snow hiking trajectories, slope skiing height difference records, and data on slope skiing each time.

This app is not only designed for simple operations, but also has a very detailed look at the analysis and details of the content displayed . Naturally, the activity history is saved, and the saved data can be exported in major file formats such as KMZ and GPX , and from here it can be imported into other applications and managed, making it highly complete (and it's so free!). Tracking is only necessary to pick up the GPS signal even in places where radio waves are not reaching, so you can keep it in airplane mode forever, so you don't have to worry about battery drainage .

This is the only app that can be used without stress for a wide range of winter activities, from ski skiing to backcountry, and is currently the only option for this watch to use in the winter (YAMAP and Strava for mountain climbing are separate). There are free versions and paid versions (¥120), but the difference is that the maximum number of routes saved is 4, so if you want to use them, we recommend the paid version.

How much does the battery last?

It is generally said that lithium-ion batteries consume faster when the temperature reaches low temperatures. With some devices, once the temperature drops below freezing, it is often possible that the power suddenly turns off easily, but you think you have enough remaining capacity until just now. However, in reality, there are differences in the ease of battery draining and power supply failure depending on the device.

PRO TREK Smart has a cold resistance of -10°C, the effect of low temperatures is not visible to the eye, and for example, it consumes approximately 30% of the battery, with a maximum brightness of about 3 hours at zero for about 3 hours, and four apps running at full speed, making it very similar to normal.

However, as mentioned in my last review, the battery capacity itself is certainly not enough when you consider it as an outdoor watch that will put your life under extreme circumstances. The fact that while tracking with the app, it will not last for a day when used normally (although it will be a little better if you make full use of various energy-saving settings), is an issue that I would like you to first address, along with the unstable connection of the charging terminal and easy to disconnect.

Summary: PRO TREK Smart, which was used as usual in winter, and F20X have been added to increase freedom even more.

I'm excited, or rather, as expected, PRO TREK Smart has been able to achieve success in harsh environments such as snowy mountains, both robustness, cold resistance and functionality. Considering that until just a few years ago, I had half given up on skiing because I never knew when I could no longer use mobile devices such as smartphones, I am deeply moved that they have been doing as usual.

the new model F20X , although the included cross band still has some room for improvement in how it is attached, it is extremely stable when attached. However, personally, I have a great appreciation for the fact that it can be replaced. In fact, when I changed to the so-called "NATO strap (22mm wide)," it was installed without any problems, so depending on how it is done (although it is not recommended by the manufacturer), it is more than anything else that you can make it into a piece that you like. I think it's irresistible for people who are just as strict as you.

Finally, no matter how convenient it is, it doesn't mean that just a clock or smartphone map GPS is enough for winter mountains. Even if you bring in a spare battery, you should definitely stop doing that. When it comes to an emergency, being able to grasp your current location and route filing using a paper map and a compass while looking at the surrounding terrain is one of the bare minimum skills necessary for winter mountain climbing. However, depending on the situation, it can take time or be difficult. PRO TREK Smart will become a very reliable gear that will greatly assist you and will also teach you how to enjoy new winter activities

Smart Outdoor Watch PRO TREK Smart WSD-F20X

CASIO

60,480 yen

For more information on the lineup, main specifications, accessories, etc., here (official product page) , and for useful information and latest information from the manufacturer, we are currently posting it on PRO TREK's Facebook page