I can suggest several things, Loree. This summer I聮ve been wearing a St. Moritz Momentum VS-1 ($200; st-moritz.com). It聮s pretty much a do-everything outdoor watch with an altimeter, barometer, and compass, plus all the usual sport watch features such as alarm, timers, and more. It has a stainless steel case and a tough rubber wrist band, and is waterproof to 165 feet. It should be tough enough for any conditions your boyfriend is facing. I聮ve found the altimeter to be exceedingly accurate and assume most other functions offer the same. It also has a little cloudy/sunny/partly sunny icon on the main screen, and that聮s fairly easily flummoxed. But that聮s minor.
St. Moritz Momentum VS-1 Watch
Momentum VS-1 WatchLike most altimeter watches, the VS-1 does have some interface challenges that require a moderately close reading of the manual. Actually, a close reading is all that is possible; the VS-1聮s manual has the smallest type I have ever been unable to read. But most features are sussed out fairly easily. And at $200, the VS-1 is a good buy.
Suunto聮s Vector ($200; suunto.com) is sort of the cast-iron skillet in that company聮s watch line. It also has an altimeter, barometer, and compass, plus watch features and many ways to slice and dice the data, such as rates of ascent/descent, records of barometric changes, and more. Comments on VS-1 apply here as well: the interface takes some puzzling, but works pretty well. It聮s water-resistant to 100 feet. It has a plastic/metal case, and probably isn聮t quite as tough as the VS-1.
Hope he聮s doing well there!
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