Brunton ADC Pro Owner Review

Name: Mark Verber
Age: 42
Gender: Male
Email: email address
Region: San Francisco Bay Area, CA
Date: Oct 1, 2004

Item

Review Item: Brunton ADC Summit Pro
Weight as delivered: 1.7oz
MSRP: US$249

Description

Functions include:

  • "Predicts" the coming 12 hour's weather
  • Altitude (in m or ft)
  • Displays current barometric pressure (in hPa,mb or Hg)
  • Displays the past 24 hour pressure tendency
  • Water flow meter
  • Current, max and average wind speed (in km/h, mph, ft/s, m/s, or knots)
  • Shows current temperature with with chill information
  • Past 24 hour temperature tendency
  • Time, day and date
  • Chronograph operation (race timer, ski run counter)
  • Altitude, Altimeter, wind chill, storm alarm
  • relative humidity, heat index, dew point, wet bulb humidity, air density, relative air density, density altitude
  • Manual and automatic data logging
  • Logging to PC via optional IR adaptor

Conditions

Hiking around the bay area, California coast range, Sierras, Colorado, Ohio, and New Mexico.  Weather from 0s-110s, wind up to 50 MPH.

Performance

All measurements have been accurate.  I have compared to logging weather stations.  Attitude was calibrated against well known locations and then moved several thousand feet to new location at a known attitude within an hour.  The new altitude was accurate +/-30ft.  Temperature +/-.5 degrees F compared to other thermometers.

Can set logging to run at a specified rate.  Only down side is that whenever it logs data it makes a small beep.

Durability

Pretty good so far.  Haven't been willing to test the waterproof claim yet.  Maybe later this year.

Summary

Have been happy with the ADC Pro.  I don't understand why they didn't use the IRDA standard which would have permitted many devices to collect data without requiring a special "IR Adaptor".  I guess it's their way of extracting extra cash from people who want to store their logs.

Backpacking Background

I did a lot of backpacking from 1972 until the mid '80s. During this time I hiked sections of the AT (approximately 1/3 completed), spent a significant amount of time backpacking in the Rockies (Rocky Mountain, Yellowstone, Tetons, Glacier National Parks), and frequented Red River Gorge and various destinations in Canada. I recently started backpacking again... mostly in the Sierras. My base weight is now 11-18 lb (4-7 kg). Full carry weight including food and water is typically 20-35 lb (7-16 kg) depending on the length of the trip and what I have taken from other's packs to lighten their load.