Add Canoeing/Kayaking/Paddle Boarding as an Exercise Shortcut

[Bits]

Hi,

Just taken delivery of my Surge and am loving it! One thing I'd like to see is Kayaking/canoeing added as an activity on the Surge. As it is water resistant and splash proof (and you shouldn't be getting that wet!), this should be OK. I am particularly interested in the tracking opportunities offered by the repetitive arm movement - this should be easy for the Surge to recognise and would enable some really great stats - strokes per minute, strokes taken etc, and combined with the GPS function you could work out stroke efficiency, distance per stroke and maybe even give feedback on how well the stroke is done (e.g. more vertical entry v's sloppy strokes).

Could be a quick win for the developers?

Many thanks!

Moderator edit: updated subject for clarity and labels.

[nhenry]

Hello,

I would like to see kayaking as a featured exercise. I got the fitbit 2 flex because it is waterproof and as a chef, photographer and kayaker. I need that. But it does not track calories or exercise for kayaking. Can we add that? I am outdoors a lot. That would be a cool feature. Thanks !

[mygreentv]

Yes please!

That said. It wouldn't be good on anything else but flex2? Kinda oxymoron-ic, perhaps. Won't be good especially on a charge hr.

[ChasPro716]

There are three concepts here:

1. List kayaking as a type of exercise to be tracked

2. Calculate calories, track heart rate, and possibly GPS mode for kayaking or general "paddling" activity.

3. Auto detect.

Now, auto detect for various types of exercise may not be practical, but manually starting, include GPS, and modeling calories for specific additional activities is a reasonable step forward that most users would be satisfied with.

[Sharonjm]

A generic paddling choice with manual start/stop would work for me.

[suzisbaretoes]

please!  please!  kayaking is a huge part of my spring through fall activity!  It would be great to see it as an exercise option.

[Jwordlaw]

Please add kayaking to activities! 

[klaventure]

would love kayaking or paddle boarding to be added as a GPS tracked activity.  Right now I log it using endomondo and then import the data, but then I lose the heart rate data

[DebbbieJ]

I would love to see stand up paddle boarding and kayaking added to the exercise for Flex 2 since it is waterproof 

[SunsetRunner]

Need to be able to add kayaking and for how long. 

[pacanoeman]

I Have the Charge 2 and I am loving it.  One of my activities is paddling my canoe.  It would be great if Fitbit added software that would record paddling, single blade canoe and stand up or double blade kayaking.  Lots of interest in this let's get going on it.  Thanks pacanoeman 

[sgcable]

I would like the same on my Alta.

[klaventure]

Even if it tracked it in the app, then you could have the distance and speed calculated and a fairly accurate calorie burn. 

[Naedr]

Kayaking should include time and GPS for distance and location. Right now I have to go to MapMyWalk.

[CEMoe]

I would like to be able to add my paddle boarding to my fitbit activity tracking log. I still have a fitbit flex and it is not waterproof. I can track the distance on my phone since I put it in a waterproof container. thank you!

[Bwcronic0517]

There have to be more than 13 of us who want kayaking to be added as a gps trackable exercise... how do we share this link with more in the community, to get more votes?

[jillluvsocean]

I would love to see SUP in the app so I can at least add it manually.  The only that that is close (something with a paddle) is kayaking.  SUP is a totally different kind of workout.

[MJO57]

Yes, please add paddling/kayaking/rowing----something! Choice.

[Isfitto1]

Yes I was out kayaking this weekend I did use the work out to track my time, but .... wanted the miles. I have map my ride app linked in to the Fitbit... this has kayaking. So I'll try that next time.  Until they added to the Fitbit.

[Imtz]

Any Paddling option would be perfect for us that do that kind of exercise

[MarlenS]

Hi @Bits and commenters, thanks for your suggestion.

We're always working to streamline our offerings as we introduce new products. Although it has been a very popular product for us, we will soon stop selling Fitbit Surge. If you're looking for a new device, we recommend considering Ionic. Ionic is a motivating timepiece packed with fitness guidance, health insights, music storage, apps, and more. You can learn more about Ionic at https://www.fitbit.com/ionicor compare the Fitbit family of products at https://www.fitbit.com/compare.

Please note that we’ll continue to support Surge from a software standpoint, along with any questions you might have during your use of the product. We apologize for any inconvenience and hope we can continue to provide you with Fitbit devices you love and help you reach your goals.

I think your suggestion is a good one, so I took the liberty of changing the label and title so that it is applicable to future products and exercise developments.

Thanks for sharing your thoughts and feedback with us.

[ClaireU]

I would love SUP to be added to the list of exercises you can manually enter on the app. Kayaking is the most similar but it’s not the same exercise. It would be nice to have more accurate information. 

[moonrakre]

I would like to see Canoeing/Kayaking on the Fitbit Flex 2. That would make it worth me buying a Flex 2 to compliment my Charge 2.

With Gps tracking from the mobile 'phone GPS, please.

[NRM1979]

I'd like to see this. Used Hike on my Ionic for a recent trip as whitewater is not as nonstop CV intensive as a bike ride. More surging in nature of quick bursts of action (like sharp climbs on a hike) and then a slower pace again. It would be the GPS logging and recorded speed part that would interest me most (which on a burly rapid would look more like a bike ride number than a walk).

Surely a dedicated Kayak activity shouldn't be that hard to add?

[garz]

Add paddling as an activity that is timed and use gps for distance and show heart rate for the event.  Can a pace be calculated from the paddling motion of the arms?

[ladypaint]

I am a part of a very large - and rapidly growing - dragon boat community in North America. I spend a lot of time on the water paddling, and would like to see some way to track this activity on my Alta HR