Why not hike with an iPhone

[SurferNerd]

Why not hike with an I Phone? 'Cause you'll really be pissed when it gets soaking wet and doesn't work. This is a better choice:

http://www.casiogzone.com/home.aspx

Interestingly...I have a Casio G'zOne Boulder Orange sitting in a box in my closet, why you might ask? It has a broken screen, both of them. I thought the same thing when I got the phone, wow, amazing, great. Then it fell of a nightstand onto a concrete tile from a 24 inch ledge. Verizon's response, tough. My response, new carrier.

[SurferNerd]

Wow, I thought I was anal....

Removed...

[rafe]

Removed...

Oh, no that's not the point at all... you don't get less anal by removing a part of your post. It doesn't work that way (nor was that my intent.)

Mind you, my comment was mostly in jest but partly out of admiration and awe -- I mean, I'm as good as the next guy for obsessing over picayune details of hiking gear and planning. But hey, when I was planning my thru, cell phones didn't exist, so thank gawd for small favors, at least.

[rafe]

Verizon's response, tough. My response, new carrier.

That doesn't strike me as wise. You're not just buying a piece of gear, you're buying a network. I could care less about Verizon but the fact remains that their network is the broadest. From my P.O.V., the phone's just a piece of hardware, almost disposable -- you can buy one on ebay for cheap.

[SurferNerd]

That doesn't strike me as wise. You're not just buying a piece of gear, you're buying a network. I could care less about Verizon but the fact remains that their network is the broadest. From my P.O.V., the phone's just a piece of hardware, almost disposable -- you can buy one on ebay for cheap.

I'd rather not get into the details about why. But yes, I could have replaced the phone via eBay for $249.99. The problem was Verizon's support and demeanor on the issue. I had ATT back in 1999-2003 before it was bought by Cingular, and I never had issues with their customer service. The reality about ATT tho, its customers control it, not visa versa. Verizon locked down its phones so much that there were no options. This is why when the iPhone which was originally brought to Verizon's table was denied. It would open the door to free applications, and FREE is a word Verizon hates. I didn't just switch carriers because of the phone, it just happened to be the last straw. My entire family, my fiance, and all her family have Verizon, in fact, there is only 3 people in my contact list with ATT. But I chose who I want.

[bobbyw]

*If have you have an older iPhone2G I hate you..just kidding. Look for the OtterBox Armor 2G. It's a waterproof, dustproof, shockproof, badass case for the older phones. They refuse to produce it for the 3G which is retarded.

I just bought an otterbox armor 2g for my iphone for half price on amazon. It came in yesterday.




Sweet.

[Frick Frack]

Blackberry....not iPhone. You can take extra batteries with the Blackberry and you will need it with as much as you will use it. The GPS (on a phone)is worthless. You will toss the solar recharger b/c it will not work.

[rusty075]

If you're going to take a cellphone with you, the iPhone is actually a great choice.
The phone is surprisingly well-built. Mine has taken a bunch of abuse, including several drops from ear-height to the ground, with only small nicks and scratches to show for it. Yes, some people have cracked the glass, but I'd be willing to bet that most of those accidents would have damaged any phone. And the design is inherently well-suited to being out in dirt. The thing has a metal back and a thick glass front with only half a dozen openings for dirt or water to get into. Compare that to something like a blackberry that is plastic case with a plastic screen and 40+ buttons and switches all over it, each one an opening for moisture or grit to use to worm their way inside. And you can put the iphone in a waterproof, dustproof, dropproof case, and have it still be fully usable.


And ignore the people who say that a solar charger won't work because there's shade on AT, or because it'll be too heavy, or because a solar charger won't be powerful enough to keep something like an iphone charged:
-A solar charger works just fine in the shade. In full shade but on an otherwise sunny day my solar charger puts out about half the power it would in the sun. A reduction, sure, but still enough to be very useful. (that's also about the same effect that clouds have them)
-I have a solar charger that I built to keep my electronic gizmo's charged on long hikes. It is powerful enough to keep my iphone charged indefinitely during hiking usage, and it weighs in at a tick over 2 ounces. The charger doesn't have to be big, for two reasons: One, the battery in a cellphone doesn't have that much capacity. The iphone battery is 1400mAh - about the same as a typical AAA. And Two, you only have to recharge as much in a day as you discharged in that day. A phone that is only turned on to make a call home once a day or to type a journal entry in the evening will only need to be "topped up" by the solar charger during the following day's recharge. Even if it's a really long home call home you're only talking about replenishing a couple of hundred milliamp-hours over the course of an entire day of sunshine. You could do that with a solar cell the size of a postage stamp.

[Bare Bear]

It makes it hard to hear the rattlesnake warning you that you are about to get bit for stepping on him.

[MOWGLI]

I own an iPhone. The battery isn't nearly efficient enough to last a single day on the trail - much less 3-4 days between towns. I love the phone, but it doesn't go into the woods with me - unless I'm coming out in a few hours. And then... it usually is either powered off or in a case on my hip.

[SurferNerd]

That's awesome, I'd buy it myself if they made it for the 3G.

I just bought an otterbox armor 2g for my iphone for half price on amazon. It came in yesterday.

Sweet.

Have you heard of a Mophie? It's an extended battery that gives the iPhone 3 times its battery life, weighs 4 ounces, and I only have to charge everything with one plug, I don't have to switch batteries..I tossed the Solio already, solar sucked. I'm bringing maps, even though the GPS sucks, it still reads my LAT LON lines, and thats all I need to plot my location.

Blackberry....not iPhone. You can take extra batteries with the Blackberry and you will need it with as much as you will use it. The GPS (on a phone)is worthless. You will toss the solar recharger b/c it will not work.

Sadly, consider turning off the 3G, it makes a whopping 50% improvement. And if you know the trail isn't 100% covered in signal, the phone will spend more energy trying to connect to the server, than if you just shut it off when not needing to call. Voicemail was invented..

I own an iPhone. The battery isn't nearly efficient enough to last a single day on the trail - much less 3-4 days between towns. I love the phone, but it doesn't go into the woods with me - unless I'm coming out in a few hours. And then... it usually is either powered off or in a case on my hip.

Good thinking, I've dropped mine a few times, no damage at all in the incase slider case. I will say I hate the touch screen when its cold and you cant touch it through the gloves. I did take my Solio back tho, it was horrible. I got a Hymini instead. I can charge via solar, via wind, or via crank. It's cheaper $70, and it weighs about the same as the magnesium Solio. Much better option when you cant guarantee rainy days. But I agree, its an awesome phone.

If you're going to take a cellphone with you, the iPhone is actually a great choice.
The phone is surprisingly well-built. Mine has taken a bunch of abuse, including several drops from ear-height to the ground, with only small nicks and scratches to show for it. Yes, some people have cracked the glass, but I'd be willing to bet that most of those accidents would have damaged any phone. And the design is inherently well-suited to being out in dirt. The thing has a metal back and a thick glass front with only half a dozen openings for dirt or water to get into. Compare that to something like a blackberry that is plastic case with a plastic screen and 40+ buttons and switches all over it, each one an opening for moisture or grit to use to worm their way inside. And you can put the iphone in a waterproof, dustproof, dropproof case, and have it still be fully usable.


And ignore the people who say that a solar charger won't work because there's shade on AT, or because it'll be too heavy, or because a solar charger won't be powerful enough to keep something like an iphone charged:
-A solar charger works just fine in the shade. In full shade but on an otherwise sunny day my solar charger puts out about half the power it would in the sun. A reduction, sure, but still enough to be very useful. (that's also about the same effect that clouds have them)
-I have a solar charger that I built to keep my electronic gizmo's charged on long hikes. It is powerful enough to keep my iphone charged indefinitely during hiking usage, and it weighs in at a tick over 2 ounces. The charger doesn't have to be big, for two reasons: One, the battery in a cellphone doesn't have that much capacity. The iphone battery is 1400mAh - about the same as a typical AAA. And Two, you only have to recharge as much in a day as you discharged in that day. A phone that is only turned on to make a call home once a day or to type a journal entry in the evening will only need to be "topped up" by the solar charger during the following day's recharge. Even if it's a really long home call home you're only talking about replenishing a couple of hundred milliamp-hours over the course of an entire day of sunshine. You could do that with a solar cell the size of a postage stamp.

[catfishrivers]

If you're going to take a cellphone with you, the iPhone is actually a great choice.
The phone is surprisingly well-built. Mine has taken a bunch of abuse, including several drops from ear-height to the ground, with only small nicks and scratches to show for it. Yes, some people have cracked the glass, but I'd be willing to bet that most of those accidents would have damaged any phone. And the design is inherently well-suited to being out in dirt. The thing has a metal back and a thick glass front with only half a dozen openings for dirt or water to get into. Compare that to something like a blackberry that is plastic case with a plastic screen and 40+ buttons and switches all over it, each one an opening for moisture or grit to use to worm their way inside. And you can put the iphone in a waterproof, dustproof, dropproof case, and have it still be fully usable.


And ignore the people who say that a solar charger won't work because there's shade on AT, or because it'll be too heavy, or because a solar charger won't be powerful enough to keep something like an iphone charged:
-A solar charger works just fine in the shade. In full shade but on an otherwise sunny day my solar charger puts out about half the power it would in the sun. A reduction, sure, but still enough to be very useful. (that's also about the same effect that clouds have them)
-I have a solar charger that I built to keep my electronic gizmo's charged on long hikes. It is powerful enough to keep my iphone charged indefinitely during hiking usage, and it weighs in at a tick over 2 ounces. The charger doesn't have to be big, for two reasons: One, the battery in a cellphone doesn't have that much capacity. The iphone battery is 1400mAh - about the same as a typical AAA. And Two, you only have to recharge as much in a day as you discharged in that day. A phone that is only turned on to make a call home once a day or to type a journal entry in the evening will only need to be "topped up" by the solar charger during the following day's recharge. Even if it's a really long home call home you're only talking about replenishing a couple of hundred milliamp-hours over the course of an entire day of sunshine. You could do that with a solar cell the size of a postage stamp.

That's awesome that you built your own solar charger. How do you charge it? Do you stop and position the charger, or is it fixed to your pack or something and you just allow what sunlight that can reach it to do what it can? I'd love to read more about how you built your own too, very nifty.

[rusty075]

That's awesome that you built your own solar charger. How do you charge it? Do you stop and position the charger, or is it fixed to your pack or something and you just allow what sunlight that can reach it to do what it can? I'd love to read more about how you built your own too, very nifty.

It's actually pretty simple. I combined a Silicon Solar 4AA with a Mintyboost kit. The batteries and the little mintyboost PCB board went into a little sealed plastic box with a hole cut for the USB socket. The solar panel attaches to the box by way of a plug and socket scavenged from a headphone extension cord. The battery box goes in the top lid of my pack, and the solar panel gets velcro'd to the top. The panel itself is only about the size of your hand, and it's flexible and waterproof so there's not much to worry about really. Over the course of the day's walk the AA's soak up the juice, and then at night if I've used the iphone to type a journal entry or listen to some music after dinner I'll plug it into the battery box for a few minutes to top it off.

I'll try to dig up some pictures of the contraption.

It works well for the way that I personally use the phone while in the woods - completely off 95% of the time, and turned on only when needed. If you were using the phone all day to listen to music or left it on all day searching for a signal this charger probably wouldn't keep up, and after a few days both the phone and the AA's would be dead. But for an evening journal entry, GPS check-in, phone call home, or a bit of in-the-tent music time, it has a nice utility/weight ratio, for me at least.

[fonsie]

I am at a AT shelter now using my 3G I phone. I paid 299 for mine a few months ago and I love the 16 gig memory. GPS works with no service I can check weather news and even have aol radio to where I can stream music. The 8gig 3G is 199, the 16gig is 299. Like I said I'm on the at now.

[snaplok]

Blackberry International, unlimited everything..... $44/month.... That with our corporate discount..... Helps when the corporation has about 28,000 customers.....

I like my BB Curve for things like GPS, web, instant messenger, and music. But I usually take my PSP with me for more music and it's video capabilities. I've gotten some looks with it on the trail til someone sees me watching Iron Man on it and wants to watch too. And those memory cards weigh nothing so you can load one for music and one for video. Helps keep me for getting bored at night if I can sleep and entertains whoever I'm with.

[fonsie]

Yep you can watch movies on the iPhone to. Without the extra wieght of a psp.

[BitBucket]

I took mine (iPhone 3G 16GB) along the hills of GA with an InCase PowerSlider Case that doubles as an external battery/case. More than doubles the available battery life on the phone. Had pretty descent service...the GPS was reasonably accurate and the maps were OK, phone camera not too shabby to quickly capture a picture and upload it to the web using the .Mac/Mobile Me service from Apple.

Email generally worked well enough to stay connected with the office (boo/hiss). SMS worked where ever there was a cell connection. GPS worked well except under heavy cover.

Had 2800 songs, 3 movies, lots of podcasts, 35 apps like WB web site, and Bill Bryson's book a Walk in the Woods along to keep company, Funny how when you came to things it was sorta like what he was describing in the book

My HP camera didn't fare so well. Put it in my dry pocket on my Marmot Precipt and it filled up with water soaking the camera...the pocket did not leak, it held water well.

Phone quality was in/out as we climbed the hllls. Put mine in a Ziplock sandwich bag to keep dry

At $299 + $40/mo for full service (1100min & unlimited data), its a bit pricey but it beats that crap out of a crackberry.

iPhone is a good choice IMHO...

[Lucy Lulu]

I used a BB Curve and BB on the two long distance hikes. I used one for each hike, and had no problems with them breaking, condensation, etc.

For the most part, I only turned them on when journaling in the evenings, or using the phone in towns. The battery would last around 3 days with this limited use. I enjoyed the fact that I could send journal entries, with a picture attached, and update the journal site I used directly, without needing someone to cut and paste them.

I used a Solio charger in S.Cal, but it took 2-3 days of full sun to get a full charge, so after the southern deserts it was not very useful. It was actually easier (and lighter) just to carry a back-up battery.

[Freeze]

I'm taking my cell to talk to my wife every night if service available. That's what works for us. I usually walk a bit away from the shelters not to bother anyone. That said, I don't think I've ran into someone out there in the last 3 years not carrying a cell phone or a digital camera.

[SurferNerd]

I used a BB Curve and BB on the two long distance hikes. I used one for each hike, and had no problems with them breaking, condensation, etc.

For the most part, I only turned them on when journaling in the evenings, or using the phone in towns. The battery would last around 3 days with this limited use. I enjoyed the fact that I could send journal entries, with a picture attached, and update the journal site I used directly, without needing someone to cut and paste them.

I used a Solio charger in S.Cal, but it took 2-3 days of full sun to get a full charge, so after the southern deserts it was not very useful. It was actually easier (and lighter) just to carry a back-up battery.

I agree, the Solio is pointless unless your sitting on a sunny beach, haha. I gave in, just bought a mophie juice pack. The journal thing excites me, I can't wait to be able to post from the phone to update the world.