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  1. #1
    Registered User Sheriff Cougar's Avatar
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    Default Ipads, tablets on the trail for blogging.....

    Have any of you tried using an Ipad or tablet for journaling or blogging while hiking the trail? Any suggestions other than a smartphone to use for journaling online? Thanks for any input.

  2. #2

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    Tablets of various flavors are becoming popular with us non-smartphone users. There's a wide choice of 7" Androd tablets to pick from in the $100 +/- price range. Look for one with GPS built in, that could be handy to have.
    Follow slogoen on Instagram.

  3. #3
    Registered User Sheriff Cougar's Avatar
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    Thanks for the info, Slo. If I get one it will need to have a usb port to upload photos.

  4. #4
    Hopeful Hiker QHShowoman's Avatar
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    Remember when Pocketmail was the device of choice for updating blogs from the AT? That wasn't even that long ago!
    you left to walk the appalachian trail
    you can feel your heart as smooth as a snail
    the mountains your darlings
    but better to love than have something to scale


    -Girlyman, "Hold It All At Bay"

  5. #5
    Hiker bigcranky's Avatar
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    I've often thought that a small tablet would be the ideal device for a long hike. It's large enough to easily type journal entries or look at maps, but smaller and lighter than a laptop or a full size tablet. Something with 3G or 4G service would also work as a mobile phone using Skype or Google, and would get the same intermittent service that any smartphone gets in the mountains. The battery life is usually better than a smartphone, too. I guess the downside for some folks is that the table would ride inside the pack, and not in a pocket like a phone, but my phone is always inside my pack anyway.

    My wife got an iPad mini last year, and it seems just about perfect except it's not cheap of course.
    Ken B
    'Big Cranky'
    Our Long Trail journal

  6. #6
    Registered User Hrdlee's Avatar
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    iPad mini and a charger - it's almost become a necessity

    Journaling, reading, field guides, maps, and a camera

    Audubon birding guide to identify bird calls is the main reason I started carrying it

  7. #7

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    Quote Originally Posted by Sheriff Cougar View Post
    Thanks for the info, Slo. If I get one it will need to have a usb port to upload photos.
    They all have a USB port and wi-fi. Most have a microSD slot which is the easiest way to transfer pictures. That's the one thing my Kindle Fire doesn't have and the main reason I'm looking to replace it. I had to wait until I found a PC I could use to transfer pictures via USB.

    Other then that, I found it very useful for checking email, updating Facebook and getting weather reports for the next few days while in town. For some reason, I wasn't able to download the mobile app for White Blaze, making this site a bit difficult to use. Not having to rely on hostel, libary or motel computers makes life a bit easier.
    Follow slogoen on Instagram.

  8. #8

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    You can also go with an Eye-Fi card for your camera. It creates its own wifi newtwork and will deliver your images from your camera to your tablet without a traditional wifi connection. I am using this method now as a test run and am pleased with it so far. It has been reliable and steady. The Eye-fi cards have come a long way since its introduction.

  9. #9
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    I suggest waiting for Apple's new iPad lineup expected this month. The mini is likely to get lighter and (maybe) cheaper. Plus it is very likely to have the much improved Retina display. If the weight gets under 10 ounces it will be very tempting, particularly for those of us who do not carry a cell phone on the trail.
    HST/JMT August 2016
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  10. #10
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    Man, I love WB! Every time I have a question, the answer (or many answers!) appears.

  11. #11
    Registered User Theosus's Avatar
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    If I was just using it for blogging, I would take my iphone and one of apple's keyboards. I don't like typing a lot on a virtual keyboard, I'm much faster with a real keyboard. Plus, at night with the screen on low brightness the battery life would probably be pretty good. I know I can get several days out of my phone out of one charge, if it is only on at night on airplane mode. Since I have the phone anyway, the keyboard is the only extra bulk/weight, but they aren't that light, and you would have to remember to take the battery out when you jam it in your pack. But it would be harder to damage than an ipad's screen!
    I haven't used nother tablet besides the ipad and ipad mini (and I would definitely take a mini over the full size), but a friend of mine has another brand that has served him well on the trail recently (not sure the make). He's hiked the southern half of the AT in sections, so I trust his advice, although he only started carrying his tablet recently, and that's mainly for recording his hike tracks and reading in camp. He doesn't generally use it during a hike.
    Please don't read my blog at theosus1.Wordpress.com
    "I took the one less traveled by, and that has made all the difference. Thank God for Search and Rescue" - Robert Frost (first edit).

  12. #12
    Registered User Sheriff Cougar's Avatar
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    Thanks for all the info, folks. I will be taking your advice to make my final decision. Much appreciated.

  13. #13

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    Quote Originally Posted by Slo-go'en View Post
    They all have a USB port and wi-fi. Most have a microSD slot which is the easiest way to transfer pictures. That's the one thing my Kindle Fire doesn't have and the main reason I'm looking to replace it. I had to wait until I found a PC I could use to transfer pictures via USB.
    I may be misunderstanding something as I am not a techno-wiz, but if you have a USB port you may be able to use a USB card readers such as this one.

  14. #14
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    Quote Originally Posted by Hrdlee View Post
    iPad mini and a charger - it's almost become a necessity
    Food, water, shelter...those are necessities. An iPad being a necessity for a thru hike is like saying power windows are necessary to drive a car.
    "eastern rain is made of skittles and one need only pack an appetite." - mweinstone

  15. #15
    PCT 2013, most of AT 2011, rest of AT 2014
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    Quote Originally Posted by Poedog View Post
    Food, water, shelter...those are necessities. An iPad being a necessity for a thru hike is like saying power windows are necessary to drive a car.
    That's why he said "almost a necessity," not "it's a necessity."

    I knew several people carrying tablets on the PCT this year, but I don't know which models they were using. I would consider one for my next hike instead of my smartphone, which is what I used for camera/maps/apps/music/blogging this time around. The smartphone worked out alright, but typing on it was more trouble than it was worth, and the free Blogger app I used limited what I could post and how I could post it. Tablets enable some people to make incredibly thorough blogs. If you're serious about blogging for your upcoming hike and you don't anticipate needing a phone very often, I would absolutely get a tablet and use Google Voice/use a pay phone/borrow a friend's phone whenever you need to make a call.
    "Hahk your own hahk." - Ron Haven

    "The world is a book, of which those who do not travel read only a page." - St. Augustine

    http://www.scrubhiker.com/

  16. #16
    Registered User jesse's Avatar
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    Journaling or blogging. Two things that never occurred to me to do while hiking. A non necessity.


  17. #17
    Hopeful Hiker QHShowoman's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by jesse View Post
    Journaling or blogging. Two things that never occurred to me to do while hiking. A non necessity.

    For you.

    Now, despite many attempts, I'm not ra blogger or journaler, but if I'm undertaking a once in a lifetime event like thru hiking, I'd definitely want some way to jot down at least the highlights of my journey.

    I'd be okay with just my iPhone and an external charger, like the Anker Astro. The 15000mAh model will charge an iPhone several times over on a single, full charge and if you keep your phone on airplane mode most of the time, you'll have plenty of juice in between town stops where you can recharge both devices.

    The iPhone serves as a camera, phone, eReader and journaling device all rolled into one.
    you left to walk the appalachian trail
    you can feel your heart as smooth as a snail
    the mountains your darlings
    but better to love than have something to scale


    -Girlyman, "Hold It All At Bay"

  18. #18

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    On a couple of Thru hike videos I noticed that a few write side notes in the AWOL guide which seems like a good idea. I'm going to start using my iphone.

    OT: Scrub- that link you embedded (through journals) is great. I just spent an hour reading through her blog. Not sure I will get that detailed but that is a great blog to read.

  19. #19
    Registered User quasarr's Avatar
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    For me, the weight of a tablet is not worth it. I have the iPad mini and I absolutely love it but I would not bring it on a thru hike. Most of the new smart phones are pretty big, easy to type on, and some of them have good cameras as well. For example the Nokia Lumia 1020 has an excellent camera and weighs only 5.6 oz!! WOW! That's 5oz less and much more front-pocked friendly than the iPad mini. Since a smart phone is a triple-use item (phone, camera, internet) I think this is totally worth it. But a tablet is more single use, internet only. If blogging is REALLY important it could be worth it, but if you are not trying to make history with your blog then you can do a fine job on a smart phone with no extra effort.

  20. #20
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    Quote Originally Posted by SCRUB HIKER View Post
    That's why he said "almost a necessity," not "it's a necessity."
    The addition of an adverb doesn't change the definition of necessity. It's not even close to being "almost a necessity".
    "eastern rain is made of skittles and one need only pack an appetite." - mweinstone

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