Should I cut the cord to all electronics for my 2014 hike? Pondering.............

[Son Driven]

We have only had the ability to connect to others while on the trail for only about one generation.

[Mags]

If you want to sure. It is your hike.

For others the answer will be different.

May as well ask "Should I get pistachio ice cream on my hike?" :)

[aficion]

If you want to sure. It is your hike.

For others the answer will be different.

May as well ask "Should I get pistachio ice cream on my hike?" :)

Am I going to become the first thru hiker to complete the trail without eating any ice cream?

[max patch]

The other generations had pay phones available in town.

[Kaptain Kangaroo]

Well, it's your hike, so you decide what is most important to you.

personally, I really valued being on trail & being disconnected from the outside world...... for me that is part of the attraction of long distance hiking, the ability to be removed from all the day to day distractions of modern life.......but that is just me :)

[rickb]

If you want to sure. It is your hike. For others the answer will be different.May as well ask "Should I get pistachio ice cream on my hike?" :)Good answer for 2014.My guess is that before long hiking without a phone will be considered to be as foolhardy as the cognoscenti think hiking with a cotton shirt is now. Too bad if my prediction comes to pass.

[Son Driven]

Well, it's your hike, so you decide what is most important to you.

personally, I really valued being on trail & being disconnected from the outside world...... for me that is part of the attraction of long distance hiking, the ability to be removed from all the day to day distractions of modern life.......but that is just me :)

Thank you Kaptain Kangaroo, I agree with you. During my 2013 hike, at times I found my iPhone to be a distraction. This hike I think I will leave all behind, and be fully immersed in the trail, and the encounters that cross my path.

[max patch]

I carry a phone but it is only used in town.

I'm pretty sure I'm going to carry a tablet as it is less weight and bulk than the 2-3 paperbacks I would carry otherwise. Plus a better selection when its time to get a new book (although if every town was like Manchester Center and Hanvover then the tablet might stay at home).

[moytoy]

cognoscenti
well bubba, I had to look that one up :-)

[Coffee]

I need to carry a Spot or InReach for the sake of my family's peace of mind, not my own, so that's required gear for me. I carry a camera. I do not feel a need to remain "connected" with a smart phone or tablet when I'm out for a week or two but I am kind of a news addict normally and I like to keep up to date with things so I am debating purchasing a smart phone or small tablet to take with me on the PCT next year. I am somewhat worried that carrying a connected device will ruin some aspects of the trail experience. I'm not sure that I would be disciplined enough to keep it off most of the time and check news only every week. So I'm still making up my mind.

[Slo-go'en]

Am I going to become the first thru hiker to complete the trail without eating any ice cream?

I don't think that is even possible. :)

[Slo-go'en]

I am somewhat worried that carrying a connected device will ruin some aspects of the trail experience. I'm not sure that I would be disciplined enough to keep it off most of the time and check news only every week. So I'm still making up my mind.

I don't think it takes much disciplin to keep the phone part turned off. But if that is a concern, just use a tablet which only has wi-fi. You can only connect in town.

[Drybones]

well bubba, I had to look that one up :-)

Well.................?

[Drybones]

I carried a phone but rarely used it...called the wife every couple of days to check in.

[Mags]

Thank you Kaptain Kangaroo, I agree with you. During my 2013 hike, at times I found my iPhone to be a distraction. This hike I think I will leave all behind, and be fully immersed in the trail, and the encounters that cross my path.

Did you start this thread just to air that opinion ???? ;)


Good answer for 2014.My guess is that before long hiking without a phone will be considered to be as foolhardy as the cognoscenti think hiking with a cotton shirt is now. Too bad if my prediction comes to pass.

Already is in many circles.

[Blissful]

There are very few pay phones anymore. Some kind of phone is a necessity these days, esp for emergencies, shuttles, etc

[Odd Man Out]

There are very few pay phones anymore. Some kind of phone is a necessity these days, esp for emergencies, shuttles, etc

People successfully walked long distances for tens of thousands of years without phones. It's OK to want one, but they are not a necessity.

[Coffee]

A combined personal locator beacon/cell phone would be great but the number of people who would want it is too small for the large manufacturers. I'm hoping that satellite phones and plans eventually drop to a more reasonable price...

[hikerboy57]

take it for emergencies and see if you can keep it shut off the rest of the time. a little self discipline is all.or change your mind. you always have the option of using it if you like.
set your own boundaries. its your hike, nobody else cares.
the phone can be a useful tool, but its still just a tool, meaning you use it, it doesnt use you.

[garlic08]

I'm one of the Luddites who goes hiking to get away from the phone--it's one of my greatest pleasures when I hit the trail. And I somehow managed an AT thru hike (in this millenium) without one.

Since you're asking, you probably sense that "being connected" might somehow take something away from your experience. If so, I agree.

[Wise Old Owl]

There are very few pay phones anymore. Some kind of phone is a necessity these days, esp for emergencies, shuttles, etc


Whats a payphone? does it work in the woods? is it green? :eek:

[bamboo bob]

Thruhiked once with no phone. Now I always want a phone. Being able to arrange a ride pick-up or wife rendezvous. I would not use it within earshot of others. Just good etiquette.

but now many folks of all ages use them on the trail, in the shelters, everywhere. I think that battle's been lost.

[Carbo]

I would rather not carry a phone, but I have an obligation to my wife to let her know all is well at the end of each day during an extended hike.

[lonehiker]

I would rather not carry a phone, but I have an obligation to my wife to let her know all is well at the end of each day during an extended hike.

Every day?

[Carbo]

Yes, usually just a quick text.

[Son Driven]

Did you start this thread just to air that opinion ???? ;)

I plead not guilty to your accusation. I am still on the fence, however I am leaning more heavily on Kaptain Kangaroos side of it, in part to his reply. Giving up all ties to society for six months is not an easy decision. In the absence of public phones there are, public PC's, at library's, hostels, and motels. So I can connect with people back home on occasion through email. On another note, I am under contract with Sprint, at $94 per month. to put my service on hold my bill would be $10. Considering the lack of Sprint service on the trail, and having an additional $80 every month, perhaps I have reached the tipping point of no phone.

[Slo-go'en]

On another note, I am under contract with Sprint, at $94 per month. to put my service on hold my bill would be $10. Considering the lack of Sprint service on the trail, and having an additional $80 every month, perhaps I have reached the tipping point of no phone.

Yep, that's a no brainer, saves a lot of money. If you still want a phone, get a cheap trackfone and minutes card. For about 30 bucks, you can have 3 months of service and 60 minutes of air time, more then enough for the occasional use it might get.

If your phone does wi-fi, it would still be worth carrying that for internet in towns and doing photos and music. Or get a cheap tablet. I find it more convenient to connect on my own terms in town then to find a public internet which limits where and when and how long you can use it.

[max patch]

There are very few pay phones anymore. Some kind of phone is a necessity these days, esp for emergencies, shuttles, etc

This is not a crack at Blissful who is one of my favorite people on this site, but is the hiking community at the point where shuttles are considered necessities? I never knew what a shuttle was until I joined this site.

[forrest!]

I feel guilty enough about planning the thru hike without the extra burden of being unreachable. I have to have a way to contact the loved ones back home and for them to reach me when they feel the need. I'm not saying keep it on all the time, just when you can see a town down in the valley or cross a road. Check in, answer messages and texts, let the people back home that are supporting you know that you still have them in your heart and mind.

And if there is an emergency back home, you are not unreachable.

Forrest

[ugggggggh]

i will email you my response...... in 2015.

[Squirrel Whisperer]

I'm bringing my iPhone with me, primarily for the camera and contacting the wife every few days or so. I plan on leaving it off/on airplane mode and deleting most of my apps to avoid distractions/save space, though. I won't be redditing/texting my way down the trail, as that's also what I'm getting away from.

I think the most important thing to remember is that even if you have your phone with you, it's up to you whether you're using it instead of socializing or focusing on the world around you.

[DandT40]

I think the most important thing to remember is that even if you have your phone with you, it's up to you whether you're using it instead of socializing or focusing on the world around you.

That's what I don't get... Just carrying a phone makes you HAVE to use it constantly? If not bringing a phone was for weight savings and not having to worry about breaking an expensive smart phone I get that, but the argument is usually made that people want to get away from technology on the trail and away from all their problems that apparently a cell phone brings to them. A cell phone for me is a tool to communicate. I don't let it run my day to day life and I rarely even turn it on when backpacking. But I would never leave it a home and would not feel bad at all about using it on a through hike when it is convenient. It seems a lot of people just want to leave the cell phone at home just to say they did yet have no problem using the internet or phones in towns. Strange... But HYOH. Whatever gets you there.

[handlebar]

I carried an iPhone on all my long distance hikes, mainly to use the Notepad to record a journal (in 2006 and 2008, I used a Pocketmail, but they are obsolete and heavy, for the same purpose.) My phone is off and in my pack while I'm hiking and I only turn it on in airplane mode to write the daily journal entries. I've really enjoyed going back and reading through my journals.

As to pistachio ice cream: by all means, Mags, you should definitely eat Ben and Jerry's Pistachio-Pistachio wherever you can find it!

[A/B]

Believe me, I'm all about the hiking. I hike with the Android phone off, but will also carry a Nexus 7 tablet. I can connect when I want to or need to, and if one dies, I have a backup. I figure about 1.5 pounds for technology, and I'm an old fart. Like Handlebar, I'm into journaling, so will take the occasional note during the day or at night. What I'm figuring though, is over the course of 5-6 months, I will spend quite a few nights in a hostel or motel, and reading a Kindle book or surfing the net is as much a pleasure as a hot shower. I love the woods; I love being connected to the world.

[Son Driven]

Yep, that's a no brainer, saves a lot of money. If you still want a phone, get a cheap trackfone and minutes card. For about 30 bucks, you can have 3 months of service and 60 minutes of air time, more then enough for the occasional use it might get.

If your phone does wi-fi, it would still be worth carrying that for internet in towns and doing photos and music. Or get a cheap tablet. I find it more convenient to connect on my own terms in town then to find a public internet which limits where and when and how long you can use it.

So even with my contract being on hold I can still use the other functions on my wi-fi i-phone 4? Since my camera is about a wash in weight with my i-phone 4. I can use the note book function, camera, and email at wi-fi locations, and I believe 911 will still work in an emergency. OK, I have decided to put my contract on hold, and carry the phone in lieu of my camera. Thank you all for assisting me with this decision.

[moytoy]

Well.................?

cognoscenti- what Italians call people like me who think they know it all:-)

[garlic08]

cognoscenti- what Italians call people like me who think they know it all:-)

...and those of you who think you know everything are very annoying to those of us who do!:D

[Grampie]

When I thru-hiked in 2001 very few hikers had a cell phone with them. Those who did only had them in case of an emergency. Since my thru I spend at least a week each summer as a caretaker at Upper Goose Pond on the AT in Mass. I have seen the use of electronic gear increase yearly. Now it's not a phone to use in a emergency it's something that has become a tech-toy for many hikers. They hike into the cabin and the first thing they do is take out a phone or I pad and start useing it. It's like having to drink water or eat some food, it has become a necessity to many, especialy the younger hikers. A lot of the conversations that I over hear are just sense less patter about nothing. I guess if you have one you must use it and if you don't have anything important to say you just babble on and on about nothing.
If you can't detach yourself from your phone when off the trail, I guess you can't while hiking.

[max patch]

Why's everybody making fun of my trail name?

[bamboo bob]

When I thru-hiked in 2001 very few hikers had a cell phone with them. Those who did only had them in case of an emergency. Since my thru I spend at least a week each summer as a caretaker at Upper Goose Pond on the AT in Mass. I have seen the use of electronic gear increase yearly. Now it's not a phone to use in a emergency it's something that has become a tech-toy for many hikers. They hike into the cabin and the first thing they do is take out a phone or I pad and start useing it. It's like having to drink water or eat some food, it has become a necessity to many, especialy the younger hikers. A lot of the conversations that I over hear are just sense less patter about nothing. I guess if you have one you must use it and if you don't have anything important to say you just babble on and on about nothing.
If you can't detach yourself from your phone when off the trail, I guess you can't while hiking.

Grampie. Those young'uns have never not had internet and cell phone access to the planet. It IS part of who they are and what they do. They are connected people . It's like a cussin about all those durn fool electric light bulb thingys. Pancakes in 2015 ?

[lemon b]

I hiked the AT before there was any such thing. A Lot. These days lots of folks have them anyway. Years ago we didn't even have cars. You don't need a phone hiking.

[fastfoxengineering]

Haven't thru hiked, but here's what I plan on doing. I'm not going to bring a smartphone. Battery life on them does stink. So I'm going to purchase a prepaid phone with texts for cheap. A no camera, no frills, flip phone. Durable and the battery will last forever if I keep it turned off. If it gets lost/broken. No biggie. It's really just for emergency use/calling the fam every so often. My old flip phone used to go three straights days of being on without needing a charge with regular use. I think keeping it off will make is last a long time.

I'll be bringing a separate camera system.

[Wise Old Owl]

My Iphone lasts three days on a single charge.... how does that stink if I turn it off when I don't use it? 5oz platform and it takes pictures like this....

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