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dbright
11-10-2015, 10:22
I am looking for a phone that will aid me on my thru hike Feb 2016. HOw much storage should it have. I know I have seen other posts about phones can someone point me to them. Thanks

Tennessee Viking
11-10-2015, 10:31
It really is depends on your service provider.

Even if a smartphone has internal storage only, you can get Dropbox or Google Drive to upload your journals and pictures off phone.

dbright
11-10-2015, 11:09
I have not picked out a phone. I will be going with Verizon as the carrier.

HooKooDooKu
11-10-2015, 11:28
Today's standard calls for a small smart phone to have 8GB of storage (perhaps with the OS taking up 1/2 of that). That leaves about 4 GB of space... that is 4 BILLION bytes of data space. Even a large app with lots of map data is only in the range of about 100 million bytes (some are larger, most are much smaller). The only other thing that takes up lots of space is pictures and video. So as long as you are not trying to load down your phone with a bunch of apps, and as long as you've got somewhere to offload copies of your images/video, even the smallest smart phone should be able to handle all the basic things you would need (GPS, maps, temp image storage, etc).

soumodeler
11-10-2015, 11:45
If you are on Verizon look at the Droid Turbo 2. Big battery to last for a few days on airplane mode and light use, tough shatterproof screen, 64GB storage and options for expandable storage. You can also get a Lifeproof case for it if you want waterproof and drop protection. The charger that comes with it charges the phone very quickly so you may get a decent charge even if you don't stay overnight in town.

I carried the original Droid Turbo in a Lifeproof case on my thru attempt this year. It takes decent pictures and the battery lasted up to four days of light use.

0utlier
11-12-2015, 01:50
I did 3 weeks last summer and will do a month this coming summer. I hiked from the approach trail to Fontana Dam this year. What worked for me was a Samsung Galaxy S5. The reasons I'm all about the Galaxy S5 and not iPhone or Galaxy S6 is the S5 has a replaceable battery (I carried 3 extra batteries which are not heavy. I recharged all batteries when I nero'ed or zero'ed). The S5 also has external storage unlike the iPhone and Galaxy S6 so pop in a 64 gig micro SD card and carry a couple more and you're good to go. I have AT&T and was super surprised I had Internet access almost the whole time. The only time I had absolutely zero service was the last 20 miles or so to Fontana Dam. In fact I had absolutely no service even at Fontana Lodge with AT&T. YMMV.

Boots and Backpacks
11-12-2015, 09:15
Verizon, and Track Phone has the best reception on the trail. Sprint was decent for the majority of the trail this past year for us. Some sections you won't get service no matter who your carrier is.

dbright
11-12-2015, 09:34
I did 3 weeks last summer and will do a month this coming summer. I hiked from the approach trail to Fontana Dam this year. What worked for me was a Samsung Galaxy S5. The reasons I'm all about the Galaxy S5 and not iPhone or Galaxy S6 is the S5 has a replaceable battery (I carried 3 extra batteries which are not heavy. I recharged all batteries when I nero'ed or zero'ed). The S5 also has external storage unlike the iPhone and Galaxy S6 so pop in a 64 gig micro SD card and carry a couple more and you're good to go. I have AT&T and was super surprised I had Internet access almost the whole time. The only time I had absolutely zero service was the last 20 miles or so to Fontana Dam. In fact I had absolutely no service even at Fontana Lodge with AT&T. YMMV.

How long did the battery last.\? I was looking to take a usb charger with me to charge my phone.

0utlier
11-12-2015, 11:53
I eventually just ended up turning my phone off until needed. The phone only takes a few seconds to boot up so I found no real need to have it on while putting one foot in front of the other for hours on end. I used my phone mostly for guthooks GPS AT app when needed, and reading the news in my tent at the end of the day. A single battery would last a couple of days or more that way.

Many people on the trail had those big block chargers but they're pretty heavy. You have to do what you have to do when your battery is not removable.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G900A using Tapatalk

Uncle Joe
11-12-2015, 13:16
Always turn off cellular while hiking. For smartphones, put them in Airplane mode. The reason is that cellphones will boost their signal when they can't find a tower in an attempt to locate one and this will drastically increase your battery usage.

If you're thinking of getting a smartphone, I suggest you get more than 8GB if possible. If Android, consider a adding an 8GB card which will bolster your memory. For iPhone, I don't think you can get an 8GB phone any longer so 16GB would be the minimum.

dbright
11-12-2015, 13:29
I have some small usb chargers that do not weigh very much. If I get a phone without a removable battery then I may have to take the usb charger. I will also update my journal every night if possible as I move along. I will need to test the chargers after I get a phone to see how much charge they give me on the phone.

soumodeler
11-12-2015, 15:06
For a usb battery pack, look at the mAh (ex 10,000 mHa) and then look at the rated battery capacity of the phone (ex 2780 mAh). You will loose anywhere from 20-40% of the battery capacity to conversion loss (heat). My Anker e3 battery estimates 20% loss, a no name pack I have said 35% loss, so a name brand quality battery pack is more efficient. So you could expect 2.5 to 3 charges out of a 10,000 mAh battery pack on a phone that has a 2780 mAh battery.

Don't forget to look at the output of the battery and the recommended input for the phone. This is rated in amps (A) such as 2.1A. Most newer smartphones have quick charge technology that accepts higher amp input to charge faster. Once again, quality makes a difference as my Anker pack outputs 2.1A vs 1A from the el cheapo.

And finally, the charger that comes with your phone will probably charge it quicker than a generic replacement. This is very handy for a quick top off charge at a store or restaurant. Some phones offer a 50-75% charge in as little as 15 minutes with quick charge, but only when using a compatible charger. Most battery packs do not offer this output.

Slo-go'en
11-12-2015, 17:06
You don't need to buy a fancy high end phone and you'd be foolish to do so.

Since I don't need a smart phone for my off trail life, I bought a $20, Net10 LG smart phone and a 4G SD card to plug into it. I just buy service when I need it. The amazing thing is that it does everything my tablet did at a fraction of the cost and it can make calls. The smaller screen wasn't much of an issue. Battery life was good, even when posting a picture to Facebook once a day. I think I only used my portable charger once, just because. Of course the camera in a cheap phone isn't on par with something like an iPhone, but good enough for posting. I carry a good camera if I want a high quality picture.

Heliotrope
11-13-2015, 00:02
I'm no techie. But I live in Maine and I have AT&T. And out in the 100 mike wilderness it sucks a**. Even in the town of millinocket or Monson I get zero service! All the locals use Verizon. Choice of carrier may be an important consideration.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

scatman
11-13-2015, 01:19
I took an iPhone 6+ with me on my CDT hike this year. With the Lifeproof case it was quite large. I would suggest the normal 6. They take amazing pictures and the battery lasted well. I got my power from an Anker 16000 external battery pack (<a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00N2T7U90/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B00N2T7U90&linkCode=as2&tag=advenofscatm-20&linkId=PFPWXHKBMGUQC7E4">Anker 2nd Gen Astro E5 16000mAh Portable Charger External Battery Power Bank with PowerIQ Technology 2-Port 3A for iPhone 6 Plus 5S 5C 5 4S, iPad Air, mini, Galaxy S6 S5 S4 S3, Note 4 3 2, Tab 4 3 2 Pro, Nexus 4 5 7 10, HTC One, One 2 (M8), LG G3, MOTO X G, most other Phones and Tablets (Black)</a><img src="http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=advenofscatm-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B00N2T7U90" width="1" height="1" border="0" alt="" style="border:none !important; margin:0px !important;" />).

Storage: I got the 64GB. It wasn't until I got to some place in Montana that I had to go and erase some of my pictures/video to make more room. I took close to 5000 pics and I think I left with 250 already on there. So +/- 4000 fit and a lot of video.

The only draw back is having no zoom.

wornoutboots
11-13-2015, 11:06
I am looking for a phone that will aid me on my thru hike Feb 2016. HOw much storage should it have. I know I have seen other posts about phones can someone point me to them. Thanks

When you say "aid me" are you talking about using apps, it as a camera, or just a way to make a call? If you're going to be using it for apps, gps, journaling and other tools to gather info on towns your approaching, I'd say any newer smart phone will work, I have an old 4S that works fine, the pictures take up most storage, so you may want to carry a separate light weight camera. If I was thru-hiking, I'd seriously consider only carrying a flip type phone so that the gadgets don't take away from the experience, but I do understand how handy they are. Enjoy your hike!!

WillPoe
11-13-2015, 12:18
I hiked the AT this year with an iPhone 4. A newer version with a better camera would have been better. Verizon is the carrier of choice. Upload your photos to Dropbox/cloud often -- I know of several folks who lost all their pictures when their phones broke, got lost, etc. I set my phone to upload automatically to iCloud whenever it was recharging.

As for rechargers--instead of batteries, battery packs, or solar chargers, check out the new Ampy Move, http://www.getampy.com/ampy-move. At 4 ounces it's light enough and you'll never have to compete with other hikers looking for an electrical outlet. You'll never have to worry about losing power on the trail either.

Uncle Joe
11-13-2015, 12:35
Go with the carrier that works where you live. No carrier is going to work everywhere on the AT. You'll be using your phone far more at home. Full disclosure, I work for Sprint. We have a totally different network than we had 2 years ago. That said, Verizon, Sprint, T-Mo, AT&T...what matters is what works for you where you live. They're all going to have spotty coverage along the route.

Slo-go'en
11-13-2015, 12:39
As for rechargers--instead of batteries, battery packs, or solar chargers, check out the new Ampy Move, http://www.getampy.com/ampy-move. At 4 ounces it's light enough and you'll never have to compete with other hikers looking for an electrical outlet. You'll never have to worry about losing power on the trail either.

I still have my doubts about this device (which they claim will start shipping Dec 1st). No where do they tell you how long or far you have to walk to charge the internal battery. I suspect it's about 2000 miles. At $99 that's a lot of money to find out if it actually does anything or not.

Astro
11-14-2015, 00:24
I have not picked out a phone. I will be going with Verizon as the carrier.

Good choice for carrier (at least it has been for me from GA to NY).