How to read on the AT

[Gorgiewave]

How do you folks read on the AT, if indeed you do?

I mean, books are heavy and occupy space so not ideal. A kindle is light and can carry books enough for a thru hike but it needs to be charged and could get wet.

Do you have any tips?

[SteelCut]

Kindle app on my iPhone. I bring a small external battery to recharge iPhone as needed.

[Puddlefish]

A Kindle in a plastic zip lock bag. There are enough towns with hostels/hotels/motels/various other places you can recharge. I also carried a small Anker recharging battery thing, but used it for my phone. The Kindle never got low enough that it required a charge on the trail.

My biggest concern with the Kindle was putting it in my pack, and avoiding cracking the screen by tightening up a pack strap on it.

Some people love the book apps on their phone, I'm not so much of a fan of that.

[tarditi]

the eReader kindles (like paperwhite) have tremendous battery life, too

[Starchild]

Audiable.com, listen as you hike.

[Lone Wolf]

How do you folks read on the AT, if indeed you do?

I mean, books are heavy and occupy space so not ideal. A kindle is light and can carry books enough for a thru hike but it needs to be charged and could get wet.

Do you have any tips?

paperbacks aren't heavy

[Gorgiewave]

paperbacks aren't heavy

I only read medical textbooks...sorry.

[AO2134]

I tried reading on my phone. It is hit or miss. Almost always miss. I am bringing paperbacks from now in. I have given up on my phone.

It is just a little weight. Weight never killed anyone. I'd be damned if 1 more lb of weight changes anything I do while hiking.

[Lone Wolf]

I only read medical textbooks...sorry.

then bring one of them. no biggie

[Sarcasm the elf]

I prefer to bring paperbacks. I read fairly slowly so one book at a time is generally enough for me. Tried using the kindle app on the iphone but reading longer texts on my tiny phone screen tends to give me eye strain and seems to test my attention span.

If I was a serious book worm who read a huge amount on the trail then I would consider buying an actual Kindle.

[rafe]

I only read medical textbooks...sorry.

If you're being serious, and if they're available in eBook format, all the more reason to use an electronic reader, or a smartphone.

[Greenlight]

Kindle paperwhite, hands down. Long battery life. Uses standard micro USB recharger. Pretty lightweight. No eye strain and can read in any lighting. There are waterproof cases available, or as suggested you can use a zip lock baggie. They also sell pelican type cases to keep them from getting crushed. For the serious reader, the best option.

[PaulWorksHard]

I use a kindle in a zip lock bag. It easily lasts 15 days or more. AWOL's guide is available in PDF, which I put on my kindle so I use it heavily during the day for the guide and at night to read. No problem whatsoever.

[MuddyWaters]

Never had desire to read.
But I have kindle on my phone
I eat
Go to bed
send wife update text if can
Look at map and plan for tomorrow
Look at pics I took that day
Go to sleep

[kayak karl]

Then this whole reading thing should be a no-brainer for you :-?

[MuddyWaters]

Never had desire to read.
But I have kindle on my phone
I eat
Go to bed
send wife update text if can
Look at map and plan for tomorrow
Look at pics I took that day
Go to sleep


I read on plane, in hotel or hostel, in restaurants, etc.
Just no desire on the trail.
I just want to take care of things, and go to sleep.

[garlic08]

I'm an avid reader off trail. Due to the weight of books and otherwise being pretty busy hiking or sleeping, I don't read on trail. I pick up Saturday and Sunday crosswords from newspapers in town. One of those is usually good for several days of nearly weightless entertainment. Extreme Sudokus are good, too.

[colorado_rob]

Kindle app on my iPhone. I bring a small external battery to recharge iPhone as needed. this exactly, works great. Put kindle app in white letters on black screen, uses very little battery. I read a book a week on the trail this way.

I also own a kindle paperwhite, but actually prefer kindle app on phone. Works better.

And why would someone who doesn't read on the trail respind to this thread?????

[Rain Man]

One word: audiobooks.

I can check out audio books from my public library, even from the trail. Usually, I download at least half a dozen to my smartphone before leaving for the trail.

The app I use is Overdrive.

[BonBon]

I sometimes listened to audible while hiking- but it was a great joy to get into my tent and bag at night and read a real book. It is something I looked forward to every day. I got all of the books from leave one/take one places and read a lot of stuff I would normally never read. It was a great reading adventure. I usually got a couple of pages in before I fell asleep, and lots of pages in shelters waiting out storms. If I did another long hike i think I would bring a lightweight kindle. I don't enjoy reading on my phone- too small.

[rocketsocks]

Paper backs of the dime store variety don't weigh all that.

[rocketsocks]

Couple titles I have that are negligible...

edward abbey~desert solitaire
colin fletcher~the thousand mile summer...one of my favorite (though outta print can still be found used online).
peter jinkens~a walk across america
bill bryson~a walk in the woods

[Namaste]

My daughter always brings 2 paperbacks in a ziplock bag over a week long trip. We've been section hiking for 10 years (since she was 13) and as long as she can carry her share without complaining about weight no problem. She can finish a book in 2 nights so she's always happy to find a new book in the journal box at the shelter and will leave the one she's finished.

[Bronk]

This was a contributing factor in my quitting at Waynesboro...if I found a book in a shelter I might stay there all day and read it...or 2 days if that's how long it took. Lots of times people would pick up a book in a shelter and carry it until they finished it and then leave it at another shelter along the way.

[Hikingjim]

if you read only a little, small paperback or kindle app are very suitable.

if you read a lot and don't want just random junk to read, then kindle can be a worthwhile carry. Some can read more on their phone. I recommend testing to see if you like doing that. I don't

[The Kisco Kid]

I recommend "mass market paperbacks." You can use it as a search term on amazon if you're looking for a pocket sized version of a specific book. These are the dime store, cheaper style book versions 4" x 7" Most can be found for a few dollars. You can easily cut these books in half and have 150 pages of reading for ~3 oz. I sometimes buy two copies, cut them in half and tape the covers together so it looks like I have to small books!

[Dogwood]

Tomes like large technical textbooks particularly of the medical, law, scientific, etc variety although I might not like to do this to expensive reference books like these I'd break apart only carrying portions of the book at a time. Although I've never researched it I would think in today's age medical texts would be available digitally so something like a Kindle might work well. I'm not sure how the learning process of intense medical information would work simply hearing it read on audio if even that option was available.

[Dogwood]

I have many trail guidebooks that I've broken apart only taking the parts needed. Then, I ship sections back home when done and have the next section mailed to me.

[ocourse]

How do you folks read on the AT, if indeed you do?

I mean, books are heavy and occupy space so not ideal. A kindle is light and can carry books enough for a thru hike but it needs to be charged and could get wet.

Do you have any tips?

I'm a prolific reader on the trail or off. I have an android phone and I use FBReader to read mostly epub books. At home, I use Calibre to download and re-format many free ebooks, from many sources.
I carry my phone anyway for communication, notes, backup flashlight, etc, etc. So it's easy to use it as a reader also.

[The Solemates]

Always bring books on the trail, and sometimes multiple books at the same time. It's no big deal to me to carry. Im somewhat of a minimalist so I always have plenty of extra space and weight that can be added and still be fully comfortable. Books are a necessity for me. Things like a tent are not. It's all what u get used to

[sheepdog]

most trail towns have places like goodwill where you can get books cheap. I carry a book always.

[gracebowen]

i havent decided yet. reading on my phone eats my battery and if i carried books i read a book in 3 hours so that would add up weight wise. or be way less reading.

i havent hiked any long trails yet. still in planning stage.

[Dogwood]

If your questions on reading is for your first long hike you very well may find you aren't going to read as much on trail compared to off trail. I used to ambitiously tag along reading material in the form of small books or parts of books anticipating reading more than I actually did. Now, I may tag along a small guidebook or sections of one or a trail specific book on trees, wildflowers, birds, wildlife, mushrooms, etc but I'm usually hiking, actually on the move 12-14 hrs/day, or sleeping as Garlic said, or I'm writing in a trail journal, making notes on maps, writing up trail descriptions, and pouring over maps and my next day's route and logistics to devote much time to reading other materials. I do like the occasional audio book though. I even went through a yr of med level Spanish on one long hike in the form of a audio book.

[Singto]

As long as you can manage moisture, this is exactly what smart phones were made for. They're supposed to be an all-in-one device and they can be. If size matters (hahaha!) due to sight challenges then buy a smart phone with a larger and higher resolution screen. They don't have to be an expensive Iphone, there are many great products out there from other manufacturers such as Samsung and Asus that fit the bill for far less. I only buy smart phones that have a user exchangeable battery, dual sim and a MicroSD slot. 64GB MicroSD cards can hold a lot of entertainment and weigh practically nothng. I do carry one back up phone battery in the case one dies or gets damaged and a 7,000 - 10,000 dual USB port battery pack with LED flashlight on it. Battery packs are getting lighter and cheaper. As well, I have a dual USB port wall charger, two USB cables and a quality earbud head set. That's the extent of my electronics/books (eBooks).

[MtDoraDave]

I read every night. On the trail, it's no different. So far, I have only done one week section hikes, and I bring a paperback. If I finish it during the week, I'll leave it at a shelter for someone else to enjoy - or to use as fire starter - whatever they want.
For the weight conscious who don't read a lot, perhaps consider separating a book into sections. For one section I did this for my hiking partner. He strongly dislikes Stephen King, but loves the movie "The Shawshank Redemption", so I cut up a paperback version of Stephen King's Different Seasons; the one with Rita Hayworth and The Shawshank Redemption, leaving it behind for someone else at the end of the week.
There are plenty of used book stores and thrift stores that sell paperbacks for a dollar or so.

I do own a kindle fire, but I'd rather not risk damaging it or carrying the weight... this may change on a thru-hike as finding new books or having them mailed to me every week could prove troublesome or unreliable. Time will tell, but I sure appreciate the input here about it.

As far as using my phone; I'd rather save battery life for taking photos, updating progress to those following along with me, and of course using it as a phone in case of emergencies.

[QiWiz]

Kindle app on my iPhone. I bring a small external battery to recharge iPhone as needed.

+1
This is undoubtably the lightest option, especially if you were already bringing a smartphone. Save battery life by turning down the screen brightness when reading.

[middle to middle]

I like and agree with your remote quote

[plexusbritt]

It really depends. I have a relatively small iphone 6s and I find the screen just too small for comfortable reading. I have my devotional Bible and my photo editing apps so I do use it, but for entertainment reading, I prefer cheap paperbacks from the used bookstore. They have huge selection of classics in very small sizes and that works out pretty well. I drop two in a ziplock bag and away we go. I hate cutting up books and have a large selection of antique books at home, but on the trail, the non story related pages in the front and back make decent solo stove starter in the rain.

[RangerZ]

Not on the AT but on my clueless (sorry Kevin) weekend or monthly hikes I take a paperback - preferably something of the Tom Clancy or Brad Thor genre. I have to backtrack a chapter or two to remember what's going on in the story. I read some at night and if I wake up too early in the morning.

I couldn't take an engineering book because that would get into highlighting, underlining and writing in margins and I don't think that I could do that neatly enough in the woods, plus the weight of a highlighter and straight edge - I already use a mechanical pencil for my trail notes.