View Full Version : Kindle for hiking?
First, full disclaimer, I'm an Amazon employee. I have nothing to do with the Kindle, haven't ever touched one, I'm just a geek / reader who wants to thru-hike the Appalachian Trail :)
I always have books with me no matter where I go. To the grocery store, driving to work, etc. I never know when I'll hit traffic, need to wait for something, etc, and I like to be able to read.
Therefore, I'd certainly want to take books with me on the trail. The weight is a concern though, since I'd like to be a fairly lightweight hiker (well, I'd like to lose some weight too, but that's beyond the point). Anyway, it suddenly occurred to me that having a machine that could hold many books on it, and could be taken with me for a long trip would be perfect for a hike.
According to the Amazon website, the Kindle weighs 10.4 oz. A paperback book seems to weigh around 9-11 oz, according to (http://w4.lns.cornell.edu/~seb/philmont-kelly-gear.html and http://www.pilgrimsbooks.com/guidebooks_nepal.html). Yes, I found a nepal guidebook, it was one of my first search results :)
Anyway, so it seems that having the kindle would equal the weight of around a single paperback. It's slightly more bulky (at least seems to be from the pictures). However, I have unlimited reading materials with the Kindle. So there's certainly a tradeoff.
Supposedly the battery lasts 30+ hours, so that's not an issue. The potential problems I see is:
* Dirt in the keyboard/buttons + water on the device?
Probably could be solved by a ziplock bag when not in use?
* Breaking due to rough handling
Could be solved by being careful :)
Any comments? I like to plan hikes, it's a nice mental escape from work :)
LIhikers
04-28-2008, 21:52
The real question is do you like books or do you like reading, they aren't necessarily the same.
Toothless
04-28-2008, 22:07
I'd opt for the kindle. Sounds like it can handle your reading apetite with less bulk...just be careful in handling.
It's a luxury but an acceptable one especially on a thru hike.
Blissful
04-28-2008, 22:19
Yeah but at $400, I'd leave it at home and go with books on audio or just one book at a time (plenty at hostels and shelters). Too much risk that something will happen to it. The AT is also wet and dirty. Not that great for fancy electronic gadgets, IMO.
88BlueGT
04-28-2008, 22:20
how do you get new books onto them.... connect to the internet, buy them and just download them?
LIhikers: Well, while I love the smell of books, I'm also a big fan of reading. I frequently read on my iphone, used to read on my blackberry, etc. So just reading in general is something I enjoy. I find it hard to go to sleep at night without 5-10 minutes of reading, it just rounds out my day.
Toothless/Blissful: Being careful / trail being dirty is my main concern. I can handle $400 (I work at Amazon after all). But I can't/won't handle $400 x 5 if I break it every few weeks. Well, if I own one eventually, I can see for myself how sturdy it is, and if it will handle the trail / me.
88BlueGT: Well, that's part of the reason I was interested. You can download some for free (there are free books all over online, IE Project Gutenberg http://www.gutenberg.org/wiki/Main_Page) You can also buy books through the device anywhere you'd have cell reception. Theoretically then, I could get tired of the books I have with me, and just pick out a few more through the Kindle and they'd appear on my device. Seems like fun, but I'm somewhat addicted to book shopping.
It's a tossup. I still have awhile before my thru-hike (still not scheduled *sigh*), but it is a potential win.
minnesotasmith
04-29-2008, 00:19
Odds are pretty good you won't do much book-reading at all during a thruhike. When I got to the place I was going to sleep for the night, all I generally wanted was to get set up, eat, and go to sleep. If I read any, it was to look at my map and trail guidebook about the next day, and perhaps write just a bit in my journal, and I'm a bookaholic back home.
OTOH, the weight of a pleasure book is such that most hikers IMO seem to resent its weight after a while. Why carry anything that you never use, that's not a safety item?
I just think you would be better off to use the 400.00 towards lighter gear or better food in your maildrops.
SGT Rock
04-29-2008, 00:22
I tend to agree with this. I finished one book in 800 miles of hiking despite the fact I love to read. I did most of my reading of that book in towns anyway.
In hindsite what I would have done and what I will do when I go back out is try to find some mp3s of books so I can listen as I walk or I'm falling asleep at night.
warraghiyagey
04-29-2008, 00:26
Tis true that most of the hikers I've been around hit the hay early and use MP3s for alternative entertainment. I've only come across a few who read or write much. I was one of the folk who would spend a few hours after everyone else was asleep to write and read. All different flavors out there on the trail
Then again there were nights that I barely had the energy to make dinner.:o:)
SGT Rock
04-29-2008, 00:28
Well I spent more time writing than I ever did reading. I reckon a good book on tape would have been nice while writing at times too.
fiddlehead
04-29-2008, 00:57
I agree that the woods is for more important things than reading a book.
But, the OP reads even on his way to a grocery store!
So, i think it is a good idea for you. Not me though.
Books are for when i'm bored, much better than TV but not as good as watching nature, or practicing music, or learning something on the computer. (Tv being destructive time, books are constructive but i have more important things to do with my time when i'm hiking) (like sleeping, cooking or preparing to do one of them)
88BlueGT
04-29-2008, 02:34
Now if you could download magazines, than I'd be in trouble! lol
Now if you could download magazines, than I'd be in trouble! lol
With Kindle, you can.
warraghiyagey
04-29-2008, 03:41
With Kindle, you can.
Sweet! New Yorker, here I come!:)
Unlike some of the above posters, I did a fair amount of reading while I was hiking. I would have done a lot more, but I spent at least an hour every day writing as well. (Hence the overly-long TJ.) My suggestion is to try out Kindle on shorter hikes and see how it handles the challenges of weather and whatnot, and whether protecting it is annoying to you. Having a lot of reading material available would certainly be useful during bad weather or during the winter, when daylight is so limited. As the year grew towards its close, I carried up to three books.
OTOH, if you're only reading for five or ten minutes before going to sleep, a lightweight paperback would last you a good, long time.
Wargy (I briefly considered addressing you as W., but just couldn't...), I considered having The New Yorker sent to me every week, but decided that my long hike was also a break from politics and other depressing subjects.
max patch
04-29-2008, 07:12
Well, I always carried at least 2 paperbacks with me on my thru.
I owned the kindle and returned it within the return period. The hardware is too clunky; I'll get another one when they improve it. Check out the reviews on amazon's site.
Concept is good. Download books and magazines anywhere you get a cell signal. Computers not needed.
I'd worry about damage on a thru.
Sweet! New Yorker, here I come!:)
The best damn magazine out there! I haven't received a copy in about 3 weeks though. Gotta look into that.
I too read when I hike. I like lightweight classic paperbacks. I read three books on a 15 day JMT hike. Funny. People told me 15 days was too fast, but I fished every day, took a nap every lunch, snapped about 700 pics, and read every night. It's all about how you choose to use your time. The only bummer for me with reading, is trying not to crush my reading glasses in my pack. I can ID a Bird of Prey at 1 mile, but I can't read a damned thing without my glasses. :o
Re the crushing glasses. I had a pair in a hard Flexon case, slide from my coat pocket, and get shut(good slam!) in the truck door. Across the case about where the bridge of the glasses are, on the wide side of the case. Glasses fine.
Now the hinge of the case is balky, and I won't use it again as it doesn't close tight, but it took that! I put it on the floor and stood on it. Been wanting to do that for awhile. Heavy, but the price is right.
Kindle can't help you kindle (yes, pun intended :p) a fire. When you read a book, you can consign each page to the nightly fire (if you have one), lightening your load. With an electronic device, it doesn't get any lighter when you use it day by day. Dead batteries weigh as much as fresh ones.
Just a thought.
LIhikers
04-29-2008, 22:01
I can't read right before bed because it gets my mind working overtime and then I can't fall asleep.
Pedaling Fool
04-29-2008, 22:03
I pretty much agree with MS on being too tired for reading. However, after you get your legs you may want to spend some time reading. I would just opt for the book, just more trail friendly IMO. Here's a recommendation, it's light and compact (http://www.amazon.com/Time-Traveler-Scientists-Personal-Mission/dp/156858363X/ref=pd_bbs_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1209520773&sr=8-1).
Nightwalker
05-01-2008, 00:34
Well I spent more time writing than I ever did reading. I reckon a good book on tape would have been nice while writing at times too.
Funny. I don't write, but read every day on the trail, usually right before I sleep and sometimes on breaks. I'm a readaholic who doesn't watch TV.
Farr Away
05-01-2008, 13:06
I love to read, but after carrying a book on each of my first two hikes and never opening either, I decided to leave the books at home. On the other hand, most of my trips have just been overnights. We have a longer hike planned for next year, and I may decide to carry a (small) book then.