Amazon Kindle doesn't do well with being bored. [Archive]

MyName1sMud

09-14-2011, 11:56

I got bored last night and was playing around with my Kindle.

Next thing I know I'm downloading....

Becoming Odyessa
Southbound
How to hike the A.T. (I know... I know... but it was on sale so I figured why not see what kind of info he added)
Skywalker
Three Hundred Zeros
Self-Reliance
Nourishing Traditions

I just love how easy it is to get your hands on books with this thing. I think it will be coming with me on the AT as i can carry a ton of books for one small piece of weight....

and not to mention the battery last for freaking ever if you keep 3G/Wifi turned off.

Spokes

09-14-2011, 12:27

While not AT related the funniest hiking book I've read to date is:

"The Cactus Eaters: How I Lost My Mind - and Almost Found Myself - on the Pacific Crest Trail" by Dan White

Cheers!

Slo-go'en

09-14-2011, 12:50

What! You didn't download "A walk in the woods" ?

MyName1sMud

09-14-2011, 14:03

What! You didn't download "A walk in the woods" ?

I already have a hard copy of that along with many other Bryson books. That man knows how to make you laugh while you read.

MyName1sMud

09-14-2011, 14:03

While not AT related the funniest hiking book I've read to date is:

"The Cactus Eaters: How I Lost My Mind - and Almost Found Myself - on the Pacific Crest Trail" by Dan White

Cheers!

Looks like I know what I will be doing next time I get bored.

WingedMonkey

09-14-2011, 14:33

I think it will be coming with me on the AT as i can carry a ton of books for one small piece of weight....

and not to mention the battery last for freaking ever if you keep 3G/Wifi turned off.

Since you are bored, you might want to do a search on Trail Journals and other blogs. Seems to be a lot of Kindles don't make it past the Smokies with north bounders from what I've been reading.

Be interested to see if any one carried one the whole way.

max patch

09-14-2011, 14:35

Since you are bored, you might want to do a search on Trail Journals and other blogs. Seems to be a lot of Kindles don't make it past the Smokies with north bounders from what I've been reading.

Be interested to see if any one carried one the whole way.

Kinda like "candle lanterns" back in the day. A lot started, few (if any) finished.

WingedMonkey

09-14-2011, 15:01

Kinda like "candle lanterns" back in the day. A lot started, few (if any) finished.

LOL, mine did in '95. But I used liquid paraffin burning insert. I'm a night reader and loved it. But that was then.

I did read one journal that just finished his thru hike that was kept and sent on a Kindle. So it can be done. Portrait 2011. And on his first day he ran into a frozen Kinickinick. That woman sure gets around.
http://www.trailjournals.com/entry.cfm?id=340848

Snowleopard

09-14-2011, 16:21

It's really worth reading the first few pages of "The Cactus Eaters" on Amazon's web site. I read it in paper form.

I recently got a Kindle and like it so far. I was surprised how much reading material is legally available for free. The web browser is lousy, but better than nothing. I like reading on the kindle a lot better than reading on a PC.

I haven't used it on a hike yet. I don't think I'd want to count on it for maps (paper is just more reliable). The 3G 'special' version is $139 with ads and the ads are not very annoying.

Slo-go'en

09-14-2011, 16:23

Since you are bored, you might want to do a search on Trail Journals and other blogs. Seems to be a lot of Kindles don't make it past the Smokies with north bounders from what I've been reading.

Be interested to see if any one carried one the whole way.

A lot of hikers don't make it past the Smokies.. I know of at least two Kindles which made it to Maine and presumally will make it the rest of the way.

Spokes

09-14-2011, 16:49

Heck, a can of Spam has been passed like a relay baton up the trail and made it to Katahdin. ;-)

WingedMonkey

09-14-2011, 17:00

A lot of hikers don't make it past the Smokies.. I know of at least two Kindles which made it to Maine and presumally will make it the rest of the way.

Here's one that didn't get to Katahdin:

I just wanted to apologize for my extended absence from my entries. I also wanted to confirm that I'm still on the trail and still on track. The reason for my lack of entries is probably due to the nature of the terrain we have been subjected to. I haven't had as much time or energy to sit a write every day. I do however, each day written on paper so I will update asap. I also broke my kindle - knee, right to the face of the poor fella. This added to the complication. I'm alive and well, and smokin' through Maine at the moment.

http://www.trailjournals.com/entry.cfm?id=359513

MyName1sMud

09-14-2011, 17:15

I did read one journal that just finished his thru hike that was kept and sent on a Kindle. So it can be done. Portrait 2011. And on his first day he ran into a frozen Kinickinick. That woman sure gets around.
http://www.trailjournals.com/entry.cfm?id=340848

Whoa! Am I reading it right that he wrote and sent it in all on a Kindle? Amazing. I don't even like trying to type the name of a book on that thing.

The 3G 'special' version is $139 with ads and the ads are not very annoying.

Yeah I bought the 3G model back when it was $179 or something around that place. No ads. Though I must say I would put up with the ads if I could do it all over again. 179 was the cheapest it sold for when I bought it.

fireneck

09-21-2011, 20:32

Though it has nothing to do with long distance hiking... you should read Singing Wilderness by Sigurd Olson (See my signature).

Farr Away

09-22-2011, 10:48

Yeah I bought the 3G model back when it was $179 or something around that place. No ads. Though I must say I would put up with the ads if I could do it all over again. 179 was the cheapest it sold for when I bought it.

I bought my husband a Kindle with the ads for $119. Turns out the ads can be very useful. A couple months after I bought it, it had an ad for 20% off selected Dell laptops - and I had been looking for a new laptop. Got $120 off.

-FA

humunuku

09-23-2011, 18:08

you now can check out kindle books from some public libraries....

MyName1sMud

09-28-2011, 12:19

you now can check out kindle books from some public libraries....

Wonder how that works..... Seems like it would be hard for them to take the book back from you?

Spokes

09-28-2011, 12:26

Wonder how that works..... Seems like it would be hard for them to take the book back from you?

Amazon explains how it works HERE (http://www.amazon.com/gp/feature.html?ie=UTF8&docId=1000718231). There's a built in expiration just like other borrow of digital content through the library.

beaudetious

09-28-2011, 13:57

I'm curious about how you could use the Kindle at night. Are they backlit?

I've been bringing my iPod Touch on my 3 day hikes but it may last 5 days between charges. I use the Kindle app to read while in my hammock.

Spokes

09-28-2011, 14:11

Kindles are not backlit. You need an external light source at night. The e-ink display is "just like" reading a paperback.

T.S.Kobzol

09-28-2011, 15:43

Killed my kindle after one particularly wet weekend in a tent. Hope you have a see through drybag for it.

As far as Bryson goes - I hated the disrespect and ineptitude. I don't recommend this book to anyone.

MissMagnolia

09-28-2011, 20:32

I'm planning my 2012 thru-hike and I am addicted to my Kindle but can't justify the extra weight (and what if I broke it?). However, I am bringing my Droid X (got insurance on this baby) for many reasons including emergency, camera, video, topo maps for offline use, hopefully I can find a good GPS app (any suggestions on that one?) and a major bonus is the Kindle app. I can download/upload any of the books currently on my Kindle onto my phone and have them along with me. I assume I will not want to read long due to exhaustion, and reading on the phone is not as good as the Kindle screen, and I know it depends on the battery being charged, but at least I'll have my books, dozens of them if I want, on the trail with me.

It's kind of the Kindle's fault I'm doing my thru in 2012. I've wanted to do it for nearly 10 years (Bill Bryson's funny failure planted that seed), and then I got my Kindle last year and one of the first books I found for it was AWOL. I've been planning since then and every payday get at least two AT books, though I've branched into PCT books now, and backpacking books, and, and, and....

I'm so addicted. Oh, and this is my first post here. Nice to meet you all and I hope to see some of you on the trail in 2012.

No trail name yet.....

k1ypp

12-12-2011, 23:01

I posted this on a few other threads tonight since it is time critical:

Bill "Skywalker (http://tinyurl.com/7rdcc8y)" Walker's book, SKYWALKER, HIGHS AND LOWS ON THE PACIFIC CREST TRAIL (http://tinyurl.com/7rdcc8y), is currently FREE on Amazon Kindle. I think it is only free until tonight at midnight west coast time. So, you can get a free copy if you hurry. As a fellow author I would ask that you give Bill a fair review in return on Amazon.com. We authors that work with small presses and publishers cannot afford big advertising budgets, we have to depend on you, the readers, to get the word out.

Bill is a great guy and a fellow author. I have really enjoyed his books. Oh, and thanks for the nice comments here about THREE HUNDRED ZEROES (http://tinyurl.com/248ymjg) (it is also on Kindle (http://tinyurl.com/2cvecyg)). I'm getting tons of wonderful fan mail about it. Now, if I could turn that fan mail into reviews...

Dennis "K1" Blanchard

Swordpen

02-13-2013, 02:07

I am reading Skywalkers AT trail book. Its really good, & very grateful to him he let it be free.

i read Bill Brysons book 6-7 years ago, it never got me interested in hiking the AT (or hiking at all).

I stumbledon Skywalkers book, & got me very interested in hiking. Just wish we had a fun, social trail in the desert SW (with a lot of water), but sadly for that, I live in the wrong area.

Terry7

02-13-2013, 09:13

My Kindle stays home when I hike. I load up Audio Books on my mp-3.

tds1195

02-13-2013, 09:51

Kindles are not backlit. You need an external light source at night. The e-ink display is "just like" reading a paperback.

Unless you pick up the Kindle Fire. You can update your trailjournal/blog on your fire, too.

Hikes in Rain

02-13-2013, 13:35

I discovered Project Gutenberg (http://www.gutenberg.org/) has all those free books in Kindle format. Hoo boy.....

STICK

02-15-2013, 21:23

Killed my kindle after one particularly wet weekend in a tent. Hope you have a see through drybag for it.

A quart size Ziploc bag fits my regular Kindle perfect. It is clear, so I can see through it, and since it is not the touch screen, I can operate the Kindle through the Ziploc bag. The Ziploc bags are light, and inexpensive.

Also, I am debating picking up some of the little moisture absorbing packs (http://www.amazon.com/Dry-Packs-Moisture-Absorbing-Silica-Indicating/dp/B001O62T4O/ref=reg_hu-rd_add_1_dp) to throw in the bags with them...

CarlZ993

02-15-2013, 21:55

A quart size Ziploc bag fits my regular Kindle perfect. It is clear, so I can see through it, and since it is not the touch screen, I can operate the Kindle through the Ziploc bag. The Ziploc bags are light, and inexpensive.

Also, I am debating picking up some of the little moisture absorbing packs (http://www.amazon.com/Dry-Packs-Moisture-Absorbing-Silica-Indicating/dp/B001O62T4O/ref=reg_hu-rd_add_1_dp) to throw in the bags with them...

I'm contemplating bringing mine on the AT. A 1-L freezer bag or a 2-L Sea to Summit dry bag can keep it dry. How do you keep it from getting crushed in your pack?

Mountainsmike

02-15-2013, 22:30

I'm contemplating bringing mine on the AT. A 1-L freezer bag or a 2-L Sea to Summit dry bag can keep it dry. How do you keep it from getting crushed in your pack?
Same way everyone else protects their smart phones. don't toss your pack down & don't sit on it.

STICK

02-16-2013, 14:36

I'm contemplating bringing mine on the AT. A 1-L freezer bag or a 2-L Sea to Summit dry bag can keep it dry. How do you keep it from getting crushed in your pack?

It all depends on how you pack your pack. Myself, I generally put my sleeping bag or quilt in first, without a stuff sack, and then put the kindle in, laying flat. Then I will put my clothes, down jackets, pants, or anything else soft over it. Then pack my pack the rest of the way as usual. As has been mentioned, not throwing your pack around, or sitting on it is also a good idea.

However, this is if I don't plan to use it during the day, and only at night. However, if I wanted to use it throughout the day, I would put it in the front pack pocket, in a Ziploc of course...

CherrypieScout

02-16-2013, 14:50

I loved my kindle last summer as I hiked PA. I have a "case" with a light. Battery lasted two weeks.

Swordpen

02-26-2013, 14:56

I carry my kindle in a clear bubble wrap envelope shape. This is nearly water proof & cushions it. Very lightweight.

Swordpen

02-26-2013, 14:58

Also, using the above method vs carrying a kindle case:

my kindle case with a built in light weighs 8 oz = HEAVY.

Using the bubble wrap envelope + a Photon microlight for reading makes that combo under 1 oz.

Deacon

02-26-2013, 20:03

rockyiss

02-28-2013, 13:22

can someone that has some tech savy tell me what would be better to hike with nook or kindle. I am trying to figure out what one to bring. I love to read

STICK

03-02-2013, 01:37

I went for the Kindle because it weighed less, was not touch screen and IIRC, less expensive. The only down side is that it is not backlit, but then again, my ZebraLight H51 set on Low Low (0.4 lumens) is perfect for reading with, and doesn't even phase the batteries, however, I will admit, it is not as convenient. The next step up would be the Kindle paperwhite, which is back lit as well as touch screen. (I opted for the non touch screen due to the possibility of not being able to work a touch screen with gloves on, however, some have told me that they have been able to operate their Kindle Paperwhite touch screens through quilts...so it may not be as bad as I thought. However, it is heavier, and costs more...

Here is a write up with a video I did on my own Kindle if you are interested:

http://sticksblog.com/2013/02/26/backpacking-with-a-kindle/

not_possible

03-02-2013, 03:02

Nutbrown

03-02-2013, 09:35

I'd go with the Kindle. Barnes and Noble isn't doing very well. You can be assured that Amazon will be available for years.

STICK

03-03-2013, 17:30

Alot of people trust ziplocs more than I do...I don't own a Kindle, but if it fits in a ziploc it should fit in one of the aLOKSAK sizes. I even use one for my tp just to be safe. I haven't had any real problems with things in ziplocs getting wet, but I still only put things in ziplocs that won't be ruined if they do get wet. Anything electronic I own always goes in one of my aLOKSAK's though. A bit off topic, but I figured maybe some of you hadn't heard of them and might find them useful...yea they cost a little more than ziplocs(I just bought 4 new different sizes for $10), but still cheap insurance.

I use Loksaks for some things, such as my FAK, a repair kit and even my phone, however, that is not because I trust them more than Ziplocs, so much as I like the size/shape of the bags for those applications more. As far as the locks on the bags, I myself feel that the double lock on the Ziplocks (not the cheapo's) are more secure and sure than the ones on the Loksaks. However, I will say that the Loksaks feel more durable than a Ziploc (but I have went through a few Loksaks so they are not forever either). As far as storing my Kindle in the Ziploc, I don't need it to be bombproof since the Kindle is stored deep in my pack and away from any danger of hurting the bag, or getting wet.

And my TP goes in a cheapo Ziploc bag... :)

CarlZ993

03-03-2013, 17:44

I'd go w/ a Kindle. You can pick the lightest one, like Stick, or the back lit one (Paperwhite; longer battery life but heavier). A 2-L Sea to Summit SilNylon dry bag will easily fit and keep it waterproof.

FYI... You can easily download books from your library on the Kindle (electronically check them out just like a 'real' book). The Nook requires more hoops to jump through to do the same thing. A librarian who owned a Nook told me this.

MuddyWaters

03-03-2013, 21:35

I have never had any interest in toting my tablet to read on the trail.

I can say that since the advent of Kindle, etc, I have bought at least 10x the books I bought before them.
Its just too easy. Too easy to buy, and too easy to read.

At least 2-3 books per month on avg for me.
If Im travelling for work, at least 2-3 per week.

ArtharChin

03-07-2013, 05:09

I gift a Kindle to my mum as her Christmas present. It is very easy to search and buy new books online. She just loves the device.

Bucho

03-13-2013, 20:45

I hiked with my kindle, I'm a big fan. You do get a lot of battery life out of it and can send email when you find wifi. I had my guide book as well as elevation profiles fro the whole trail on it.

The downside is that you do eventually have to recharge it. If you're someone who tends to stay in towns anyway it's a non issue but if you're not frequently staying in town just to recharge is lame, so you might want to figure out a system to avoid that...then said system is yet more weight.

perdidochas

04-09-2013, 16:52

Kindles are not backlit. You need an external light source at night. The e-ink display is "just like" reading a paperback.

The Kindle paper-white is backlit.

fcoulter

04-16-2013, 10:46

If I was going to take my Kindle on a hike over a week, I'd be looking at this case: http://www.amazon.com/Solar-Lighted-Cover-Kindle-Controller/dp/B006E95V8M/

It deals with the lack of backlighting on the cheapest Kindle and the fact that batteries run down.

da fungo

06-24-2013, 19:25

If you'd like to keep up with general current affairs while on the trail, and you have a 3G capable Kindle, I'd recommend the New York Times Latest News blog. Only $1.99 a month; updated frequently throughout the day. Downsidw (especially if you d not have 3G) is that you can only read the current version, so, if you're totally out of digital contact for a couple of days, you'll miss out on any stories that occur or develop in that time. It would be like coming out of the woods on 09/15/2001 and missing everything that happened on 09/11.