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View Full Version : Tablets anyone? What have you seen others use on the trail?



Wise Old Owl
08-28-2013, 20:41
Electronics on the trail is a new awkward moment between solar panels, phones, tablets, and other unique items... what have you seen others or what do you take to make your hike more enjoyable.....


I ask ONE thing,,, keep it up beat, IF you are a naysayer... don't want to take anything... etc..... please move on... Lets just keep this positive...

max patch
08-28-2013, 20:54
I'm planning on taking my Kindle Fire so I won't have to carry my usual 3 paperbacks. Thats subject to change....I'm interested in checking out the new Samsung Mega 6.3 which would be big enough to serve as a tablet while also doing double duty as my phone.

max patch
08-28-2013, 20:56
Oh, and no interest in solar panels. Rather carry extra batteries if I think they would be needed.

Wise Old Owl
08-28-2013, 21:10
OK good start.. anyone can weigh in..

WalksInDark
08-28-2013, 21:15
+1 Kindle.

fredmugs
08-28-2013, 21:20
I just did a 200 mile hike on the PCT. I took my Kindle with paper maps loaded in pdf format and Halfmile's App on my smart phone. I sure wish there was something similar to that for the AT.

max patch
08-28-2013, 21:23
Even carrying the Kindle I intend to take paper maps.

dink
08-28-2013, 21:45
Kindle fire with the wonderful waterproof, shatterproof Klear Kase went with me on my last section (PA in early july) didn't have to worry about charging it because I was only out for a week...solar would be nice for a long hike though!

chiefiepoo
08-28-2013, 21:50
Section hiker here. Ipod for music and free on line lectures, generally topics associated with the area I'm passing through. Android smart phone to check transport connections, make needed reservations, and keep family informed as I hike solo. I'll hold off on a tablet till I can't read the small print on the handheld devices. Looking forward to Googles "Loon" project, someday, that will provide WiFi internet to remote areas by using balloons up about 20km in the stratosphere. Still using paper maps and select pages from AT guide. No dedicated GPS and don't use c phone for that in the woods. Out west in really remote areas I add an ACR Res Q Link for emergencies. Recharge comes from a Morphie or PowerRock packing a 2800 mAh boost.

Theosus
08-28-2013, 21:52
I take my iPhone (I turn the phone part off and use it for music/movies/games at night when its dark but I'm not tired enough to sleep yet, and my GPS to show me where I am and to record my trip.

I have a friend who takes a kindle or nook or some generic non-apple device. He reads and does GPS stuff on it. It actually has really good battery life and tracks his trips while closed in his pack.

marshbirder
08-28-2013, 21:56
I bought a Kindle Paperwhite last week and I love it, but my thru is a few years off. If I were leaving next March it would be that and my iPhone for podcasts and music.

Another Kevin
08-28-2013, 22:16
I carry a smartphone, but the only tablets I usually take on the trail are ibuprofen.

Wise Old Owl
08-28-2013, 22:33
I carry a smartphone, but the only tablets I usually take on the trail are ibuprofen.

Ugh yea too funny - not what was going to keep us on topic.

rocketsocks
08-28-2013, 22:47
Ipod...in addition to several movies, and tons of tunes, AT maps, and games...I recently down loaded a drawing app that's kinda rinkydink...but still pretty cool if your a drawer or like to jot ideas down.

Another Kevin
08-28-2013, 22:47
Seriously, though, a tablet is a lot of weight - what do you want to do with one that you can't do on a smartphone?

Mountain Mike
08-28-2013, 23:17
Brought Kindle fire last year. Debating on buying a basic kindle or get a battery back up due to it's limited battery. I read a lot when I hike. Still love the fire for use in town when I have wifi to keep up on email. etc. I only carry a pre-paid dumb phone on the trail since I don't have a use for them in real life. It stays turned off in the pack until I need a reservation or shuttle when I get close to town.

TheStu
08-29-2013, 00:37
If I'm only going long enough to need one paperback then I stick with the paperback. If I'm going to need more reading material than that I take my Sony Reader -- none of that Kindle stuff for me :)

Dogwood
08-29-2013, 02:07
The most elaborate electronics set-up I've seen a thru-hiker carry was on the AT in 2006. He usually hung a flexible solar panel array on the back of his backpack. Had a PDA like device (that's what it looked like), SMALL 6" wide monitor(VERY flat and very light wt especially considering it was 2006), digital camera, rechargeable batteries w/the charger, spare batteries(he had at least three different kinds of batteries), multiple memory cards, a mini satellite dish(looked and was sized like one of those perforated metal steamer inserts you place inside a pot to steam food in that fold up), asst. cables, and best of all, a separate mini keyboard that folded in to fourths(have never seen anything like this since). He would update his trail journals every couple of days this way. AMAZINGLY, ALL this stuff didn't weigh that much and was all rather compact. The rest of his hiking kit was very light wt too. I asked him about weather reports a few times and he let me check my Email from on trail once or twice so who am I to judge him? Best of all, even though I saw him regularly at shelters or campsites where I also was staying he always was polite and respectful of others by asking first if he could set-up his electronics near others or he would do it away from everyone else. He was very considerate! He was very non-intrusive in using his electronic gear. He was easy going as well. As much as I could be judgmental about him carrying these electronics I realized it was his hike and I knew he wasn't intruding on anyone else's hike! . Trail name was "Gadget!"

Kookork
08-29-2013, 03:21
For my 2014 AT thru hike:
1- A Pay as you Go cellphone ,( 40 dollars)

2- Digital voice recorder(AAA battery ) to record my thinking at the time when I am hiking or after camping for the day and my to do list in a separate file,(60 dollars )

3-MP3 player with radio for music and weather update (AAA Battery),( 30 dollars)

4-Waterproof, shockproof, dust proof, freeze-proof shoot and point camera with lots of SD carts for photography and occasional videos. ( 175 dollars with 8 Gigabyte SD ) 30 dollars extra SD carts .

5-Charger for the camera and Cellphone and one spare battery for the camera. ( 20 dollars )

6-The wrist watch would be a Casio Dual altimeter thermometer and compass enabled watch. ( 70 Dollars)

7- AAA Batteries

Cheap,light, almost old school but mostly reliable electronics is my way to go. Internet connection would be just when in towns.

The overall price is under 450 Dollars worth of electronics.

moytoy
08-29-2013, 04:40
I met a father and son who were doing a week on the FT carrying a Ipad. Kid was a young teen so I suspect the Ipad was for his amusement, I didn't ask.
I'm interested in a tablet but until the weight sinks a little lower my Galaxy with have to do. The new largish smart phones are almost a tablet.

Another Kevin
08-29-2013, 08:30
For my 2014 AT thru hike:
1- A Pay as you Go cellphone ,( 40 dollars)

2- Digital voice recorder(AAA battery ) to record my thinking at the time when I am hiking or after camping for the day and my to do list in a separate file,(60 dollars )

3-MP3 player with radio for music and weather update (AAA Battery),( 30 dollars)

4-Waterproof, shockproof, dust proof, freeze-proof shoot and point camera with lots of SD carts for photography and occasional videos. ( 175 dollars with 8 Gigabyte SD ) 30 dollars extra SD carts .

5-Charger for the camera and Cellphone and one spare battery for the camera. ( 20 dollars )

6-The wrist watch would be a Casio Dual altimeter thermometer and compass enabled watch. ( 70 Dollars)

7- AAA Batteries

Cheap,light, almost old school but mostly reliable electronics is my way to go. Internet connection would be just when in towns.

The overall price is under 450 Dollars worth of electronics.

Hmmm. That seems like a lot of devices. My current kit.

1. Smartphone, with ultralight headset and USB cable. For short trips, a MintyBoost and possibly a tiny wall charger. For longer trips, I'm contemplating getting a NewTrent charger.
2. Camera that runs on AA batteries. I don't want to use just the smartphone, because I really want optical zoom. Sometimes a lightweight tripod.
3. Wristwatch
4. Headlamp, one set of spare AAA batteries.
5. AA batteries as needed. They power both camera and MintyBoost.

I could save further weight - and not use a NewTrent, which at half a pound is a lot to tote - by carrying additional cellphone batteries. But my phone lives in an Otter Box, and needs to: butterfingers here has dropped it on rock multiple times. The OtterBox is tricky to open, and isn't designed for repeated opening, eventually the snap fingers (or the slots that engage them) crack.

A keyboard like Gadget's sounds great for writing on the trail, but I'm not willing to spend another half pound just to be able to type. Otherwise I'd grab the Jorno when it comes out.

The phone does the job of MP3 player, GPS, digital voice recorder, spare camera, ebook reader, and several other things. Once in a great while I even call or text someone. :)

Anyone know a good solution for transferring pictures from camera to phone? Do Samsung phones recognize SD cards on USB-OTG out of the box?

Dogwood
08-29-2013, 10:13
"Best of all, even though I saw him regularly at shelters or campsites where I also was staying he always was polite and respectful of others by asking first if he could set-up his electronics near others or he would do it away from everyone else. He was very considerate! He was very non-intrusive in using his electronic gear. He was easy going as well. As much as I could be judgmental about him carrying these electronics I realized it was his hike and I knew he wasn't intruding on anyone else's hike!"

On the other hand, I experienced a LT section hiker who was from Mass. who was a die hard Red Sox fan. He thought it just dandy to set up, watch, and listen out loud inside a packed shelter a baseball game on his 5" TV that was powered by a small generator(think whirrrrrr) until 12.30.m. while he rooted his team on and drank beer. That was the closest I've come to throwing someone, with their electronics, into a privy. He had little consideration for anyone. Ohhh, how close he came to be buried in the woods.

Slo-go'en
08-29-2013, 10:24
I took my Kindle Fire for a long walk this spring and it was handy to have. Used mostly in town to do the email and facebook thing, but read for about an hour most days on the trail. I got to plug it in often enough that I never ran the battery down too low. I am however thinking of getting a more generic Andriod tablet with SD slot and GPS, which I think will be even more handy to have.

icdaywee
08-29-2013, 12:46
I am debating on either a tablet or a kindle to take along on my thru. In my mind I will be writing and reading a lot. But I'm sure the reality is once I get out I will be too tired by the end of the day to write out complete blog posts or to read a bunch. The other option I am thinking about is to just get a bluetooth keyboard to pair with my smartphone to make typing out notes a lot easier.

I typically always hike with my smartphone/music player with me.

This will be an interesting thread to follow!

Marmaduke
08-29-2013, 12:52
I always bring my 3ds with me....... yeah I'm a nerd, but it's cool to play a mario game perched up on a 5,000 foot peak.

quasarr
08-29-2013, 15:45
On the PCT I saw several hikers with 3G ipad minis. They worked on their blogs each day, then posted when they got service (which isn't often after Southern California!) But IMO a smartphone saves a lot of weight and can do the same things, just maybe a little less convenient.

I eventually asked my mom to mail my kindle out. I was hiking solo and often got bored. Sometimes I might pass a great camp spot at 7pm, but I thought, what the heck am I going to do for the next 2 hours? So I just hiked until dark every day. The kindle gave me a little more flexibility to hang out in camp. But I think on the AT it wouldn't be necessary for me, since there are always people at the shelters I wouldn't feel bored in camp.

One cool new thing I saw is an SD memory card with wifi! This way, you can transfer pics from your camera to a smartphone without any extra cords or connectors. Very convenient.

http://www.eye.fi

Hot Flash
08-29-2013, 16:25
I carry only my smartphone, since it does everything I need -- music player, e-reader, note keeper, phone, etc. Sometimes I carry just a battery pack, other times a solar panel; it depends on how long I'll be out.

Theosus
08-29-2013, 18:48
The iPad Mini would be perfect I think. big enough to get the job done, but small and light enough it shouldnt be a problem in the pack. I just worry about breaking it. Two ziplock bags should save it from water...

max patch
08-29-2013, 18:57
I'd use an Otter Box or something similar rather than trust ziplocks.

BigHodag
08-31-2013, 05:58
I crowd funded an Earl Android tablet which is specifically designed for outdoor use. The tablet uses Kindle-like epaper and is loaded with some uncommon capabilities used by SAR, foresters, etc.

http://meetearl.com

Plan to use it to play chess on the bus to/from trail, check weather via FM and built in wx station, and keep a few ebooks on a Kindle app.

I also store a backup copy of my hiking plan and maps on whatever phone I carry, plus emergency contacts.

McFly
08-31-2013, 08:00
I use an LG Optimus G Pro, which is a mini-tablet/phone similar to the Samsung Note. It would be the only device I would need as it has decent battery life and the battery is actually easily removable/replaceable. But I'm sure the options will be much different when I get the chance to attempt my SOBO thru hike in ~19 years.

RCBear
08-31-2013, 09:09
I use the galaxy note 2. It is at the absolute threshold size for me as a phone (i am finally used to it tho), but for media watching/reading it works fantastic. I have no issues with reading using my kindle app on it and the battery gets me about 15 hours with heavy power usage. I have gone 3 days on one charge using it EXTREMELY sparingly on my last hike.

Sent from my Galaxy Note 2 using Tapatalk 2

kayak karl
08-31-2013, 10:16
I use the galaxy note 2. It is at the absolute threshold size for me as a phone (i am finally used to it tho), but for media watching/reading it works fantastic. I have no issues with reading using my kindle app on it and the battery gets me about 15 hours with heavy power usage. I have gone 3 days on one charge using it EXTREMELY sparingly on my last hike.

Sent from my Galaxy Note 2 using Tapatalk 2
that's the same phone i have. lg screen makes reading easy. my grandkids are teaching me other ting it can do. apps and stuff, but only one a month so they don't overload my Tandy brain :) been kayaking with it, but not hiking yet. solar does well on kayak. will test hiking.

Not sent from my Galaxy Note 2 using Tapatalk 2

Another Kevin
08-31-2013, 10:30
I crowd funded an Earl Android tablet which is specifically designed for outdoor use. The tablet uses Kindle-like epaper and is loaded with some uncommon capabilities used by SAR, foresters, etc.

http://meetearl.com

Plan to use it to play chess on the bus to/from trail, check weather via FM and built in wx station, and keep a few ebooks on a Kindle app.

I also store a backup copy of my hiking plan and maps on whatever phone I carry, plus emergency contacts.

Wow, that's a cool feature set. I presume that the barometric altimeter autocorrects from GPS? Can the user put the GPS into "position hold" mode during stops so as to get a better altitude fix?

And wow again, the RFI problems look daunting. I can see where most of the receivers could be a single SDR, but keeping the FM transceiver out of everything else has got to be a nightmare.

I've been working on doing my own trail maps for my smartphone from open source data (see http://kbk.is-a-geek.net/catskills/test2.html for a sample). Now I'm going to have to start thinking about how to do one that will stay readable on an e-paper panel. I suspect that the coloring and shading on the map I have will just turn to mud.

RCBear
08-31-2013, 10:43
that's the same phone i have. lg screen makes reading easy. my grandkids are teaching me other ting it can do. apps and stuff, but only one a month so they don't overload my Tandy brain :) been kayaking with it, but not hiking yet. solar does well on kayak. will test hiking.

Not sent from my Galaxy Note 2 using Tapatalk 2

Lol! I love your signature. I haven't heard the word Tandy in at least 23 years. Still remember my TRS 80 with a whopping 16k.

Sent from my Galaxy Note 2 using Tapatalk 2

dmax
08-31-2013, 11:15
For next weeks hike I'm taking the IPhone and the wife likes to take the IPad.

dirtypaws
09-18-2013, 22:53
An eye-fi card in your camera can send the pictures over wi-fi to the phone if you have the phone set up as a wireless access point. It will do the job, but be aware, it will also slurp battery life. Also definitely takes a few minutes to set up before you go (has to be plugged into a computer to do the setup). Am not going on my thru-hike for a few years yet, but right now am planning on the following gear:

Nook w/ glowlight for reading books and trail guide
whatever current smartphone I have
bluetooth keyboard & headphones for smartphone (I know that means an extra set of batteries to charge, but I hate headphone cables)
GPS enabled water-resistant camera with eye-fi card or built-in wifi (may leave this behind, to be honest - most smartphone cameras are quite good these days, and will only be better by then)
largest li-ion battery pack I can reasonably carry
Delorme inreach SE or similar (may consider just a PLB)
solar panel or kinetic charger.

My current phone is a galaxy note 2, which is almost as big as a 7" tablet, so I think a tablet would be redundant. Samsung currently has the Galaxy active, which is a water resistant version of the Galaxy S IV. Am hoping that by the time I go (2017 or 2018) they'll have a waterproof version of the Note out. That would be my preference.

jcheil
09-19-2013, 16:52
Anyone know a good solution for transferring pictures from camera to phone? Do Samsung phones recognize SD cards on USB-OTG out of the box?

This past year when I hiked, I used an "eye-fi" SD card in my camera. It has wireless built into the SD card. You pair it with your phone/tablet/pc and whenever your camera and phone are both turned on, it sends all the pictures on your camera to your phone.

I opted to pay the $49/year to have it also send a copy to their cloud servers. Figured $50 was worth the once in a lifetime memories. But either way you don't need to pay for anything to use the service and you don't need to have cell service either. Just need WiFi on your phone turned on for the few minutes it takes to copy the pictures from the camera.

owl
09-19-2013, 17:09
Electronics on the trail do have a place but politeness is also important, today at hemlock hollow Greeneville, TN off the AT I witnessed a most rude individual, with the last name of Plummer, for some reason he could not connect to the free WiFi at Hemlock hollw and was rude to the owners about the problem , while other hikers were there to witness such, no one else had a problem with the connection so obviously it was his device

Theosus
09-19-2013, 21:56
The eye-fi looked nice a few years ago when I looked at it, but their pricing seemed like a scam. For a little money it would transfer pictures, for more money it would transfer videos too. ***? The same circuits transfer both, they are charging extra for convenience. They may be different now, I never looked at them again after that one. I have a $9 SD card reader in my camera bag, and my computer has a built in card slot, so eye-fi can keep their overpriced gadgetry. I'm waiting on the camera companies (especially the SLRs and the higher end point and shoots) to build this into their products and tell eye-fi to go suck an egg.

leaftye
09-19-2013, 22:08
I crowd funded an Earl Android tablet which is specifically designed for outdoor use. The tablet uses Kindle-like epaper and is loaded with some uncommon capabilities used by SAR, foresters, etc.

http://meetearl.com

Plan to use it to play chess on the bus to/from trail, check weather via FM and built in wx station, and keep a few ebooks on a Kindle app.

I also store a backup copy of my hiking plan and maps on whatever phone I carry, plus emergency contacts.

Thanks for helping fund this. I hope to get one down the road, and you helped make it more likely that it'll be there when I'm ready. I'd love to hear how it works for you when you get it.