Music dilemma

[freightliner]

I always hike with a little music just loud enough to hear it but not so loud that I can't hear the nature around me. I got my I iPod nano when it first can out so its becoming old and cranky and I m thinking of getting a new one. The thing is it dose still work and its hard for me to justify buying a new one. I was just looking at the outrageously priced new one and was wondering is it any good. I see it has a built in pedometer and I wouldn't have to carry one of those saving weight. I always hike with a pedometer so I know how far I hiked and how far I have to go. If it dose hold 16gb of music that would great I could bring all my music and still have a little room to grow. It said it has 30 hours of play time and I am wondering if that is true. It also has the same plug as my phone so I would only need one cord and charger. I was hoping to get some hiker reviews on it before I mortgage the house to buy it.

[jjozgrunt]

I just use my smart phone with one ear bud. If you have it in plane mode with screen down and most of the apps off it doesn't use much juice. If you are already carrying a phone why carry more weight?

[Coffee]

Refurbished iPod Nanos are available for $99 and have the same warranty as new products. So that's a $50 savings. I'm a bit disillusioned regarding the value proposition of Apple products but if I was in the market for one I would opt for refurbished over new any day.

http://store.apple.com/us/browse/home/specialdeals/ipod

[jred321]

I just use my smart phone with one ear bud. If you have it in plane mode with screen down and most of the apps off it doesn't use much juice. If you are already carrying a phone why carry more weight?

I agree with this. If the new Nano uses the same plug as your phone, you must have an iPhone. Might as well use all of its features. If you do get worried about the battery life you could carry a small battery pack for recharging, or just get a case with the extra battery built in.

[fiddlehead]

Personally, I think music is OK at shelters but, you miss a lot if you have it on while hiking.
I've hiked with people who really know the different birds and their calls and learned from them.
Deer are quite quiet but, you will have a much better chance of seeing them if you can hear them first.
Up to you of course. Just my 2cents.

[rocketsocks]

Sometimes while walking I listen to audio books, and opt to not use ear buds or headphones (especially when it's hot out) and just let it play through the on board speaker. I can play the level pretty low and still be able to hear my surroundings quit well, but for music I find the on board speaker inadequate for my tastes.

[adamkrz]

My opinion is that Apple products are garbage, My Nano battery life is very short and shut's down in the cold- I went back to a older mp3 player that uses 1 aaa batt.

[rocketsocks]

My opinion is that Apple products are garbage, My Nano battery life is very short and shut's down in the cold- I went back to a older mp3 player that uses 1 aaa batt.

I can't really argue that, I've had my issues with the nano, touch, and now iphone, and I find the itunes store product uploads to be very lacking...not user friendly.

[Coffee]

My iPad is the last Apple product I'll buy. Horrible on ios 8 and they won't permit downgrade to iOS 7. Why? Planned obsolescence.

[rocketsocks]

I can't really argue that, I've had my issues with the nano, touch, and now iphone, and I find the itunes store product uploads to be very lacking...not user friendly.

I should elaborate on uploading...what I meant was managing and syncing media to devises...pain in the arse itunes is....that is all.

[freightliner]

I just use my smart phone with one ear bud. If you have it in plane mode with screen down and most of the apps off it doesn't use much juice. If you are already carrying a phone why carry more weight?

In some ways I would agree with you but when its cold out it sucks the life out of it so you have to keep it your pocket to keep warm. At the end of the day of hiking with a phone in your pocket your leg will be black and blue. Its bad enough with the iPod in there. I don't know how hard its going to be to charge a phone on a nobo hike. I can only imagine a lot of people walking around with chargers in there hands saying have you seen a plug. I walk in to a town in CT looking to charge up and found a plug out side a bank. So I sat there thinking if I plug in here would I be a bank robber. After looking around to see if anyone could see I plug in and covered it with my pack. Sometimes you can't find a place to charge and have to hike out with a low battery. I had a little store say no before which sucked but how can get mad electricity isn't free. My little 2.5oz battery back up will do 1 charge on the phone or 3 charges on the iPod which is about a week of power. I wish i was a little more patient and waited a little longer but I went ahead and bought it and now you say its junk. Oh well blind man with a blank check because I bought online without even trying it.

[hikehunter]

I see people "tuning out" with the "i" what.ever....
this is not the smartest thing..
If you are walking/jogging along you deprive yourself of a main source of information...."sound"
the bad guys can come up and attack before you know it...

the same can happen in the woods.........bear, rock slide....snow?, other people....

take the ear buds off and feel the real world around you. yes you will see things and feel things that other wise you would miss while you jam to Katy Perry or who ever...

Take the Tech. out of the wild....look to your inter-self or what ever makes the hike connect you to the world...

[Old Grouse]

Sure, and skip the camera too. Just make a pencil sketch. Oh wait, can't use a pencil....must use the end of a burned stick. Tech your own tech, I guess.

[Havana]

Tech your own tech, I guess.

TYOT. My favorite quote of the year. So far.

[freightliner]

Unless you enjoy looking at squirrels and chipmunks there really isn't anything to see. The hunters of taken everything else out. It's so rare to see a bear or deer that people make a big deal out of it. I think what this is is a generation thing what do they call it technophobe.

[hikehunter]

There is so much more to the outdoors than looking at a deer or bear.....Critters hear and smell you before you see the....most of the time.
On a trail like the AT the animals are custom to people. There are the trees the flowers and the land itself. Oh and there is the fresh air.
What about getting away from the steel and glass of mans jungle?

[Nonfiction]

I'll be bringing my tiny Ipod Nano. It's the little square one w/ no touch screen. Practiclly weighs nothing. Won't be listening to it while I hike, but its a good little treat to have & hear some tunes every once in a while. I'm a AudioFile, so I can't go to long without hearing some good tunes.

[Malto]

I see people "tuning out" with the "i" what.ever....
this is not the smartest thing..
If you are walking/jogging along you deprive yourself of a main source of information...."sound"
the bad guys can come up and attack before you know it...

the same can happen in the woods.........bear, rock slide....snow?, other people....

take the ear buds off and feel the real world around you. yes you will see things and feel things that other wise you would miss while you jam to Katy Perry or who ever...

Take the Tech. out of the wild....look to your inter-self or what ever makes the hike connect you to the world...

I very often hike or run while listening to an iSomething. In many thousands of miles I have only had 10 or 11 cases of bad guys attacking me on the trail. (Insert dripping with sarcasm). HYOS. (Hear your own sounds).

[atmilkman]

I see people "tuning out" with the "i" what.ever....
this is not the smartest thing..
If you are walking/jogging along you deprive yourself of a main source of information...."sound"
the bad guys can come up and attack before you know it...

the same can happen in the woods.........bear, rock slide....snow?, other people....

take the ear buds off and feel the real world around you. yes you will see things and feel things that other wise you would miss while you jam to Katy Perry or who ever...

Take the Tech. out of the wild....look to your inter-self or what ever makes the hike connect you to the world...

That's funny - jammin' to Katy Perry.