Thru W/Out Phone?

[ronen.schatsky]

I would like to thru-hike without my phone. I just like the freedom, plus don't want the extra pounds, and don't feel like worrying about keeping it dry and charged throughout my hike.
I understand this course of action would mean a lot of hitch-hiking into town instead of calling a shuttle, but would that really be that bad?
And is there any serious safety argument saying I should bring my phone?
Is anyone else considering going phone-free?

[slbirdnerd]

People have been traveling by foot for thousands of years without cell phones. I personally wouldn't do it in this day and age without one (safety reasons), but surely it's not impossible. If you, or your family (I see you're 18), want you to have something for an emergency, grab a cheap TracPhone or something and stick it in your dry bag, just in case. Happy trails!

[tdoczi]

People have been traveling by foot for thousands of years without cell phones. I personally wouldn't do it in this day and age without one (safety reasons), but surely it's not impossible. If you, or your family (I see you're 18), want you to have something for an emergency, grab a cheap TracPhone or something and stick it in your dry bag, just in case. Happy trails!

so what about "this day and age" makes something that people have been doing fopr thousand of years unsafe, exactly?

i dont own a cell phone at all (true story). ive never found it unsafe. every once in awhile ill take a burner on a hike with me for some specific logistic purpose that would otherwise be too big a hassle.

[slbirdnerd]

More mentally unstable people out there with more crazy ideas and more weapons. If I were a guy, I wouldn't be as concerned. If I had been Emma Gatewood, I wouldn't have been concerned. Today, yeah, it's safer for me to carry a phone.

[tdoczi]

More mentally unstable people out there with more crazy ideas and more weapons. If I were a guy, I wouldn't be as concerned. If I had been Emma Gatewood, I wouldn't have been concerned. Today, yeah, it's safer for me to carry a phone.

do you have statistics that back tat idea up? no you don't, because there are none. if anything, there are statistics to prove the exact opposite. violent crime in our society is on a clear downward trend. fear mongering, on the other hand, is steadily and sharply rising.

[Puddlefish]

do you have statistics that back tat idea up? no you don't, because there are none. if anything, there are statistics to prove the exact opposite. violent crime in our society is on a clear downward trend. fear mongering, on the other hand, is steadily and sharply rising.

Careful with your use of statistics. She made a simple statement about her comfort level without a phone. That can be based on first hand personal experience, or it can be based on a general feeling of unease based on fear, or maybe a bit of both. You and I don't know her reasoning, nor is it particularly appropriate to ask for more details. Statistics only consider gathered data, and don't easily account for unreported crimes. I can go through my life swimmingly for 99% of the time, but if I'm unfortunate enough to to be harmed that 1% of the time, then the statistics are of zero comfort to me.

Second, let's talk a tiny bit about causality. Perhaps the violent crime rates have come down, in part, because of prevalent mobile phone availability for the most vulnerable people? Statistics are difficult to compare from the past to the present. To every study there are multiple factors and measurements. It's possible that there can be more nutcases, more weapons as well as a lower percentage of violent crime. You can both be right in this case.

I apologize for any thread drift, but I'm rather a fan of statistics.

[tdoczi]

More mentally unstable people out there with more crazy ideas and more weapons. If I were a guy, I wouldn't be as concerned. If I had been Emma Gatewood, I wouldn't have been concerned. Today, yeah, it's safer for me to carry a phone.

your sig line is kind of ironic giving the view youre expressing, dont you think?

[George]

More mentally unstable people out there with more crazy ideas and more weapons. If I were a guy, I wouldn't be as concerned. If I had been Emma Gatewood, I wouldn't have been concerned. Today, yeah, it's safer for me to carry a phone.

so you make a call(if you have signal) give a location that the dispatcher has no idea, and wait how many hours??

if you are this paranoid better carry an assault rifle and 1000 rds of ammo - maybe a backup also

[Puddlefish]

I would like to thru-hike without my phone. I just like the freedom, plus don't want the extra pounds, and don't feel like worrying about keeping it dry and charged throughout my hike.
I understand this course of action would mean a lot of hitch-hiking into town instead of calling a shuttle, but would that really be that bad?
And is there any serious safety argument saying I should bring my phone?
Is anyone else considering going phone-free?

I've gone for years at home with a flip phone, that isn't even charged half the time. I'm not particularly into the prevalent phone culture.

I can't think of a huge safety concern. If you have a medical emergency, other hikers (most?) will be happy to help you make a call. They might not be so happy if you're constantly asking them for help with mundane web searches like weather forecasts/nearby restaurants/lodging/outfitters/etc.

That said, I ended up going the opposite direction and got a used Iphone 4 from a family member, and signed up for the month to month Verizon plan with minimal data. I still may not turn it on more than once a week, but I don't want to have to rely on other people if I need to order some replacement gear online, or want to see if that hostel I'm hitchhiking to actually has a vacancy on a rainy day.

They extra weight isn't a big deal, and you can always choose not to turn it on.

[Bronk]

When I did my thru attempt in 2002 I made it 850 miles and only saw 2 cell phones. In those days almost nobody had one. Seems to me folks that do it today lose a lot of the adventure of the hike by having all of the logistical support that a cell phone provides...seems not much is left to chance when you can call for a ride from the top of a mountain a couple miles before you get to the next road and spend your days text messaging back and forth between your friends...used to be the only means of communication were the shelter registers and the grape vine, and believe it or not those were amazingly fast and reliable means of communication. I think there is something people miss by having phones with them all the time.

[Sarcasm the elf]

It used to be normal to hike without one, but as cellphones have become commonplace, payphones have all but disappeared and this can make hiking without a cellphone a logistical hassle. Would I consider it major safety issue? Probably not.

[Bronk]

It used to be normal to hike without one, but as cellphones have become commonplace, payphones have all but disappeared and this can make hiking without a cellphone a logistical hassle. Would I consider it major safety issue? Probably not.

I resisted getting a cell phone for years...and then ran into this exact problem...no more payphones...or more accurately, the payphones were shut off...they are still there in many places because there was no market to resell them and they figured "why pay somebody to remove them when they aren't worth anything?"

[Puddlefish]

I resisted getting a cell phone for years...and then ran into this exact problem...no more payphones...or more accurately, the payphones were shut off...they are still there in many places because there was no market to resell them and they figured "why pay somebody to remove them when they aren't worth anything?"

Back in 1986, my college roommate was getting scammed by some guy selling the rights to phone booths in Hawaii. He was certain he was going to get rich from this investment and ignored any and all of our advice that phone booths were not the future.

[RockDoc]

Refreshing attitude! Go for it. I love it when people put freedom first, especially when hiking.

Those who would give up essential Liberty, to purchase a little temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety. -Franklin

If you need a phone, others have them and generally are willing to share...

[inspectorgene]

On the plus side. My son carried a cheapie candy bar phone on his thru in 2011. I was amazed at how often he could call and check in, even on ATT. I was also able to check weather conditions etc. for him. Made re-supply a little easier as well. AND you could be a sport and let other hikers that decided NOT to carry a phone, make calls on YOUR phone...

[Water Rat]

I would like to thru-hike without my phone. I just like the freedom, plus don't want the extra pounds, and don't feel like worrying about keeping it dry and charged throughout my hike.
I understand this course of action would mean a lot of hitch-hiking into town instead of calling a shuttle, but would that really be that bad?
And is there any serious safety argument saying I should bring my phone?
Is anyone else considering going phone-free?

to White Blaze!

Please post a picture of your cell phone that weighs "pounds." Is your phone from the 80s & 90s? Thankfully, they make 'em a lot lighter these days!

Most people carry phones out of convenience, rather than safety. Some places are easier to catch a hitch than others - During a rain storm is not the time to be caught without a phone, without others who have a phone, and lack of ride to town. While it (hopefully) wouldn't be the end of the world, that is one time a phone would come in quite handy...if you have cell reception.

A cheap Trac Phone can be charged, turned off, and then stowed in a Ziploc at the bottom of your pack. Only a few ounces. Might also come in handy if you start hiking with a group of people and then want to reconnect along the trail. Many will send messages to get locations and figure out the logistics of meeting back up.

It is absolutely your call (pun intended!) and I hope you have a wonderful hike.

[shelb]

to White Blaze!

A cheap Trac Phone can be charged, turned off, and then stowed in a Ziploc at the bottom of your pack. Only a few ounces. Might also come in handy if you start hiking with a group of people and then want to reconnect along the trail. .

I agree that a phone is not a daily necessity. I leave my phone off for days at a time. I do, however, turn it on to occasionally check in with family, call a shuttle, or check the weather when it looks threatening - and I am deliberating on going to the next shelter (NOTE: there is not always someone around with a phone! - especially as you move further north and the huge bubble begins to drop out).

What the heck - get the cheap, light-weight (only a couple ounces) disposable phone. Charge it. Leave it off. It will be an emergency back-up -in case it is needed....

[MRupert420]

During a rain storm is not the time to be caught without a phone, without others who have a phone, and lack of ride to town.

Forgive me if I'm missing something, but a rain storm is particularly dangerous? I would think a thunderstorm would be the time to not be caught without a ride to town, but are rain storms really to be avoided that badly?

[Lone Wolf]

- During a rain storm is not the time to be caught without a phone, without others who have a phone, and lack of ride to town.

dumbest thing i've read in a while

[Sarcasm the elf]

dumbest thing i've read in a while

Go re-read the thread about the proposed AMC hut...