Kindle Reader

[FiftyNine]

I'm toying with the idea of bringing a paperwhite Kindle with me. I was planning on using my iphone7 plus but I'm not crazy about reading on it. Also the Kindle battery will last a lot longer and this can save battery power for my iphone. I usually use my ipad to read so I never had to get a kindle before. I'm not sure of the weight but I believe they are about 5 to 7 oz. Are other people planning on taking a kindle with them and how does AWOL guide look on it.

[Oventoasted]

Im in the same boat. not sure if i want to bring it now because i feel like i would be too tired most days. also im slight afraid im going to break in in my pack even with a nice little Zpacks tablet case.

[John B]

I carry my Kindle but I don't carry a cell phone. I like to read an hour or so before going to sleep and in the early morning while waiting for it to be light enough to hike. I've never had any problem with it breaking -- it's surprisingly resilient. It's great to be able to choose between hundreds of books. Great lightweight luxury item.

[Puddlefish]

Carried the Kindle, no regrets. I also can't read comfortably on my phone screen, and the Kindle uses a fraction of the battery time.

AWOL is readable on it, but navigation is a bit of a pain, plus you can't easily scribble notes for planning, highlight things you want to see, mark where you've been, etc. I carried the paper AWOL, and a family member mailed me sections. The Kindle AWOL was handy as a backup for when the mailing was late.

I even used it once as a dim light when my headlight migrated to the far end of the tent one night.

[FiftyNine]

I will have guthook and awol on the phone plus paper sections as I go. The kindle would most likely be strictly books and occasionally awol. I will be using the iPhone for photos videos and notes and guthook.


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[Hikes in Rain]

Also carry a Kindle hiking. Used to carry a paperback, but I like having 1400 (so far!) books available. Might consider a waterproof crush-proof case for it. I use this one, which I offer only as an example since it now seems to be unavailable. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

[lumberjaime]

I carried a Kindle on my thru. Absolutely, completely, 110% worth it. I read for an average of 2 hours a day on trail, many times double that. Buy yourself an Amazon gift card and buy more books as you need. It's a great time to re-read some old favorites!

I didn't use it for AWOL, I carried the paper. Kindle was entertainment only. It could have weighed double and I still would have brought it!

[JEgestad]

It could have weighed double and I still would have brought it!

so agree here, using mine a 1-2 hours everyday, and bringing it with me when i star in a little month

[GolfHiker]

I considered this exact scenario last year,but opted to leave the Kindle ( K + case = approx. 8 ounces), and I taught myself to read on my IPhone 6. It can be done, and I was just careful to minimize the phone use to save battery life. In the end, phone/text, Guthook, camera, and Kindle app did it for me. I'll be doing this same set up again this year, but if you feel okay with the extra weight, then a Kindle is the way. Gotta have our books to read!

[Obiwan]

I keep my paperwhite in a Lopsack. Pro-tip....make sure you turn down the backlight if you are reading during the day....it really saves the battery and you feel less stupid

[Hikingjim]

I wouldn't bother on a thru-hike, but it could be worth it for people who read a ton or have an annoyingly small phone display
I read about 30-60 minutes per day when solo hiking, and my phone works for that. Battery usage is minimal in my experience...

[bettybadass]

I bought an older kindle (6th Gen) just for this purpose. It doesn't have 3g or lights, but mine lasts about a month with 30-60 minutes of reading per nite. Its smaller than newer ones too. As for storage it holds more books than I really read on one trip so I am not worried. I can recharge with my phone charge pack.

The only thing I would be interested in upgrading to a new one would be for the lighted feature so that I dont have to use my head lamp to read.

[ldsailor]

I have the Kindle app on my Samsung S5. I read books on it all the time, and I have a pad, which I use infrequently. You get use to the small screen, and it's actually pretty good. The real advantage, though, is you don't have to carry a big pad in your backpack. If you are worried about battery usage, make sure your phone is set to airplane mode. A small battery pack to charge the phone works great.

Last year on the trail, I used only my phone and posted on Facebook, used Guthook and occasionally read. To be honest, I really did not read that much. At the end of the day, my actions were mostly eat, hang my food, and go to sleep.

[FiftyNine]

For me it's really not battery usage but more comfort of reading. My daughter gave me her Kindle to try at 7 ounces. It's a paperwhite. I'm going to play around with it for a few weeks and then decide.


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[CoolBobby]

My vote is for the Nook Glowlight plus. It is waterproof, under 7 oz, about 6 weeks per charge and has a good backlight. You can download Calibre and put any book you want on it. Its pretty awesome and has done about 500 miles with me. The quality of text on the screen is the closest to a real paper book to my eyes...YMMV

[atraildreamer]

Also carry a Kindle hiking. Used to carry a paperback, but I like having 1400 (so far!) books available. Might consider a waterproof crush-proof case for it. I use this one, which I offer only as an example since it now seems to be unavailable. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Try EBay...lots of options.

[Tahoeturner]

At home, I read almost exclusively on a Kindle Fire. On the trail, I carried only two electronic things, an iPhone 6+ and an extra battery pack. The phone did everything and the screen was plenty big enough for reading; however, most nights I was too tired to read after 15 minutes or less - never ran out of power. I had to return home after only 600 miles due to an injury. When I return this spring, I'll be using the same.

[RabbitHole]

Use the app first on your phone if it isn't working bring a kindle