Laptop Use on the trail?

[Tim Hudson]

I have a EEE Laptop with XP on it and was thinking of taking it on my hike. It weighs 2Lb, 1/2oz, and I figure all the rest of the stuff for it weigh 1lb. Has anyone taken a laptop with before, and how did that work out?

[scavenger]

Don't really see why you'd wanna do that...

[EWS]

I've taken one on bicycle tours before, where weight matters less and the internet is more accessable. Not worth it. I wouldn't consider throwing one on my back. Pen and paper are better if you really want to write.

[fiddlehead]

You might get a lot of flak for it but, if you can make money while hiking, i say go for it. I would if it meant hiking with or not hiking. i feel the same about a cell phone (but i wouldn't pull it out in front of others)

Sometimes I am very surprised that people use ipods/walkmans, etc while hiking. They seem to be missing out on a lot of the beauty of the hike. Especially on the AT where the views tend to be the same but there are a lot of birds, animals, etc. talking to each other and us so many times it's senseless to me to turn them off like that.

If you are a fast hiker and find yourself often waiting for others, then take a book, laptop, guitar, or work along with you if you like. HYOH (of course)

[Tennessee Viking]

Won't be a lot of places to charge it on the trail. And not a whole lot of WIFI on the trail either, except for hostels and bars.

Plus, it is going to dinged up easily. Shake and bounce while inside your pack. Weather. Food and water spilling onto it.

Unless, you are just doing a weekend hike with a lot of photography or finish up a report before Monday, its not worth taking.

I admit I am no purist, I have my own trail vice, my Shuffle. It actually helps me with my pace. Nothing better to listen to some classical or favorite song on a mountain top.

If you are wanting to do trail journaling, use a voice recorder or notebook. Or get a smartphone or PDA to make things a bit more modern.

[Panzer1]

I don't think it would pack very well. And I would worry about it getting wet. Even if you keep it in a large zip lock you still have humitidy issues. There's also the jarring that it would get with every step you take. Things like that were not really made to be out on the trail everyday in the cold/heat/rain.

One week on the trail would put about a year of wear and tear on it.

You might be better off carring 2 extra pounds of food/snacks ect.

Panzer

[Mrs Baggins]

You might get a lot of flak for it but, if you can make money while hiking, i say go for it. I would if it meant hiking with or not hiking. i feel the same about a cell phone (but i wouldn't pull it out in front of others)

Sometimes I am very surprised that people use ipods/walkmans, etc while hiking. They seem to be missing out on a lot of the beauty of the hike. Especially on the AT where the views tend to be the same but there are a lot of birds, animals, etc. talking to each other and us so many times it's senseless to me to turn them off like that.

If you are a fast hiker and find yourself often waiting for others, then take a book, laptop, guitar, or work along with you if you like. HYOH (of course)

As addicted as I am to my laptop I wouldn't put it through a hike even if I could carry the weight.

As for music on the AT, I only use my MP3 on the steep ups.........believe me, I'm working so hard to make it that I am not listening for the wildlife! But if I have some music going I am also not listening to myself work so hard to breathe and I am not thinking about how much I hate the "ups" -- I'm distracted by the music and the next thing I know I'm at the top of the mountain, and then I put the MP3 away until the next "up".........

[Frolicking Dinosaurs]

A PDA or a Treo700 series phone or a blackberry would be better choices. You absolutely will not need 95+% of the utility of a full laptop on the trail. What you plan to do with the device on the trail would be the deciding factor on which of the devices is best for you.

If you are planning to journal on the device or to do a lot of email or actual work on the trail, you may want to consider a flexible keyboard - mini or full size as an add on.

[Marta]

Why not try it on a weekend hike, and see how that works for you?

My son says they've gone over to Toughbooks for field work. He says they seem to be pretty rugged.

[WalkingStick75]

Normally I wouln't want to carry a computer while backpacking but I'm planning on a trip to Europe this fall with my son where we will be part backpacking in the Alps and part more or less tourist stuff and a small pc would be really nice. For those that have teh eee couple questions:
What kind of batteries does it use, and battery life being the primary concern. Overall durability

[warraghiyagey]

Tim, I wanted badly to set myself up with a system to type text while on the trail (laptop/notebook etc). After having been on the trail(without that setup as an additional issue), not worth it.
Pen and paper friend, pen and paper.

[jnohs]

get the iphone that thing cruises the internet pretty good and its small it has the music and all the goodies you are saying you want.

[bmike]

how bout a nokia 800?

kent p loves his for his bike travels. might work well for journaling (with the keyboard) and email / blogging.
what do you want to do on it?

[Frosty]

I've carried one of these for about 3 years now, off and on, backpacking and whatnot:

http://alphasmart.com/k12/K12_Products/neo_K12.html

and it has worked out swell.

It is not a computer, but only a low level word processor. I write, and I find this very useful to me as my handwriting is illegible. It runs for hundreds of hours on three AA batteries (RAM only, no drive mechanism).

It connects to any computer with a USB port and uploads your noble thoughts into Word or a similar program.

I have never had a problem with water. I just keep it in a small trash bag in my pack. It has gotten wet a few times, and it fared a lot better than a paper notebook would have under the same conditions.

Every so often (maybe a half dozen times in three years), someone is offended by the sight of it, and will tell me that I cannot enjoy my hike unless I write with a pencil, but a lot fewer than you would think. Of course there may be a lot more who say nothing but afterwards tell stories about the loony geezer with the kiddie laptop, but that's okay. The point of hiking is too have fun, and I do.


ps I have mailed an inexpensive Averatec laptop to myself many times, and it is still gong strong despite the Post Office's best efforts. Laptops are not nearly as fragile as they used to be. That said, I bought the extended warranty

[spittinpigeon]

Make sure and pick up a USB firestarter.

[The Old Fhart]

On my 1998 thru I carried an 11oz HP100Lx palmtop computer that ran on 2 AA batteries. I had a couple of dozen novels, dictionary, Bible, A.T. Databook, my journal and other neat stuff loaded. It rode in a pouch on my sternum strap unless it was really raining and it not only survived the entire trip but still works today. I would type my journal entries with my thumbs by candle light in my tent at night and transfer to my desktop PC when I got home.

With the advances made in the last ten years it is very practical to carry a much more powerful PDA, Blackberry, or other device if you are careful.

[rafe]

how bout a nokia 800?

kent p loves his for his bike travels. might work well for journaling (with the keyboard) and email / blogging.
what do you want to do on it?

Newegg has some cheap ($300) very light (2 lb) and compact Linux-based laptops. (eg. this one.)

[wrongway_08]

It would be worth it to drop around $400. on a small palm computer thing, if you really want to bring one. smaller, compact and use less energy.

One was bought for me to take along on my thru-hike this march but I'd rather not take it, one more thing to look after and recharge and repack every day. But it is neat and easy to use.

I'll just pack pen and paper.

[brotheral]

The Appalachian Trail : A Footpath for Those Who Seek Fellowship With the Wilderness !!!!!

[warraghiyagey]

One was bought for me to take along on my thru-hike this march but I'd rather not take it, one more thing to look after and recharge and repack every day. But it is neat and easy to use.
.

I'll test it SOBO for ya.