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  1. #1
    Registered User slugger's Avatar
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    Default Light Weight MP3 Player

    Hey I was wondering what MP3 players you guys carry. I am hoping to find a light one with a micro hcsd or hcsd slot that I can use to boost it's storage.

    Right now I'm looking at the sansa fuze or clip...
    21.1% Done

  2. #2
    Recreational User Torch09's Avatar
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    i've got an 8gb fuze with an additional 8gb micro sd card. It's lasted for about 3 years, including 6 months on the trail. Now I use it everyday at work.

    -light weight
    -easy to use
    -good battery life (i've gotten 20 hours out of one charge)
    ~Happiness is only real when shared~

  3. #3
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    i have a MP3/fm tuner option that takes one singe AA battery...easy to keep powered up, better than one that requires a computer to charge...it's got a USB connector which is how the songs get onto the device, though it's only 2GB...the solution to this is i've put several GBs of music onto a mass storage site (google) and when i get to towns, i can change the music that's on the player...i'm pretty sure i got it at Target cheap...
    Check out my website: www.serialhiking.com

  4. #4

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    I just use my Blackberry. Reduces the amount of electronics I need to carry around, and unlike the Ipod/IPhone you can swap the batteries around. I have 3 blackberry batteries I scrounged from old/broken blackberries from friends & family. I keep one in my small baggie of survival gear so that I always have a fresh battery if I need to make an emergency call, but have 2 other batteries that I can use for entertainment purposes. They charge quickly so I can fully charge one of them while I stop for a meal in a town or all three of them if I am staying at a hostel or doing laundry somewhere.

    Another reason I really prefer the blackberry is the built in speaker. I've spooked a couple of rattlesnakes while out hiking, at about a distance of 4ft, so I shy away from earphones that might prevent me from hearing that critical BZZZZZZZ or maybe even a Bear or something right around the corner. The speaker lets me listen to music, talk with other hikers, while also listening for hazards.

    I turn the phone transmitter off and listen to tunes from the microSD card to save battery life, but if i'm heading in to a town within the next day or two, and i'm up on top of a ridgeline, sometimes i'll stream a radio station from Pandora while hiking. If theres reception, maybe i'll facebook or youtube from my hammock before going to sleep.

    Duracell also makes these little power packs with mini USB plugs or Iphone plugs that will fully recharge your mobile device, and you can in turn recharge the power-pack when you get to a town. These contain a higher power density then the same weight of AA's.

  5. #5
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    I have a Sansa Clip. It weighs less than an ounce, and the battery lasts forever. The Clip + would be a good choice, I think.

  6. #6
    A♣ K♣ Q♣ J♣ 10♣ Luddite's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by lustreking View Post
    I have a Sansa Clip. It weighs less than an ounce, and the battery lasts forever. The Clip + would be a good choice, I think.
    I just got one of those too. They cost about 35 bucks, they have a little memory card slot, and great sound. The only problem is you have to carry the little USB cord with you if you plan on charging it.

    http://www.amazon.com/SanDisk-Sansa-.../dp/B000W09ZTK
    Wilderness is not a luxury but a necessity of the human spirit, and as vital to our lives as water and good bread.
    -Edward Abbey

  7. #7
    Registered User bigmac_in's Avatar
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    The best lightweight option is to just listen to the sounds of nature. It's much better than an MP3 player.

    I have an Ipod Nano by the way - it just doesn't go hiking with me.
    It's a great day to be alive !

  8. #8
    A♣ K♣ Q♣ J♣ 10♣ Luddite's Avatar
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    I wasn't planning on bringing an MP3 player but then I realized how light they are and how much I'll miss music. At less than an ounce wy not bring one?
    Wilderness is not a luxury but a necessity of the human spirit, and as vital to our lives as water and good bread.
    -Edward Abbey

  9. #9
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    From a thru-hiker's perspective, I like the Sandisk Sansa m200 --- solid state (no spinning disk), and uses a single AAA battery, easy to buy replacement batteries in town, easy to carry a spare battery or two (very light). Has an FM radio. Interface is fairly intuitive. Lightweight unit. Feels a little flimsy, but with care lasts a long time; my hiking partner carried his on the entire AT this year with no problems. I have an older unit I won't recommend as I don't think it's as easy to find anymore, and has a less intuitive user interface, but FWIW, it's about equally light and flimsy, uses a single AAA battery, and I've carried it on two thru-hikes now and it's still working fine too.

    The reason I don't use my smartphone: battery power. With a separate MP3 player, I don't have to be concerned about whether I should or shouldn't listen to music or an audio-book, as if I run out of batter power I won't be compromising my ability to do other things (journal, take pictures, get a weather report, etc).

    Another reason is that I like having audiobooks, and generally speaking they require some sort of digital rights management on the device, i.e., you can't necessarily get audiobooks to work on just any device. So picking a compatible device made it easy for me to put audiobooks on my MP3 player too.

    Yet another reason, one that I think it becoming less of a factor, is memory. My old smartphone was somewhat limited, and audibooks take up a lot of space. My new phone has a whole lot more RAM, and accepts a much bigger microSD card, so less of an issue now with newer devices, but still, perhaps a factor.
    Gadget
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  10. #10
    Registered User Toolshed's Avatar
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    Have an 5 year old Sansa C1002Gig player/FM Tuner that takes a AAA battery. I got one with a battery for traveling back and forth to Europe and I am very glad I did that rather than a rechargeable model.
    I Use it daily for working out Battery lasts about a month. Tuner is awesome.
    I then Bought my 10 year old the Sansa Clip last year - He loves it, but it needs to be recharged about every 10-15 hours, depending on you backlight settings.
    .....Someday, like many others who joined WB in the early years, I may dry up and dissapear....

  11. #11

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    I used a Creative Zen Nano - Doesn't have an expandable card (unfortunately), but I carried a 16GB USB stick with all sorts of stuff on it anyway (see Portableapps.com), and just swapped music as needed.

    It uses a AAA battery (key in my mind, because there ain't no charger in the hills) and as FM Radio - Great for NPR, but I wish it had AM for some sports.

  12. #12
    Baron
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    Look man, you don't want to use a MP3 player. Those are for Hipsters. One word: Walkman.



    Although more serious get one that uses a standard battery, like folks are suggesting.
    ‎"You know your camping trip really isn't going well when you find yourself hoping to stave off sepsis with a six-pack of Icehouse. "

    "Age is not an accomplishment, and youth is not a sin."

  13. #13
    Recreational User Torch09's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Bucherm View Post
    Look man, you don't want to use a MP3 player. Those are for Hipsters. One word: Walkman.



    Although more serious get one that uses a standard battery, like folks are suggesting.
    I'm gonna have to disagree on two counts here.

    1. Most hipsters would rather use a walkman than an mp3 player

    2. IMO, rechargable internal battery is the way to go. They can weigh less and cost less in the long run. You can charge them using a library or hostel computer, or carry a wall charger ( I have one with two ports, so I can charge my phone and mp3 player simultaneously)
    ~Happiness is only real when shared~

  14. #14
    A♣ K♣ Q♣ J♣ 10♣ Luddite's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Torch09 View Post

    1. Most hipsters would rather use a walkman than an mp3 player
    That is true. I heard tape sales are up.
    Wilderness is not a luxury but a necessity of the human spirit, and as vital to our lives as water and good bread.
    -Edward Abbey

  15. #15
    Saw Man tuswm's Avatar
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    I just wanted to say that using in ear ear bud head phones that block other noises means you have to do not have to turn the volume up. You will get a much longer battery life. To double the volume you need ten times the energy. So when you can turn the volume down you can save a lot of battery life. These are the head phones I use some thing like this.... http://www.rei.com/product/814350

  16. #16

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    Aren't all MP3 players light wt?

  17. #17
    Registered User Walkintom's Avatar
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    I have to second the Sansa clip. It's a great little player and doesn't take much to recharge. My 8gb version fills up fairly fast when i start adding big audiobooks which is why I adore the card slot. I plan to have audiobooks mailed in as part of my mail drops - if I turn out to listen to them a lot on the trail. On shorter hikes I only ever turn the player on if I have no company.

  18. #18
    Registered User 2.0's Avatar
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    Hike your own Hike

    Sherpas? We don't need no stinkin' sherpas.

  19. #19
    aka Kudzu
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    Quote Originally Posted by Dogwood View Post
    Aren't all MP3 players light wt?
    My iPod isn't. I took it on the last hike and it came in handy. We spent a full day cooped up waiting for the weather to clear and I was able to listen to music and play some games. Even though it's heavier I'll probably take it the next time since now I can read books through the Kindle app and leave the actual Kindle at home. It's a little heavier but provides a lot of functionality.
    JaxHiker aka Kudzu - WFA
    Florida Trail Association: NE FL Trail Coordinator (Gold Head to Stephen Foster)
    Problems on the trail? Have a great experience? Please let me know. trails at northfloridatrailblazers dot org
    Blazing Trails with Kudzu @ www.idratherbehiking.com
    Follow me @idratherbhiking

  20. #20
    ME => GA 19AT3 rickb's Avatar
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    Default Slot Radio on Sansa

    I am sure musical purists would retch at the idea, but those without a large library of songs might appreciate the "Slot Radio" feature on the newer Sansa Clip.

    On the Clip you get FM and 4 or 8 gb for your own music, but can also buy a pre-loaded card with 1000 songs (you pick from several different genres) for about $40 more.

    I got the Classic R&R card, and the quality of the song selection really surprised me. The only catch is that while you can skip any song currently being played, there is no directory to find a specific song or artist. There are several subcategories to choose from on the card, though.

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