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Post by hikerjer on Oct 4, 2015 10:26:21 GMT -8
It seems more and more, that electronic and high-tech gizmos are intruding into the backcountry experience. I'm not trying to pass any judgement here, but it seems the outdoor magazines are full of advertisements for electronic devices and I see more and more people carrying them. Even these boards devote considerable space to them. Personally, beyond a camera and headlamp, which I suppose fits the category, I don't carry any although I'm considering adding a PLB to my gear in the future. How important are electronic devices to your backpacking experience? What say you?
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tigger
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Post by tigger on Oct 4, 2015 10:49:00 GMT -8
The only thing that grates on my nerves is when someone else's electronic experience invades mine. Keep it to yourself? I've got no problem with it. That's literally my only rule.
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markskor
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Mammoth Lakes & Tuolumne Meadows...living the dream
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Post by markskor on Oct 4, 2015 11:11:07 GMT -8
Sigh...In the wilderness, without constantly checking your electronic gizmos hourly, how are you to keep track of the POS Kardashians? Personally, my only electronic carried is my headlamp...well, occasionally take along one of those "postage stamp" Ipods too if solo but eschew all others...why needed? Ballast?
Interesting, this summer, standing, my backpack strapped, on a crowded Yosemite Valley shuttle bus, (after 77 days out), looked around to see 3/4 of the passengers with their eyes glued to tiny screens. Well, I guess there was nothing really to see outside anyway. Disturbing!
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Post by hikerjer on Oct 4, 2015 11:28:15 GMT -8
Similarly, my daughter invited several of her late 20-year-old girl friends to spend a week at our time share just outside of Glacier Park in August of this year. Several of them had to leave after a few days because there was no cell service and they couldn't stand not be "connected". Disturbing, yes.
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tarol
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Redding, CA
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Post by tarol on Oct 4, 2015 12:41:41 GMT -8
Besides a camera and headlamp, I do bring a cell phone, turned off, for emergencies. And I bought a Spot last year for emergencies. Don't really understand why you'd want anything else. Drones are the latest fad and I don't really appreciate them in natural areas.
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zeke
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Peekaboo slot 2023
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Post by zeke on Oct 4, 2015 14:37:29 GMT -8
I carry a GPS when I kayak, as most of those Mangrove islands look alike and it is easy to get turned around. Hasn't been necessary so far when bp'ing. Like others, I carry a camera, light, and my cell phone (turned off) so it isn't left at the trailhead. So far, map and compass has been adequate for my foot travels.
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echo
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Post by echo on Oct 4, 2015 15:16:17 GMT -8
When my boy was nine his grandmother got him a gameboy for Christmas and one for his ten year old brother. The ten year old was an outdoor soul and could handle limiting it, or just flat didn't want to be so hooked to anything. But the moment they opened those things changed. They curled into their chairs and didn't even think to open their other gifts for over an hour. Then when we were in Yellowstone the next July and I made the younger turn his off, he screamed, "I've done Yellowstone to death. You can make me turn it off but you can't make me look." And he squeezed his eyes shut. Compared to their friends they felt like they had no access to electronics but looking back, I wish we' waited so much longer. The oldest got a phone In high school, and used it to connect with people and slip out in the middle of the night. I think there was very little good from their devices, except the computer research for school work
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rebeccad
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Writing like a maniac
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Post by rebeccad on Oct 4, 2015 15:28:59 GMT -8
Well, in addition to a headlamp (which I don't think really counts as "electronics") I do carry a digital camera (is it really any different from the old film one, the one that used no batteries?) and--now I'm in trouble--an eReader. Which does nothing but allow me to read books, an activity to which I am addicted. Yes, it's electronic--but the function is no different from the paperbacks I used to carry (in other words, it doesn't connect to the internet, make phone calls, track my location, or play games. It displays words on a surface so I can read).
I look askance at anything that allows one to connect to the internet--part of the point of backpacking is to get away from the rest of the world, for me anyway--but otherwise, well, PLBs and what have you, those are decisions for each hiker to make. As long as they aren't audible and invading my experience.
Though last summer when we met a family on the trail, and a young man had some kind of device playing music--no loud; just enough to be heard a few feet away--the initial reaction was what you'd expect ("gee, how rude, and stupid, and ..."). Our second reaction, on taking a closer look, was that this might be someone with some autism spectrum issues, for whom that music might have been the thing that kept him from freaking out. We didn't ask, and have no way of knowing, but the thought made us all take a step back from our initial reactions and remind ourselves not to judge.
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mk
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North Texas
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Post by mk on Oct 4, 2015 16:02:40 GMT -8
On our Grand Canyon trip last month, there was a noticeable increase in the number of go-pros (in the Canyon) and selfie sticks (on the Rim). When our kids were little, we took them to places like the Grand Canyon and Glacier where we had no tv, no phones etc. Happy that at 21 and 24, they are able to "disconnect" (and even enjoy doing so). And they still like traveling with us -- heading to Big Bend in November with them.
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zeke
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Post by zeke on Oct 4, 2015 16:08:28 GMT -8
You could also download a guide book onto it, for the area you are hiking.an eReader. Which does nothing but allow me to read books,
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Post by hikerjer on Oct 4, 2015 17:02:18 GMT -8
I will admit I've considered an e-reader. I can definitely see their advantages.
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Post by trinity on Oct 4, 2015 17:03:47 GMT -8
I hate electronics, but I love my ereader. Weighs almost nothing, and allows me to carry as many books as I want. Plus, the glowlight feature on my Nook is pretty nice for camping. On a recent backpacking trip I read from at least 5 different books that I can recall, including the bible. I shudder to think how much weight that would have been in my pack if I had brought paper books! I also recently purchased a Delorme Inreach. A part of me hates being reachable in the backcountry, but it has already proved itself to be far more reliable than the SPOT that I carried for many years, and allows my wife and I to give each other peace of mind, since most of our trips are solo. Wish I didn't have to carry it, but I just think it makes good sense to have some sort of emergency device along.
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Post by cloudwalker on Oct 4, 2015 17:20:39 GMT -8
I carry a camera on every trip and carry a cell phone but keep it in the pack turned off. Smartphones suck up a battery so quickly so I just use it to call the wife and let her know I'm OK, then shut it off and back into the pack it goes. I sometimes carry a GPS but not for obvious reasons. Most of my backpacking is done on trails so a map is more than sufficient but I like to seek out the occasional geocache off trail.
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Post by swimswithtrout on Oct 4, 2015 19:32:03 GMT -8
On our Grand Canyon trip last month, there was a noticeable increase in the number of go-pros (in the Canyon) and selfie sticks (on the Rim). Not like.
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Post by cweston on Oct 4, 2015 20:46:33 GMT -8
My 23 yo son is my most frequent hiking partner. He loves the "disconnecting" aspect off BPing. We went on a 7 day trip this summer that was a 2 day drive away--he didn't even take his phone in the car, so he was off the grid for 11 days. I thought that was pretty cool for someone of his generation. I think he recognizes that people his age may need the off-the-grid experience the most.
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