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Post by cweston on Oct 4, 2015 20:50:01 GMT -8
Also, most places I hike there isn't cell service at the trailhead, let alone during the trip. I would find it absolutely bizarre to actually use a cell phone on a BP trip. I did have to use it once upon completing a hike to contact my wife when we ended up retreating by a different route in a storm, though.
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Post by High Sierra Fan on Oct 4, 2015 22:13:22 GMT -8
"Intruding"? Unless, as Tigger suggests, the noise impacts my experience, other's devices won't intrude upon me simply because I observe someone in possession or using some such and every device I might choose to carry either to use or just because I never leave anything of value in a trailhead car, has an off switch. So no intrusion is possible.
The central electronic device I carry I'd never leave behind, that's my camera. And since the age of electronic built in exposure metering they've been pretty high tech versus most anything else on a backpack. I consider photography an enhancement of my backcountry experience not an intrusion, but others may differ in their view. Heck with the refinement of LEDs even the simple light source has gone electronic! And given their power sipping they're welcome on my trips!
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Oct 5, 2015 3:06:59 GMT -8
How important are electronic devices to your backpacking experience? Almost 30 years ago I went two years night-hiking and "cowboy camping" (without a fire) every week right through wintertime. My only electronics were a watch set to Sidereal Time and a single-battery flashlight I rarely used. I preferred night vision and natural light. The watch I used only to navigate by sun, moon, or stars. The more I used astronomy to navigate, the less I needed the watch. The flashlight was only for the most precarious circumstances, such as nighttime stream crossings. I don't do things much differently now except that I carry a digital camera and on rare occasions experiment with a crude GPS that provides coordinates but no maps. I don't need it. I rarely even need a compass. I spend most of my time off-trail in places other people do not backpack. There's near-zero chance that anyone would pitch a tent near mine. So I'm not interrupting their chosen experience, and they are not interrupting mine. At home, electronics provide me a virtual library at my fingertips. I get legal documents from the government, science papers from universities, technical documents from manufacturers, books to read, news, weather, maps, etc. I delve into that world often and break away from it often. But every week I leave it all behind — except for a watch, camera, and flashlight that I rarely need or use. The contrast between two worlds seems to suit me fine.
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walkswithblackflies
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Post by walkswithblackflies on Oct 5, 2015 3:39:29 GMT -8
I try to eschew technology, but admittedly, I use it. I just try to make sure I don't depend on it. I'm probably most dependent on my headlamp. But forest rangers frown on walking with torches, so...
Almost always: Headlamp, smart phone (which doubles as a camera, GPS, alarm), PLB, SteriPen (I have backup, but the pen is sooooo quick. A bonus in blackfly country). Sometimes: "Fitness" watch (only when I'm there for the exercise), multi-function "altimeter" watch (as backup to my phone); tiny music player with headphones (helps me unwind before sleeping), dSLR camera
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amaruq
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Post by amaruq on Oct 5, 2015 4:12:04 GMT -8
I consider photography an enhancement of my backcountry experience not an intrusion Bang on with that, good buddy. Like most I have my little camera and my headlamp. I also bring one of my smartphones, not because I can't disconnect (there's no signal off the highway 'round these parts anyways), but because I like to keep track of my pace as it changes throughout a trip and need a clock to do so. I'm a bit too rough on watches. I've been looking for a good analog altimeter, but it seems the market is now 90% electronic compass/altimeter/barometer/GPS combinations.
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FamilySherpa
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Post by FamilySherpa on Oct 5, 2015 4:37:26 GMT -8
I'm ambivalent about it. I guess one persons ereader is another persons iPod full of music or GPS. While I'm not a fan of playing music in a campsite, sometimes I do like to listen to a podcast just before going to sleep.
I did pass a backpacker once that had a speaker on the outside of his pack playing music. A bit strange imo. Each to his own I suppose.
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swmtnbackpacker
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Post by swmtnbackpacker on Oct 5, 2015 5:17:55 GMT -8
If I cannot hear it, none of my bizness like a lot of things. In parks more are walking with mini-speakers and this practice is starting to show up in the backcountry. I ran into a large party (mixed age) walking out where one of the college aged males lagged the group with his speakers audible. Luckily due to economic constraints, the backcountry has been able to mostly avoid more cell coverage so far. Not enough users/area to justify. Imagine people yakking on the phone in serene wilderness
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Post by Lamebeaver on Oct 5, 2015 5:44:32 GMT -8
I think it's easy to look down or dismiss the electronics we all normally carry, so I'm going to include everything in my list.
Small digital camera (Nikon Coolpix 3200) Ray-O-Vac Headlamp McMurdo PLB (never used)
I usually leave the cell phone in the car, as I'm often in places with no reception.
I often carry a Garmin eTrex GPS, which I find very handy for off-trail route-finding, but I also carry a map and compass as a backup.
I have brought my Nook eReader with on occasion as well.
edit: I also carry a cheap Casio digital watch. - Thanks for the reminder Travis.
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jazzmom
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Post by jazzmom on Oct 5, 2015 6:27:49 GMT -8
I have a few battery-powered items in my pack. A camera and a headlamp, pretty much always. I might have a eReader, depending on what I'm reading. I take it only because it's lighter than carrying a paperback most of the time. I don't own a GPS but, on my last hike, I took a cross-country "shortcut" and started to question my heading. I pulled out my cell phone just for kicks and the GPS worked really well. I confirmed that I was on track, turned it off and continued on. Nice to have as a back-up though, without it, the outcome wouldn't have been any different. I'm not one of those hikers who consider backpacking a "test" of my skills/endurance/whatever, so I really don't see anything wrong with someone using a GPS if it makes them more comfortable on the trail. On another hike last year, I was in a familiar area, not far from civilization. I didn't feel like reading, so I pulled out my phone and played HOURS of Candy Crush... LOL. I'm a "working mom" with very little time for myself so, for me, being able to hang out somewhere quiet and play stupid video games is a total luxury. The only thing I really dislike about the current state of electronics in general is the expectation *by others* that you should always be reachable.
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desert dweller
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Post by desert dweller on Oct 5, 2015 6:37:24 GMT -8
I take a camera, a GPS (because sometimes I find myself inadvertently off trail), my iPhone (For those times when I feel the need to send a picture to my brother in Ohio just to make him jealous. Other than that it's turned off), and a headlamp. I think that's it.
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rebeccad
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Post by rebeccad on Oct 5, 2015 7:23:15 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, Sometimes. Sadly, few guidebooks seem to be available as ebooks. I'm hoping that will change, because it's a no-brainer. We were able to take our Peru guidebooks in electronic form, which was a huge help. Still trying to figure out the phone thing. I like having it on the road, but don't want to carry it on the trail. I guess I'm willing to hide it in the car and trust to luck, rather than carry that dead weight or give up the ability to call/text to let people know we are out of the mountains safe. This is more important because of the multiple days we are often on the road to and from trails, and the age of our relatives. But I persist in hiking without it, and would even if there were cell reception in my favorite mountains, which there isn't.
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rebeccad
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Post by rebeccad on Oct 5, 2015 7:26:59 GMT -8
I was just thinking about Travis's post and him saying he hardly ever uses the flashlight...I realize that the vast majority of what I use my headlamp for is...reading my ebooks :D But to me, that's part of the joy of being out--having the time to just lie in bed and read. I do like to get out and enjoy the night, but if it's cold or wet...yeah, I'm in the sack and devouring the prose.
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walkswithblackflies
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Post by walkswithblackflies on Oct 5, 2015 8:46:06 GMT -8
Semi-related to this topic... I got a new smartphone this past weekend (battery was dying on old one). As we were waiting for my contacts, photos, etc. to transfer from the old to new phone, the tech told me about the problems he had with the customer before me. They were transferring data, but the progress seemed stuck. Then he realized the problem... she had 10 GIGS of text messages!
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Post by Deleted on Oct 5, 2015 9:05:22 GMT -8
I was just thinking about Travis's post and him saying he hardly ever uses the flashlight...I realize that the vast majority of what I use my headlamp for is...reading my ebooks :D But to me, that's part of the joy of being out--having the time to just lie in bed and read. I do like to get out and enjoy the night, but if it's cold or wet...yeah, I'm in the sack and devouring the prose. I wrote a long, detailed reply to this topic but decided not to post it. (Brevity is not one of my few virtues .) In that I acknowledged that I would consider someday purchasing an eReader of sorts — along with a PLB. The reader would give me something to do while waiting for helicopter rescue. j/k. I do not use headlamps. Period. They wash out depth perception when night hiking. But that's another topic.
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rebeccad
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Post by rebeccad on Oct 5, 2015 9:32:07 GMT -8
I do not use headlamps. Period Ah, but you will if you start reading in bed!
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