Backpacking Videos

[Jason Klass]

Here's a new site I'm working on where people can post and write about their backpacking videos: http://www.backpackingvideos.com/

[Joshua Mitchell]

Hey JK, saw the link to that in your blog (subscribed to by google reader :D ), anyhow, good job. the videos really help with 'seeing' what you've drawn in some of your diagrams.

It'd be cool if you could figure out a way to 'blog' your videos (I saw the 'latest' videos feed but that's not what I'm thinking about)… if you take a look at Lifehacker.com through a RSS reader you'd get a feel for what I'm talking about. Basically, you'd post a blog comment about the vid as well as the vid and the vid can be seen through the reader (at least when using google reader it can). I get most of my content through google reader (including yours, Sarah's and Bill's among others) and click through to sites in order to bookmark things I really like.

Anyhow, really, really good job.

PS – My title is just poking fun, I've done it a dozen times myself…

[Sam Haraldson]

I took the liberty of deleting the other two threads which were basically duplicates.

What kind of bandwidth does your site offer? I'm curious, because I was recently discussing the hosting of video files with Disco, the producer/director of his own indie documentary about the CDT entitled Walkumentary ( http://walkumentary.blogspot.com ).

Upon further inspection of your site I see you're simply providing a "front" for YouTube videos. I believe YouTube has a ten minute limit on material, doesn't it?

[Joshua Mitchell]

JK – Sorry this is a bit of threadjacking.

1) That walkumentary project is pretty cool based on that site
2) It looks like he's distributing the DVDs free???

In my mind, those two things combine with the fact that I doubt ANYONE wants to see more than 10 solid minutes of someone walking, makes the Walkumentary a perfect project for remastering the story into <10 min "chapters" suitable bite-size delivery utilizing youtube. I think it's a match made in heaven (of course I've not seen the DVD yet)… others would likely disagree.

Matter of fact, that then becomes an ultimate life-project… continual documentation of your hikes and the stories associated with them.

[Sam Haraldson]

I just got my copy in the mail yesterday and haven't had a chance to watch it yet. You make some interesting points. I'll post more once I've had a chance to give it a watch.

I discussed the notion of selling/distributing the DVD via BackpackingLight but he seemed very much into the idea of the film remaining independant (and yes, he's distributing it free – although I Paypal'ed him a donation).

[Jason Klass]

Hey Josh,
Thanks for the comments. It's funny, because just his morning, I came to the same conclusion. I didn't like the way the "latest videos" page looked the first way I did it but I still wanted a way to keep people updated who didn't want to shuffle through a long list of links they've already seen. So, I thought I could modify a blog to serve as an easy way of showing the newest videos. Great minds thin alike, eh? ;) But I'm still archiving them in links on the navagation bar so people have both options: they can search by category or chronologically. Do you think that's good? Here's what I changed it to: http://www.backpackingvideos.com/latestvideos.htm

[Jason Klass]

Hi Sam,
Yep, it's just a front. I weighed the options and to host the videos on the site itself has a lot of disadvantages. For one, the download time can be really long if people don't have highspeed. Also, the bandwidth is very expensive for that much space. Plus, if people wanted to send videos to you, it's difficult because the files are so large. You would have to send it through yousendit.com or something but even that is limited to 100 MB. Youtube is limited to 100MB but you can compress files that are larger than 100MB and optimize them for the web.

One big disadvantage to youtube is what will happen if they decide to cap the server space you can use? Right now, there is no limit to how much you can upload but if they decide to put a limit on it in the future and start charging for it, I'm screwed! But for now, this is the only option I can really afford. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that youtube will stay cool and continue offering the service for free (and maybe grandfather people in who had uploaded videos before they start charging).

[Jason Klass]

P.S. Sam, I get 5 GB for bandwith with the most basic service but you can sign up for 100 GB with the premium service.

[Sam Haraldson]

It would be my estimate that the amount of disk space divied out by YouTube will probably grow proportionally with your needs.

[Joshua Mitchell]

"I discussed the notion of selling/distributing the DVD via BackpackingLight but he seemed very much into the idea of the film remaining independant (and yes, he's distributing it free – although I Paypal'ed him a donation)."

With a blog, he could easily highlight the sight in each vid post… that or simply attach a frame to the back of every video highlighting the site… plus if AppleTV ever takes off, he could get really broad exposure (people could then watch youtube chapters from the couch)…

JK – I can't remember if that's the version of latest vids that I saw or not before I posted… I know I subscribes to the RSS… or maybe I did later after I saw your site… I can't remember…

[Benjamin Smith]

In case you guys haven't see these, Jason Klass posted these clips to his video site recently. Hilarious stuff, especially if you've watched (and scoffed at) Man vs. Wild!

Surviving a boulder attack

Finding food and water

Good stuff, Jason!

[kevin davidson]

Oy veh!
What's next? "Big Brother Backpacks"?

People could vote each other out of prime campsites.

[Author]

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