ipad

[Brian Kelly]

Ok so i just started a thread about charging an ipod for my while in the field. That post made me curious how many of you light weight backpackers carry and ipad, ipad mini or e reader of some sort while backpacking? If you carry one could you also post your pack weight?

[Brian Kelly]

Im starting to feel like this is a very taboo subject on these forums if so i am very sorry ;)

[Max Dilthey]

Nothing is taboo. Some things just get you chewed out.

I don't carry, but if I did, I would choose the basic Kindle e-Reader. It's lighter than anything else, the battery lasts a month, and it's pretty durable.

If I wanted to take an iPad, I would bring a portable battery pack, lithium ion. That way, I can enjoy my iPad over 3-5 days. Any trip longer than that and I'd either re-evaluate what I'm using the iPad for or I would bring a solar charger. Some places, like the northeast, a solar charger isn't altogether practical.

At a certain point, some trips in the woods don't allow an iPad (No!!!) But, I think in the next 5 years, we'll see an advance in technology that'll allow more use.

There's a project going on right now that's going to turn body heat and finger pressure into power for ultra-efficient screens. I bet before the close of this decade, phones power themselves indefinitely. Mark my words.

[Josh Brock]

I carry an Ipad. I love it. I like watching a movie while falling asleep. I also like editing and looking at my pictures at the end of a day. I can show my buddies the pics of them that I shot earlier. I can listen to music while enjoying a break. I also have several books on it and love them all. Its not UL but "I" like bringing mine.

[Nick Gatel]

No, it's not taboo. A lot of folks use smart phones, especially thru-hikers. Some use Kindles and iPads, but they are a minority. Each person needs to take what works for them. I am not one for most electronics, but it doesn't mean I am right – there is no right. But, an iPad weighs more than my 3 season shelter, a couple of my packs, and some of my sleeping pads.

[Jake D]

On some trips i'll bring my ipod touch which i can listen to music, CarTalk podcast or read E-books on.

[Brian Kelly]

mine too. I have a echoo ii tarp system and an windrider pack and depending on time of year the wife will be going just a western mountaineering highLite 35* bag which is very light too. So a 2lb ipad with case is very heavy. I am also thinking about getting a mld trailsatr but that is for a different post

[Peter S]

a Kindle Paperwhite – 213g

The Non-light basic version weighs 170g

If you like to read while it's dark, trust me, don't try to save weight here.

[Dustin Short]

I usually hike as long as possible and then crash as soon as camp is made…that said if I go on more leisurely trips with friends (so far most of my friends seem to hike till they drop as well) I'd take my Kindle.

I have two actually but I would take my newer paperwhite even though it's an ounce heavier. The reason is that it has a built in light so I don't drain my head lamp batteries (and it's a very good light for reading, just an enjoyable experience to use). The batteries on kindles should last you a month so no need to charge. If you're out for longer than a month, like a thru hike, you can put the charger into a bounce box, but the included AC plug with a short usb cable would be light combo as well (2oz or less).

Anything with a proper LCD screen just doesn't last long enough to justify taking in my book unless you're on an expedition style adventure with lots of down time. Then I'd consider my macbook air or an android tablet and a goal zero setup. But that'd double my gear weight. It seems almost silly to bring so many accouterments of the city into the wilderness when my entire purpose of entering the wilderness is a vacation from the trappings of modern society. Instant gratification is, well gratifying, but it's also instant and thus fleeting.

[Sumi Wada]

I carry a Kindle, the smallest (and cheapest) one. Weighs a little over 5oz with a protective sleeve I made out of Lawson's 1/8" foam pad and silnylon. Batteries last forever. My base weight is right around 11lb.

[Rocco Speranza]

I just carry my iphone 5. Does most of what the ipad can do and weight almost nothing (4oz) compared to it (23oz).

[Bradley Attaway]

Audiobooks on an iPod nano play for 24 hours on 105MaH battery in a .74oz package. The 3oz external battery I usually use to recharge my iPhone will give me several months of 12 hour days with the Nano. I can "read" audiobooks while I'm hiking as well. I got through 4 Malcolm Gladwell books in two days!

That said, on shorter mileage overnights where I'll be having a proper camp I'll often bring my iPad to read comics or watch a movie in the tent with friends. If I were just going to read text I'd do that on my iPhone.

[Ken Bennett]

I have an iPhone which usually comes on trips, but I leave it off in my pack unless I want to make a call home, or check my GPS (using Gaia.) It's too small to keep a journal, and the camera is not enough to make me happy.

My wife just got an iPad Mini, which I find very intriguing for long distance hiking. It's large enough to use as a journal, carry a PDF of a trail guide, use as a large GPS unit, and with a 3G chip it can be a telephone as well as a general communication/email/text device. The battery life looks excellent, and it's half the size and weight of my 1st-gen iPad. It might replace several items in my pack and justify its own weight.

[Edward Silva]

CarTalk? Don't backpack like my brother!

But seriously, my iPad 2 came in at 1.8 lbs. After one expedition last summer, left it at home.

Of course, purchased a new iPhone 5, with case, comes in at 5 ounces.

Hoping a new iPad Mini comes out, the existing iPad Mini is very light but based on the iPad 2 — ergo, it's generations behind the iPad 3 and iPad 4.

Kind of wonder at the anti-technology folks on the trails. As long as the tech people carry is not lighting up the sky or blaring noise, who cares? Not like they don't haul Silicon Valley up to Everest Base Camp for each expedition.

[BlackHatGuy]

"existing iPad Mini is very light but based on the iPad 2 — ergo, it's generations behind the iPad 3 and iPad 4."

Sorry, but other than the screen resolution and A5 chip, this simply is not a true statement.

iPad mini supports 4G, iPad 2 does not. iPad mini has a higher resolution camera for photos and video, it can Facetime over cellular, the iPad 2 can not. Mini has bluetooth 4, iPad 2 has bluetooth 2.1. Mini includes Siri, iPad 2 does not.

It uses the same A5 chip, yes. But it has a lot more updated technology.

[Jennifer Mitol]

I'm a huge reader…can't fall asleep without reading a bit. I also love to pull it out at a nice sunny lunch stop, whatever. I have the small Nook with a glow light so I don't need to use my headlamp batteries, I can read anywhere, it keeps hundreds of books on it so I never run out…

I simply cannot read a book on my phone or any LCD screen for that matter, and the e-ink is wonderful to look at.

For those of us who love to read it's a fantastic addition to your pack.

My base weight is 9 pounds, so I don't mind carrying it at all. Worth it's weight…

[BlackHatGuy]

"Love me some Nook"

You did that on purpose……

If I was going to read, I think I'd just bring a book, since I've never done a hike of more than 8 days. If I was thru-hiking (highly unlikely to ever happen), then I'd definitely bring a Nook.

[Josh Brock]

For me the decision to carry my Ipad was an easy one.

1. I backpack for enjoyment and I get more enjoyment out of my time in the backcountry when I have it. This is not a debatable for me.

2. I dont backpack to have the lightest pack on trail.

3. I dont backpack to escape technology.

4. I dont backpack to brag how many miles I did per day or how hard I hiked.

5. Just cause I love the widerness doesn't mean I can't love my tech toys in the wilderness.

[Tom D.]

I've always just carried my Samsung smart phone. It serves as my ebook reader, video and still camera, GPS, and, well….communications device. I've carried my Samsung 7" Tablet on local hikes but no thru-hikes yet. Everything is much easier to read, not only ebooks but the GPS as well. But its still hard for me to justify bringing the tablet being that I would still be carrying my phone as well (I can't use the tablet for calls to the family or for emergencies, and the camera quality isn't as good on the tablet), and the phone can still do all of the things I would carry the tablet for. Then I have to consider charging the tablet as well. So for the time being, its just the phone except on day hikes. But I can certainly understand those who choose to carry a tablet, I've found them quite useful.

[Edward Silva]

Didn't say it was a copy or clone per se, said that it was based. Perhaps derived would be a better term.

Where they share the same or virtually identical componentry:
CPU: A5 (Mini use the 2nd generation)
RAM: 512 MB DDR2
Flash: 16 GB, 32, and 64 GB
LCD: 1024 x 768

These are the core components. Yes, the Mini offers WiFi only and LTE versions, Lightning Connector, upgraded Bluetooth, upgraded camera and video, etc, but these are more bells and whistles.

[BlackHatGuy]

Derived, based. Doesn't matter. The 3 was derived from the 2. The 2 was derived from the 1.

I took exception to the statement that the mini was 'generations behind' current offerings. I continue to disagree with that statement.

[Sumi Wada]

For those of you who hike with expensive electronics, like an iPad or iPhone, how much of a weight hit do you take in making sure it's protected? Do you pay for insurance?

I have to have reading material when I backpack or camp. I usually have something even when I dayhike. I go through a Kindle in about a year, which is why I usually get the cheapest one out there. I'd be paranoid hiking with a $3-400 iPad… and would probably end up carrying a ton just to protect it with a cover, waterproof sack, etc.

[Nick Gatel]

" I'd be paranoid hiking with a $3-400 iPad…"

More like $400 – $1,000 depending on model plus taxes. Then there are accessories. Mine is staying at home!

[Ian]

"For those of you who hike with expensive electronics, like an iPad or iPhone, how much of a weight hit do you take in making sure it's protected?"

I protect my iPhone 4S with a Lifeproof case. I can't remember the weight but I'm guessing less than a couple ozs. I don't bring my tablet but occasionally I'll bring my Nook Simple Touch/Glow Light. Protected by bubble wrap and clothing in my pack.

"Do you pay for insurance?"

Almost never. With the money I've saved over the years I figure I can replace the occasional gadget. Fortunately I made an exception to this when I bought my Canon point and shoot; camera had problems within a month.

[BlackHatGuy]

"For those of you who hike with expensive electronics, like an iPad or iPhone, how much of a weight hit do you take in making sure it's protected? Do you pay for insurance?"

No on the insurance. And my iPhone goes into a plastic ziploc with my ID, medical card, car keys and debit card. Sometimes I throw a $20 in there too.

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