I had a question about what electronics I was carrying so I thought I could go over it as I hide from the wind in my quilt and bivy.
I thought a lot about my electronics as I am a pretty digital yet I still wanted a low pack weight.
So a list:
iPod 160 gb classic
Anker 5600 mah battery
iPhone 5 in lifeproof waterproof case
Charging chords for each device
Apple charging block
Princeton tec Remix headlamp with red and white bulbs
Spot messenger
Extra lithium batteries
No camera?? That’s right, I am using my phone as my camera and so far it has worked out great. I shoot with a canon dslr at home but I am not so much looking to shoot pretty pictures as I am looking to trigger memories later on. Going this route took some time to convince myself though.
So did leaving my kindle behind to save 7 ounces, but I haven’t missed it much except for one night. I do have some books on my phone as well though.
My weakness in electronics is definitely music. My taste is slightly eclectic and my collection is large. I couldn’t stand the thought of suddenly wanting to listen to a particular album that I like and not having it due to the small ( and expensive) storage of my phone. So ya my 160 gb iPod classic is almost fully loaded with I’d say 70% music and 30% audio books. The audio books are great after hiking for 8 hours straight when I need to get my mind off of some pain or discomfort I am feeling. Only ever put one earbud in!! gotta hear the rattlers. Currently listening to Slaughterhouse 5 by Kurt Vonnegut and liking it just as much as when I first read it. I am using klipsch s4 ear buds (or in ear monitors) and reallllly like them. They are on sale for 40$ on amazon which may sound expense but they sound as good as some 200$ iem’s… Again I really like to listen to music…
The Anker battery has been absolutely essential to recharge my gear. I haven’t ever wanted more juice than I’ve had available. The 5600 was the right size for me. It easily lasts between resupplies and I am stretching it now as haven’t charged anything from a wall outlet since I was at the Anderson’s place over 5 days ago.
One reason why I use so much juice is that my phone is doubling as my water report and GPS at times when I have lost the trail. There are two apps, half miles app, and pcthyoh, that are absolutely awesome. Half miles app tells me where I am and pct hyoh (hyoh stands for hike your own hike) lets me cache the water reports so I can look at them without cell signal. It also does much more but haven’t used it for much else yet.
The remix headlamp is great with 2 red settings and 2 super bright white settings, but check out black diamonds headlamps too as they can dim to any brightness you like.
The spot messenger has been good and I am really just carrying it for the mapping feature on my website. There was a multiple day period where my signal said it went through when it didn’t . From what I’ve heard this is typical.
That’s almost it, I am using the apple wall charger that I’d say 80% of hikers are also using, however, I bought a charger on amazon with two USB ports which I didn’t carry because it may have been a half ounce heavier than the apple one. It would really speed charging times up for multiple devices, so look into it if you are planning a hike.
Any questions are welcome.
-Luke
lightweight life 