Tuesday, February 17, 2009

Electronic Devices

Here are the electronic devices I plan on taking with me:

  1. 2 Flashlights: the lamp piece of a Petzl XP Tikka (will clip to my belt for night hiking); one Photon Freedom (emergency; this tiny button flashlight burns out too quickly to be of much use).
  2. High Gear Summit altimeter watch: this isn't a necessity, but I enjoy noting day and nighttime temperatures (if the watch is off me), and the altimeter is good for orienteering -- it can help tell you where you are on the trail and how much you have to go. The compass is very useful (I'll have a tiny backup compass, too, since the watch needs occasional recalibration), and the barometer is nice, but not a necessity. I'll also carry a spare battery.
  3. Canon G7 camera with spare battery and wall charger: not the lightest setup, but good pictures are very important to me. I'll recharge one or both of the batteries when in town (say, when online at the public library -- they recharge in under 2 hours), and I'll be able to immediately upload a few of the better pictures from the previous section. 
  4. RCA 2Gb MP3 player (Walmart, $35): for long-distance hiking, I prefer an MP3 player that runs on a single AAA battery and has a USB port so that I can download podcasts or radio programs during my hike, and any files or edited photos that I want to carry around with me. This MP3 player also allows for voice recording and has an FM radio with recording capabilities. During my Colorado thru-hike last summer, my girlfriend and I enjoyed listening to music and other recordings for about an hour a day, especially on days when we weren't feeling perfectly happy. Now that I'll be hiking solo, that could go up to a couple hours. 
What I'm not taking with me: cell phone, GPS, pocketmail, solar charger, etc. 

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