Gear Review Part 3: Electronics

 * * Upcoming Talks:  March 7, Oregon City Library, 7 PM  //  March 26, Straub Environmental Learning Center, 7 PM  //  April 16, Tryon Creek State Natural Area, 6:30 PM * *

I carried more electronics than some, less than others – certainly more than I had ever carried on a backpacking trip before.  Would I have gone with less?  The short answer is no, despite the extra weight and hassle.  Here’s what I brought:

SMARTPHONE:  Droid Razr Maxx & Otter Box Defender

I had never owned a cell phone before this Smartphone.  I thought I would get rid of it after the trip.  I have not.  However, I no longer have a landline or internet service, either.  I love/hate my Smartphone.

Catching up the outside world, near the Dinsmores, Washington.

PROS:  Better battery life than most phones, big screen, weathers well.  Extremely handy to have a phone available and internet in the palm of your hand (when a town is big enough to have service.)  Takes “good” photos.  Speaker sound is better than some.  Lots of memory.

CONS:  It is a beast and a little too big for my little hands.  The battery life is NOT as great as it says it is.  I bought the Razr Maxx over the iPhone simply for the battery life.  My cousin, Gumby, had an iPhone.  Her battery life was just as good as and better than mine.  My camera stopped working on three separate occasions – making it impossible to take photos to upload to my blog.  It would stop for a day or so and then miraculously come back.  This is fine when there is a Verizon store on the corner; it is not when you are in the middle of one of the most gorgeous places on earth, hundreds of miles from a Verizon.  The apps are okay – nothing to brag about.

BOTTOM LINE:  This phone is fine.  I would definitely bring a Smartphone if I did it again.  I kept a backup of HalfMile’s maps on it, used it for photos, to call home, to organize trip logistics, to play games on to relax at the end of a long day, to keep this blog – I wouldn’t go without one.  I just might use an iPhone instead.

OTTER BOX DEFENDER:  The Otter Box Defender is a bit bulky, but it is great.  I had no problems with moisture, dirt, or dinging.  Get one!

MUSIC:  SansDisk Sansa Clip 8G MP3 Player

The Sansa Clip is tiny and perfect.

I never, ever listen to music while hiking or running, but it was recommended for the PCT, so I bought this little Sansa Clip.  It saved my sanity.  I put pick-me-up music on there from Jazzercise as well as music I normally listened to.  I also had friends send me MicroSD chips with new music and with books-on-tape.  The new music and the books were essential to my mental health.  I highly recommend an MP3 player that can take chips so that your loved ones can send you a mental boost from afar!

PROS:  Small, light, easy to use, tons of memory, and takes a MicroSD chip!  I have never owned an MP3 player, and I could figure out how to use this little guy.  A fair amount of features considering the size and cost.

CONS:  The battery lasted about 6 to 8 hours.  It seemed to last longer with books-on-tape than with music.  Sometimes it turns off for no reason at all.  You have to hold the power button for 30 seconds for it to reset.  This always fixed the problem.

BOTTOM LINE:  Bring an MP3 player.  Put books and pick-me-up tunes on it.  You’ll need them both.  The Sansa Clip is great.  Charged with the same cord as my Smartphone!

CAMERA:  Canon PowerShot ELPH 300

I knew I wanted a camera in addition to my phone camera for higher quality photos.  While my phone did well, my camera did better.  Now that I am home, I am glad to have some fantastic scenic shots from the camera.  I also took videos although I have yet to process them.

Macro on the Canon.  The wildflowers were amazing the entire trip.

A camera is better with lighting
than a Smartphone.

PROS:  This camera does really well with low lighting and macro shots – two things my Smartphone camera does not.  Canons seem to be very intuitive, so it was easy to figure out the features without reading every page of the manual.  The battery also lasted far longer than I expected.  I carried a second for a while, but eventually found that I could make it to town and recharge the battery without it dying in between.

CONS:  My lens jammed about halfway through the trip.  This camera is not rugged enough for consistent outdoor use.  Although it held up through to the end of the trip, I lost the ability to zoom somewhere in California. 

BOTTOM LINE:  I recommend a real camera in addition to a phone camera.  Canons are great.  This particular model is adequate, but probably not the one you want.  Find something more rugged.

HEADLAMP:  Black Diamond Spot LED

I love headlamps, and hands-free lighting is essential on the Trail.  I ditched this one in Tehachapi.

PROS:  Bright with a fresh battery.

You will night hike.  You want a headlamp that lasts!

CONS:  Heavy and it eats lithium batteries for breakfast. 

BOTTOM LINE:  The BD Spot went through batteries ridiculously fast.  I went to K-Mart in Tehachapi and bought a lighter and far, far cheaper Energizer LED headlamp.  I tossed my Spot in the hiker box and used the Energizer clear through to Canada.  The only downfall of the Energizer is that it likes to turn itself on when stuffed in your pack – however, it does have a red lens!  The Spot is not worth the weight or the cost; my cheap Energizer was better.

SOLAR CHARGER:  PowerMonkey eXplorer

I carried a solar charger to keep all of my electronics alive.  This particular model uses a solar panel to charge a battery.  And then you use adapters to charge your electronics from the battery.  It was useful, and I was glad I had one.

We were constantly putting our panels in the sun.
Gumby's is positioned behind her on a rock.

PROS:  Kept my electronics alive.  The battery can charge by solar panel or through a USB. 

CONS:  It would take 3 days of solar charging to bring the battery to full power.  One full battery charge could give me one full phone charge.  In short, it wasn’t always enough to keep my phone alive for the long stretches.  The adapter went on the fritz in Big Bear, CA.  The company is in the UK.  I didn’t get my new adapter until 2 months later.  Fortunately, they also sent a new battery because my old one died the day I received the new battery and adapter.  In Oregon, the solar panel connection also started to go on the fritz.  Gumby had the same brand of charger, but a bigger panel and battery.  Hers also went on the fritz. 

After my adapter went bad, I stored the new one in its case.

BOTTOM LINE:  The PowerMonkey was okay enough that I carried it most of the trip.  I sent the panel home new the WA border and just carried the battery as a booster.  There are better solar chargers out there.  I don’t have a recommendation; I just don’t recommend this one.

PERSONAL LOCATOR:  SPOT II Satellite GPS Messenger

Peace of mind.

My cousin and I both carried SPOT locators on our trip.  We checked in every night.  I had mine set up to contact 10 people and tell them I was okay – family, a couple of friends, my mate, my work supervisor, and my mountain climbing leader / Wilderness EMT / fix-it-all / I’ll-save-you friend and mentor.  (Actually, my mate, my work supervisor, and climb leader are all the sorts you want called when things go south.  I had no doubt that they would keep tabs on me and rescue me as needed.)  As two small females on Trail, it was a relief for everyone for us to check in and to know for certain that we were okay.  I was glad to have the SPOT and, personally, would not tackle the Trail without it.

PROS:  People enjoyed following our progress.  Although we did not publicly post our GPS locations, my mom works in GIS and posted a map a few days late.  My ten people also kept all other family and friends in the loop as to where we were and how we were doing.  The SPOT is easy to use and reliable.  I had no problems at all with it.  It only used one set of Lithium batteries.

CONS:  I suppose it is heavy.  And the associated website is a little clunky to use.

BOTTOM LINE:  The SPOT is peace of mind.  For your loved ones if no one else.  It also works!  I had an incident at a fire lookout on Christmas Eve.  The message got out, and the right people were contacted.  We managed to self-rescue and didn’t need assistance, but is good to know that it was there if we needed it. 

OTHER NOTES ON ELECTRONICS

I stored my Smartphone in a cloth stuff sack to keep the daily dust and grime off it.  Gumby would probably advise Ziplocking it at creek crossings – she fell in in the Sierras.  Couldn’t get a new phone until the Oregon border!  (It was on the fritz until then – a constant source of frustration.)  I kept my phone and my camera in my fanny pack.  I kept my SPOT on my shoulder strap.  I kept all other electronics in a waterproof stuff sack.

Get your hands on a wall charger that has TWO USB ports.  I could charge my phone and PowerMonkey at the same time and only occupy one outlet.  Outlets are at a premium at town stops.

"Where's Chris?" and Gauge met me through my blog.
And then saved what was left of my feet for me in Washington.
I cry when I think of how many people helped me through the Trail.

Electronics in the wild *are* frustrating at times.  They will fail.  Their batteries will die.  You won’t have service at times when you could really, really use it.

AT&T might be slightly better overall than Verizon.  (Gumby had AT&T, I had Verizon.)  AT&T is better in southern California for sure and slightly better in the Sierras.  Verizon seemed a bit better in northern California and definitely in Oregon.  Washington was about equal. 

A solid handful of town stops do not have any cell coverage at all and no internet at all.  BRING A PHONE CARD!  I had packed one out of habit (I never had a cell phone, so I was used to using pay phones) and was thrilled to have it when no other options existed.

As much as electronics weigh and as frustrating as they can be, both Gumby and I believe that they are well worth it.  These devices allow you to reach out to family and friends, and they’ll give you the morale boost you need to keep going. 

Blogging was one of the best decisions I made for the trip – all kinds of people cheered me on.  Knowing people were following helped me through the hardest days.  I had more care packages sent to me and more trail angels visit me because of my blog.  I set out on my own adventure.  But I’ve returned feeling like an entire community took it with me.  The electronics were well worth their weight.

Confessions of a Luddite

I went to the eye doctor's office today to order my contacts (yes, I'm bringing them -- and sticking with my good-for-a-month kind) and get my glasses fixed before I head out for the trail.  And as I was waiting, I saw a sign on the counter that read, "Please turn off your cell phone."  And I smiled (a little smugly) and thought, "Good for them, asking people turn off their phones."  And then it hit me, and my smug little smile was replaced with a brief look of terror.  They were talking to ME.  I quickly pulled out my new smartphone, turned it off as fast as possible, and tucked it away in shame.


You see, I've never owned a cell phone.  I've been staunchly against them from the beginning.  Just as I've been against Skype, mp3 players, iPads and eee Pads, GPS's, Netflix, and online bills.  I still go to the video store and rent movies.  I don't have television.  My car has a tape player.  I pay my bills with checks.  I have a landline and unlimited long distance!  I go to the bank to do my banking.  I don't need to go on.  You know my type.


But lately, and for the purposes of this trip, things have been changing.  I bought my first cell phone, a smartphone nonetheless, about one month ago.  I now know how to send and receive a text.  I can enter contacts and call people.  I even found and downloaded a PCT app (PCTHYOH)!  I also bought an mp3 player and downloaded music for the first time in my life -- I can now Jazzercise whenever I want on the PCT.  I bought a SPOT Locator -- I don't know how to use it yet, but my super-techy friend and mentor, Mike Niemeyer, is going to give me the 101.  After he gives me the 101 on blogging with Blogger.  (He already gave me the 101 on my smartphone.)  And I'm blogging!  Pretty soon here, I'll learn how shoot video with my new camera that does not use AA batteries to post videos on YouTube to post on to my blog.  I know it's possible.  I do not yet know how.  There is a lot I do not know, and honestly, I'm getting a little anxious about it.


But here's what I do know:  Reluctantly embracing technology has been humbling.  I am still not too happy about cell phones or mp3 players.  Or Skype, GPS's, YouTube, online bills, and cameras with funky batteries.  However, I do see their usefulness and realize how, at times, they might actually make life a little richer.  "Appropriate technology, Dor," as my professor, Tom Fitz, would say.  So, for all of you whom I've always given such a hard time about your gadgets, I concede to some of their usefulness and enrichment.


Now, admitting this is only the beginning of my humbling.  The real humility has come from learning how to use these gizmos.  I often want to throw my phone for misinterpreting my finger tap or not listening to me, my mp3 player for going to the wrong menu, and my camera for not having a touch screen like my phone.  And I'm of the digital age!  It makes me admire even more people like Grandpa Kwaiser, who would have been 97 today and who was playing solitaire on the computer, listening to CD's, and watching DVD's to the very end.  I can't even imagine.

Training and All of that Jazz

There seem to be all sorts of training regiments for a thru-hike of the PCT.  Some people train increasing miles with increasing pack weights for up to 6 months.  (This was my good-intentions plan.)  Some people sit back and chow, gaining a few pounds for the 20 or so pounds they know they'll lose on the trail.  (This has not been my plan, though it has been recommended by others.)  Some people just keep up with their normal fitness plan--running, swimming, hiking, cycling--and figure the first 700 miles of desert will bring their bodies into distance hiking form.  (Not a bad plan.)

Me? Well, as I said, I had good intentions.  I had a 6-month spreadsheet all laid out in September.  Increasing miles, increasing pack weights.  I'm more of a distance runner, so I took my marathon and half-marathon schedules and traded long runs for long hikes.  Simple.  It made for a great regiment.  On paper.  I've never followed it.

Oh, I am running.  And I am hiking with a weighted pack.  And I'm lifting free weights.  But I'm also doing something else.  Something I'm certain will improve my trip, body and soul.  No, not yoga.  Not Pilates or any type of technology-age machine routine.  Just Jazzercising.  Yes, I said it.  Jazzercising.  And I think it has made all of the difference.

I know, I know.  I didn't think that after the 80's, I'd ever do Jazzercise again.  I used to go with my mom when I was a kid.  We had Jane Fonda workout tapes.  I had sweatbands.  I lived in leotards.  I wore side ponytails.  I thought turquoise and pink were the best color combination ever.  I knew what Jazz hands were and could do a jazz square on command.  And all of this came back remarkably quick when I went to my first Jazzercise class on Thanksgiving.

It was a bit of a dare from my officemate.  My 20-something male officemate.  His mom has been Jazzercising since I started in the 80's, and there was a special fundraising class every Thanksgiving morning for the local food aid organization.  We rounded up nine of us and dressed in our 80's best.  It was a blast.  And I knew it would be fun.  But it wasn't just fun.  It was a heckuva workout.  And it challenged my coordination.  And there was pretty good music.  And for whatever reason, be it watching half of the town doing synchronized dance moves with Jazz hands or the feeling of euphoria when 33-year-old me remembered something that 8-year-old me used to do, I could not stop laughing and smiling.  I was hooked.  I became a member the next week.  And have been Jazzercising regularly since.

The benefits of Jazzercise?  (I'm sure you're curious to know . . .)  Increased coordination, strength, stamina, and flexibility.  Dance moves that work surprisingly well while out on the town.  (Just don't do the entire routine.  And drop the Jazz hands.)  Increased nimbleness and stability.  (These are what I feel will really benefit me on the trail.)  Confidence.  (Just try shakin' it in a room full of people during the daytime under fluorescent lights.  You can only hide out in the back row for so long.)  And last, but not at all least, happiness.  These past seven months have been a bit of an emotional rollercoaster--we all have these times, and leaving everything that's secure for 5 months of adventure just adds a little something extra.  Jazzercise and the company of the women in my class have kept me balanced and happy.  If you swing by the Trail this summer, I'll be the one grapevining with Jazz hands to my mp3 player.