Backpacking with Smartphones?

[rlown]

so, my friend brings his Android, with maps and tried to impress us at every turn where our next point was. Unfortunately I memorized the path per the map and I was, well, kind of short with him.

Anyway, He brought this to recharge his electronics:

Glacial Divide 2012 113.JPG

He had an iPod, his Android, and his cam batteries, which sucked as they were AA rechargeable alkalines suspect in the cold, which he soon found out. My LIon battery lasted a full 6 days with in-camera panorama stitchings. I carry 3 of those batts.

Anyway, because we had great weather and he put it on the back of his pack which faced towards the sun, he had a great experience. There's another pound I'm not carrying.

His experience on this fair weather trip actually worked out great, until I yelled at him to just look where we're headed and not look at the stupid phone.

Russ

[oldranger]

Russ



Mike

[rlown]

No worries, Mike. I'll soon be as crotchety as you. I might be close to a tie with Mark, but I think we vote you the crotchety king.

Adding that an Android up there lasts approx 1.5 days w/o recharge. Per my hiking cohort.

[Scouter9]

I carry a Casio Commando, which is a waterproof, shock-resistant, bash-ready Android phone on the 3G era of technology. I use it for nightly batch emails of status and on-trail shots for families of scouts I'm with, to check weather or other data if necessary and for emergencies, should one arise. If my pocket cam dies, it becomes my only camera but the Casio camera is lame.

I don't navigate with it, read books or play Angry Birds, but I have full nav, mapping, emergency med guides and more loaded in the phone. I can activate the Tom Harrison maps, Google or the old "Soviet Military Maps", snag a GPS signal and be off-n-running, were I to need to (I've tested it). I have Verizon coverage all over the John Muir and Yosemite areas, other than down in lake basins.

It stays off until I need it, and I carry an extra battery. It's "dunkable", handles heat and cold and, like all my phones, has been dropped, knocked, dunked and more. Works fine.

[frediver]

Just curious cuz I'm new to Smart phones:
Do you have 2 gallery shortcut locations on your phone, how?

[sparky]

wow solar panels in the wilderness.....they say hike your own hike so ill just

[Scouter9]

I think solar panels only make "weight sense" if you're gonna be out for a long time. A spare Android battery is quite light, about 1/10 the grammage of even a light solar rig.

And you need the extra batteries if you're going to use the "color strobe app" and music features to hold a high-country rave as near to the camp of crotchety types as possible. Repetitious cyber music and flashing lights in the High Sierra!!