Consolidating electronics

I think the lowest hanging fruit would be to streamline down to the phone and the Garmin. Obviously, the Garmin provides unique communication functions for emergencies, so that can’t be easily replaced (at least until we have a full network of low earth orbiting satellites). The phone can serve as a camera / GPS / altimeter with an app like Gaia. If you use the phone carefully, I’m certain you can get at least 5 days without a recharge. If you want to leave them on all the time and accumulate a full GPS track, then your battery use will be significantly more.

However, backpacking is about enjoying yourself, and if your camera gives you joy, then ignore the above. :-)

electronics profile

Short answer: Consolidation … the iPhone remains ever more capable as a multi-function device.  A young videography student told me she’s been able to do 80% of her marketing and artsy videos on it (though a standalone camera is still a course requirement.. she bought via eBay but I digress).  For our daylight nature shots, I’d think an iPhone would be fine (maybe with an UL gimble?).

Long answer: As I fantasize about losing 10 oz on the next shelter, hoping another 10 oz off my next pack, etc.. it also s seems the newer smartphones take up more “juice” too, potentially requiring a bigger external battery.  The stats on the latter haven’t really changed but the gadgets seem hungrier.

Still a smartphone is multiuse with GPS/nav capabilities along with camera, being able to monitor the “home front”, etc.. These will often work as a receiver even in “airplane mode” saving quite a bit of battery.

One easy idea for everyone is a cheap, yet weather hardened watch.  Once I know my pace, I can simply consult my watch to estimate my location.  I’ll leave the smartphone in its case more often than not.  That lack of interaction also reduces the potential of leaving said phone off “airplane” mode, as curiosity often means searching for a signal.

For hikers who also want to add more media, another idea could be “fast” chargers.  Sit down for a coffee (and pastry .. don’t be too cheap) next to an outlet and get a full charge in an hour or so.

Fast chargers (and battery banks) only help if matched by fast (high power) cables and fast rechargeable devices like newer high-end smartphones. Most backpacking-appropriate gadgets won’t charge any faster.

Fast in this context is anything above 18 watts or so. I’ve nearly smoked a few USB cables during accidental testing at 45 watts.

Back to the OP subject: My minimum high-tech electronics load is an inReach Mini (aka “permission ticket”) plus a Casio solar ABC watch, mostly for the time and compass. More and more I’m seeing the advantages of carrying an iPhone, still on the fence.

But I’ve spent decades using paper maps. Customized maps laser printed on double-sided 11×17 paper at a local shop reduce complexity and weight.

— Rex

Obviously, all electronic gadgets run on smoke. When the smoke gets out, they stop working.

IBM sold magic smoke refill kits in the 1970s:

— Rex :-)

When I worked in Denali I watched countless tourists on buses miss a lot of wildlife action, because they were so focused- literally- on getting the best camera shot. A fellow rider would tell them what they missed, and they’d be angry or upset, a mood that could linger and continue to interfere with their experience. Or they’d never know what they missed while fumbling with another roll of film. The whole experience was designed to show the neighbors photos when they got home. I stopped bringing a camera and immersed myself in the environment. I now occasionally take photos but I spend more time just observing. As always, HYOH. Just something to consider.

My question is closely related to the OP, so I’ll pose it here.  I do not own a smartphone, and have never really wanted one.  However, I am now considering purchasing one, without a phone plan, primarily to use while backpacking.  I currently carry a decent quality p&s camera, a NOOK ereader, and an old Inreach SE.  I use map and compass for navigation, but there have been times when GPS would have been nice to have.  So I figure I could take an iphone, which would allow me to leave the camera and ereader at home, and allow me to have GPS if needed (I will always rely on map and compass as my primary navigation tools).  A phone would also allow me to bring nature guide resources.  I occasionally bring a paperback bird field guide with me, but that’s a lot of weight.  The thought of carrying electronic identification resources for bird and plant identification really appeals to me.  I could further drop weight by upgrading my Inreach to a Mini.  Since I have no experience with smartphones, does this seem like a reasonable idea?  And what would be a good choice for a phone?  Again, I would not plan to use it for anything but backpacking.  I’m assuming that for longer trips I would need to carry a lightweight powerbank with me.

Thanks, Matthew, that’s helpful info.  And I appreciate the admonishment of your last paragraph.  I speak as someone who is too often guilty of offering advice that was not asked for.  :)

From looking at the Apple website, it looks like the iphone 12 mini has more or less the same camera as the 13 mini, but $100 less expensive.  A high quality camera is definitely one of my priorities, but I’m not sure I’m willing to shell out for a Pro model.

Another specific question; how is the reading experience on an iphone?  The screen will be quite a bit smaller and brighter than my NOOK, so I’m a little concerned about this.  Thanks for your advice to an old Luddite.

Personally, I don’t like reading on an iPhone.

TIL that there are 120-volt inverters and USB outlets powered by cordless tool batteries.  Who among us doesn’t have a fleet of DeWalt, Ryobi, and/or EGO batteries of 12-, 18-, 20- to 40-volts for cordless drills, weed whackers and lawnmowers?  150-watt 12-volt inverters are $85-$100 and 2-port USB outlets are $25, some with LED lights.

That’s not UL, but it’s a lot of battery capacity you already have in your garage so, especially for a silent power source while car camping or boating, or if you have a ton of electronics while hiking (photogs, researchers, etc), it’s a minimal added cost for that functionality.

A few thoughts: The watch would be the first thing to go. I’ll admit, I don’t understand all the features, but most of those are a lot more useful in town than when backpacking. It sounds like a training device, and when you are hiking, you aren’t training — you are doing. In some cases, it is nice to know your heart rate (to make sure it isn’t that high) but you can learn to take your own pulse (without a watch) or simply slow down, take deep breaths and go when you heart isn’t beating like crazy.

The Garmin Mini is the other end of the spectrum. It is easy to say you don’t need it, but it really depends on your particular situation. I know people with health issues and without it they would do different trips. Or their loved ones would be more nervous. I don’t use one, but I can definitely see the value.

GPS (on a phone or as a stand-alone device) is handy, but not essential in my book. It just makes things quicker. Map and compass (as well as good navigation skills and sensible choices) can work just as well, but they take longer. The Garmin also serves as a fallback if you really screw up. I tend to use GPS a lot more in the early season, when there is a lot of snow. But it really hasn’t changed my hiking — I just spend less time navigating. Unless you are doing a lot of tricky off-trail navigation, I would get by with map and compass.

The camera is the tricky one. I use the camera as a travelog of sorts. I eventually put the pictures on the web (on a Flickr account) and it allows me to catalog every hike. I really don’t need to do that for backpacking, as there are far fewer of those for me, and making notes about them would be much easier.

Once in a while I’ll take a really good picture, but I’m not a great photographer. I find it better to just explain that “the pictures don’t do it justice” then spending a lot of time getting the best shot. But that’s me. Photography is an art. There are lots of great photographers out there, and it more than just their technical prowess; it is their artistic expression. If that is you, then do your thing. But if you are just trying to show your friends what it is like, you are probably better off leaving it at home. Either they get it, or they don’t. Of course if you are taking pictures of your friends, that is, in some sense, priceless. There is a reason folks have photo albums consisting mostly of pictures of kids and grandkids.

But it doesn’t have to be one or the other. You might take it for a trip, then leave it at home the next time. My brother and his daughter hiked the Muir trail, and he left the camera at home. He is a much better photographer than me (his slide shows back in the day were stunning) but it isn’t like the area hasn’t been photographed before. It is liberating to not have a camera.

Or ignore it. As it turns out, yesterday was one of the best wildlife days in years, even though it was just a day hike. My wife and I saw pikas, marmots, bears and mountain goats all within minutes of each other. I took several pictures, but after a while, just ignored my camera. I kind of wish I had a better picture of that baby goat that was within about ten feet of me, but I didn’t want to spook the mom and besides, just enjoying the moment was nicer. There were plenty of other hikers, and plenty of other people taking pictures, many with lots better cameras (SLRs with a nice zoom lenses). I just don’t see how my pictures can compete.

Which leads me to my other story. While on a trip to Denali, the bus ran across its share of wildlife. We also woke up and saw the Northern Lights. But again, there were others with much better cameras taking pictures. I didn’t bother, but simply asked for the email address of the guy with the nicest camera. I referenced his pictures along with the ones that I took (when I was hiking solo). That’s cheating in a sense (I could still show up to my friends, without doing the work) but not that different than what my brother did. He (and his daughter) couldn’t show pictures from their trip (like I did) but they could point to the web if there is any question as to the beauty or type of terrain for their trip.

One last thing about the camera: While I often hike with my wife, I take plenty of trips without her. She really likes looking at my pictures, so there is that.

None of this is as minimalist as I’d like but whatcha going to do?
Just a thought: have you considered leaving all the electronics behind – all of it, and relying instead on a map and compass and a simple watch? Some of us do that.

You could travel lighter, afford to carry a decent camera perhaps, and take good photos.

Cheers