Do you think about devices?

[jtpsportnews]

Hi, Everybody

I've seen a lot of questions since I joined about what devices would be good to bring on a tour Laptop, tablet, cellphone. This laptop might be the answer if you want the power of a laptop but want to save on weight and space. The only downside I see is that it doesn't have built in 4G, and the keyboard is really compact but you can bring a keyboard, mouse, and 4G transmitter separately, which most people already do anyway

Laptops are usually way too big and heavy to bring on a tour, and tablets are trending larger and larger as well. But many of us still want to use desktop software on the daily But you can't use the desktop version of Windows 10 on a tablet.You have to use the mobile version But THIS is a 7" Windows 10 laptop when most everyone else wants the next best and biggest, hikers and cyclist want to go the other way.

Are you with me? Thank for your comment.

[staehpj1]

I see more and more people going cell phone only.  I am happily in that camp.  The tablet and definitely the laptop stay home.

[John Nettles]

For me, it totally depends on the tour.  Normally, I tour with just my phone (and a GPS as I prefer that).  However, on tours that will have a lot of reading books (short daily miles), research on the road, or something where I will be on the internet a lot, I take a tablet that I can hot spot with my phone for internet.  This is the case in maybe 20% of tours.

That said, do what works best for you.  For instance, Pete is very happy in the ultra-light category of packing.  I am more in the traditional to light side.  Neither of us would probably be happy if forced to pack like the other person, though I do envy Pete's light weight on the climbs.

Tailwinds, John

[jamawani]

Over the past 30 years -
There have been many times when I wanted to take my piano along.
But I have always decided not to at the last minute.

[Pat Lamb]

If I were doing a long tour, and wanted or needed to compose periodic reports, blog or journal entries, I'd take a small laptop.  I abhor typing on a cell phone or trying to read on one.  I tolerate short "typing" sessions on a tablet, but a paragraph at a time is about my limit.  So perhaps I could get by with a tablet plus keyboard, but pfaffing around with that combo is getting close to tolerating the extra pound or so of the small laptop.

[John Nettles]

See, do what is good for you.

We have four very experienced riders here and we run the range, i.e. Pete likes only a cell; I'll tolerate a tablet but not a laptop;, Pat is willing to take a laptop; the other John (Jamawani) thinks he is Linus and wants to take a piano but his alter-ego prevails with some common sense. 

You could always start out with all three and mail back what you don't use.  Do what is best for you.  Tailwinds, John

[staehpj1]

Just to add a bit more detail...
Remember that you can "read" by using audiobooks and the phone works fine for that.  Also you can take enough notes to type details later. Voice to text is getting pretty good these days and you can clean it up later.  That said I am guilty of not keeping up with great detail in my journals so there is that.

Battery life is always an issue with devices.  i suggest keeping phones turned off when not actually in use or at least in airplane mode and using text messages and email instead of making voice calls most of the time.

BTW, I still just might consider taking a handheld GPS for off road touring where I might decide to use turn by turn directions and want to look at the track constantly.  The reason?  Batteries.  It isn't a slam dunk, but i'd still consider it depending on charging opportunities.  It is easy to carry a bunch of AA or AAA batteries.  A bit more of a pain to keep a phone charged off the grid.

[BikeliciousBabe]

Kindle, iPhone and CatEye wireless bike computer. The smart phone I might not even have if my employer didn't give it to me and pay the bill.

I like to read a lot at night. Got the Kindle Fire because I got tired of burning batteries using my headlamp. The Kindle charge lasts a very long time, even at maximum backlighting. And when I do have access to power, it charges very quickly.  The phone is kept in low power mode while I am on the bike and much of the time while I am in camp. Perhaps ironically, it was my computer battery that died during my two-week tour in June. No sign it was dying. By the morning of the second day, the unit was non-functional, and there was nowhere to get a replacement until about 3 days left, so I didn't bother.

But as noted, do what suits you. I have seen people with laptops because they are interested in updating blogs daily.

[Pat Lamb]

Got back from a short bike ride with a couple more points.

First thing you should ask, what do you want to do with a "device"?  Read books?  Kindles probably have the best battery life, and you can shut off the wireless.  Check the weather?  You can probably do that at a convenience store where you get a snack or refill your bottles.  Ask if you don't see a TV, almost everyone is interested in the weather.  Follow a route?  Recent GPS (at least from Garmin) will last 8-10 hours with the screen on, and you can recharge with a cache battery that only needs charging every 3-4 days.  Call home?  Well, it's hard to beat a cell phone -- when you've got coverage.

Second is more of a personal observation.  I journaled/blogged on my Trans Am ride because I wanted to keep family and friends updated.  Far easier to update than to call everybody who wanted to know.  I think I've checked on it more in the last 5-6 years than anybody else; it's a memory aid par excellance.  I've forgotten more highlights from the week long tour summer before last than my TransAm trip because I didn't write stuff down.  The downside is that it averaged about an hour a day to update it so frequently.  I've tried Pete's idea of taking notes and composing a blog later; it doesn't work for me.  I've got hundreds of pictures from multiple week-long tours that I can stare at and wonder, "Where was that?  Why did I take a picture there?"  But I haven't wanted to take the time to develop a blog on any of those shorter tours.

[staehpj1]

Second is more of a personal observation.  I journaled/blogged on my Trans Am ride because I wanted to keep family and friends updated.  Far easier to update than to call everybody who wanted to know.  I think I've checked on it more in the last 5-6 years than anybody else; it's a memory aid par excellance.  I've forgotten more highlights from the week long tour summer before last than my TransAm trip because I didn't write stuff down.  The downside is that it averaged about an hour a day to update it so frequently.

Yeah, I look at my journals all the time to remember details.  Too bad there are not more daily details in them.

  I've tried Pete's idea of taking notes and composing a blog later; it doesn't work for me.  I've got hundreds of pictures from multiple week-long tours that I can stare at and wonder, "Where was that?  Why did I take a picture there?"  But I haven't wanted to take the time to develop a blog on any of those shorter tours.

It really doesn't work for me either.  At least not if a really nice detailed record is the desired end result.  The thing is that I am not willing to spend an hour per day or anything even close to that keeping up with a journal.  Heck I fail at spending two or three minutes dictating a few notes.  I figure that if I were to actually spend 5 minutes every day dictating some notes I'd be able to flesh out a pretty nice record of the trip when I got home.  Sadly it isn't likely to happen.

[John Nettles]

I am with Pete in that I totally do not journal.

 I did on my first dozen tours. Then sporadically. Now not at all.  I have been very blessed in that I have done so many tours over my 40 years of touring I have literally forgotten some until someone reminds me of them.   Luckily, I have a really good "geographic memory" so if I have been to a place and see it later, I remember what it was 90% of the time.  When I was younger, it was 100%.  Drove my wife crazy with it as we would be driving some back road 4 states over I had toured on 10 years previously and I would tell my wife, over this hill is a really neat old barn.  After 10 years of doing this, she started to finally believe me.  Now in my more mature years, the memory of places 30 years ago is harder to bring forth.  Sucks getting older.  Other stuff I have not remembered as well.  Ask me what I wore yesterday and all I can remember for sure is that I wore underwear.
 

Anyway, I wish I was more diligent at writing a journal but I am typically not.

Tailwinds, John

[hikerjer]

I'm kind of the opinion it that if you can't do it on the cell phone, you don't have to do it.  The only devices I take are a smart phone and my bicycle computer.  Very simple one at that. I don't really journal but do keep a daily record of where I've been and campsite location, miles traveled, weather but that's about it. No introspective musing or comments on the meaning of life for me. If something extraordinary happens that day, I might make note of it. As for reading, I just take a paperback with and read by the haed lamp. Batteries aren't that expensive and a lot less to worry abut than a kindle.  JMO.

[hikerjer]

"Ask me what I wore yesterday and all I can remember for sure is that I wore underwear."
 

Not when your'e touring I hope.

Tailwinds, John

[John Nettles]

I "wear off the bike" clothes when touring when I am done for the day so yep, got to bring undies while touring too.  They usually act as my pajamas though, especially in the summer so not a total waste of space and weight.

[Inge]

When touring I bring several devices - phone (GPS stays coming holiday at home will use my phone with Osmand), a tablet (which will be replaced with a small laptop (11" or 12") when I go on my sabbatical year-long tour. Furthermore, I have a bike computer on the bike and if you consider a camera as a device too - then I bring that as well.

Charging I will do via a Forumslader http://www.forumslader.de/automatiklader/ - which is a charger built into my headset. This will keep my phone charged as well as a powerbank which I use to re-charge my camera batteries, tablet and headlight. Of course the powerbank gets charged on a power outlet when the chance represents itself.

The tablet I use for reading, writing my blog on, ansering emails and the like. I do not like to do the typing on my phone - letters are way too small. On the tablet I get by but after typing a blog update ... that is as much as I can handle.

I guess we each choose what best fits us personally and over the course of time things likely change to fit our "new" requirements.