<html><head><base href="x-msg://82/"></head><body style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; -webkit-line-break: after-white-space; ">As with any communication device, If you fear being connected, just shut it off until you want to post to your journal. <div>An iPod Touch is an iPhone without the phone part, unless you also subscribe to a Skype phone number. I used one for the entire PCT in 2010 and it was the only thing I took that didn't break. The next step up is to get a MiFi device to link it to, which is a credit card shaped electronic device that serves as your very own WiFi hub, that also will allow up to 5 devices at a time to access it. This was very useful in making friends on the PCT. Of course you will have to pay $50 a month for the service and have to get a 2 year contract, or at least it was the case then. I upgraded to an iPhone since then. As with any piece of gear, start using it 6 months before you hit the trail- you need that time to learn all about it and get the most out of it. </div><div> It is sometimes VERY useful to have a phone or a communication device to secure reservations ahead, contact people that want to or have offered to help you. The price I paid for the $50 a month service was saved several times while on the trail. You are talking about the trip of a lifetime, Many of us may never go back to these long trails again- don't cheap it out. <div>I am not embarrassed to take help while out there. You never know the lifetime of connections that may continue. </div><div><br></div><div><a href="http://tjamrog.wordpress.com/2010/04/01/electronics-on-the-trail/">here's my 2010 blog post about my setup.</a></div><div><br><div>Uncle Tom </div><div><a href="http://tjamrog.wordpress.com">http://tjamrog.wordpress.com</a></div><div><br></div><div> <br><div><div>On Aug 25, 2012, at 11:34 PM, R Smith wrote:</div><br class="Apple-interchange-newline"><blockquote type="cite"><div lang="EN-US" link="blue" vlink="purple"><div class="WordSection1" style="page: WordSection1; "><div style="margin-top: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; "><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; color: rgb(31, 73, 125); ">I’ve been using an iTouch this summer on the trail and love it. Most motels now have wifi, and if yours doesn’t you can always sidle up next to one that does to connect. Besides email and documents, I keep all of my books on my iTouch using a Kindle app., and even watch movies (which I download beforehand) in my tent if I have enough battery. I will be in the Winds this week and will try out a USB battery I just bought to get me between towns. As far as writing journals, it would be tough on any device that small unless you want to take along a keyboard, which actually isn’t that heavy.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="margin-top: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; "><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; color: rgb(31, 73, 125); "><o:p> </o:p></span></div><div style="margin-top: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; "><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; color: rgb(31, 73, 125); ">Ron<o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="margin-top: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; "><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; color: rgb(31, 73, 125); "><o:p> </o:p></span></div><div style="border-right-style: none; border-bottom-style: none; border-left-style: none; border-width: initial; border-color: initial; border-top-style: solid; border-top-color: rgb(181, 196, 223); border-top-width: 1pt; padding-top: 3pt; padding-right: 0in; padding-bottom: 0in; padding-left: 0in; "><div style="margin-top: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; "><b><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Tahoma, sans-serif; ">From:</span></b><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Tahoma, sans-serif; "><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="mailto:cdt-l-bounces@backcountry.net">cdt-l-bounces@backcountry.net</a> [mailto:cdt-l-bounces@backcountry.net]<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><b>On Behalf Of<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></b>David Thibault<br><b>Sent:</b><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>Saturday, August 25, 2012 4:29 PM<br><b>To:</b><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="mailto:cdt-l@backcountry.net">cdt-l@backcountry.net</a><br><b>Subject:</b><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>[Cdt-l] Wifi only device on trail?<o:p></o:p></span></div></div><div style="margin-top: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; "><o:p> </o:p></div><div><div style="margin-top: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; ">I still haven't decided how I am going to update my journal on the trail. <o:p></o:p></div></div><div><div style="margin-top: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; ">The idea of carrying a cell phone just doesn't appeal to me - because I don't want to be always connected and I also don't want to pay for a phone contract. <o:p></o:p></div></div><div><div style="margin-top: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; "> <o:p></o:p></div></div><div><div style="margin-top: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; ">I used a peek email only device on the PCT and that worked fine, but alas they have gone under. Anyway I was thinking about looking into a wifi only device like a nexus or surface tablet but before I spend a lot of time looking these over I was wondering if a wifi only device would ever be able to connect up to anything in the small towns along the way on the CDT. <o:p></o:p></div></div><div><div style="margin-top: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; "> <o:p></o:p></div></div><div><div style="margin-top: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; ">I'm not really looking for something that I can connect daily, just something I could write my journal and send out an email to my journal about once a week. <o:p></o:p></div></div><div><div style="margin-top: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; ">So my question is: would a wifi only device work on the CDT or would I only get service so infrequently that it would be mostly dead weight?<o:p></o:p></div></div><div><div style="margin-top: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; "> <o:p></o:p></div></div><div><div style="margin-top: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; ">My other alternative is to hand write my journal entries and mail them to someone who will then type them into a computer for me.<o:p></o:p></div></div><div><div style="margin-top: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; ">Not a great alternative as by the end of the day my terrible handwriting can actually get worse than its usual low standard.<o:p></o:p></div></div><div><div style="margin-top: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; "> <o:p></o:p></div></div><div><div style="margin-top: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; ">Day-Late<o:p></o:p></div></div></div>_______________________________________________<br>Cdt-l mailing list<br><a href="mailto:Cdt-l@backcountry.net">Cdt-l@backcountry.net</a><br>http://mailman.backcountry.net/mailman/listinfo/cdt-l</div></blockquote></div><br></div></div></div></body></html>