What toys do you carry?

[oakroscoe]

It sounds like a Kindle is a pretty good investment. Oakroscoe, did you purchase one? I think I'd rather carry an 8 oz Kindle and have more reading material at night than an 8 oz book and no other reading material.

KC, yes I did just get one. In fact I just swung by my Dad's house and picked up my mail and picked it up. I'm taking a brief break from household chores, but when I get a chance to play with it, I'll definitely give a review of it if anyone is interested. Anyways, I have to get back to building garage cabinets....oh that is so much more fun than being in the backcountry.

[oakroscoe]

So this is my kindle review that I PMed to KC.

I wanted to play with the kindle a while before I gave a review of it. First of all, it is absolutely fantastic. It only does one thing, but it does it superbly. I honestly could not be happier. I went with the wifi only version which is 8.5 ounces. Right now I have over 200 books on it, plus a few PDF files and it still has a ton of room.

I bought, but haven't yet received this neoprene case for it:
http://www.amazon.com/Neoprene-Kindle-S ... 35&sr=1-32
The case clocks in at 2.9 ounces, so between the kindle, the case and a ziplock bag its under 12 ounces for a limitless amount of books.

I've read 3 books on it over the last week and a half, and I still have close to 80% of the battery life left, so that won't be an issue. Battery life was the main reason (asides from weight and cost) that I didn't go with an ipad. However, like I previously said, the kindle only does one thing, and that is to read books. The interface is simple and easy to pick up. However, I will say that it took a minute to get used to not having a touch screen as I have grown accustomed to on my iphone. However, that is just a minor point.

Depending upon your moral compass, if you choose to download books off the torrent sites, they are compatible with the kindle (as long as it is a mobi format file) and it is as easy as dragging and dropping onto the kindle. A lot of people use this program to manage their books and convert formats:
http://calibre-ebook.com/
If you choose to pay for books off of amazon for the kindle, typically speaking the kindle versions are cheaper than the paper copies of the books. Also, there is a large variety of classic books that are free from amazon. I decided to reread "The Art of War" and it was a free download.

From a backpacking standpoint: its a winner, hands down. The battery life is excellent (also it will last longer if you turn off wifi and 3g) and the weight plus a case is light. It seems sturdy and rugged enough. I accidentally dropped mine from about 4 feet and it landed without any damage to the kindle. However, if you are thinking about scanning maps and putting them on the device, I don't think it would work that well. The screen really isn't large enough for maps, and it is in black and white only. However, you could fit plenty of trail guides and other books on it. A quick search on the kindle showed books on the john muir trail and PCT. I've had many days where I've been stuck in the tent due to rain, and this would be a lifesaver on those days. I haven't been on a trip yet with it, although (as long as the weather cooperates) I am trying to go out to Preston Falls in Stanislaus National Forest this weekend, so I can let you know how it performs in the field.

Anyways, sorry for the long post, but I hadn't seen a review on amazon that addressed it for backpacking. All things considered it is an excellent device that I couldnt be happier with.

[bill-e-g]

Okie I'll bite:

I carry a camera, GPS, and portable video player.

GPS has entire map in 7.5 of the Sierra.

I used to carry Archos 604. Just recently bought Archos 43.
All the people ask what da heck do you do in the winter after
the sun sets... well, pull the Archos out and can watch TV
shows, movies, video clips, etc. The 43 is Android so can
load up books, PDFs, pictures. Lots o stuff to amuse me.
I've also taken my PSP with me many times.

Have fun (I do)

[KC]

Excellent Kindle review. And thanks for detailing the weights. Given I try to keep my books light, but they still typically weigh in at 10 oz minimum, the Kindle appears to be a great investment. Now I just have to convince my wife that a Kindle and a soon-to-be released lighter weight Jetboil are worth-it investments.

[Wickett]

Don't forget to compare e-readers. I did and I did not go with the Kindle, I went with the Nook for several reasons.

Just be advised that the nook color is not an e-reader, it's LCD...

[KC]

Don't forget to compare e-readers. I did and I did not go with the Kindle, I went with the Nook for several reasons.

What were the advantages and disadvantages you saw in the Kindle/Nook? After this thread, I am seriously considering an investment in an e-reader.

[Wickett]

At the time, I do not know if things have changed, the things that put me over the edge were:

With nook you can share books to others for two weeks(doesn't have to be a nook)

The color touchscreen at the bottom to make things a lot easier and it got rid of the keys.

The free 3G connectivity for downloading books or surfing the internet on a small web browser.

Reading free in any Barnes & Nobel store.

Putting my own PDF's and such on there. Because that way I can put all of my study material and technical manuals for work on there and not have 30 giant manuals at home.

Once again, I bought mine one year ago so the differences might be different now But we liked it so much now that my family has bought 8 nooks to one kindle, any the person who got the kindle is going to switch if they can sell their kindle.

Just find what features work the best for you.

[oakroscoe]

With the exception of the Barnes and Noble point, you can do all of those on a kindle. My advice is to get your hands on both and test them out, see which one works best for you.

Here's some comparison info:
http://www.thenookvskindle.com/
Good video of a direct comparison on that site.

And CNET did a story on it as well:
http://news.cnet.com/kindle-vs-nook-vs- ... ld-you-buy