Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Backpack Hunting Books vs E Reader?

Good evening all.

I have a 7 day goat hunt in BC in late August. The fear of getting rained out and in a tent for a couple of days is on my mind which naturally means books to pass the time. Does anyone have experience taking a E reader vs books? It looks like they can come in at around 7 ounces and have long enough battery life for the trip. Yes, I could take neither, but damn, that may be slow time...

Thanks as usual for the advice,

PigGuy

Digital for sure.

ive used a Nook for a couple years, now use a Samsung Galaxy Tab 4 for reading with the Nook app. I read a lot. To me it is much easier having it back lit. Not great in bright light, like at the beach, but great everywhere else, including in bed. Biggest advantage is you can carry tons of digital reading for the same weight as one paper book.

E reader. The ones without backlight last a long long time. I've taken a Nook on numerous sheep hunts. Pack it in a zip lock and your good to go.

Turn off the wifi feature (airplane mode?) and they all last a long time.

Thanks for the advice everyone, E reader it will be.

PigGuy

The batteries on my Kindle & Nook last several weeks.

hard to wipe your azz with a nook


gotta love gear that does double duty

That's one of the best things I've read on here in a while!

Hard to do with a book page too.

I'm a diehard real book proponent, but after being introduced to the Kindle a few years ago, I'll admit it's a pretty damn nifty invention. I've got 10yrs worth of reading downloaded onto mine, so for compactness there's no contest. Ironically, I also discovered that I read much faster on a Kindle too. I still enjoy the whole experience of reading from a real book, but the consistently flat page presentation and push button turning allows me to set the cruise a good bit faster than normal. For backpacking or travel, an E-reader is a no brainer. For sitting at home enjoying life, I still prefer real books.

I converted over to a Kindle this year too. I have a backlog of "real" books to read though, and don't see that going away. The Kindle is pretty slick, and will certainly be making the trip to at least base camp this year.

Haven't tried wiping my azz with it yet.

Fleece type cover helps. Natural over synthetic if you have a choice.

Tape a hundred napkins to the bottom of the Kindle if forgetting TP is really that big of an issue. It would bring the thickness back of a real book, but wipe much better. Win-win?

You guys wipe in the field? I might have to try that.

Another idea is to use your phone if the screen is big enough. I have a samsung galaxy note that I've used for 3 years. It serves as my gps, kindle reader, camera, music, netflix, movie watching in one package. I'd have to say, listening to music packing out my last elk was great. The netflix/movie watching is for other times, but the versatility of the device has served me well hunting and otherwise.

I have an external battery I use to charge it at night, as well as a solar panel to charge the external battery during the day. I'm not totally sold on the solar panel yet due to spotty performance, but the setup still works in general.

E-reader in the field, no doubt. Very lightweight, lots of books stored and battery lasts forever. Frankly, I think I would use it to wipe my keester before I would use the pages of a paperback. Paperback pages vs all others, hell, I'd just grab a handful of dirt first. Maybe it's the soldier in me; but, doesn't everybody cary baby wipes/sanitary wipes?

Another vote for digital. I've taken my Kindle Fire on every hunt the last 3 years. It stays in camp and turned off during the day. Only turn it on at night when reading and the battery life has been no issue whatsoever. Also handy on the plane trip out west and back. Heck, it goes on every BP trip here, even weekend fun campouts with my daughter. Come to think of it, it goes about anywhere I go. I use it for web surfing in motels when traveling. I can even use my phone as a "hotspot" when no wifi is available.

The wise ones among us do.

I use baby wipes to clean up the kindle.

That's what made Sears-Roebuck so popular, people reading their catalog on the pot and using the pages they weren't interested in.