Does anyone know if you can download Yogi's PCT handbook onto a Kindle? Has anyone ever hiked with a Kindle? At 8.5 oz is it a good alternative to tearing apart your handbook and carrying sections? I am not very techy, so I am not sure this would work.

From Yogi's website
ARE THE HANDBOOKS AVAILABLE IN DIGITAL FORMAT?

The Handbooks are not available in digital format. It turns out that electronics often fail/break on the trail, so the Handbooks are only available in printed format.

http://www.pcthandbook.com/index.php

http://www.pcthandbook.com/faq.php

I did some trail angeling this year on the PCT. I met a thru-hiker named 'Bookworm' at Stevens Pass in Washington State that carried a Kindle with him the entire way. It's obvius where he got his trail name from. He said he read every night before going to sleep.

Bookworm finished the PCT with Wired, Two hats, and New Yorker. Maybe one of them can get you in touch with Bookworm. You can each Wired through her blog, just goggle 'erin wired pct' and you'll see her entire hike. She created a wonderful blog of the entire PCT hike.

Anna and John,

Thanks for the input.

http://1dollarscan.com/

The above link might be relevant for you =)

I carried a Kindle on the CDT this summer, loved it, although I did break my first one by packing it beside my bear canister! Not much to add except that it was absolutely necessary to have paper copies of all maps and guidebooks... This is possibly less of an issue on the PCT, depending on how navigationally-challenged you are :)

If the handbook can be found in PDF format, then it can be downloaded to the kindle, if there isn't a .mobi format available. I absolutely would have my topo maps in another format---I find the Kindle rather fiddly to try to discern details in technical illustrations, and the black and white doesn't make it easy to read topos. I've got my Wilderness Navigation text on my kindle, and trying to read the examples is not easy. I love hiking with my kindle, it's really convenient to have multiple books along, as I find it impossible to go to sleep without reading. I took mine on the Wonderland Trail last year, and found it well worth it.

I am constantly experimenting so one trip I did take my kindle with me to see what I think. Here is a pic near the summit of Cold Mountain in NC. The elevation was ~6000'.



Some thoughts....

- I agree its hard to read tech data and maps so I would not replace a paper map with it
- At 8.5 oz (new touch are even lighter) it is an amazing way to carry any book you could practically want to read
- It has 3G so you can browse internet (email too I assume), I was able to go to the kindle store and browse books sitting where you see me in the picture (I was surprised).
- Battery life is amazing on these things so I think it is much better option than reading on say an iphone or android while hiking.
- It does require a light so if you read for long periods might want to make sure you think about head lamp battery drain
- I would be concerned it breaking if used a lot, I protected mine by packing it in my fleece cap. A lighted cover makes it close to 1 lb so not an option. I would think a neoprene one would protect from shock and be much lighter. I would be concerned about it getting wet so might add a large zip lock.
- I would be more inclined to bring it during winter when the daylight is so short making for short hiking days, but would question how low of a temp it can handle.

Jamie

"I carried a Kindle on the CDT this summer ..."

Hey Ryley, nice to see you here! (this is Gadget ...) Trying to ease some residual foot pain, so I've been sedentary and rapidly growing fat after I finished last month.

You must have broken your first Kindle quite early on! The rangers made us carry cans too in GNP, but as we had cached some food we were able to get by with the little weekender models, then as I presume you did, ditched those at East Glacier before going into the Bob.

On the actual topic here, I agree. Yogi does both her books in a two-book set, one to look at from home, one to cut up and put in resupply boxes. The total paper weight and volume of the latter is pretty small. I'd just not worry about trying to economize here and take her stuff along in paper form. On the CDT I was carrying Ley maps, Yogi guide pages, Wolf guide pages, DeLorme atlas guide pages, and for the latter part I even carried CDTA map book pages. The total weight from the Yogi pages was quite insignificant in that context.

It's not as bad on the PCT, but if you're carrying WP guide pages and/or paper maps, again, the Yogi pages won't be that big a deal. Plus you'll definitely want the water guide from the start. I did carry that in digital format (and got updates via cell-internet along the way), but I also found it worth carrying that in paper form --- the water guide was THE important bit of paper to carry for the first 700 miles or so.