Boundary Waters Quetico Forum :: Group Forum: Solo Tripping :: What electronics do you bring?
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awbrown |
I was up on the Gunflint a couple of weeks ago and never used my flashlite. |
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Jaywalker |
I prefer listening to nature over music on trips, and am happy reading paper books and using old fashioned silva compass. I have considered adding a weather radio and plb, but have not added either yet. |
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FOG51 |
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boonie |
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OgimaaBines |
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landoftheskytintedwater |
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yellowcanoe |
PLB is on PFD. Always Marine radio for large lakes and ocean with weather radio Headlamp Uco Flip lantern maybe... definitely when the days get short. or candle lantern ( non electronic for short days cold nights) Kindle maybe. If I remember to load a good book or six. Or a real book for short trips with long days. Camera Bigger camera SPOT ( except I threw it out) Wont use anything like it for next four day trip GPS. Maybe . In the fog or on the sea . or in the mangroves. yes.. For basic tripping ecch not so much. Got a little four dayer coming up on a 11 mile long lake with many campsites. So my electronica will be Kindle. Headlamp. PLB. Lantern. Camera batteries to the max. And more camera batteries. I feel an aurora coming. In this area I phones best use is a brick. |
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dentondoc |
I'd say that it is a useful device having used it (on different trips) to get information on an emergency situation back home, arrange for an alternate fly-in pick up point when portage conditions to my designated exit point proved to be impassable after a snow-down event, and arrange for an early fly-in pick up for medical reasons. dd |
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muddyfeet |
Now that I have a solo trip under my belt, I can say: watch, Camera, DeLorme(rented), headlamp, iPhone (for backup gps only) I would have liked to have brought a weather radio. Maybe if I find one small enough. Of course iPhone can't be expected to get a signal in the wilderness, but the GPS will work just fine provided you have the maps already downloaded. I use the TopoMaps+ app(free), and it works well as a backup. In case you get turned around or stuck in the fog, flick on the iPhone for just a minute and find your location on the paper map. I think if I had a solar charger, I might want to leave it on for the route tracking too. Not enough that I'd want to buy a standalone gps unit, though. TopoMaps+screenshot: (note the "no service" in the upper left) |
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boonie |
This might be the weather radio you are looking for. |
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muddyfeet |
Renting a Delorme, (with hope that I don't use it!) I usually don't care much for music and am looking forward to hearing the singing wilderness so I won't bring an iPod. Comfortable enough with compass navigation that I don't want to look for a gps. Is a gps as backup reccomended? I have a hand crank weather radio, but it is extra gear that I haven't found useful on most trips. I'm unsure if I want a watch. Day and night give their own rhythm of time and I don't want to try and maintain an artificial schedule: wake up at a certain time, etc. However it might be nice to be able to estimate paddling speed. Not a huge weight/space penalty to bring the watch anyway so it will most likely come with. What do you use on solos? Are you techy enough to have a gps monitoring speed and location and marking a trail you can review later at home? Or do you go minimal and voyager-like and forgo tech to have a less-connected experience? |
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AmarilloJim |
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boonie |
I also bring a watch, which I use to time meals and keep an idea on travel time when I desire. It also has uses in certain medical situations. These things are small, light, and useful enough to me that I bring them, although I don't use them much. I might consider other things in the future. I also leave a lot of non-tech stuff behind to lighten the load since there's no one to help carry it and I don't really need it, but I wouldn't consider myself a minimalist in that regard, just a realist. I hope you enjoy your trip. Whatever you decide, you'll ultimately make some changes if you do more solos. |
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butthead |
Watch, only wear on trips never at home. Small radio, weather and rainy day tunes. GPS, not for navigation but tracking trips for later reference (they can be helpful on foggy days). Flashlight/lantern. All together less than 32 oz. extra weight. butthead |
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hobbydog |
With solos it is your trip so it is really what you want. |
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muddyfeet |
Of course headlamp is necessary, and I have a small led light that lives on the hammock ridgeline. I'm also one of those people who will go out of my way to bring an slr camera/light tripod. That has been some of my favorite equipment on past trips and I have often stayed up late taking night photos after everyone is asleep: I am looking forward to uninterrupted time for photographs while solo. |
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jwartman59 |
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PineKnot |
Small Weather Radio (only really need for storms and wind forecasts) Small AM/FM radio (for MN and Canadian Public Radio) Small Camera Steripen Headlamp Portable Depth Finder Digital Voice Recorder Extra Lithium Batteries |
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bhouse46 |
A headlamp and small back up flashlight are also standard gear. On some trips I am now taking my GoPro with hopes to develop some nice video once I get a little farther along the learning curve and work out the bugs. |
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BlueSkiesWI |
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HighnDry |
Garmin etrex30 Delorme Inreach Extra battery for Lumix Extra lithium AAs and AAAs Optional: Sony action cam and waterproof cover/remote viewer Weather radio Solar charger and USBs |
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carmike |
Nothing else...at least yet. For a more adventurous and isolated trip, I might bring a SPOT or similar device. |
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SunCatcher |
10000 milli Amp Powerbank for recharging In-Reach Headlamp GPS That's it I think? SunCatcher |
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BigK9Mals |
watch camera That's it. I'm surprised how many people here bring GPS and weather radios. Interesting. |
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HighnDry |
quote SunCatcher: "In-Reach (100 hour battery) +1 for the Powerbank as I use it primarily to recharge my Delorme as well. It's worth the weight on the longer trips. Anything less than 5 days or so, I can get away without the charger as I use the Delorme sparingly to send a message at the end or start of each day. |
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builditbetter22 |
Watch Headlamp Camera Extra Batteries |
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jcavenagh |
Other than that I just brought a couple cameras. I never bring a watch. I don't own an iPod or a smartphone. |
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markaroberts |
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Duckman |
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butthead |
butthead |
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jeepgirl |
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housty9 |
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OldGoat |
I also picked up a Garmin GPS. I bought it more to use with my car/motorcycle (no smart phone) but it has a 1/100000 topo map and I used it on my last couple BW trips. I enjoy turning it on for a few minutes to confirm my location then turning it back off. Not a must have item but sort of a fun toy. Goat |
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BLee |
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OBX2Kayak |
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cowdoc |
only to time distances between certain points for future reference. Where are you going? I'm headed up in Sept for a solo also. |
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luft |
Larger digital camera comes if I can fit it in my pack Luci lantern and headlamp Kindle DeLorme Inreach for tracking and sending "I'm ok" messages to hubby Small hand held weather radio Back up power brick for trips longer than 5 days |
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GraniteCliffs |
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OldFingers57 |
Headlamp GPS Camera Weather radio & PLB (both new this year) |
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paddlinjoe |
IPod to listen to a book in the evening Headlamp to alert insects to my precise location. Camera |
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Pinetree |
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TomT |
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sueb2b |
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TomT |
Then something very bizarre happened. One night at the far northern end at a site on North Bay he calls his wife. She answers on speaker phone. In Quetico. I was slightly unnerved by this as they passed the phone around. My belief is that these trips are somewhat sacred. They should not be interrupted by calls from the outside to chit chat about things we're missing back home. Call me hard core, whatever. I'm fine with a spot or sat phone for emergencies but checking in on a cell phone everyday? No thanks. The unspoken magic "feeling" of wilderness was gone when that happened. My 2 cents. |
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MacCamper |
quote TomT: "I went to North Bay in Quetico with my brother and his 2 teenage sons in august. They all had cell phones and a solar charger to get through the boredom playing games. But then I find out my brother is getting return texts from his wife. In Quetico! Agreed Tom, Even the thought of a phone conversation in the wilderness makes me feel...odd. I bring a watch, (the alarm is set at 8:12 am and I can't figure how to shut it off but then again I find it fun to learn what I am doing at that time of day, every day), a crank weather radio, luci, camera and head lamp. Next season I plan to do an extended solo so I will likely beg, borrow or buy an in reach or similar. |