Kindles and camping

mercia_man
mercia_man Posts: 1,431
edited July 2012 in Tour & expedition
Anyone tried cycle camping with a Kindle?

I love reading and normally take four paperback books with me when I go solo touring abroad, getting through at least 100 pages a day. But four books are heavy and space-consuming.

I'm thinking of taking my wife's Kindle with me this year, getting some sort of solar charging device for it.

I'd be interested to hear of people's Kindle experiences.

Comments

  • andrewjoseph
    andrewjoseph Posts: 2,165
    We've taken ours on a 10 day tour, didn't need charging. taking them for our 3 weeks jogle in may. solar chargers take a long time to work in the UK (and many other places too, I've read).

    I've bought a gorilla power supply, will use that for all our devices and charge that up when we have a B&B every 7 days.
    --
    Burls Ti Tourer for Tarmac, Saracen aluminium full suss for trails
  • Hoopdriver
    Hoopdriver Posts: 2,023
    I've used Kindles a lot and for fairly short trips of up to a ouple of weeeks one charge will see you through. This will not be the case if you have one if the covers with the built-in lamp. They are very handy, but they do use up energy. You can always just pack the charger, which is still easier than packin a bunch of books, and plan to take breaks every so often in B&Bs r hostls where yo can recharge, or try chargin in a cafe where they often have plugs.

    The screen is very easy to read even in sunlight and the Kindles themselves ar a treat. A real boon to constant readers. I love taking several hundred books with me, in my bar bag!
    http://www.My-Bicycle-and-I.com
  • dabber
    dabber Posts: 1,928
    Remember to turn off your WiFi/3G. If you don't you'll burn up battery life.

    btw, I use my Kindle 3G in France to pick up my gmail as I'm a cheapskate and it doesn't cost me any network charges.
    “You may think that; I couldn’t possibly comment!”

    Wilier Cento Uno SR/Wilier Mortirolo/Specialized Roubaix Comp/Kona Hei Hei/Calibre Bossnut
  • mercia_man
    mercia_man Posts: 1,431
    Thanks for your interesting replies and tips. I'll definitely try the Kindle for shorter trips. I'm off in June for a 16-day ride aross France plus a couple of days riding in UK down to to the port. I don't think the charge would last for that trip.
  • andymiller
    andymiller Posts: 2,856
    Mercia Man wrote:
    Thanks for your interesting replies and tips. I'll definitely try the Kindle for shorter trips. I'm off in June for a 16-day ride aross France plus a couple of days riding in UK down to to the port. I don't think the charge would last for that trip.

    I'm not sure I'd write it off that quickly.

    Obviously battery life depends a lot on how you use the reader (eg with wifi on or off) but this guy claims to have tested it and that it will do 3000 page turns - so it should be good for 16 days at 100 pages a day.

    You can also get fairly cheap power packs which you charge up at home and then use to charge up your gizmos. the PowerChimp from PowerTraveller is also worth considering - you should be able to find it for a lot less than the full retail price.
    Italy Cycling Guide
  • andrewjoseph
    andrewjoseph Posts: 2,165
    Depends on how much page turning you do, the device only uses power when changing the screen (plus the usuall slow decline when not in use). larger font, more page turns.

    As I said, plenty of power on a 10 day trip, even when using the light. I'm expecting ours to last 2 weeks at least with an hour of reading with the light at night. If we don't use the light probably get at least a month out of a fully charged kindle. When using them at home I need to charge every 2 months or so.
    --
    Burls Ti Tourer for Tarmac, Saracen aluminium full suss for trails
  • thecrofter
    thecrofter Posts: 734
    I'd be surprised if it didn't last a fortnight, especially with the Wi-Fi off.
    You've no won the Big Cup since 1902!
  • mercia_man
    mercia_man Posts: 1,431
    The Power Chimp sounds interesting. I'll investigate. I also saw something recently about Amazon bringing out a solar jacket for Kindles. I certainly like the idea of having hundreds of books on tap on my hols.
  • andrewjoseph
    andrewjoseph Posts: 2,165
    from my research on solar panels recharging things. the work best in bright direct sunlight, in the same position for several hours, feeding into a storage device (like a powerchip I think). Even in these conditions, it can take more than a day to charge anything.

    I'm not an expert on these things, but you need to look at the charging rate of the panel, the size of the battery you want charged and the current that it needs.

    I decided that needing full sun for two days to charge my gps half way whilst riding around the country, was not what I wanted.

    I think you will be disappointed with the performance of solar chargers on the back of a bike in the UK 'summer'.

    A more useful option would be a hub dynamo. We would have gone this route if they were suitable for our bikes.
    --
    Burls Ti Tourer for Tarmac, Saracen aluminium full suss for trails
  • lestocknell
    lestocknell Posts: 5
    If you're camping you can use a continental plug converter and use the sockets in the shower blocks for recharging. I do for toothbrush, phone and, this year, I will for Kindle. If you are within sight of the block you can do this whilst cooking/post-ride relaxing or during showers or d--ps... Obviously you have to risk assess the site for theft hazards.
  • lestocknell
    lestocknell Posts: 5
    In France that is!
  • mercia_man
    mercia_man Posts: 1,431
    lestocknell wrote:
    If you're camping you can use a continental plug converter and use the sockets in the shower blocks for recharging. I do for toothbrush, phone and, this year, I will for Kindle. If you are within sight of the block you can do this whilst cooking/post-ride relaxing or during showers or d--ps... Obviously you have to risk assess the site for theft hazards.

    Yeah, have used that technique for mobile phone in France but only in isolated campsites in June or September when I've been the only person there. I've also seen phones being charged up in campsite receptions.
  • andymiller
    andymiller Posts: 2,856
    lestocknell wrote:
    If you're camping you can use a continental plug converter and use the sockets in the shower blocks for recharging. I do for toothbrush, phone and, this year, I will for Kindle. If you are within sight of the block you can do this whilst cooking/post-ride relaxing or during showers or d--ps... Obviously you have to risk assess the site for theft hazards.

    I must admit I would be wary about leaving anything of value to charge in a campsite washroom. If you ask the campsite will almost certainly charge it for you. Alternatively, if you don't mind the extra weight, get a *short* hook-up lead.

    Just on the subject of the PowerChimp - these are good for an emergency, but a power pack with a lithium-ion battery will do a much better job of charging devices - and these days they aren't very expensive.
    Italy Cycling Guide
  • marcusjb
    marcusjb Posts: 2,412
    andymiller wrote:
    Just on the subject of the PowerChimp - these are good for an emergency, but a power pack with a lithium-ion battery will do a much better job of charging devices - and these days they aren't very expensive.

    +1

    A battery pack will charge up a phone or GPS between 2 and 4 times (depending on size of battery pack and phone/GPS).

    That keeps you going for a few days - and then you can charge the battery pack when you are near mains.

    I also have a Busch&Muller E-Werk attached to my dynohub - this can be used to charge up the battery pack as you ride. It sorts of works ok - I've used it on longer audaxes and just about managed to keep phone and GPS going. The battery packs can take a long time to charge - so you need to be very diligent about charging it throughout the day. It's a nice piece of kit - though very expensive for what it is.

    If I thought I could trust a 36 spoke on the tandem (it would probably be fine), I would have no qualms about touring with that setup and being able to live off grid for days. As it is, we take a battery pack.

    Anyway - Kindles - they're great - batteries last for weeks! I've taken mine away on a 3 week trip around Indonesia at Christmas (not on a bike) with no worries. I will certainly take one on this year's cycle tours.
    Stuff about riding a bike a long way
  • mercia_man
    mercia_man Posts: 1,431
    Just wanted to thank people for their interesting and useful replies and to give an update on my situation.

    I'm setting off to ride across France next week and I'm taking the Kindle. I'll be away for 19 days.

    My wife came back home the other day with an Oyama OY400-2A portable charging device which she picked up for special offer at £9.99 from Maplins (I think it was reduced from something like £29.99).

    It's tiny and weighs around 40gms and charges up via the computer USB with various leads for iPod etc. It will easily re-charge a mobile phone with juice to spare. We've tested it on the Kindle and the Oyama will recharge it from flat to three-quarters.

    So I reckon it's just what I need to give me peace of mind.
  • mercia_man
    mercia_man Posts: 1,431
    I forgot to say that I've also got a really good Padded Cell bag from Alpkit.com for the Kindle. Only a fiver.

    It's a splashproof ripstop nylon drawstring bag with a thick pile lining. Alpkit do them in several sizes for everything from mobile phones to laptops.
  • rodgers73
    rodgers73 Posts: 2,626
    Or you could have packed the kindle plus one normal book in case it packs up? :-)
  • danm99
    danm99 Posts: 22
    Kindle all the way!! Wouldnt be without it now. In my opinion it is perfect for any type of travelling.....mine comes with me on all cycle trips.
    Lands End to John O'Groats Cycle
  • bigjim
    bigjim Posts: 780
    My Kindle lasts over 3 weeks although I always have the wireless turned off.
    Nothing to prove. http://adenough1.blogspot.co.uk/
  • andymiller
    andymiller Posts: 2,856
    rodgers73 wrote:
    Or you could have packed the kindle plus one normal book in case it packs up? :-)

    Well yes, but how many books weigh in at 40g?
    Italy Cycling Guide
  • Hoopdriver
    Hoopdriver Posts: 2,023
    andymiller wrote:
    rodgers73 wrote:
    Or you could have packed the kindle plus one normal book in case it packs up? :-)

    Well yes, but how many books weigh in at 40g?
    How many Kindles do?
    http://www.My-Bicycle-and-I.com
  • andymiller
    andymiller Posts: 2,856
    Hoopdriver wrote:
    Well yes, but how many books weigh in at 40g?
    How many Kindles do?

    If you'd read the post that started this thread you'd have known that the OP is taking a Kindle instead of 4 paperback books. Even with a 40g power pack I think he's going to be saving a significant amount of weight and space.
    Italy Cycling Guide
  • mercia_man
    mercia_man Posts: 1,431
    Quite right, Andy. What with the Kindle, a Terra Nova Solar Competition 2 tent, Alpkit Pipedream sleeping bag, titanium billy, Exped Synmat UL 7 airbed and pillow pump, Tesco imitation Croc shoes and other lightweight odds and ends, I've managed to shave off around 2kg and created much more space in my panniers - possibly a third extra.

    My wife had inherited a bit of money so I immediately diverted some of it towards replacing most of my ageing camping kit! Have to confess I got a bit obsessive with this weight-saving lark. It's amazing how many grams you can shave off my weighing and comparing different T-shirts, arm-warmers etc.
  • Hoopdriver
    Hoopdriver Posts: 2,023
    andymiller wrote:
    Hoopdriver wrote:
    Well yes, but how many books weigh in at 40g?
    How many Kindles do?

    If you'd read the post that started this thread you'd have known that the OP is taking a Kindle instead of 4 paperback books. Even with a 40g power pack I think he's going to be saving a significant amount of weight and space.
    I read the original post and in fact I commented, with advice on travelling with a Kindle before you weighed in. My response was to your response to another's suggestion that if one was worried abiut the battery, just back a small paperback as a back up. A reasonable suggestion, especially if you might not have charging facilities and/or trust a gadget to carge your Kindle. I travel a hell of a lot, in paces with dodgy electricity, and would not care to be caught with no reading material.
    http://www.My-Bicycle-and-I.com
  • andymiller
    andymiller Posts: 2,856
    It is a reasonable suggestion; it was the relevance of the point about the weight of the Kindle that I couldn't see, so I assumed you had jumped in at the end of the discussion. Sorry.
    Italy Cycling Guide
  • gloomyandy
    gloomyandy Posts: 520
    I use a kindle touch and find it lasts for weeks. With the touch pdf files are pretty usable so I use pdf scans of things like guide books (which often are not available as kindle book), and for detailed maps (you can get individual OS 1:50000 tiles for a good price these days), also keep things like ferry timetables, list of phone numbers, camp site lists etc. this way...
  • Gotte
    Gotte Posts: 494
    Depending on where you're cycling, I'd just pop into a coffeeshop for an hour and get a charge there.

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