That is the question.
For many of us, backpacking is getting off the beaten track. Its experiencing a culture or area that one would not typically get to see back home in East Rearend, Montana. The culture shock aside, its a valuable experience.
However, when one ventures from a wealthy Western country into a new environ for a while, there's a need or want to bring a few creature comforts from home, IE, an iPod/MP3 player, etc.
This is not a de-facto representation of all gadgets or the official TPunk position. This is my opinion, and I've traveled light and heavy, so YMMV.
iPod/MP3
The best advice I can offer is to understand that such electronic devices make you stand out in these countries. You are potentially a target for theft or worse because of the perception of your wealth. If you are in a country that barely has running water, flashing an iPod that costs more than the average person's yearly income isn't advisable. Be aware of your surroundings and know what is appropriate. Hiding the earphones in your clothing is not a bad idea. But also be aware not to crank the volume up to loud on them. You could become a victim of a sneak-attack mugging. Its not a safe world out there, so be aware at all times!
Smart travelers take the stuff thats necessary to keep it operational. For an iPod, since thats what I have, take this:
--- case to protect it
--- adapter
--- backup earbuds
--- backup battery pack
--- power adapter with appropriate plug changer if required (see Travel Power FAQ for more details)
This takes little if any room and makes sure that when you get there, you can use the thing.
Cameras:
Everybody wants to get some pics to remember their trip. I do it, and I'm sure everyone else does it. However, picking the correct camera is fundamentally important, however. If you are a solo packer, and attempting to go as light as possible, a big SLR digital or 35mm cam is going to drag you down. If I had to pack up my beloved 35mm Nikon and its associated lenses, I've got an entire bag to bring along in addition to my pack.
Most of us tend to opt for a point-and-shoot camera (self-included) for sheer size and convenience. I have a Nikon Coolpix 5600 which has served me well. I've also had several Sony's over the years and they weren't half bad, either. But the things to remember for cameras: They are easily stolen or broken. If you are packing through Central America or SE Asia and constantly on the go, keep it close!!
That really nice Digital SLR your folks bought you for graduation should likely stay home, though. I'd hate to be concerned about a $1000+ rig than a $200 point-and-shoot.
I also prefer disposable AA battery-capable cams, as well. It would be awful to be stuck somewhere without the ability to recharge your cam when you get that awesome shot opportunity. Being able to put a couple AA's in there (like mine) on the fly makes the difference.
Camera Essentials:
--- camera bag
--- largest memory card you can find (I use a 1GB in the cam and keep a backup.)
--- backup batteries
--- lense cloth (it gets dirty. trust me.)
--- power adapter if it has rechargeable batteries.
Video Camera
Video cameras are more rare in the backpacker's arsenal of electronic gadgets. But they are out there. Cameras are getting smaller and cheaper, and the quality of them has grown leaps and bounds in the past few years. But these require all sorts of extra gear, from backup media, to larger, bulky batteries, and nothing draws attention like looking through the viewfinder of a hand-held video camera.
However, there is a certain amount of jealousy
towards those that have 'em, since after all they do get a really good account. I'd have loved to have had a video cam for my zipline tour in the Costa Rican Cloud Forest. Cest la vie. I did come across a couple that had one, and they even said it was a bit bulky, but worth it. YMMV.
Now, there are those of you that will say something along the lines of "But Joker, my digicam can do short videos." This is true. But not of the quality of dedicated video cams. And many video cams can do stills, but not of the quality of a good digicam. Eventually the lines will be blurred and I'll adopt a video cam, but not for a while. And like I said before, I'd be hard-pressed to drop $1k on a cam and then be worried about it getting lost/stolen/broken somewhere.
New Stuff!!!
Cellular Phones
So, umm, how does one stay in touch with everyone in this modern-connected world? By phone, of course. And today's phones are far more than the old brick we saw of "Saved By the Bell." Sure, Zach was the coolest kid at Bayside High, but that big gray brick only could make a phone call. Text messages, mobile websurfing, email, cameras, video, even MP3 ability are all common features on the latest and greatest wireless sets. But just because you have a brand-spanking new phone that works anywhere in the States or Canada doesnt mean you'll be able to use it in, say France.
For purposes of simplicity, I'll attempt to only use national carriers. Regionals are exactly that, and since the US market is rapidly becoming consolidated, it makes it easier to follow...
In the US, the primary methods of transmission are either CDMA, TDMA, or GSM. CDMA is primarily offered by Verizon (the largest provider) and Sprint/Nextel. CDMA and TDMA have good capability to offer all those neat-o features, but the real 800lb gorilla is GSM. GSM is used all over the world (100+ markets with 2 Billion phones in use) and supported in the States by Cingular and T-Mobile.
GSM phones are easily identifiable by the small (size of your fingernail) chip inserted typically under the battery that tells your phone all its important network info. The idea is that regardless of where you are, you can purchase a local network chip, insert it into your phone and use it on that network. This means that neat Motorola RAZR you just bought could theoretically be used in both the States as well as Europe. But wait-- there's a catch.
US wireless providers typically require their phones to be sold "locked" to their own frequencies. If you want that RAZR to be useable in Europe, you'll most likely have to pay to have it unlocked (essentially its a software change). But once unlocked, if it works across the 4 GSM bands, you're good to go. Purchase a prepaid GSM chip over where ever you are and it should work, no sweat. In my research, I've found the average cost to unlock a phone is around $50 US.
The trick is to find a phone that is "Quad-Band" capable. This means it works on the following frequencies: 850, 900, 1800, and 1900 mhz. If it doesn't work on all of those then it may not work where you travel to. Punk beware!!
Another advantage of GSM is that when you purchase a new phone, all your contacts are saved on the chip. Put it into a new phone and everyone in your address book is there already. In the old days, you had to re-input all those names and numbers every time your phone was traded for a new one...
The latest generations of these phones even have MP3 players built-in. Yesterday, I became the owner of the Motorola ROKR for Cingular's service. The ROKR works with iTunes, so if you are familiar with the interface of that program (if you haven't used it, try it.) you'll be ready to roll. Out of the box, the ROKR holds about 100 songs. You can purchase larger mini-SD media cards (this thing is smaller than your fingernail) to increase the capacity, apparently, but i havent done this yet. It connects via USB to your computer so it isn't as fast as an iPod on updating, but it gets the job done. Currently only Cingular offers the connectivity with iTunes, but there are still plenty of MP3-capable phones out there.
There are others from other services, but since GSM is the most-widely used standard, it is not without good cause I mention that particular model here.
So, now the connected TravelPunk can listen to music and drunk dial the rest of us from anywhere in the world!!
Happy Travels!
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