I’m looking for a nice lightweight music player for a thruhike. Any ideas? We carried a lightweight radio last year, but the lack of good music in the south didn’t really make it totally worth it. Looking for something we can record music for.
Gravity Man
Gravity Man,
I carried a Sony Mini-Disc player on the trail in '99 with several disc’s containing my favorite songs. I would enjoy them on certain days and occasionally in shelters where someone was snoring loudly. It was a terrific asset when I wanted to spend some special time in the woods reflecting on God’s creation.
On the whole, it only added a pound to my pack. But it gave me hours of enjoyment. I also carried a Radio Shack lightweight radio to listen to music where I could too.
Too bad I was not able to find an AM/FM music disc version.
These days, I believe that there is a MPEG version of the mini-disc player and a MPEG AM/FM radio combo that uses memory sticks that are replacable with your favorite music, but I can’t tell you what brand or how much.
Mr. Boo
I think other electronics manufacturers have similar products out, but Sony has an MD Walkman line w/ the features you mention – AM/FM + mindisc. I found this to be the best option as the network walkman devices don’t hold enough music for their price. I was thinking about picking up an MD walkman for my hike b/c it’s the lightest option and gives you the most hours of music on the smallest media, but they’re still a little pricey for me. They start around $150 and go up to $350 for one w/ all the bells and whistles.
Mele