Pocketmail - Appalachian Trail

imported
#1

Here’s another one–
One of our customers at work gave me his old Pocketmail contraption. (For those unfamiliar, it’s a gadget that you hold up to any phone and can send and receive email.) It seems easy to use, though I haven’t gotten service hooked up, so I’m not sure how many kinds of phones it will work with.

The problem is this: I was also planning on taking my cell phone (and charger) to appease the fam. If I carry the pocketmail, there’s the plus of (if I get service) being able to send email from a mountaintop. But it seems like a lot of tech to take. Especially if I’m trying to get out of all the noise.

Did anyone carry one? Did anyone send one home? I’m looking for opinions here. Is it worth the weight?

Susan

#2

We used one. It can be used with some cell phones. Depends on if you want to post a journal or just keep in touch with home. There isan’t a lot of cell coverage anyway. And you pass a lot of pay phones. Quite of lot of hikers here use them.

Bushwhack

#3

I used a pocketmail device on my hike last year to maintain my journal. It worked great and I didn’t run into a phone it wouldn’t work with. I never tried a cell phone however. Just be aware that there is a different phone number for payphones. I had one hiker that was upset because their device wouldn’t work with payphones. Things were much better after I told them about the special number. Other than maintaining my journal, the device allowed people to send me support email, which helped a lot. I posted my pocketmail address with my journal, which resulted in a lot of email from all over the world. It was a plus I never realized could happen. Yes you can look for libraries and accomplish the same thing but it was great getting email from places like payphones in state parks. And battery life was pretty good if the backlight wasn’t used. I think I changed batteries every six weeks or so. I made a little sil bag for my device and I never considered it too much to carry. One other thing, I would advice you to realize that they renew your subscription automatically without informing you that they are about to do it. I got my device in September the year before my hike with a annual subscription and I was renewed while on the trail. It was a year renewal at $50 more than the first year and there was no refund if you canceled yearly. But it is a good durable device you won’t regret carrying.

Two Scoops

Two Scoops

#4

HEy there-
I am carrying a pocketmail device with me on my hike right now. It is great for the journaling and it is nice to get email from all kinds of folks while out on the trail. Well worth the weight.
If you want to use it with a cellphone (which like someone else said the reception will be bad, if any), the cellphone must be analog or have a feature to change to analog. Most cellphones these days are digital. You might want to check that out before you pay for the service. Well, I got to get rollin,

Peace
Rocket

rocket

#5

Hi,
I used one last year and found it to be very valuable. Another tip: double bag it because things get quite damp ie. wet! If moisture gets in the liquid crystal face will deteriorate and you may not be able to read what you type or receive. I’ve not found a good way to restore my device fully but at leats, it’s still fairly readable. rusty

rusty

#6

Susan, thanks for asking very good questions and Two Scoops and others, thanks for the detailed answers. Okay, still a few more questions (it takes me awhile) 1) So, when you send your entries, the person who receives them cuts and pastes to the journal adding the location, mileage, date info separately? And
the thing it does; it saves them most of the work in typing the text? You can’t make the entire trailjournal update through the pocketmail device?
2) No one had much negative to say…asking again did anyone send one home?
3) Oh yea, I got a “C” in high school typing. But it would seem that doesn’t matter here as it would probably be easier to relax and write a letter than “hunt and peck” while trying to hold the thing steady. Probably use the picnic tables when it’s not too cold?
4) Any other advice (Other advice other than to stay home)

Skeemer

#7

I created an email for each day with the date as the subject line. Within the email I placed a header with the info needed for the journal entry heading information. I would copy yesterday’s heading info into today’s email and them type my entry below it. I think what my transcriber did was copy and paste each email into a journal entry box and then copy the heading info to where it needed to be. She then deleted the heading info within the entry box. As far as making the entire update through the device, you have to have a transcriber. As far as problems, I made a comment early on in my journal about how the Done key was next to the Space key on my composer device. It would drop me out of an email when I missed the Space key as I was writing it. I got used to it. The way I typed on it was cradle the device within the palms of my hands and then use my thumbs to type. Once you got accustomed to it, it worked pretty well. Now it is easier to write out entries time wise. But with the device you can go back and edit. You can copy stuff from another entry. The device has folders where you can copy received emails. There were quite a few fellow thru-hikers that emailed me from libraries ahead or behind me and it allowed me to save the emails for future reference. It also has an address book so I could save addresses of the people that did email me. I did get a lot of email off of my journal and I think the reason was my journal was pretty close to real time. Well as close as you can get I guess. Using the device made the trip very interactive with people following me. It made the trail interactive with other hikers too. Some people may not want that but a thru-hike can be very social if you want it to be. The only other thing is batteries. I used mail drops where I included batteries. I sent myself batteries for the device each month. I ended up keeping a spare set and putting the rest in my bounce box. I had to replace my batteries due to the device prompting me for them once I think. It was a heavy month I guess. Just don’t use your backlight. It eats batteries as you can guess, although I have no data on battery life using the backlight. I’m guessing on that one but it makes sense. I used my headlamp all of the time. The only degraded aspect of my device I notice is the hinge on the display. It has more play on it now. But I did open it every day, sometimes multiple times, for over six months. One other thing, I made my device a little sil bag. It did work. My pack was on Clingmans Dome for over two weeks against a tree following my shoulder dislocation. When I got back to it two things were not wet in my pack, my sleeping bag and the device. Hope some of this helps.

Two Scoops

#8

Was that your pack I wizzed next to? Sorry. Was it March of last year? We were doing the Dome with some scouts and just before the top, heading south, about thirty feet off to the left facing south was a pack under a cedar tree. Pack w/cover and some Makalu Lekis I think? That was yours? Could have carried it out for you if I had known.

Bushwhack

#9

Thanks again for some very good info. You know Two Scoops, the one thing I recognized in your journal was your integrity. I mean it. Of the group that I followed, I believe you were one of a very few that white blazed the whole trail without even slackpacking. And, you didn’t even go light! I’m not sure I can do it but I’m gonna try. Thanks again. I think I’m gonna try and get an e-mail device. Radio Shack, Office Max, retailers don’t carry them so I guess I’ll look on the web. I hear they weigh no more than 5 ounces.

Skeemer

#10

Yep that was mine Bushwhak but you wouldn’t have wanted to carry it. It got lighter after that. It had a blue rain fly. But there was only one pole. I had carried the other out to the gap. I went to Cherokee for two weeks. Well the emergency room first. Could not believe I got it back untouched after all of that time. The rangers offered to fetch it for me but they had did so much for me and I couldn’t tell exactly where it was. It was raining and fog that day.

Two Scoops