[pct-l] PocketMail

[Trekker4 at aol.com]

    I used pmail last spring for my 475 mi PCT section hike; I liked it, but 
here's the caveats:  1. It is half a pound, w/lithium batteries (Why would one 
use any other kind of batteries? They weigh 50% less, and last far longer; 
however, the regular alkaline batteries that came with the pmail lasted almost a 
month.).  2. To use it spontaneously, it has to be handy; I actually wrote a 
short story stumbling up the trail last year, and I kept a trail log of 
blowdowns, water sources, and trail problems for the PCT people and As a Bat. I keep 
it in my sun shirt pocket, and had a tab sewn on the pocket to keep the pmail 
in the pocket for stream crossings or other situations where you absolutely 
don't want it popping out of your pocket; the pmail is just a tad too large for 
the regular pocket button to work, so the tab comes over the top (end) of the 
pmail and uses the existing button.  3. One needs to keep a zip bag handy to 
keep it dry when necessary.  4. I personally use a ucassette recorder for my 
journal and photo log, which goes in my other shirt pocket. Is the nerd look 
still in? I've used the ucassette recorder for thousands of miles, and can't 
quite give it up. It is very spontaneous, and one can say as much as one wants, 
at almost any time and under any circumstances; it does have to be transcribed, 
but takes far less time to get a thought down. That's not possible with a 
pmail.
    I do have my base pack weight down to 22 lb now, including 8MP camera, 
pmail, and ucassette recorder; hiking is easier than it used to be, with the 
base pack down about 10 lb from the past, but the age keeps advancing also; 
that's up to 63, so I think I've broken even. 

Bob "Trekker"
Big Bend Desert Denizen
Naturalized Citizen - Republic of Texas