indyfabz

I love to read in the evening so I always carry a book. Some favorites over the years have been Catch-22, Jude the Obscure, For Whom the Bell Tolls, Flowers For Algernon and The Art of Racing in the Rain.

revcp 

I've carried a kindle for years on bike tours, paddling and backpacking. It's nice because I can bring several books for longer trips, and I don't have to wear a headlamp or hold a flashlight in my mouth when lying in my hammock at night.

jefnvk

Not touring specifically, but traveling in general, I gave up on it long ago. Always had one with the best of intentions, it never got read, it just took up space.

indyfabz

I am leaning towards getting one because my eyes have gotten so bad that I need the headlamp on full to read. Going through batteries got so bad that I actually got some rechargeable ones.


The issue I see with an E-Readers is that there are no pages to help start a campfire.

Happy Feet

I love to read and consider a book the one comfort item I would carry on a tour.

I also collect vintage diving books and have been known to actually fill a pannier with them on the road. Poking around in used book stores "on the hunt" is fun (for me).

I would consider an e reader with illuminated words to eliminate using a headlamp but the books I like aren't usually available online.

alan s 

No

raybo

I take an iPad on tour and download books from the San Francisco library as I go.

I also take a couple dozen audio books with me that I listen to while I ride.

If I can get a book I'm interested in reading and am in a hotel, I do alot of reading. Otherwise, I talk to my hosts.

shelbyfv

Kindle paper white for me. I can make the print bigger!! Doesn't need another light source, can hold plenty of books and for my purposes will last over a week w/o recharging. Usually while touring I only read at night in the tent for a few minutes until I doze off. What I really love it for is home use. I can download books for free from the library. I've found that browsing titles in the comfort of my recliner has let me find stuff I probably would have missed on the shelf at the library. I read more and a wider variety. I'm not really a gadget person but IMO this is one of the best products ever!

shelbyfv

I feel compelled to go on about this some more. A couple of years ago a friend gave me an early model Kindle, her family had all moved on to newer ones. I was skeptical but gave it a try. A little tedious to figure out how to get books from the library but I found I loved it. My wife loved it too, so I got her a Paperwhite https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00OQVZDJM..._k_ods_eink_mt I got jealous of her backlight and wi-fi, so I ordered my own Paperwhite. Then got one for my sister, then another for my brother-in-law.... While I'm at it, here is a good reading related site https://www.fantasticfiction.com/

lhendrick

I carry one. I read a lot. Stuck in a train? Read. Long line at the bank? Read. Long rainy day in the tent? Read.

If my 5 year old iPad finally dies I can use it to pound in tent pegs.

jamawani 

Book.
Physical, material, book.
Always.

DanBell

I have a Kobo Glo and I read every night before I go to sleep. I'm on a long tour currently and I have a lot of books on it. In an ideal world I prefer to read actual books, but on a long tour it's more practical to bring the e-reader.

Trevtassie

Kindle App on my phone, ony used on the trip to the start and the return generally. Maybe for looking at guide books.

staehpj1

I used to read paper books on tour. Then I went to a Kindle. Then audio books on an iPod Shuffle. Lately I take only my phone if I want to read a book, usually in the form of audio.

Trsnrtr

@indyfabz This is one of the rare times that I did not lie on a poll.

indyfabz

That's mighty nice of you.

BobG

I'll be the first illiterate to chime in here. I usually pick up a local newspaper while shopping for dinner. Provides disposable light reading as well as crossword puzzle and word games for campsite entertainment. I've checked "never" above. Weight's not an issue. Just one less thing.

Machka 

I don't usually carry books on a tour, unless it is a very short tour.

However, most campgrounds and hostels have a small library or a spot where guests can drop off books or pick up books. If we're there for more than 1 night, I'll grab a book and try to read it before we leave.


On our RTW trip, I was starting to long for a book to read, and then we ended up stopping at a lovely hostel/campground sort of accommodation in Switzerland for 10 days. To my delight, they had a small library, and there were a few books in English! I was so pleased.

Trsnrtr

You're welcome. I haven't self-contained toured for 25 years but I do a few week long rides every year and an e-device accompanies me for reading - always.

axolotl

Not only did I bring and read 2 paperback books on a tour last year, I bought a couple more in an excellent used bookstore I encountered.

Western Flyer 

I do bring reading material on my tours. No epic novels weighing at the bottom of my panniers. Novels are written and read from the road one chapter a day. I like poetry and other condensed writings that pack a compact message and hopefully inform my tour. With the advent eBooks and being a gram counter, I put my reading on my phone.

The reader will find
in my journal a random collection
of what I have seen of the road,
views somehow remaining in my heart-
an isolated house in the mountains,
or a lonely inn surrounded by the moon.
-Matsuo Basho 17th century CE

jackrippah

Always... and at all other times too.

SparkyGA

I've been on the fence for years if I'd want to bring an E-Reader on a tour. I like reading during rest breaks on the side of the road but would rather read the news/bicycle stuff/blogs/wikipedia (usually via smartphone) than a book. The wife is the bigger book reader between us and might be able to justify the purchase of an E-Reader due to the lack of available books overseas in her native Japanese

Rob_E

Once upon a time I would always have a book with me, and usually a back up book in case I finished the first book before I got home. Then we got a Kindle, which was amazing because I could carry as many books as I wanted. Then, when smart phones and tablets became the norm, I found that I didn't even need the Kindle. Now there are several books on my phone, as well as audio books and podcasts. The iPad has books, comic books, movies, and TV shows. I know some people are touring to get away from all of that, but I have really enjoyed the occasional evening laying in my hammock, watching a movie, or just falling asleep to the sound of an audio book.

gauvins

Same here.

This being said, a Kindle (paperwhite) has a much better battery life (a month?) and arguably a better display compared to a smartphone. I tend to carry both.