Pratt

When on tour, do you take reading material along?

mev

I take a Kindle.
As far as books go, rarely unless it is something that doesn't render well e.g. a Lonely Planet guide when the black & white Kindle edition is poor but reading material uses the Kindle.

indyfabz

+1.

Dark Arrow

+2 Kindle all the way. Books are toooooooo heavy

DA

Ron Damon

I take the Kindle app on my navigation device, my smartphone.

Duragrouch

Have you seen Platoon (1986)?

imi

No, but not primarily because of the weight, but typically at the end of the day, when I normally read, I am so knackered from riding all day, that I’m happy if I can make food before heading off to the Land of Nod 😴

Tourist in MSN

Typically no. But on my last tour with an old friend, on past tours there were times he needed a full day of rest, so my last tour with him a year ago brought two. Read one and a half. No for next tour which is solo.

If I am wind bound for a day or two and start to get bored, I may hunt for some wifi and try to find out what is going on in the world.

Ghazmh

I used to until I found audiobooks to be a suitable alternative.

indyfabz

Heh. BITD I lugged For Whom the Bell Tolls around Andalucia for much of my 7 week tour. I felt compelled to tear out and toss pages I had read.

Thulsadoom

I always have a paperback with me. Only weighs a few ounces and you can trade them out everywhere.

staehpj1

I carried paper backs in the distant past. I have also carried a kindle. More recently I have been more likely to just listen to audiobooks. If I want to on a whim I can alway pick up a paperback along the way, but it seems to pretty much never happen.

elcruxio

I have a Kobo, which uses similar e-ink as kindle. The experience with it is better than with a smart phone. The screen is bigger and there's no flicker that you'd get from the constant refreshing of a led screen.

Also the kobo is waterproof so taking it to a bathtub is not a problem.

cyccommute 

“For Whom the Bell Tolls” isn’t particularly long. The Iliad is about a bit longer (580 vs 460 pages) and I didn’t feel like even that was very long. It was a loooooooooooooong read but not that large a volume.

Yea, I carry actual an actual book. Just one. I pick up something else when I finish one. Depending on the book, sometimes I blow through them in a couple of days.

indyfabz

My version was large and heavy. It was before the days of UL books.

Today’s paperbacks are really light. I’d take one on a week long trip if it weren’t for the fact that I have old man eyes and need the backlight of my Kindle to read even before dark. I got tired of burning through headlamp batteries reading for hours.

It’s been one of the hardest things I’ve had to accept about aging. I used to have great vision, especially at night. While I was in prep school I was usually on point when we snuck around in the woods to party because I could see any potential trouble well before my friends.

str

again?

I talk to locals

Thulsadoom

These little collapsable/packable solar tent lanterns make perfect reading lights.

staehpj1

Are you a candidate for cataract surgery? For many it restores vision to as good or even sometimes better than what it was in their youth. I remember my mom having great eyesight in her 80s and into her 90s after her cataract surgery. After seeing her results back then I looked forward to when I was ready for the surgery. Now at almost age 73, I am hoping for good results from my upcoming cataract surgery. The doc claims my eyesight should be excellent post op.

Maybe something to consider if you are a candidate for cataract surgery.

Ron Damon

The experience of carrying no additional weight or bulk is better.

staehpj1

There are trade offs. The display on the phone isn't as nice and it requires a lot more battery usage which may be an issue depending on where and how you tour. I never found reading on the phone app particularly satisfactory, but it is lighter since you are likely carrying a phone regardless. I can see it as an great option if you can read it comfortably and charging isn't a big issue. For me it was a fail. I may or may not change my mind about the phone display for reading after my cataract surgery. The battery issue will remain though.

For me it is more likely to be an audiobook app so the battery usage is much less with no need to have the display on.

cyccommute 

So you were touring in 1841? That's when paperbacks were invented. Of course, in 1841, the weight of the book would have been minor compared to the bicycle of that era.

Tourist in MSN

There are several reasons for loss of night vision with age. So don't get your hopes too high. You have three years on me. That said, you could end up with great daytime vision afterwards.

I am trying to delay cataracts as much as I can. When I go outside, I always have some form of glasses on to reduce UV, even on overcast days I will be wearing something on my eyes. Ten years ago my ophthalmologist told me cataracts were probably ten years away. Now she predicts five more years.

I got laser treatment (PRK) nine years ago, and had 20/20 for a while, but now am wearing glasses again for distance when I drive although I am legal to drive without glasses.

staehpj1

My night vision is actually pretty good. I trail ride with a helmet mounted headlamp and do fine. Night driving I have some glare issues, but they aren't that bad. Strangely, my glare issues are more of a problem riding in the early morning low angle sunlight. I do have a bit of loss of contrast in low light.

My cataracts are at a 2 and a 3, so ready for surgery, but could wait if I wanted to. It does seem like the change gets faster as time goes on and I definitely noticed a bigger change in the year that lead up to my decision to get the surgery. One eye went from a 2 to a 3 in that year and kind of confirmed my impression. The doc seemed inclined to take my lead on the decision with no particular push as to just how soon to go ahead. The real deciding factor was when I got to the point where I come around corners on the trail in the early morning and be completely blinded by the glare.

indyfabz

I invented bike touring.

I mean today’s paperbacks are noticeably lighter than they were 25 years ago. I’ve actually done some comparisons with older ones I have.

indyfabz

I have one small one. I’d prefer to not have anyone cut into any part of my eyes if I can help it. My body had undergone more than its share of cutting, especially recently.