←back to thread

Why your outdoorsy friend suddenly has a gummy bear power bank

(www.theverge.com)
258 points arnon | 1 comments | 21 Sep 25 12:31 UTC | HN request time: 0s | source

https://archive.ph/1G2Ut
Show context
Zanni ◴[21 Sep 25 12:52 UTC] No.45322277[source]▶
Why your [ultra-light hiker] friend suddenly has [the world's lightest] power bank.

I remember Colin Fletcher, years ago, writing in The Complete Walker about trimming the borders off his paper maps to save weight, which seemed like an insane over-optimization to me. But then, I'm not an ultralight hiker.

I am impressed folks are getting their loads down to 10 pounds though.

replies(9): >>45322529 #>>45322596 #>>45322931 #>>45323097 #>>45323399 #>>45326736 #>>45327049 #>>45327907 #>>45332652 #
binary132 ◴[21 Sep 25 15:06 UTC] No.45323399[source]▶
I mean, maybe that makes sense if you carry 50+ pages of maps, but carrying a whole book of maps on a single expedition doesn’t.
replies(1): >>45323571 #
JohnFen ◴[21 Sep 25 15:23 UTC] No.45323571[source]▶
Paper is very heavy. Even if you just carry a single map, you could likely save much of an ounce by trimming the borders.
replies(2): >>45326724 #>>45328104 #
eru ◴[22 Sep 25 00:58 UTC] No.45328104[source]▶
If you are bringing your phone anyway, might as well use that for your mapping needs?

You can have a backup paper map inked on your skin.

replies(2): >>45328173 #>>45333684 #
1. JohnFen ◴[22 Sep 25 14:06 UTC] No.45333684[source]▶
I like to keep my orientering skills sharp, so use a compass and map to navigate. I take my phone with me and it can serve as backup navigation, but I usually just keep it powered off and sealed in a waterproof bag.