I will eventually cover most of the gear I plan to take to the trail, but first let's start with the fun tech I'll be taking. There are three main things I'll have. I'll have my phone, my watch and my head torch; and then a bunch of charging stuff. I might take some other extra goodies but those are less certain, more on them when we get to them.
Phone
I have the Land Rover Explore phone, and I'm loving it so far. It's got some serious credentials in keeping itself working but isn't too special on the electronics side. I'll be taking it with its Adventure Pack so I have a better GPS and even more battery life on it. The addon pack adds 3620mAh of charge plus giving it a GPS comparable to things like the Garmin InReach, whilst still be highly water resistant which is super handy for if I get caught in a storm or drop it in a puddle or stream. It's able to handle harsh temps should that ever be an issue, and dropping it which might be an issue.
This will be my connection to home and primary map system. Thanks to Guthooks' wonderful app, and Viewranger's premium USA maps, I should have no doubt about where I am on the trail and also know what's coming up ahead through other hikers' comments on Guthooks.
The phone, with adventure pack, is a little hefty though, but I think it's worth the weight for me.
Watch
I have a Garmin Fenix 5X. It's been my everyday watch since I bought it, most of a year ago. It has all sorts of fancy features such as measuring my pulse and estimating how many calories I've burnt. It also has some maps powered through Garmin's mapping. I'll be using it to track me with its built in GPS, which isn't quite as good as my phone's but is usable enough. When paired with my phone via bluetooth, my activity will be uploaded online to Garmin's servers, where it can be watched and followed by other people who care about me. It's more for peace of mind for some back home than a required item, but I've grown to love all of its fancy features even if it is - as my girlfriend pointed out - just a fancy expensive fitbit.
It is water resistant too, so I could go swimming with it and my phone if I really wanted to; and it is also fairly durable so it shouldn't get scratched or beaten up.
Headtorch
Why do I need a headtorch? Well it makes camping easier, as I'll be able to see what I'm doing in the evenings. It will also let me hike from earlier until later without limiting me to sunlight hours which might be nice in the hotter days. Hiking in a summer afternoon isn't always fun. I'm using the Petzyl Reactik+, which is a rather bright torch with the fancy feature of also being able to pair to my phone so I can control precisely how bright it is and see estimated burntimes remaining. The Reactik+ can also adjust itself automatically based on how much light it detects is being reflected back at it, so I can save battery in the brighter spots.
Battery bank
All of the electronics I'm taking are rechargeable. In fact, I can't actually replace the batteries at all. A fact I may come to regret.... So I am taking a beefy Anker power bank. At 26,800 mAh it will be able to recharge my phone, watch and headtorch several times each simultaneously, before the bank runs out of juice; and they've all got fairly long runtimes anyway. The bank has three standard USB outputs, one of which has quick charge enabled, and its own micro USB input which is also quickcharge. This ought to keep me going for a while, though it does weigh more than half a kilo itself....
Unfortunately I do need to carry at least three cables. One ending in a USB C type, for my phone; one ending in Garmin's connection, for my watch; and then a micro USB, for the battery bank and headtorch - so possibly two cables there? And of course, most importantly of all, I'll need an American power plug.
Possible extras
Kindle?
I have a kindle Oasis. It isn't really designed for the outdoors despite its claim of being waterproof. It's water resistance is more for if it gets rained on than anything. That said, I love reading and it charges off the same cable my headtorch does. It will give me something to do whilst waiting for transport or before bed; and it keeps its charge for a while, so it might not be my worst idea ever.
Headphones
Simple really. I might want headphones of some sort, possible simple in-ear headphones to connect to my phone's audio jack or possible some small bluetooth ones to connect to my phone and kindle if I want them to, without the hassle of wires.
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