How Robust When Travelling - Here's one answer for those interested

OnTheRoad · 07-16-2007, 07:54 AM

By way of introduction and a beneficiary of this forum over the last few months, I would add my experience as to how robust the reader is whilst traveling.

My wife and I have returned from traveling all over the Indian sub-continent for the last four months using feet, cars, rail, aircraft and only avoiding Yaks and horses because I'm a wimp.

We travelled from sea level to 15,875 feet and from temperatures ranging from -15C camping at 11,000 in the first week in March (a thicker pair of underpants would have been handy) to +48C in Varanasi via high humidity in the South and deserts in the north west.

The reader was carried in my backpack all the time for security and convenience when not in use. Earlier posts have highlighted the good idea of ensuring that the reader is wedged upright and between things in a pack to avoid it possibly bending or being at the bottom if the pack is dropped. I tried to do this but for the majority of the time failed through laziness.

Other than one very cold night in March at -15C the reader performed brilliantly. On that one occasion, the battery retreated wounded from the challenge as did camera batteries and the PDA battery, unsurprisingly.

There was never a problem on flights or putting the backpack with reader through x-ray machines and people on planes were only curious as to what it was rather than stampeding for the exits in case it was something sinister.

Charging was done via the standard (yet another) brick and wall adapters and even in the dodgy voltage supplies of India worked well on the few times required.

If anyone has any reservations about taking it overseas - forget it and relieve yourself of the burden of carrying paper.

Summary - brilliant

and thanks to all the posts that convinced me to buy it in the first place ...... now, if only Sony could upgrade the software to address the niggles highlighted .....

JSWolf · 07-16-2007, 09:12 AM

I carry around my Sony reader a lot in my bag. And it survives beautifully. You just never know when you might want to pull out a good book to read. I find the cover that comes with the Sony quite sufficient to keep it protected.

HarryT · 07-16-2007, 09:41 AM

The leather cover gives even better protection. Thoroughly recommended if you travel with the Reader a lot.

Dr. Drib · 07-16-2007, 09:51 AM

I'm looking forward (during my next trip), when I can take it to Peru.

The last trip to Peru, I took my antiquated REB 1100.

Imagine: spending approx. 3-4 weeks in a foreign country and not having to charge it!

Don

Quote:

Originally Posted by HarryT

The leather cover gives even better protection. Thoroughly recommended if you travel with the Reader a lot.

KlondikeGeoff · 07-16-2007, 02:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dr. Drib

The last trip to Peru, I took my antiquated REB 1100.

Excuse the hijack, but always interested in others who had/have the 1100. Do you still use it at all? I revert to it now and then when really need a backlighted reader, and it is still full of PG books. I find that unused, it holds a charge for a really long time.

Arek_W · 07-16-2007, 03:45 PM

I am really impressed by battery life & little space it takes. I used to use PDA to read ebooks & first thing I would do after arriving at the destination was the power outlet

. It was similar to travelling with laptop, even with 2 batteries in it I was doomed to search for the power.

Reader, hasstle free. I mean light bag, papers & off we go. Monday charged, did home reading, some flying round EU, back home, Friday, still going. The only thing was checked by security twice in Brussels to explain what it was, U know, they make you take away your laptop so got some questions and weird comments when told them its an ebook reader

. Same with flight attendants, please turn off all your electronic devices....

I am going in August to South Africa for RV touring so will see how long it lasts

Dr. Drib · 07-16-2007, 03:51 PM

that I've been unable to unlock - even when following directions; and a third that I took apart and havent' put back together again. There were problems with the touch screen on that 3rd one.

I agree with you on the charge. I was in Peru for 18 days and only had to charge it once, on my 1100. (It really came in handy on the flight: I turned it down to 20% and was able to read beautifully.)

However, I now use exclusively the Sony Reader I have.

Don

Quote:

Originally Posted by KlondikeGeoff

Excuse the hijack, but always interested in others who had/have the 1100. Do you still use it at all? I revert to it now and then when really need a backlighted reader, and it is still full of PG books. I find that unused, it holds a charge for a really long time.

Turtle Woman · 07-19-2007, 02:03 PM

Word of warning--if you're going to be on vacation for more than 2 weeks, take your charger. I went to Germany for 3 weeks in May and thought I would be fine because other than the plane rides I wouldn't be reading all that much. I didn't realize that the battery drains even though you aren't reading. (I've learned that since then from posts here.) After two weeks my battery was drained and I had to actually buy paperback books!

Foxymoron · 07-19-2007, 02:29 PM

OntheRoad,
Thank you for your most thorough review attesting to the ruggedness of this gadget. Actually, I had some questions as to how well it might hold up with travel after being burned on this issue. My Ebookwise reader was reduced to doorstop status after it skydived out of my hand for all of 12 inches. The company was gracious in replacing it for a greatly reduced fee, but glad to hear this one is a little more road-worthy.

It sounds like you had a great couple of months, as for me, I can only read about that kind of adventure.

NatCh · 07-20-2007, 12:16 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Foxymoron

glad to hear this one is a little more road-worthy.

Yeah, you could call it roadworthy.

Foxymoron · 07-20-2007, 10:10 AM

Ha, thanks for the link. Now THAT is impressive

Azayzel · 07-21-2007, 04:30 AM

Sounds comforting to know that it held up so well along your trip. I would still hesitate to take mine to certain remote places, like the Amazon basin. Even paperback books don't fair too well down there. I remember the first night I spent there started out nice (I was roughing it in a tent), I did my usual routine of unwinding to a nice PB, went to sleep and the book was 1.5" thick, woke up and it had increased to 3" over night! Yikes, I had to leave some of my more precious reading; i.e., old/rare books, in the bags I had wrapped them in (you never know what's going to get squished out in your luggage). They survived, but the exposed books didn't fair too well due to the high himidity; not to mention a few sets of clothes didn't make it either, as they grew some strange new form of mold I couldn't launder out.

Don't know if I'd want to subject my Reader to these conditions, no telling how the electronics would fair or if they'd end up all rusted and withered inside.

Glad you had a nice trip to India!

07-16-2007, 07:54 AM	#1
OnTheRoad Junior Member Posts: 1 Karma: 10 Join Date: Jan 2007 Device: Sony Reader/T-Mobile SDA	How Robust When Travelling - Here's one answer for those interested By way of introduction and a beneficiary of this forum over the last few months, I would add my experience as to how robust the reader is whilst traveling. My wife and I have returned from traveling all over the Indian sub-continent for the last four months using feet, cars, rail, aircraft and only avoiding Yaks and horses because I'm a wimp. We travelled from sea level to 15,875 feet and from temperatures ranging from -15C camping at 11,000 in the first week in March (a thicker pair of underpants would have been handy) to +48C in Varanasi via high humidity in the South and deserts in the north west. The reader was carried in my backpack all the time for security and convenience when not in use. Earlier posts have highlighted the good idea of ensuring that the reader is wedged upright and between things in a pack to avoid it possibly bending or being at the bottom if the pack is dropped. I tried to do this but for the majority of the time failed through laziness. Other than one very cold night in March at -15C the reader performed brilliantly. On that one occasion, the battery retreated wounded from the challenge as did camera batteries and the PDA battery, unsurprisingly. There was never a problem on flights or putting the backpack with reader through x-ray machines and people on planes were only curious as to what it was rather than stampeding for the exits in case it was something sinister. Charging was done via the standard (yet another) brick and wall adapters and even in the dodgy voltage supplies of India worked well on the few times required. If anyone has any reservations about taking it overseas - forget it and relieve yourself of the burden of carrying paper. Summary - brilliant and thanks to all the posts that convinced me to buy it in the first place ...... now, if only Sony could upgrade the software to address the niggles highlighted .....

Similar Threads
Thread	Thread Starter	Forum	Replies	Last Post
Travelling with Kobo	dmacmart	Kobo Reader	5	08-05-2010 02:48 AM
PRS-600 Travelling need more books	sminarovich	Sony Reader	9	02-22-2010 11:22 AM
Opus not very robust?	mtravellerh	News	23	08-21-2009 08:28 PM
How Robust is Searching?	ewayde	iRex	17	11-02-2007 03:33 AM
How robust is Jinke?	Liviu_5	HanLin eBook	0	06-20-2006 12:42 PM

07-16-2007, 09:12 AM	#2
JSWolf Resident Curmudgeon Posts: 73,894 Karma: 128597114 Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Roslindale, Massachusetts Device: Kobo Libra 2, Kobo Aura H2O, PRS-650, PRS-T1, nook STR, PW3	I carry around my Sony reader a lot in my bag. And it survives beautifully. You just never know when you might want to pull out a good book to read. I find the cover that comes with the Sony quite sufficient to keep it protected.

07-16-2007, 09:41 AM	#3
HarryT eBook Enthusiast Posts: 85,544 Karma: 93383043 Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: UK Device: Kindle Oasis 2, iPad Pro 10.5", iPhone 6	The leather cover gives even better protection. Thoroughly recommended if you travel with the Reader a lot.

07-16-2007, 03:45 PM	#6
Arek_W Connoisseur Posts: 76 Karma: 24 Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Wroclaw, Poland Device: PRS-505, ASUS N636	I am really impressed by battery life & little space it takes. I used to use PDA to read ebooks & first thing I would do after arriving at the destination was the power outlet . It was similar to travelling with laptop, even with 2 batteries in it I was doomed to search for the power. Reader, hasstle free. I mean light bag, papers & off we go. Monday charged, did home reading, some flying round EU, back home, Friday, still going. The only thing was checked by security twice in Brussels to explain what it was, U know, they make you take away your laptop so got some questions and weird comments when told them its an ebook reader . Same with flight attendants, please turn off all your electronic devices.... I am going in August to South Africa for RV touring so will see how long it lasts

07-19-2007, 02:03 PM	#8
Turtle Woman Enthusiast Posts: 37 Karma: 10 Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Roswell, NM Device: Sony Reader	Word of warning--if you're going to be on vacation for more than 2 weeks, take your charger. I went to Germany for 3 weeks in May and thought I would be fine because other than the plane rides I wouldn't be reading all that much. I didn't realize that the battery drains even though you aren't reading. (I've learned that since then from posts here.) After two weeks my battery was drained and I had to actually buy paperback books!

07-19-2007, 02:29 PM	#9
Foxymoron Junior Member Posts: 7 Karma: 10 Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Texas Device: Sony EReader, Ebookwise	OntheRoad, Thank you for your most thorough review attesting to the ruggedness of this gadget. Actually, I had some questions as to how well it might hold up with travel after being burned on this issue. My Ebookwise reader was reduced to doorstop status after it skydived out of my hand for all of 12 inches. The company was gracious in replacing it for a greatly reduced fee, but glad to hear this one is a little more road-worthy. It sounds like you had a great couple of months, as for me, I can only read about that kind of adventure.

07-20-2007, 10:10 AM	#11
Foxymoron Junior Member Posts: 7 Karma: 10 Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Texas Device: Sony EReader, Ebookwise	Ha, thanks for the link. Now THAT is impressive

07-21-2007, 04:30 AM	#12
Azayzel Cache Ninja! Posts: 643 Karma: 1002300 Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Tokyo, Japan Device: PRS-500, HTC Shift, iPod Touch, iPaq 4150, TC1100, Panasonic WordsGear	Sounds comforting to know that it held up so well along your trip. I would still hesitate to take mine to certain remote places, like the Amazon basin. Even paperback books don't fair too well down there. I remember the first night I spent there started out nice (I was roughing it in a tent), I did my usual routine of unwinding to a nice PB, went to sleep and the book was 1.5" thick, woke up and it had increased to 3" over night! Yikes, I had to leave some of my more precious reading; i.e., old/rare books, in the bags I had wrapped them in (you never know what's going to get squished out in your luggage). They survived, but the exposed books didn't fair too well due to the high himidity; not to mention a few sets of clothes didn't make it either, as they grew some strange new form of mold I couldn't launder out. Don't know if I'd want to subject my Reader to these conditions, no telling how the electronics would fair or if they'd end up all rusted and withered inside. Glad you had a nice trip to India!

Advert

Advert