[paintballswimguy]

I'm going to be hiking a good deal of the appalachian trail this summer about 800 to 1000 miles or so. I'm in need of a decent sounding pair of headphones to wear while hiking. I currently I have some UE triple.fi 10s that were reshelled into customs, so i'm not thinking i want to bring them.
I also need a new audio source (currently have ipod classic 5g). My buddy will have a solar charger, strapped to his pack, easily capable of charging an ipod or AA/AAA batteries 
 
I'm looking at getting either:
Klipsch Image S4s (around $50 on ebay)
Q-Jays new from ebay for around $100
Monster Turbines sound nice, not sure if they'd fit my ears or not.
 
I'm open to suggestions, I also have pretty darn small ear canals. I used to own UE700s, I ended up selling them, i felt that they sounded to metallic, and needed more bass response. Durability to pretty important as well
 
I listen to everything a little of everything. CCR, Eagles, Various Country, Jack Johnson, arctic monkeys, etc...
 
For a source it MUST be light weight and have great battery life. Power output and Sound quality is nice, however for once on this forum it isn't everything. 8GB min, I prefer 16GB or more
I'm thinking a 5th gen ipod nano for its small weight and battery life.
But the Sansa Clip 8Gb looks like a steal at $56 bucks on amazon.
 
 
Money is somewhat of a concern, but quality is also important. 
 

 

[Uncle Erik]

Not to be a troll, but have you considered going without a sound system?

Some years back, I did a lot of backpacking with my Boy Scout troop. One trip a month and during the summer we went on Long Term, which was a 7-10 day hike through the high Sierras without food drops. We packed everything we needed.

Electronics (aside from a flashlight) were verboten with our old-school Scoutmasters. No games, nothing.

If I were going on a long trek like this (which I think is awesome, by the way) I'd leave the electronics at home, with a couple of exceptions. I would want to experience nature in full without the distractions.

My two exceptions would be:

1. GPS device. GPS didn't exist when I used to backpack, but it's incredibly useful.
2. A handheld (HT) amateur radio. The license is worth it and not terribly difficult at the Technician level. Small, lightweight HTs didn't exist back then, either.

And, yes, I'd make a serious argument for both with my old Scoutmasters.

GPS is, frankly, necessary these days. It'll keep you from getting lost and they are incredibly useful. An average HT will give you 5W of power (cell phones only give you 0.25W) and will let you call for help if you need it. Hams are very good at helping their own - put out a distress call on a repeater and you'll not only get emergency help, but many hams will show up in person to help their own. Invaluable.

But other than that, I'd go without entertainment devices. There's so much to see and listen to out there. Get away from it all and experience nature. You won't miss the modern distractions.

 

[Br777]

well the clip+ seems like the most obvious DAP choice - rockboxed, and supplimented with whatever size micro sd card you prefer.  the biggest is 32gb at the moment.   
 
Personally if i were to want music on a trek like that i'd either argue that you bring the best sounding thing you've got, which soulds like your customs..
 
or
 
id argue for a very light non IEM pair such as some earbuds something like some sennheiser mx980 or OMX980 which have clips that hold them onto your ears very comfortably.  i hike with my OMX980's every day and bought them so they'd stay put and require no fiddling at all.   sometimes when you're hiking its nicer to be able to hear whats going on around you.  Especially if there are other people with you.
 
the only other thing worth mentioning is that you might want to carry 2 pair incase you damage one with sweat, or whatever else.
 
have fun!
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 

[akacoke]

please see the movie 127 hrs before you go.

 

[paintballswimguy]

Thanks for the feedback guys. I understand the idea about not bringing electronics along. I'm an eagle scout and went through the same type of thing. I will rarely if ever be wearing them while hiking, it will mostly be while, i'm laying down to go to sleep at night, however, i would like the ability to wear them while hiking for the first few weeks of my 3 month hiking trip, mainly to keep my mind off how much pain I will be in... I'm bringing a SPOT(emergency locator becon mainly because of a paranoid fiancée), a petzl tikka flashlight, and i'll bring my HTC EVO for pics, I only plan on turning it on for pictures, in emergencies, or while in town. 
 
I think the Sansa Clip is a must after looking into it. Its so tiny. Plus i can think I can use the 8 gb micro sd card from my HTC evo, to get the space up to 16Gb. I need to look into rockboxing it though. 
 
I also hadn't look into a second pair of headphones, that makes the most sense. I won't carry them with me, do to weight (everything adds up), but i will put them in my bounce box. (a box that you continuelly mail forward in front of you on the trail to the next post office)
 
 
Are the sennheiser mx880s any good. The ones you recommended look great, however, they are out of my price range at the moment. 

 

[TobaccoRoad]

Quote:

please see the movie 127 hrs before you go.

 
Are you implying OP should bring clip-on headphones?