High Tech Toy Questions

I am interested in how many people do or do not take a TV, a VCR, a DVD player and/or a laptop with them? How about another high tech device like a GPS, MP3 player or something else with you? How many of you just have to check your email when camping? Is the laptop for when you are bored or do you have to keep up with forums, news, weather and etc on the Internet? Do you just use the TV on rainy days or do you just have to keep up with your shows?

We do not take the first three, because our conversion van has a TV and a DVD player. We rarely use them and normally play games instead (mainly Skipbo, Scrabble and Yatzee). When my wife decides to read, I get out my PDA/cellphone out (Cingular 8525) and play Sudoko or Millsbourne. I also use the PDAcellphone with a bluetooth GPS unit and a street navigation program to get where I am going. When hiking or canoeing, I use the PDA/Cellphone and bluetooth GPS with a topographic navigation program.

I take my company laptop in case there is an emergency at work, but have no desire to use it otherwise. It just reminds me of work as I am a Network Engineer. I can teather the laptop to my PDA/cellphone to get Internet access in a campground that does not have wireless, but does have Cingular/AT&T data coverage. I have not had to do that on a camping trip yet thankfully. I have used a campground's 802.11 wireless to send a paper I needed to complete that I found out about an hour before I left work for the trip. I was not to happy about that either.

I have created a special email account for my PDA/phone on one of my personal domains. My family and the other Network Engineers I work with know to use that email address if they want a response from me before I get back. I never check my normal email accounts. I could set them all up in my PDA/cellphone, but I have no desire to deal with that much email. They also know I only guarenty I will check that account once or maybe twice a day. If it is real important, you better call me. I am on vacation or a weekend camping trip after all.