Music players - iPods

We discourage their use while walking but for a sleepless night or the odd evening they are nice to have.

Standard "Classic" iPods

With an additional cable you can download your photos on to them, very handy. HOWEVER you should never use your iPod above 3500m. SERIOUSLY! Yes, sometimes they will work above this altitude but at higher altitudes, especially if you play it while walking, it will stop working, we have seen this MANY times. It is hard to say what altitude this will be (sometimes 4500m), but at 3500m and below they are all okay. To loaded a set of photos you can try this at up to approx 4200m if you keep the player completely still from turning it on to turning off.

Charging

Talk with your trek leader. We usually carry a solar panel with a USB charging adaptor. However most players have 15+ hour battery life, and unless you are a heavy user that will almost last, for a shorter trek, anyway.

On expeditions we have complete power supplies.

Smaller iPods

The iPod Shuffle, Nano, Touch and other flash memory-based music players will work at any altitude. They are the best choice for a trek. Ensure they don't get wet, for example by being in a steamy jacket.

There are plenty of other manufacturers, and some have flash-based players that take a AAA battery, also a good alternative for a trek.