If you are wondering if you should treat yourself to a Kindle for your next backpacking adventure, you are in the right place.
I have recently returned home from 7 months of solo backpacking in Southeast Asia. My experience backpacking was so much more than I could have ever imagined in every way possible!
I am working my way through a very long list of blog posts I have to write and today I am bringing you my Kindle review for taking Backpacking!
Whilst writing out my packing tips I realised I have too many reasons to justify you buying a Kindle that it has its own blog post.
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If you have got this far into planning your backpacking adventure, hopefully you are already aware of the long travel days you are getting yourself in for!
I can promise you now you will not regret taking a Kindle backpacking with you and here is why.
Disclaimer, these are my own opinions I have not been paid to write this post, however, should you purchase a Kindle through my link, At no extra cost to you, I may earn a small commission from your purchase.
The Benefits of Taking a Kindle Backpacking
The first and I think the most obvious benefit is how lightweight the Kindle is.
Up until my backpacking adventure I have always been a physical book gal however, I knew it was going to be very impractical to take multiple books with me!
Books are heavy and will take up a lot of space in your backpack. Once you’ve read them, you won’t want to carry them around anymore. Grandted you can pass them on or swap them however personally I love to keep my books! And on top of this, I didn’t actually come across that many places with a lot of English fiction books!
The Kindle can store a ridiculous amount of books for you to access instantly and easily whilst on the go.
You can delete books once you’ve finished reading them or you can save them to read again!
The next big benefit is that the screen of the Kindle lights up! This means you can read in darker places without needing the light on. Perfect for when your are in hostel dorms or on night busses!
The screen even has multiple setting options ranging from warm to cool tones as well as your different brightness levels.
On top of this, it’s super easy to adjust the font size if you struggle with your sight. You can even invert the colours can help if you have dyslexia.
One of my favourite features of the Kindle is the percentage of the book you have left. This is shown in the bottom corner and always gives me so much encouragement to finish books as the percentage drops down.
I find the Kindle removes any fear of starting a big book as you physically don’t know how thick the book is that you picked!
And an extra benefit of the Kindle is no one ever knows what you are reading! Fill your boots with all your childhood nostalgia or even an inappropriate book or two, no one will know lol.
Another benifit of the Kindle for backpacking is that it’s waterproof, I love to read on the beach or by a pool and I am ridiculously clumsy! Let’s face it we have all dropped a book in the bath at some point in our life and had to wait a couple of days for it to dry out!
Finally, I was beyond impressed with the battery life of my Kindle! I found myself hardly having to charge it which is definitely a benifit when you are constantly on the move! My Kindle lasts weeks without fail!
It was my 21st birthday a couple of weeks before I left for my backpacking adventure so I decided it was the perfect opportunity to get a Kindle! Yes, I asked for a Kindle for my 21st birthday and as sad as that sounds, but I am so glad I did!
Which Kindle is Best for you?
When it comes to buying a Kindle, there are a few different options.
I have the Kindle Paperwhite 8 GB and it has a 6.8-inch screen. However since getting mine Amazon has increased the minimum storage to 16GB.
From my research, the main differences between the Kindle 2022 edition and the Kindle Paperwhite are that the Kindle Paperwhite has a slightly bigger and better screen, including the warm light display options and is waterproof.
They offer 16GB and a 32GB Kindle Paperwhite, a book on the Kindle only takes up about 2.6 MB, therefore, you can fit literally thousands of books on the 16GB so can’t imagine anyone needing 32GB?!
The disadvantage of the Kindle is they are a little expensive to buy. It’s definitely a treat-yourself purchase but we all know you deserve it!
On top of this depending on which book you want to read books can range from free to full price!
I do however believe it is worth it as it makes reading on the go 1000 times easier!
Have I Convinced You?
Have I convinced you that a Kindle is absolutely the way forward?
Granted, I do sometimes miss the feel and weirdly the smell of a paper book but when you add backpacking into the mix my Kindle will not be going anywhere!
I do have to add to make sure you get a case too! My screen has very definitely scratched from my last trip so it will be remaining in a case on my next trip!
If this post has helped you and confirmed you do in fact need a Kindle, I would more than appreciate it if you made your purchase through my Amazon link. At no extra cost to you, I may earn a small commission from your purchase which is a massive support whilst I am starting out with my travel blog.
If you found this post helpful be sure to comment below and follow my social media!
Love Zo x
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