The popular outdoor pursuit of backpacking is profoundly changing as the community embraces contemporary information technologies. However, there is little empirical evidence on the adoption and use of consumer electronics by backpackers, nor the implications this has for their habits, practices and interactions. We investigate long-distance backpackers’ articulations with mobile information technology during the TGO Challenge, a coast-to-coast crossing of the Scottish Highlands. By employing mixed methods, we explore how and why backpackers use such technology when planning and undertaking their journeys via a survey (n=116), pre-and post-challenge interviews with selected TGO participants, and daily in-field video-logs. Our results suggest many advantages to using technology in this context, including fluidity of communications and access, while noting that reliance on technology is leading to issues such as battery power management and deskilling. The findings highlight implications for the juxtaposition between outdoor recreation, information behaviour, and Human Computer Interaction (HCI) and suggest future work in this area.

中文翻译：

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荒野何去？长途背包客技术使用调查

随着社区接受现代信息技术，背包旅行的流行户外追求正在发生深刻的变化。然而，几乎没有关于背包客采用和使用消费电子产品的经验证据，也没有这对他们的习惯、做法和互动的影响。我们在苏格兰高地的海岸到海岸穿越 TGO 挑战赛期间调查了长途背包客与移动信息技术的联系。通过采用混合方法，我们通过调查（n=116）、对选定的 TGO 参与者的挑战前和挑战后访谈以及每日现场视频日志来探索背包客在规划和开展旅程时如何以及为何使用此类技术。我们的结果表明在这种情况下使用技术有很多优势，包括通信和访问的流动性，同时注意到对技术的依赖导致了诸如电池电源管理和去技能化等问题。研究结果突出了户外休闲、信息行为和人机交互 (HCI) 之间并置的影响，并建议了该领域的未来工作。