Unpopular opinion: Ditching paper notes for tablets messes up site data

I saw a team lose key artifact locations because their tablets crashed in the heat. Now I always hand-draw maps and logs before typing anything up. What's your backup plan for field notes?

3 comments

3 Comments

elizabeth_mason281mo ago

Ugh, losing data like that is the worst feeling. I mean, tyler_davis is right about sketching on paper first, but even paper logs can get soaked or torn. My backup is just taking quick phone photos of my handwritten notes before typing anything up.

tyler_davis1mo ago

No way, tablets just died in the heat? That's a nightmare... I always sketch things out on paper first, no matter what. Tech fails when you need it most.

jordansmith25d ago

Been there... had a whole day's worth of soil sample notes vanish when my old tablet just gave up. The screen went black and never came back on. Now I do a mix. All the first drafts are in a rite in the rain notebook with a pencil. Then, at the end of the day, I take pictures of those pages and email them to myself. That way I've got the paper original and a digital copy that's safe. It's a few extra steps, but it beats starting over from memory.