Im looking at small, very cheap MP3 players to take backpacking/long journeys etc as my iPod battery only lasts 6 hours and I can't recharge it if i cant get to a mains socket.

Has anyone got the one on backpackinglight.co.uk??? It seems great as it runs on AAA batteries and the memory is expandable, can anyone give a decent review? Does it sound alright? I have better headfones so it doesn't matter if the stock ones need chucking.

Otherwise, does anyone have any alternative suggestions? I need music for my summer hols and for in the car but don't want to fork out too much. The most important thing is that it runs on replaceable batteries.

Any help would be much appreciated :-)

Try giving these people a ring.

Is it the same as this one

If it is, I can vouch for it. With the right earphines, although the ones supplied ain't bad, the sound quality is good and you can get 14 hours plus from one AAA.
You can also get a 1 Gig SD MC from the same place for £16.49.
You can't really go wrong.

MP3 player on backpackinglight.co.uk? whereabouts?

I have exactly the same one as shown at backpackinglight.co.uk but I got it from sevendayshop.com for about £7. The one shown on my link above is the same but with a slightly updated style. The old one had real glass mirror trim which is a great backup for a shaving/signalling mirror. Downside? Being glass it can crack although that doesn't affect the integrity of the case. The new style is all metal I believe.
By the way, 7 day's batteries are also dirt cheap.

Thanks! :)

For God's sake don't buy a Sony MP3!

Mine stopped working after a couple of months- I sent it back and the staff were rude to my Mother (who bought it originally). They 'repaired' it once and it worked for around five minutes. I sent it back yet again and now they've sent it back saying its beyond economic repair as there was liquid contamination. I know that's a lie because a) It never got wet; and b) if that was the case they would have spotted it the first time they repaired it.

That's modern customer service for you I guess!

You can always get a battery extender for the ipod, they are about £7, take 4 AA batteries and charge the ipod as if it was on mains, and you usually get about 3 full charges per 4 AA's.

Look on ebay for them.

I've been looking at similar to extend the capacity of my Logitek 1Gb (AAA battery) player. It's a great little player, but the capacity means I'm forever deleting stuff to add something else.

I've ignored the rechargeable units - a couple of spare AAA batteries weigh bugger all, and there's no recharge point/usb port out in the wilds.

I've not purchased anything yet (I'm watching the 2Gb models start to appear) If I stick to a standard player rather than have a player/FM radio one, I'll probably go with Bob's site - it's good value for money & I'd prefer to give him the business.

Just beware - some of the SD players can only use up to 1Gb cards (rather than the 2/4Gb)You may have to experiment with card manufacturer as well.

Here's a few extra links I've gathered for some comparitives, if they help:

http://www.ebuyer.com/customer/products/index.html?rb=17863656773&action=c2hvd19wcm9kdWN0X292ZXJ2aWV3&product_uid=100745

http://www.advancedmp3players.co.uk/shop/product_info.php?products_id=1111&reviews_id=2152&display=features

http://store.yahoo.com/frontierstore/nexblackbare.html

http://www.advancedmp3players.co.uk/shop/product_info.php?products_id=628

http://www.mt-electronics.com/new_search_results_details.asp?theid=623&product_type=4

http://www.dooyoo.co.uk/portable-mp3-player/sd_memory_card/

http://www.pixmania.co.uk/uk/uk/80/xx/xx/15/4/criteresn.html

http://www.ebuyer.com/customer/products/index.html?action=UFNTaG93UmVzdWx0cw%3D%3D

Thanks for the long links, JH!

:-(((((

What's wrong with having different collections on separate cards?
That's what I do and I also borrow "talking books" from the library and rip them so that I can take them out on the hill for those quiet, tentbound moments.
I've had my sevendayshop.com player for 18 months or more; it hasn't let me down yet and I paid less than £8 for it. I recently bought a 1Gig SD card for under £18 from the same place, in fact I have lots of cards and a card caboodle bought for peanuts from the same place.
The player, with battery, earphones and SD card, weighs less than 40grams.

the sevendayshop player is excellent for the price.
it has a maximum bit rate of 256kb. i use mine for talking things (radio, books, podcasts) as all my music is ripped at 320kb and it doesn't play on it.
a selection of, cheap, cards gives you plenty of choice.

Big Files!

Thanks guys, I think I'll go with Bob's MP3 player then. Presumably it does work with 1Gb cards? It only mentions 512Mb on the site.
As I said, I have an iPod with most of my music on, I'll just have to choose the best to take when I go away (I can't listen to 3500 songs during 3 days in the hills anyway) and for longer trips weight probably wont be an issue so i'll take a couple of cards.

Mine which, as I said, is identical to that on Bob's site takes 1Gb cards but I haven't tried it with anything bigger yet.
You shouldn't be disappointed especially at that price.