Where do you charge your devices?
I was just curious how you guys charge your phone/battery pack when you go into town and you aren't staying at a hotel/hostel. Where do you plug in at?
If im not staying in town, Im hiking. If Im hiking, there is nothing to plug in to. There are solar chargers you can buy that work pretty well when the sun is shining, but its best to be someplace sunny, and hiking the AT isnt sunny.
Restaurants (fast-food or otherwise) are pretty much number one. Doing laundry at a laundromat on occasion.
If you're not staying in town but expect to spend some time at grocery shopping ... it doesn't hurt to ask!
Sometimes it's not so much an "in town" per se situation as, for example, a little store or gas station mini-mart outside of town. Stop to buy food to carry and buy food to eat on the spot, ask to charge your device while you're eating whatever. Or perhaps you can walk to the side or the back of the building and there's an outlet.
After a thru-hike, it can be hard to get out of the habit of peering under the tables of a restaurant that you walk into, trying to find the one that has an electric outlet ... :-)
There are certainly more possibilities, but it's a matter of keeping your eyes open, and/or asking politely. So for example, if staying in an established campground --- maybe the camp host has power, or maybe there's power for RV's at their sites, or maybe the toilet/shower area has power for electric razor/hair dryer use.
Gadget
PCT: 2008 NOBO, AT: 2010 NOBO, CDT: 2011 SOBO, PNT: 2014+2016
When I go to a grocery store or eat at a restaurant, I ask if there's a plug I can use.
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The key word is asking
They do not like it if you do not ask... If you do ask you will get more yes's than you might expect.
I check behind outdoor vending machines, often there is a spare socket behind them in reach. Plus your phone isn't left in plain sight behind the machine. Most everyone carries a USB battery pack to recharge the phone while on the trail. If possible, top off your phone with the battery pack before going to town, then just charge the battery pack. That way you don't have to leave your phone someplace for a few hours. Of course, when staying at a hostel or motel, it's not an issue.
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get a good solar charger. one that will charge itself even on a cloudy day. can get them pretty cheaply these days. I agree with Slo-go'en. charge the phone first then plug in the battery pack or the solar charger. my solar charger can be charged by the sun or receptacle.
Semper Fi and 73's,
G. L. Cooper
K0OPG (Amateur Extra)
Mountains of WV
It's amazing how many times along the AT I'd be walking by a farm building, or maintenance shed, or some other building close to the trail and find an outlet on the side of it; if it times out well, take a nice little break for an hour's worth of charge. One key is to make sure to have a fast charging system, like a 2.5A USB plug and thick enough cable. Experiment at home with a fast charging system, little bity tiny ones take 3-4 times as much.
At home, where they stay until I return.
Locations of electrical outlets within 2000 ft of the trail will be included in next yr's AT Thru-Hiker Companion...The AT Companion now weighs 64 ounces.
I have the Nomad 7 and I've used it on shorter hikes on the MD section of the AT, and I've actually had very good results. I will typically charge an older backup battery while walking, then use the battery to charge my phone if needed while hiking.
Even in the green tunnel, you may or may not be able to get a full recharge onto your backup battery, but you'll definitely extend your backup by a significant amount. Yes, it adds weight, so that's a sticking point with some.
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I don't know about the significant amount, YMMV. Solar chargers have proven to be of little use on the AT.Originally Posted by TX Aggie
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Maybe it's just my glowing personality.
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+2 Manners are a good thing, otherwise its theft.
Heard it thru the grapevine that it is good sport to lay a Washington or two on the counter when "asking" if you can charge your device.
I've never paid just to charge, but most of the time that I'm doing so in the context of buying something --- food at gas station or grocery store, lodging in a motel room, a prepared meal at a restaurant, etc."Heard it thru the grapevine that it is good sport to lay a Washington or two on the counter when "asking" if you can charge your device."
If a person wanted a really complete list, it would take a little thinking ... for example, if you're in town for just part of a day and hit a public library for internet that's a possibility, except that you're likely there to USE your phone. Even then, though, asking the librarian could possibly net you a place to sit to plug in and "use" the device at the same time.
The extra weight of a battery pack might be helpful in that situation; I've never carried one, sticking thus far to phones that have removable batteries. But those are getting rare on the ground.
It also depends on the nature of the hike; I found out on the PCT that a solar charger was more weight and hassle than I wanted relative to what I got out of it, but there are certainly hike situations where it would be worth it (just not, for me, any sort of long distance hike that I've done to date). But gear adjusts for the anticipated conditions. For example, on the Camino de Santiago, an extra long USB-to-microUSB cord was a very low weight addition that allowed me options when there were more people with phones to charge than available plugs in the Albergues. In such a situation, a small 1-to-N plug adapter can be a godsend.
But on the AT in particular, where towns or other options are close together, unless you've got a really (electric) power-hungry hiking style, it's not that difficult.
Gadget
PCT: 2008 NOBO, AT: 2010 NOBO, CDT: 2011 SOBO, PNT: 2014+2016
State vs person charging cell phone Case#: 123- theft
How do you plead?
Guilty with explanation your honor.
Explain.
Your honor needed to make an emergency phone call to my wife and two children letting them know my whereabouts and making sure they were safe. I apologize to the members of my family, society, Circle K, and the court for my indiscretion.
Guilty as charged. You are hereby reprimanded to the authorities at Guantanamo Bay to serve a sentence of 1 hr the same length of time you charged your cell ph in front of the Circle K. You're also to pay a restoration fee of 7 cents to the owners of Circle K and pay the state $1000.
Honor.
Yes.
I also took three packets of Hot Sauce from Taco Bell two yrs ago without first asking.
So, you're a habitual offender.
This is a disgrace on society. 2 hrs at Guantanamo Bay and $2000 fine. You're on the terrorist watch list as an enemy to society and corpocractic ideology.
I made and take a very short (6") extension cord, the kind with three "outlets" on the end. That way, I don't have to unplug something else wherever I am, plus I can share with a fellow hiker or two.
I agree with asking first and/or making sure I'm a customer if it's a commercial business.
[I]ye shall not pollute the land wherein ye are: ... Defile not therefore the land which ye shall inhabit....[/I]. Numbers 35
[url]www.MeetUp.com/NashvilleBackpacker[/url]
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most solar chargers only offer quality charges when in direct sunlight due to how solar cells actually gather the energy. Since the majority of the trail will be in the shade the best a solar charger will be able to offer is a topping charge. The amount of surface area plays a large part in how much charging power a solar panel offers so all of the smaller ones are practically worthless. There are some fold down lightweight solar chargers but even then honestly save your money or buy a battery pack.
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