Charging electronics on the AT

[SunnyWalker]

My solar charger requires DIRECT sunlight for quite a while to charge up. I don't think I could charge it up while on the AT even if it was on top/back of my backpack during the day. The AT does not seem that open enough with all the trees and all. Also, on overcast days and etc., it would not probably charge all the way up. I'd mainly use it as an extra battery (plug it into an outlet in town and charge it up then use it to charge phone or Ipod on trail if I needed to). However, when I do have access to direct sunlight it works great. Surprisingly, it is the Bear Grylls Mini Solar Panel.

[Timinator]

The only solar panels that work on the AT are heavy ones weighing a pound and a half or more. This device may be the solution to everyone's power problem when it is released though https://www.kickstarter.com/projects...r-by-walking-0. 1 iphone charge per 2.5-5 miles...yum.

[double d]

How about leaving all that crap at home and learning from nature ; listen to the night and mornings around you. Talk with people and dogs; bring a book or poems; what a concept get off the damn grid.

excellent idea,but most people go into withdrawl from lack of cell phone use while on any long distance trail.

[bear-trek]

Thanks for everyone's input. Finally settled on a New Trent battery pack, the "Travelpak +". Hear you about getting off the grid, but with two parents with increasing health issues, and a wife who will sleep better with regular checkins, need to make sure I have text/phone access when needed.

[HikerMom58]

Thanks for everyone's input. Finally settled on a New Trent battery pack, the "Travelpak +". Hear you about getting off the grid, but with two parents with increasing health issues, and a wife who will sleep better with regular checkins, need to make sure I have text/phone access when needed.

Hear ya! Yeah, when people just shoot off random responses like "get off the damn grid", they don't take the time to understand why someone would want or need to carry electronics with them. It seems they don't really care anyway, they are just spouting off. *Big Smile* Thankfully, you were kind in your response back to them. Kudos to you bear-trek! I'm glad you settled on something.

[Kc Fiedler]

http://npowerpeg.com/

I used a PowerPeg for a trip and then returned it. I guess my backpack doesn't jiggle enough to harvest energy because I hiked with it for days and it never got a charge. When you think about it, it makes sense tho. How often do you stand around with your pack on jumping up and down?

[Josh Calhoun]

solar chargers are not practical, Anker Astro Series of chargers are the way to go

[Wise Old Owl]

solar chargers are not practical, Anker Astro Series of chargers are the way to go

Hey Josh like a lot of folk that show up here, There are solutions you have not discovered or equipment that you have not seen! misguided you are. It's OK there are trail towns- with power, no need for the dark side. It's not personal.

[Damn Yankee]

I know in Waynesboro Virginia they are putting in power stations just for the AT hikers to help draw them to town to raise income so maybe more towns are doing it. I will have a pay as you go with me only because my wife will want me to check in when I can. Most of my time will be writing my journal and when I get home, my wife is going to write a memoir and hopefully, I will be able to get it published. I am 100% for being off the grid and just enjoying the sounds of the woods. I spent three months living in the Sonora Desert working with the Border Patrol and the best part of the whole thing was listening to the coyotes, watching the kangaroo mice at night along with all the other critters. Using devices on the trail is your option as long as it doesn't interfere with others solitude. Good luck, you shouldn't have much trouble.

[jdc5294]

If you're in a town you should be able to find a power outlet regardless. Any restaurant under some/most of the tables (fast food or otherwise) and if you can't find them the staff will most likely let you plug it in back in the kitchen while you eat. Bartenders are also more then willing to plug it in behind the bar for you, most of the time they'll have the cable back there already. Gas stations will usually have some outlets you can use if you ask. Hostels and hotels obviously, too. Sporting goods stores are always hiker friendly and will let you use one of theirs. Establishments in towns along the trail are used to these requests so you shouldn't feel shy about asking, the worst thing they can do is say no.

[magic_game03]

Solar charging is not ready for primetime on the tree-covered AT. Those that I saw with solar chargers were getting the vast majority of their juice by plugging in the unit in town. It was a waste of weight. Save yourself the headache and just carry a rechargeable battery, a unit that uses throw-away batteries, or one of the fuel cell units.

I have some experience in this matter but ChinMusic has summed it up best. I used a solar charger a lot in the Sierras and it rocked on my 2012 JMT hike. I had 16 gigs of music, all JMT maps (and Google maps in town), reserved camping spot at General Grant Grove, got cheap internet hotel tickets at end of trip, photos, videos, and a lot more but I'm not going to go on about that. But since I've been back to the east coast I've not had the same value out of the Solar Charger, mostly because of the trees and the clouds. I'm not saying that my charger is absolutely useless, but it has been useless more often than not.

Since then I've mostly just carried a back up battery. I've had the HTC Vivid and Samsung S4, both of which allow memory expansion and access to swapping out the battery. If I'm correct you cannot do that with the iPhone (and with some other smartphones, like the new HTC One.)

So for now, I agree with ChinMusic, on the AT I carry a back up battery and would recommend a portable battery booster for anyone who cannot swap out a battery.

[Wise Old Owl]

Recently added products on the internet gives Goal Pro a Run for the money. This is all about what to take when Backpacking so I will relate this as best as I can. The physical collector or panel has gone thru many changes over the years. What you could buy a few years ago, is easily trumped by better quality products. The power gets better, as collection lines get thinner and tighter together according to the innovators over in Japan. Goal Zero & Joos are dominating the market and at the same time are pricier than the rest. but here is the rub - Almost all of them have to have a perfect day to work 100% On the other hand you can flip a Goal Zero backwards to the sun and still get some charge. The only time these larger panels don't work is when you are getting rained on. - Leaves scatter the light, so its 50% nowadays and some charge is better than nothing. Look at the size difference, most of the working panels are 8"x10" or larger. One only has to see something smaller like the size of a DVD and read the complaints on Amazon... The Smaller ones like Solio are budget wasters. There are also a load of knock offs, that appear cheap & lack power management and protection diodes and after a season are broke.

Flex film require far more panels to collect the same amount of power, recently there was a Bear Gryls version, a quite a few complaints. It doesn't mean it doesn't work - but if you remember Bruton was twice as big for a reason, and a hefty price too.
Measuring circuits ( a series of resistors and chip) on the Motorola Android, Apple Iphone, and Samsung will prevent you from direct charging a smart phone on most solar chargers, the circuit or short on data wire tells the phone you are not using the proprietary charger that came with it...* You charge directly to a battery backup or a older phone and later send the power into the Smart Phone. I will order and test the Anker to see if they solved this.

Enter in a new candidate. Anker 14 Watt 1 Amp per 5volt port 2 amp total gives Goal Pro a boot to the side on price and amount of panels, Charge two Items at the same time!

www.amazon.com/Anker-Foldable-Dual-port-...luding/dp/B00E3OL5U8




This panel claims 27 ounces.

What I am trying to accomplish is decent power in the woods and charge something during a one to two hour lunch break, and get the weight down as low as I can get it. If there is no sun mount it to the top of the pack and hang it all day... Yea I know there are a few out there (leave it at home) but I have been a geek all my life.

[dmax]

So what are you trying to say??
Just go with the battery back up, unless your out west?
So far it looks like the battery pack would be the lightest?

[Wise Old Owl]

Who was this directed towards? An Anker battery backup is the one of the lightest ideas so far. A solar panel is an enhancement.

[dmax]

It's directed towards anyone who knows anything about chargers. I have no clue. ... But I do see on all of these threads that people pop in and say that wont work, but never says what does work ... It would be great to have a list of good chargers for the AT.

[Weather-man]

So what are you trying to say??
Just go with the battery back up, unless your out west?
So far it looks like the battery pack would be the lightest?

I can't imagine a scenario during an AT hike that a solar charger would make sense. Perhaps if someone planned on not hitting a resupply (town..) for 2-3 weeks...perhaps. Other than that scenario the weight and low efficiency of a solar panel would preclude its use. For 27 oz (as suggested above) I could carry enough lithium power packs to supply an iPhone for 2-3 weeks.

27 oz of lithium battery (30,000 MaH + or -) would provide a non-smart phone with enough juice for an entire thru-hike, I would imagine.

So as far I see the workable solution of efficiency (weight balanced with power) is one of the many 5000-10000 maH lithium power packs that are available. My 5200 newtrent, which weighs about 4.5 oz, will keep my iPhone happy for a week of fairly regular usage if I use an intelligent power management strategy. The Anker looks like a great product as well.

[dmax]

My wife has been wanting to buy a Patriot Fuel+ for the last couple of weeks. But since she hasn't bought one yet I'll have her look into the Ankers. ... I still use a stick and a can. Actually I still use an old flip phone. No high tech phones here, yet...

[Wise Old Owl]

Dmax - if your phone is on this list this is what I would suggest - several charges in one unit

http://www.amazon.com/Ultra-Compact-...ankers+battery

[dmax]

Dmax - if your phone is on this list this is what I would suggest - several charges in one unit

http://www.amazon.com/Ultra-Compact-...ankers+battery

Hers is, mines not .. Thanks Woo!

[jdc5294]

I'm just curious as to why anyone would need anything besides a wall charger with them. I used my iPhone pretty intensively as a music player and ebook reader along the way, always made it into town with some juice left. Obviously I had it on airplane mode when I wasn't in town, so I guess needing extra power means you'll be receiving phone calls and texts while you're out? I consider myself pretty attached to technology but even I enjoyed being unreachable while I was actually out in the woods. Turning everything on and getting the surge of texts and missed calls once a week was plenty frequent for me. /endrant