View Full Version : iPhone battery life on the trail?
Next month i am taking my first extended hike on the AT (18 days and as far as i get). To appease the girlfriend i am taking my cell phone. I have this little charger thing that you put two AA batterys in and it will give you a charge or two off of them.
My question is how long will one charge on the iPhone last if you are only turning it on for about 30 minutes a day?
astrogirl
04-20-2009, 07:27
Next month i am taking my first extended hike on the AT (18 days and as far as i get). To appease the girlfriend i am taking my cell phone. I have this little charger thing that you put two AA batterys in and it will give you a charge or two off of them.
My question is how long will one charge on the iPhone last if you are only turning it on for about 30 minutes a day?
Booting it takes juice, as does talking. And when you turn it off, you'll need to *actually* turn it off or it will still look for service. If you're really talking that much, my guess is you'd get a week, but not if you're having 30 minute conversations. Then you *might* get 5 days.
Also, service can be dodgy depending on where you're hiking, and you will spend time with the phone on looking for service. Get your girlfriend used to the idea of text messaging. Since it's asynchronous, it needs less service to work. Many of my e-mails just did not make it from my iPhone when I used it last year, but text messages seem to have the best chance. Also, yacking on a cellphone where people can see you when you're out in the woods is considered rude, and text messaging is at least quiet. Turn off the keyboard click-y noise if you haven't already.
The best thing is to carry the shortest USB wire you can get and the current brick -- the teeny-tiny one that's about a 1" cube and charge it when you're purchasing other stuff and you can do it without being a jerk.
None of the 2-AA thingies I've seen actually charge an iPhone, only an iPod. What brand is the thing you're using? A picture would be even better. I looked for one that takes 2 batteries and delivers a 5V charge but eventually gave up.
soulrebel
04-20-2009, 08:46
--if you keep your phone in airplane mode, it should last about 5-7 days if you just leave it on-maybe turning it off at nights.
--If you start listening to the ipod and watching videos-it'll last about 3 days with 8-10hours of playtime each day...especially if you use speakerphone to jam out versus headphones...might get an hour or two more if you used headphones all the time..
--if you turn off airplane mode and try to get a signal. Each time uses about 5% of your battery power. So if you search for a signal several times a day, you'll be eating up your battery very quickly.
--if you use the duracell 2-AA battery recharger type thing-it will recharge the iphone about 15-20% in about 45mins for two AA's.
--I found it easy to make it the 3-4 days between towns and listen to my ipod almost all day, and check for a signal in the morning and night. By the 3rd or 4th day I might use the spot recharger once or twice. I carried an additional 4 to 8 AA batteries to spot recharge. Then of course using the usb/ac adapter for full charges in town...
ok i've spilt all i know from my recent experiences from the last coupla months...
you can always get a solar charger I have a charger the charges my cell phone and Ipod. I attach the charger to the outside of my pack and while I walking it charges a battery for night time charge or plug in the item and it charges as you walking down the trail. The one I got wt is 4oz's
More specifically, i was thinking 25 minutes to find service and whatnot and about 5 minutes of talk time. Other than that itll be completely off due to my moral objection to being kept track of in the woods. And ideally the GF will get used to the idea of me being MIA after a few days and i wont have to use it every day.
this is the quick charger thing that i have. It says itll do 3 charges off of one set of 2 batteries, Li Ion that is though. I havent tested it yet but i soon shall.
http://www.amazon.com/Turbo-Charge-Portable-Charger-iPhone/dp/B000R1C42O
Thanks for all the helpful answers!
Morpheus
04-21-2009, 09:46
I was able to get 5 days from my iPhone by keeping it in Airplane mode, Bluetooth & Wifi off.
Only turned it on at highpoints several times per day.
Cel phones boost output power to max, attempting fruitlessly to connect to a cel tower, so leaving it on will drain most phones in less than a day.
This hike I'm using a Solio Universal ($99) solar/ lithium to recharge my iPhone and Garmin Forerunner. Strap it to the pack in the day; plug and charge @ camp.
I have a serious conflict between going light and gadgetry. I like all the data/ mapping.
One of the drawbacks of having a built-in, non-removable battery is you have to make sure that all the applications that are designed to 'wake up' the phone are disabled. Putting the phone in 'airport mode' isn't enough, but certainly is the first step. When the phone is searching for signal, it is draining the battery horribly. If there is no signal to lock onto, the battery could be dead in a couple of hours.
I had the issue of apps waking up my WM phone even when in 'airport mode' until I got smart enough to just remove the battery when not in use. That works great and eliminates having to disable a bunch of application settings and then re-enable them after the hike. The drain for boot up is minimal compared to all the 'wake ups' applications can cause.
EverydayJourneyman
04-21-2009, 16:43
I'm using a Solio for the ole iPhone as I thru-hike. I hope it helps with the piss-poor battery life.
I just tested out the "turbo charge" on the iPhone with 2 regular AA alkaline batteries. I ran the power down to 20%, connected it, after about an hour the lights were off on the charger, it brought battery up to about 60%. 7 hours of regular use later it was back to 20%. i guess this could equate to about a day or two on the trail.
I think i might just borrow someones old go phone and buy some extra batteries off of ebay...
I havent tested with Li Ion batteries, but im not sure im going to bother...
you could always just carry an extra cell phone battery or 2.
Panzer
you could always just carry an extra cell phone battery or 2.
Panzer
not with the iphone unfortunately, its built in
constant problem for me considering all the cool stuff you can do with your iphone on the trail. i mainly just take pictures and leave it in airplane mode. for multi-day hikes.
saltysack
06-03-2011, 16:08
Solar joos orange great but heavy
couscous
06-05-2011, 21:19
Another option is a clip-on external battery (http://www.amazon.com/MiLi-Power-Pack-External-Capacity/dp/B004H2WTBA/ref=reg_hu-rd_add_1_dp). 3000mAh, $85
This is why I went with the droid--bought a couple of extra batteries.
scooterdogma
06-06-2011, 07:36
I was able to get 5 days from my iPhone by keeping it in Airplane mode, Bluetooth & Wifi off.
Only turned it on at highpoints several times per day.
Good advice. This is what I use to re-power my nano and i-phone. I have never run out of power using as directed above and I can talk and talk when I'm at the top of a mountain. I recharge my nano every night with this charger.
I can recharge the Enercell in town about every five days. Got it from Radio Shack and it comes with the USB cords to fit my phone, nano, kindle and camera. Sweet and relatively light for $49.95.
Product Summary Spare power.
Get the extra talk power you need when you are unable to access power with Enercell's RSE090. Includes USB-to-mini USB cable, mini USB-to-micro USB tip and an AppleŽ cable.
Output voltage 5.0 +/- 0.25V; output current 1000mA (max)
Battery average run time up to 8 hours extra talk time (results vary by device and usage patterns)
Charges quickly from any USB power port
Includes overvoltage, overcharging, short-circuit and over-temperature protection
I use a folding solar panel over the back of the pack while hiking. It weighs 4ozs. I also have a rechargeable headlamp, so I can charge both items and never worry about carrying extra batteries or running out of juice. Be careful about which panels will or won't charge an iPhone. I use a Sunlinq 6.5, but I also tried the Brunton and it did not work.
I'm thinking about buying one of those new Nooks. They only weigh 7ozs and could be used for maps, guides, and entertainment at camp. I'm a little conflicted between the convenience and having that much tech crap in the woods...
Az
I've been considering using an iPhone on a thru. I've heard mixed reviews on solar panels functionality in the "long green tunnel" and have been looking at the Brunton Inspire portable power device. 3,200 mAh, 5.5 ozs, 4 x 3.2 x 0.6 inches, $59, it will allegedly recharge an iPhone 3 times.
http://www.rei.com/product/800240/brunton-inspire-portable-power-device
I carried my att iphone from damascus to waynesboro. kept it in airplane mode normally. carried two external batteries. each provided 50% recharge. i only used one external battery except for the night outside roanoke, i stayed up all night watching radar of severe storms. used both external batteries.
i also used my phone to take over 500 pics and vids. i stayed six nights in motels, hostel and a friend's house and charged up there and at the grocery store in glasgow while eating breakfast.
ChinMusic
06-07-2011, 22:07
Many folks state that the iPhone cannot be charged on the trail. This is simply untrue. I do it all the time. The following device uses 4 AA batteries and works just fine on my 3GS:
http://www.google.com/products/catalog?rlz=1T4GGLL_enUS310US310&q=iphone+aa+battery+charger&um=1&hl=en&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.&biw=1899&bih=899&wrapid=tlif130749784562110&ie=UTF-8&tbm=shop&cid=8744516804405925404&sa=X&ei=dtXuTYCjM8GbtwfzuLCeCQ&ved=0CHUQ8wIwBg#
http://lh4.googleusercontent.com/public/9L1ZY4K8yxgmpmRxC-DKHhQ8Z0YIczpulZEW46NNXjhLk9RzA0nKLyA0KGXWMcKLO1e1 UU53crJhCWwKFTB49o0GD02eAFj-i_XAztoDZrlfVpYWx4iQtaRR8hbhTvMKgqLN4Fu3QEby
None of the 2-AA thingies I've seen actually charge an iPhone, only an iPod. What brand is the thing you're using? A picture would be even better. I looked for one that takes 2 batteries and delivers a 5V charge but eventually gave up.
I have not tried the 2-AA thingies, but I have used 2 different 4-AA thingies with my iPhone and found I get one 50% charge (eg. from 25% up to 75% charge) off of 4 lithium AA's. If you keep the phone in airplane mode, you can take a lot of pictures with not much use of the battery. When you leave airplane mode to make calls or check email or other internet functions, you will start to chew up the battery at a good clip.
On my recent AT section hike, I was entering a daily journal into trailjournals and including a photo through a photobucket link (internet use). I was also using the phone for picture taking without flash, for listening to music 30-60 minutes a day, occasionally reading an AT guidebook PDF, making some relatively short calls (5-15 minutes), and occasionally using the GPS to check my location. With this type of use, I found that I used up a full charge in about 3-4 days (25-33% per day). The 4-AA thingy allowed me to go up to a week between full recharges in towns or hostels with a power outlet. Worked pretty well. I think I found the 4-AA thingy on eBay. It was not expensive; weighs about 1.8 oz without batteries. 4 lithium AAs weigh 2 oz. It works with alkaline AAs as well.
JoelHikingDude
06-11-2011, 09:13
I dont know if someone posted this allready, but you can reduce the power the Iphone uses by turning off apps. things like "weather cast" and chat programs, "minimized" browser windows, etc etc.
My GF had a Droid Phone ( not the same i know) and her battery lasted on average 1/2 day. I got her a external battery pack, that lasted maybe 1.5 days. So i downloaded some apps that maximize battery life, by stopping background programs and other things. You turn off the Wi-Fi, the GPS locator, brighten down the screen power, set it to turn off the screen quicker, no vibration etc. you can extend the battery life by 20 to 25% depending how loaded the phone is.
bigcranky
06-11-2011, 14:06
Yeah, here's a list of things that will help:
http://pogue.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/05/23/four-ways-to-make-your-battery-last-longer/
Airplane mode will make it last even longer.