View Full Version : How to you retain battery life in cold weather?
msumax1985
03-05-2013, 08:09
On a recent overnight trip, I attempted to take some video in the morning at 34 degrees--my camera said battery was dead. I put the camera in a pocket inside my jacket and was able to take a 45 second clip about 20 minutes later. When the battery was back at room temperature after my trip, as a test, I started recording--and the camera battery was still going strong after 3 minutes.
What do you do to retain your battery life in cold weather, if anything? Anyone know why batteries come back to life after being cold? What temps are too cold for batteries? Will they keep coming back night after night?
Sorry for all the questions, just want to know what other have learned. Thanks!
Tipi Walter
03-05-2013, 08:31
On a recent overnight trip, I attempted to take some video in the morning at 34 degrees--my camera said battery was dead. I put the camera in a pocket inside my jacket and was able to take a 45 second clip about 20 minutes later. When the battery was back at room temperature after my trip, as a test, I started recording--and the camera battery was still going strong after 3 minutes.
What do you do to retain your battery life in cold weather, if anything? Anyone know why batteries come back to life after being cold? What temps are too cold for batteries? Will they keep coming back night after night?
Sorry for all the questions, just want to know what other have learned. Thanks!
It's true of course that cold weather reduces battery output---in phones and cameras and radios, etc. My cell phone is an old simple no-feature Nokia tracfone and it lasts me 18 days with one batt if I keep it off most of the time. On my last trip I had no power bars by Day 16 and then put it in my down parka for an hour and got 2 power bars but not for long. A solution here is to pull out the battery and get the model # and order an extra.
My camera came with a battery and I ordered 5 extras and put them in a ziploc and take all 6 on a standard long winter trip. It's the easy solution to cold batts. I went out in Feb for 18 days and only used 3 of the 6 batteries but it wasn't butt cold either---lowest temps were in the teens. 0F or -10F and you'll really see batt death. Anyway, if you must---keep your items in a down pocket of a vest or jacket and pull them out only when in use. They don't have to be warm all the time, just at the time you use them.
The Cleaner
03-05-2013, 08:37
Using Lithium batteries helps a lot if you can get them for your device.....
TheGreek
03-05-2013, 08:44
Keep the device as close to your body heat as possible when it's cold out, and sleep with it in your bag.
I carry a small 3200mAH external battery with a USB port on it for charging devices, as well.
FatHead64
03-05-2013, 09:34
Yep - no real tricks besides keep it warm - so close to the body or in a pocket, or something.
Wolf - 23000
03-05-2013, 10:02
Back a couple of years ago, while doing the state of Maine. I used the new Energizier battaries. My warmest day was 20 degrees in the day time. Even in brutal tempertures, they worked fine in both my camera and headlamp. In a month, I was on my second set of batteries for my camera and my third set for my headlamp (used often considering how much daylight I had). I would strongly recommend them in the extreme cold.
Hope this helps.
Wolf
colorado_rob
03-05-2013, 11:14
They don't have to be warm all the time, just at the time you use them. +1... This is a key point a lot of people don't realize. When it's cold, the chemical reaction in a battery that creates the voltage slows down. No worries when the battery is not being used (as the chemical reaction is not happening then anyway). Big deal if you try to extract this energy and the battery is cold, the internal reaction just can't do the job. So, as long as you warm the batteries up before using them, they work just dandy. Bottom line: Cold, per se, doesn't harm (drain) a battery, only using it while it's cold does.
And yes, Lithium batteries work much better than alkalines when cold, however, they are 5X more expensive. Finally, yep, just keep your e-gear warm inside your jacket BUT I suggest putting it in a sealed zip-lock baggie; you body is creating a ton of moisture and it's good to keep that moisture off you device as much as possible, especially cameras. Just my $0.02, learned from many trips in bitter cold conditions.
SunnyWalker
03-05-2013, 12:24
Yep. Keep 'em warm. In bed at night. Use baggies. Lithium sure do seem to last a-lot longer.
How to you retain battery life in cold weather?
Energizer Ultra Lithium. Worth the extra cost and for all the UL gram weenies they weigh less thyan alkaline batteries too!
Tipi Walter
03-05-2013, 16:54
How to you retain battery life in cold weather?
Energizer Ultra Lithium. Worth the extra cost and for all the UL gram weenies they weigh less thyan alkaline batteries too!
Problem is, in cold weather even lithium batts go bad fairly fast. Heck, my camera has lithium and they drain pretty quick in the cold. My phone has lithium too. It all depends on the severity of the cold.
TW, that's why I always carry my lithium batteries in little pockets under my arm pits or stash them in my crotch. They don't call them Energizer for nothing. Lithium batteries last longer and work better in the cold than alkaline batteries.
Tipi Walter
03-05-2013, 21:10
TW, that's why I always carry my lithium batteries in little pockets under my arm pits or stash them in my crotch. They don't call them Energizer for nothing. Lithium batteries last longer and work better in the cold than alkaline batteries.
I can't bring myself to buy regular AA or AAA batteries in lithium form because the initial ticket price is rough and the throw-out moment could get emotional.
I can't bring myself to buy regular AA or AAA batteries in lithium form because the initial ticket price is rough and the throw-out moment could get emotional. Thats why I use rechargable NiMH batteries, usually Energizer brand. I can reuse them over and over and feel like I get my moneys worth. They also do well in cold weather. For long trail use, I have a 2.3oz USB AA/AAA battery recharger that I carry. Like my other electronics, I can plug it into my USB wall charger in town. They do weigh almost twice what a lithium battery weighs, but since I can top them off in town, I don't feel the need to carrry spares on the trail which helps make up the weight difference.