Backcountry charging systems

David

FNG
Joined
Dec 13, 2012
Messages
15
Curious what everyone uses to charge their phone or other electronics in the backcountry. Battery pack? Solar charger?
 

DKennedy951

Lil-Rokslider
Joined
Mar 28, 2014
Messages
102
Location
VA
This is what I used in Montana for archery elk. Had no issues and it charged everything I needed.
 

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Joined
Aug 20, 2019
Messages
1,115
ANKER portable power bank. Depending on how long I'm going to be back there and the weather I will either bring the 6700mAH or the anker 26800mAH
 
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Montucky

WKR
Classified Approved
Joined
Apr 25, 2020
Messages
375
Location
SW MT
This is what I used in Montana for archery elk. Had no issues and it charged everything I needed.
I have this same one as well…..👆🏻 works pretty awesome for the price. I have a Dark Energy also. It doesn’t impress me for the price…..
 

TX_Diver

WKR
Joined
May 27, 2019
Messages
2,599
I have had good luck with the no name chinesium solar/power bank combos from amazon, BUT I use them at camp for convenience where I could charge something from the car if it failed.

This year I'm probably going with a Big Blue 28W solar panel and an Anker 20100mah power bank. Little heavier but seems a bit better reviewed/more reliable. I also have a goal zero flip 36 that seems to work well but I haven't tested it in the backcountry yet or when charged by solar.
 

MT_Wyatt

WKR
Joined
Aug 20, 2014
Messages
2,241
Location
Montana
I’ve been using the dark energy batt packs, but nitecore makes a 10000mAh pack that’s like 3 oz or so less in weight, that works quite well. I charge my headlamp, in reach, watch and phone all with that same battery pack.
 

Luked

WKR
Joined
Apr 3, 2014
Messages
1,230
Location
Sullivan, MO.
Have had a 20k Anker for about 2 years. Still using it. Going to buy another to leave in the truck for a backup.
Can buy them pretty cheap on Amazon
 

BuckRut

Lil-Rokslider
Joined
Mar 11, 2020
Messages
187
Will it actually recharge itself using the solar panel? Or did it charge everything you needed because its 42k mah and you never ran it out of juice?
Likely the latter. Even if we are being generous that panel is maybe putting out 1W in full sunlight. That would require more than 100 hours of direct sunlight to recharge the unit complete 1 time. I use a black web 10k mAh and a big blue 28w solar panel.
 
Joined
Apr 3, 2017
Messages
1,143
Location
Magnolia, Texas
Been running a couple of Ankers and one of them since 2017 and it still works awesome. It’s a little slower to charge but still holds power. This is where confidence in gear will outweigh (pun intended) the weight savings of another brand. It just flat works and work every single time.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro
 

DKennedy951

Lil-Rokslider
Joined
Mar 28, 2014
Messages
102
Location
VA
Will it actually recharge itself using the solar panel? Or did it charge everything you needed because its 42k mah and you never ran it out of juice?
It met my needs. I left it out whenever I wasn't using it, so doubt it ever ran out of juice.
 
Joined
Apr 5, 2015
Messages
5,945
My $0.02 -

there are some “outdoor” power banks that are super rugged and weather resistant. If I was a guide or whatever and spent +100 days a year in the woods and beat the hell out of it, I would use one of those. I have a dark energy power bank and it is fine and works as advertised. It is heavier than the “non armored” options by about 2x. When it dies, I doubt I would buy another.

For my use, I prefer and use 2x Anker or Nitecore 10ks on longer trips. I keep them in a zip lock in my pack and have never had an issue with them getting wet. If one craps out, I have a back up. For the 10-20 nights a year that I sleep in the woods, it is a perfect, cheaper and lighter solution that one of the armored battery packs.

I haven’t done the math on solar in a while. The charge rates were on the slow side so you had to be able to leave the panels in full sun for most of a day to get good juice. I read a few articles that suggested that they really didn’t justify their weight unless you were using them for extended trips without access to power - like 15 days or more. I got a set of panels from REI and tried them on an 8-day trip. My conclusion was that my panels weighed more than 20k worth of batteries so I haven’t used them in a while.
 

lukebrowning

Lil-Rokslider
Joined
Sep 21, 2012
Messages
146
I messed with a Big Blue solar panel during spring bear and it was a bit of an eye opener (re: pain in the ass). I would only consider a solar panel if you’re going 2+ weeks otherwise the math just doesn’t work out… Even when angled correctly and repositioned throughout the day it’s a very slow charge, further affected by cloud cover.

In my opinion you’re better off carrying multiple power banks if necessary for the weight and ease of use. For reference the big blue weighs 21oz whereas my Anker 10,000mah power bank weighs 8.2oz. I get between 2-3 full charges on an iPhone 14 mini.
 

BuckRut

Lil-Rokslider
Joined
Mar 11, 2020
Messages
187
I'm surprised how many people resort to a guess and check method on power consumption and storage. This is often the source of frustration people have with solar in general. Everyone seems to try and just guess at there power needs. Calculate your consumption per day figure out how much storage/generation you need. Then you can easily do the math and know if you have enough battery power and if you go with solar you'll know how many hours you need.
 
Joined
Nov 21, 2022
Messages
31
Location
Near Water
A few things worth noting
1) I have a 20,000 mah battery bank that has made it 7 days of running my phone with OnX for navigation, an inreach mini, my Garmin watch, and a small rechargeable headlamp. There was still a little juice left, but I’m also a pretty light user of those things.

2) I could never get the math to pencil out for a solar panel for weight. Even a decently light panel weighs about as much as my battery pack. So, two batteries gets me 14 days, maybe more, and there’s no way I’m backpacking THAT far in.

3 )batteries tend to be rated at voltage lower than they charge things like your phone. I have a 20,000 mah battery bank, but at the voltage most phones I’ve seen charge at (5V) it’s really only rated for 12,000 mah. That’s a difference between charging my old phone 5 and 8 times. I haven’t looked in awhile but I think the native voltage the lithium cells in most battery banks is 3v, so for charging at 5v you really only have 3/5 or 60% of the listed capacity.
 
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