Power sources in the Back Country

dereke

FNG
Joined
Feb 3, 2016
Messages
81
Location
Interior British Columbia
Just wondering what you guys are using in the Back country for powering and recharging your gear when weight is not of utmost concern. I am going on a 10 day Elk hunt in Northern BC in September and will have my iPhone 6 plus, Garmin 64st, and my Delorme Inreach for electronics. We will have a base camp (wall tent w/stove) and will be spiking out for 2-3 days at a time and temperatures will be at or near freezing over night. Weight will not be an issue (within reason) when getting to base camp as we are taking a Jet boat to get there. Is there a battery pack you can recommend for charging rechargable batteries? or am I better off with lithium batteries for my Garmin/InReach and a battery bank for my Iphone? We anticipate cloudy rainy/snowy conditions so a solar pack may be inefficient?

Any help is appreciated
Derek
 
I'd get a power pack for the spike camping and a good quality car battery or one of those power packs like you jump your car with for the base camp. They make usb chargers with battery clamps on them for hooking to a 12V car battery.
 
I'd consider making sure I had what I needed to use lithium AA's in the Garmin & InReach for your short spike camp trips. Solar set-ups are nice, but it's kinda hard to justify packing a solar panel if the weather might not cooperate to use it. Lithium AA batteries are pretty light and not weather dependent. On most hunts I take the extra battery compartment with my Garmin Rhino 520 that takes AA batteries and some lithium batteries just in case the internal charge gives out. My headlamp is a single AA model, and my camera takes AA batteries so they can be traded to where they are needed.

I have a Goal Zero Venture 30 that works very well to keep my I phone 5 charged up. If your boat has a 12V outlet you could charge it up off that between spike camp trips. Since my headlamp isn't super bright I sometimes pack a Maelstrom MMR-X flashlight that the Venture 30 can re-charge also.


Your hunt a jumper pack that can charge off the boat while it's running, and be used to jump the boat if necessary might be a good addition. I take a small one on my river boat that has come in handy. It has a 12V outlet and a couple USB outlets so you could take one like that to your tent and charge your electronics. It would be cheaper than getting a solar set-up.

I have a lot of the Goal Zero stuff and it all works I'm just not sure it fits your hunt. If you decide to go that route here is a little info on what I use. I use the Yeti 150 and a pair of Nomad 20 panels to keep stuff charged up at base camp. I put the Yeti under my Megatarp and have the two panels set outside if I leave so it's pretty protected from weather. I can charge my Venture 30 off the Yeti 150 and throw it in my pack before leaving for a hunt. I have a Nomad 7 and Nomad 13 panel also. The 7 is pretty slow to charge much it seems, conditions have to be pretty good for a long while. I wouldn't recommend getting one, I almost always use the 13 or 20. If weight is a concern and I want solar it's pretty much the Nomad 13 panel and Venture 30 that goes. The Venture 30 can be charging off the Nomad 13 all day at camp and I'll plug my electronics (flashlight and phone) into it at night, throw them back in the pack the next day, and leave the 30 at camp to charge. Most of my short trips though I just charge the Venture 30 up and take it in my pack, don't take a panel. I'll be back to the vehicle or camp to recharge the Venture 30 before it needs it and I have the AA battery option as back-up. I haven't really used the 13 and 30 all combo that much.

Hope some of my rambling helps.
 
I've been using the Dark Energy Poseiden for over a month now. I can get almost 5 full charges from dead on my cell phone. I'd take that on your spike camps and recharge that at base camp. As for rechargeable AA batteries, they don't seem to last very long. I use lithium AA batteries and take spares. I use my power pack for everything that doesn't take AA batteries.
 
I've been using that Anker for a while now. Not in the backcountry but on business trips and the like. I'm very happy with it though the first one I had would never charge. Once replaced, this one has been on numerous trips and done a great job. Not only does it have a large capacity but it will charge devices fast when applicable. I don't think it's the same as "Fast Charging" but it's definitly noticeably faster than other battery packs.
 
For my phone, which I use as GPS device, I bring an extra battery. I also use my biolite stove and/or biolite Kettlecharge to recharge my phone or anything else that uses a USB charger. I also us the biolite PowerLight which has a battery charger jack. I had a small solar panel with battery storage, but it didn't always charge well because it wasn't always sunny.

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I can tell you Inforce isn't a good solar charger. Their service is great though! I bought one and it didn't work and emailed them to get a replacement. No questions I got a new one and it's the same terrible quality as the first. It will work as a power bank, sorta but it won't use the sun to charge my S7. Looks like I'll be going to a couple Darks. Just the idea of a solar unit would nice if I could find one that would work.

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I've been using an Anker 20k for a few years, it rocks and is a very affordable durable battery pack. Highly recommend it.
 
The biolite EolarPanel 5+ looks promising. I like the 2200 mA battery reserve and the fact that it is rigid. I just can't fork out $80 for something that I don't require

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The biolite EolarPanel 5+ looks promising. I like the 2200 mA battery reserve and the fact that it is rigid. I just can't fork out $80 for something that I don't require

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Good for you the Anker is only $40.
 
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