Camping

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. . . Power On The Move

If you get the opportunity to frisk many hikers these days, you could get arrested (trail name “wunderinhands”) and you’ll also probably find lots of electronic gadgets and gizmos . . . go on, search their back packs and see what you can find. Battery powered electronic devices do have a very useful place in the modern hiking world, but they do have one flaw . . . batteries don’t last forever. Fortunately for us, all of these positive thinking boffins . . . the “a problem is an opportunity in disguise” bozos, they have come up with the perfect solution, they’ve given us the opportunity to solve our problem by using  portable power packs and battery chargers . . . portable in that you can take them with you in your backpack, and chargers in that you can recharge the batteries to keep your hiking electronic equipment fully powered.

Sound too good to be true . . . well it isn’t!

Okay, it’s a big bulky for hiking but bear with me, I’m doing my best . . . . oh, that’s better, just watch a bit longer!

Solar battery charger . . . . did he say solar? Brilliant, why didn’t I think of that, there’s one thing which we all like plenty of when we’re hiking or backpacking . . . sunshine . . . why not use that power of the sun to recharge the batteries for our hiking equipment?  There are some great solar battery chargers which tap into the sun’s energy and can power up all sorts of hiking electronic stuff – mobile phones, GPS devices and lots, lots more and they are small enough and light enough to slot into your back pack without causing any trouble at all.

Told you so . . .

Quick Tips on Choosing the Right Battery Charger For Hiking

Hiking, back packing, camping . . . it’s very similar, but there are differences. If you’re going on a weekend camping trip then a power pack (which isn’t rechargeable in itself but recharges your other stuff just in case) might be just the thing you need, a back-up source of power for when the lights get low . . . but once your power pack is out of power how are you gonna’ charge that? Hmmm, maybe something with a solar charging panel would be more appropriate. Let’s look at some quick tips on choosing the right battery charger for you, depending on what you want it for . . . .

• Battery Power Packs are terrific for weekend camping trips but are often only capable of a single recharge . . . which might not be a full recharge so make sure that all of your electronic camping or hiking equipment is fully charged before you set off!
• Battery power packs (the smaller lighter ones) are suitable for hiking too, but once their power is used up they become a dead weight, something which still has to be carried but serves no useful purpose . . . we all know a few of those don’t we?
• Remember that some pieces of electronic hiking equipment cannot be used whilst they are “on charge”, and you cannot use a power pack to charge some back packing equipment whilst the power pack itself is “on charge”. Are you getting confused yet?
• Charging Your Battery Charger – there’s an awful lot of charging going on isn’t there. Right, try to keep up with me, portable battery chargers need to be charged themselves, by one or more of the following sources: computer (via a USB), vehicle (12V DC power), wall power outlet (AC power), solar panel (sometimes these are built in, sometimes they are attachable), by a replaceable AA battery.

Other Stuff to Consider About Hiking Portable Power Packs

Hikers have to carry their load in their back pack all day, every day, so it’s important that you choose a charger which is lightweight and doesn’t take up too much volume in your pack. Solar panel chargers might pose another problem for hikers . . . although the hiker is out in the sunshine all day long . . . . the solar panel needs to be exposed to the sunshine for a prolonged period of time which might not be practical for hiking purposes. It might be fine to lay out your solar panel all afternoon if you’re a boating enthusiast, or base-camp camping, but hikers, well, they don’t tend to stay in one place for very long at all . . . they’re always “taking a hike”.  Don’t become obsessed and overdo your power needs, think about it realistically about whether the extra weight and bulk of a portable power pack is worth the effort, do you really need an unlimited power supply or just a little extra charge in case of emergencies? The choice, my dear hiker, is up to you . . .