Newtrent I torch works great for about 3 full charges on my 5s... Light slso
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Originally Posted by Son Driven
You are old....
Dogs are excellent judges of character, this fact goes a long way toward explaining why some people don't like being around them.
Woo
...and wise.
finished the rebuttal - thanks...
Dogs are excellent judges of character, this fact goes a long way toward explaining why some people don't like being around them.
Woo
"Hiking is as close to God as you can get without going to Church." - BobbyJo Sargent aka milkman Sometimes it's nice to take a long walk in THE FOG.
Wow... would you look at that, all my favorites on one thread..I'm happy!! Now, I'll gather up all my electronics, charge them up & go to sleep so I can dream of real electrical outlets in all the shelters on the AT. Sweet!
Seriously, I do think that a solar charger is a good idea. But, you'll have to see if you really need it after you are on the trail for a while.
Ok go ahead and buy that,,,,honest let us all know how this works for you... might work out as an interesting thread someday.
Nope. too heavy .... for long distance.. not my opinion.. just been hashed to death for years here... look guys - You have ideas and the folks here have tried - tried - tried this stuff and when new things show up ya need a bit of skepticism. We are here to help.
Last edited by Wise Old Owl; 01-25-2014 at 14:10.
Dogs are excellent judges of character, this fact goes a long way toward explaining why some people don't like being around them.
Woo
Powergen makes some good battery packs. I use my phone very sparingly, usually just at night. I keep it on plane mode and listen to music or maybe watch something or play a game. That's still "off the grid"... I can get four days out of it like that. My power pack could recharge it four times, so that's sixteen days worth. No way I'd ever need that much power. But I mainly bought it as a one time phone charge and a gps battery backup, to keep me from having to carry a pack of disposable batteries.
Please don't read my blog at theosus1.Wordpress.com
"I took the one less traveled by, and that has made all the difference. Thank God for Search and Rescue" - Robert Frost (first edit).
I agree with the above, I got around 2 charges with the iTorch, charging my Iphone. I do suggest Verizon as your carrier.
I know you are being funny - imagine that strapped to the top of a pack on a trail runner....
Dogs are excellent judges of character, this fact goes a long way toward explaining why some people don't like being around them.
Woo
Most phones need 700ma to 1amp for reasonable charging. I suggest you test it at home with measurements before and after, A few phones will not accept solar charging...and I hope you kept your return paperwork. Roughly the latest generation panel needs to be as large as 8x10 and anything less would be toying around. There is a lot more detail here if you use the search feature.
Dogs are excellent judges of character, this fact goes a long way toward explaining why some people don't like being around them.
Woo
Solar charging is not ready for primetime on the tree-covered AT. Those that I saw with solar chargers were getting the vast majority of their juice by plugging in the unit in town. It was a waste of weight. Save yourself the headache and just carry a rechargeable battery, a unit that uses throw-away batteries, or one of the fuel cell units.
Fear ridges that are depicted as flat lines on a profile map.
Other than wishing to have my tunes and pocket digital camera, I agree with you.
It should also be remembered that everyone's power requirements are different, not all who post here are out to do a 6 month AT hike...thus some are only out for a few days, and just need a little extra power...that is all.
Power needs for an individual are not that different with regards to a 3-5-day hike or a 6-month hike. A 6-month hike is really only a series of shorter hikes.It should also be remembered that everyone's power requirements are different, not all who post here are out to do a 6 month AT hike...thus some are only out for a few days, and just need a little extra power...that is all.
Fear ridges that are depicted as flat lines on a profile map.
Point taken, I spouse what I mean is if out I'm out for say three or four days I can get by with a single Disposable CR123A battery as a posed to bringing my much larger heavier solar panel.
Newtrent powerpak 11,000 served me well
I saw several people using solar chargers, sitting them in the baking sun on a big rock and I don't think I ever saw someone actually getting their phone charged. Maybe they just had bad chargers or ones with not enough amperage.
There's no reward at the end for the most miserable thru-hiker.
After gear you can do a thru for $2,000.
No training is a substitute for just going and hiking the AT. You'll get in shape.
I use the Newtrent 5000 mAh lithium pack and it gets me 5 days of daily intensive iPhone use (GPS, Instagram uploads, weather, etc...). I usually have enough extra juice to help other folks out. I carry 3-5 days of food on the AT which means a resupply stop, hence the ability to top all batteries off every 3-5 days. I would recommend a powerful charger as the smaller iPhone chargers take about 12 hours to top off the Newtrent. I think my iPad charger took about half that time. It helps if you're just running into town for some food vice nero or zero.
Just looked on Amazon and here's a dual 10 watt charger that looks good. It would allow you to quickly bring your phone and battery pack up to full charge. http://www.amazon.com/New-Trent-NT90...d_bxgy_e_img_y
Solar chargers that I've seen were not so good. Nice idea, poor execution.
Edit: I second using Verizon as well, especially in GA and NC.
Last edited by Weather-man; 01-26-2014 at 12:41.
First off, to each his own with respect to the use of electronics on the trail. Personally, I do carry a cheap Android smartphone so that I can:
1) Use it as a GPS when navigating poorly marked trails;
2) Send an occasional text message from a mountain top to let family know that I'm still alive;
3) Make an occasional phone call to loved ones when I'm in town (lotsa luck to find a pay phone these days, and many motels no longer have telephones in the rooms);
4) Do a little surfing using motels' wifi when I'm taking a zero-day;
5) Maintain notes about businesses that are not listed in guidebooks;
6) Maintain my address book.
So, those are my principal uses, and they might not apply to other hikers which means my advice/observations might not apply to everyone.
Personally, I have found that the best way to ensure that I have enough power is to buy an Android phone which has a removable battery. That allows me to purchase a second (or third) battery off of E*Bay which usually costs about $5 each. On zero-days, I watch TV, drink beer and recharge all of my batteries using the relatively lightweight charger that came with my phone. Since I keep my phone turned off at all times that I am not actually using it, I find that I can typically get 5 or 6 days out of a battery (partially because I rarely turn on my phone). In effect, the second battery is just insurance in case I forget to turn my phone off.
So, my approach costs about $100 for a cheap Android, and then another $5 or $10 for a spare battery or two. My Android weighs about 4 ounces, the charger weighs about 2 or 3 ounces and the spare battery about 1 ounce. So the whole shebang is about 8 ounces and a bit more than $100. I've hiked with other folks who carry I*phones, and while they get roughly the same functionality from their device, the fact that they cannot remove their battery means that they require a somewhat more expensive and heavier option to extend their usage time.
Just my 2 cents.
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