Need help with JMT power strategy.

I went with the suntastics-5 charger on the JMT – and I couldn't have been happier. Literally every single one of my friends asked to borrow it at some point or another, and they all had bushnell chargers and/or battery packs. Even on cloudy days in colorado this summer, I kept the charger on the top of my pack with something plugged in – and the damned thing charged stuff!!! yes it went faster if it was sunny out – I could charge a completely depleted RX100 battery over a lunch break! – and keeping it on my pack and charging stuff as I walked was brilliant. Yes you can charge at Reds, and VVR, and the store at Tuolumne (that's a bit of a hassle tho) – but I really found that just wasn't enough for me. I used it for my iPhone (used as GPS – not that I needed it, but sometimes I just wanted to know exactly where I was and how far REALLY was it to my next stop…lol!, music player and face timing when I had a signal), my RX100 mkiii, my Nook, and my delorme satellite tracker thing. I never ran out of batteries for anything, despite having to keep four things charged up. Maybe there's something better out there now (i've had this for almost 2 years now) but I can't imagine anything working better than that did.

Still nothing better, unless he was to maybe need so much power so often that he would warrant carrying the new suntastics-8. The Suntactics panel is really the way to go (they're also on sale now on their site…barely cheaper than Amazon). I was one of those Bushnell carriers. The Suntactics panel is far FAR more efficient…even outside the factor of power loss while charging a storage-cell battery. Also, too many issues when factoring in battery depletion when they get cold and having to sleep with batteries in your quilt to keep their stored capacity from dropping overnight. HTH KJ

Just ordered a suntactics. Didn't realize it worked so well in less than ideal conditions. Will try it out. Thanks guys!

I think these are around $100, and weigh 4 oz. More details and review at http://backpackingtechnology.com/photography/keeping-your-devices-charged-in-the-field/

#ERROR!

just say no to the electronics addiction… just say no. You travel lighter of foot and spirit.. and actually see and notice more along the way without your head glued to a screen… :) I did the JMT in the 80's with no phone, no gps, and no camera. Great nature immersion…. billy

Billy Ray! So cool you did the JMT in the 80s! I did it in 1971. Lets get together sometime and have a slideshow. Oh wait, you didn't take a camera. Nevermind. . . .

I did it solo in the 80's from mid Sept into October. Most days I saw not a single other person. Being solo and without others on the trail it was a vision quest for me… a camera would have been out of place with the experience, it would have broken the spell. billy

No photo, didn't happen. lol! Nice trolling Billy.

"No photo, didn't happen" Dumb statement…

Oh Billy. Sad sad Billy Why does it bother you so much that someone might not want to things the way you do? Anyway, I hope Christopher posts a nice trip report with photos and video for us all to enjoy. You shouldn't look at them since you protest so much. I just don't know why you feel the need to poop everywhere. Move on, nobody cares.

LOVE those "vintage" photos, Bob!!! They put a huge smile on my face — thanks for posting them. Boy, I wish I'd seen the Sierras before all the crowds…

Good points all around. The truth is I debate this with myself all the time. Capture everything on film vs complete freedom from electronics. Part of why I go is to evade my technical career and visit what I call reality (aka nature). But I can't deny that part of me will always be technical regardless of location, and having the pictures and videos to watch brings back awesome sauce memories. Yes…I said awesome sauce. https://vimeo.com/channels/673856 Making the above videos also gives me a fun hobby that helps put my brain in Sierra mode and it's something to show my toddler and 3 month old daughter to prep them for the PCT when they are ready ;). I recently started composing the soundtracks as well, so that's fun and the songs pop into my head the next time I visit the area. When I'm hiking, my rule is to not let it interfere too much. I.e. Start a timelapse and go off and enjoy the sunset. Turn on the gopro mounted to my shoulder and leave it while hiking. I actually find regular snapshots are more intrusive than video. I have to stop, pull out the rx100, mess with the settings, etc. I try to remind myself that I'm not a pro…so the vids/pics don't need to be perfect. Just good enough to remind me of the experience. I'm not sure if the added solar charging task will interfere with the experience anymore than swapping batteries…will see on my next trip.

Chris, I am looking into the same type of thing–thanks for posting. I get outdoors to *get outdoors*. It's where I feel happiest–spiritually and otherwise. But I think that there's something to be said for bringing back some simple pictures and video…it's a way for me to reconnect with those experiences and feelings after the fact. Love your Vimeo videos. Cheers!

Having tried to recharge batteries in the Grand Canyon on a rafting trip, I now have another approach. Although the Canyon is often shady and it is dodgy to lay your PV panel out on a white-water raft, the JMT has its problems, too. Many miles to hike each day, securing the PV panel while hiking or stopping early and camping with a view of the western sky to get a last hour of sunlight, then running across the dewy meadow in morning to catch the eastern sun. What I've done ever since is just buy extra batteries. Sometimes a lot of extra batteries. I see two 1600mAh GoPro HERO3 batteries with charger on eBay for $3 with free shipping out of China. Yes, $3 for both batteries and the charger. So for less than the price of a PV panel, you could buy a dozen batteries for each camera and send a handful of charged batteries with each resupply. Include a pre-addressed, stamped mailing envelope and send the spent ones home. Or, heck, at that price, throw them away. You have to stop to get your resupply, right? So there's no additional time or effort spent to include some batteries in each resupply. Dicking around with solar panels in Fall sounds like just one more thing to worry about. And adds the weight of the PV panel and any cables. If you go this route, I'd double check each battery for life in the camera, then charge them up again and include them in your resupply boxes. Order a pair for each camera now and play with them. If that $6 investment for four batteries seems works out, then reorder more at least a month before your trip, in case delivery is slow. All batteries age and I track their performance when I have some long tasks. For instance, I'll fully charge all my cordless drill-driver batteries before working on a deck and then record how many 3-inch decking screws each one drives. Results might be 34, 45, 98, 104, 190, and 203 screws, always inversely proportional to battery age ( "0923" = 23rd week of 2009 ). Results like that would cause me to toss the oldest two batteries since they are barely worth hauling around. Also, when I want to be the lightest I can be, I know which batteries still have the most life. And I can use the "beater" ones when I'm around town and battery life doesn't matter.

Didn't realize batteries were so cheap now! So far I'm liking your strategy of treating the GoPro batteries as disposable. Heck lithium AA's cost more than $3 so why not. Hrm….2 resupplies on the JMT means at max I'll need to carry 7-8 go pro batteries and a few rx100 batteries…. I think that weights slightly more…maybe… Either way the convenience is too good to ignore. I wonder if parasitic or temperature induced drain would be an issue…. Would suck to pick up batteries at VVR that are already dead…not likely in the fall temps though huh? My suntactics did already come in the mail….and so far I'm impressed. Decisions decisions decisions!!!!

And on the opposite end of the price spectrum, this just showed up on Kickstarter (https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/infinitypv/heli-on): 105-gram, 2600 mAH battery with a built-in thin-film solar panel. I'd be scared to take it into the backcountry unless it's a whole lot sturdier than it looks.

parasitic induced drain what is that? please explain. billy

I used an S5 this summer to charge my iPhone 6, InReach and two MP3 players on my SOBO JMT. I found that I had to have *ideal* circumstances to charge the iPhone. The panel had to face the sun directly and it would not provide enough power to charge with even a slight haze. I did not think it was worth the effort. I saw many NOBO PCTers with the S5 on the back of their packs charging a small battery (like an Anker lipstick). Perhaps this would work well but I don't think you'd get a charge unless the panel was facing south for much of the day. If I was doing the JMT again next summer. I'll would probably not bring the InReach and I'd bring a 5000-6000 mah battery for the phone. I realize this is a different power situation than the OP asked about. I've wondered how the S8 does in marginal light compared to the S5 but I've not investigated it. That might be a smart 4 ounces.

Pulling out the charger at every rest stop and aligning perfectly to the sun became a massive PITA. It got in the way of my enjoyment of the trail.

Parasitic drain = Giardial diarrhea.

ha, ha, ha,… healthful laugh inducing (slow drain when device isn't being used. If you store it fully charged, for a few weeks or months, it can become mostly discharged. You can remove the batteries and store separately. Batteries have parasitic drain internally, especially NiMh)

A lot of electronics are always on, looking for you to press the "on" button, and that using some power. Removing the batteries avoids that. All batteries have some internal discharge rate, while unused on the shelf. Qualitatively, I haven't noticed significant discharge a few months later with these Li-ion 3.6-3.7-volt camera batteries. They definitely do age (reduced capacity even after fully charging) over several years, whether you use them or not. So note the manufacture date if you can find it or at least write your purchase date on the battery. Don't buy more than you need at any one time, but 2-3 years later, buy a few more and rotate the oldest ones out. Lithium batteries have very high energy density, so you really don't want the terminals to short together. Little ziplock bags or folding them into a packet of light nylon cloth and securing with a rubber band is what I do. Never just toss them in your pocket if there's any change, a pocket knife, etc.