Nero day charging gadgets

This must be one of those basic ethical questions just like taking condiments from a fast food joint.

–B.G.–

Yes, it is an ethical question, as it must piss proprietors off along the trails when people just casually plug in. That sort of thing can get hikers banned from places–witness the Laundromat in Kent, Connecticut. But mostly, it was a question about strategy. Folks are carrying more gadgets on the trail these days, which requires juice. If you stay at a motel or hostel overnight, you are stationary long enough that it isn't hard to plug in. If you are trying to get into town, get chores done, then get out, it's more of an issue.

Also, where do you shower? I can wipe down with a towel just fine, but somewhere, sometime, I gotta wash my hair.

Nm

"Folks are carrying more gadgets on the trail these days"

That may be good or bad, depending on whether you listen to Nick Gatel.

I do carry some electronics, but I don't use them enough to need spare batteries or recharging. If I am on the trail long enough, I might possibly carry one spare battery for my camera. In the unusual situation where I am going way off the grid for a while, I will carry a solar panel with me.

I was at a wilderness camp (tent cabins) one time, and I knew that they had a big solar electric rig. Even though the power was stored in big 12-volt batteries, they were distributing it as 115VAC from an inverter. So, I knew that there was a 115VAC receptacle hidden someplace. I fished around and found it, and then plugged in one small battery charger that I had carried in. Success. Within the next few hours, the rest of the visitors had figured it out as well, so everybody was fighting over the power receptacle.

–B.G.–

Bob which solar panel do you use? I have been using the GoalZero stuff for a few years but they are too heavy for anything long term backpacking IMO.

GoalZero.

Practicality depends on where you are going and how much power you really need.

–B.G.–

First, I'd like to say that if you are washing clothes at a Laundromat then the power you use to charge a cellphone is trivial. I'd have no ethical qualms about it. If there is an outlet, it is doubtless meant for your use.

About solar:

The Bushnell SolarWrap Mini looks interesting, too. It's small, 3.1oz and the battery is supposedly enough for one cellphone charge. (I want to say 2200mAh.) Reviews are mixed, though, and it is unfortunate that it is branded Bear Grylls(TM), but you can't have everything. Has anyone tried it?

http://www.outdoorgearlab.com/Solar-Charger-Reviews/Bushnell-Bear-Grylls-SolarWrap-Mini

http://www.backpackgeartest.org/reviews/Electronic%20Devices/Solar%20Chargers/Bushnell%20SolarWrap%20Mini/Test%20Report%20by%20Rick%20Dreher/

There are all kinds of USB chargers that use AA batteries. Sustainability is poor, but you could buy some batteries on your way through town. They make for cheap CYA power if nothing else and the batteries can still be used in your other gear.

Most coffee shops here in Seattle will have a shop full of folk with their portable devices plugged in and using the free WiFi as well as the local power for the price of a cup of coffee. The local library systems are totally set up with power at the desks and WiFi too.

Asking permission is certainly the polite thing to do. I would assume you are a patron at the business.

I was at a local island beach park where they had a solar panel on a pole and a birdhouse size box to plug your phone into for charging. Clever.

+1 on the Goal Zero and Guide 10 – I take mine frequently.

That said, I've also considered dragging this out with me next time: http://www.monoprice.com/Product?c_id=108&cp_id=10831&cs_id=1083110&p_id=9531&seq=1&format=2

I can get ~3-4 dead-to-full charges on an iPhone 4s

There are tons of external USB chargers popping up but this one has proven to be fairly bullet-proof and reliable.

It costs just over 1/10th of a penny to fully charge an iPhone 5.

Practically speaking, there is no real issue with the cost of the electricity, only with any inconvenience the physical use of the outlet might create.

De minimis non curat lex.

If you are just charging a phone, its not hard to do. When you go to a resturant in town, just ask the waitress if you can charge your phone while you eat. Most of the time, it won't be an issue. And if there is a plug under your table, I'd plug in without a thought. If you have several items, then you might want to carry spares or one of those power banks.

I wanted to get away from the bulk of the GoalZero panels so went to the Jackery Mini and the external battery Jackery Bar, they have one size bigger called the Giant. I've been able to use the Jackery mini for a week without recharging and it recharges the iPhone 4 at least four times. I think that's pretty good. I use the mini with a short charger cord in my pants pocket while hiking and it's very handy. That way I can check the charge levels and turn things off right away and save more energy. The larger Bar I reserve for the Kindle or a mini iPad. Fortunately Kindles don't run down fast. The Jackery(s) are not solar but have demonstrated good capacity for recharging devices and I like the compactness. The mini is the size of a large lipstick case. This winter on all of my hikes I just have had to remember to sleep with the Jackery and my Sawyer filter (in separate zip lock bags of course) because its been below freezing. My camera is not too happy in the mornings either but that's too much gear in the bag with me. I suppose I could just take out the battery, but things are getting fussy enough. I never had all this electronics stuff when I did CDT in 1981….I carried a paperback and that was it for entertainment. No phone and just beans, rice and grits and flour and a Kelty backpack, one change of clothes and red long johns ……..but I digress….;-) (we are sooo spoiled now).

I saw the new roll up solar panel from Bushnell, looks great but it's so new there are no reviews yet. Solar is ideal for us here in the southwest, but as I am bushwhacking a lot through mesquite and things tend to take a beating if tied to the outside of the pack.
The Jackery batteries only take about an hour to charge, I use the Apple wall charger and one short cord does double duty.

Well, I'm not interested in entertainment. But after reading about using iPhones for multiple purposes:

http://www.backpackinglight.com/cgi-bin/backpackinglight/forums/thread_display.html?forum_thread_id=81846

I'm willing to try it, despite my previous resistance to the idea as some sort of intrusion upon my wilderness experience. I played with the settings as covered in the post, and I can get my iPhone 5 down to 4% battery loss per day if it goes unused. I loaded Gaia GPS, so my phone is now my "emergency backup GPS"- for which I used to use a Garmin Geko in the rare instances were I thought it was worth carrying. The iPhone weighs about the same as the Gecko and has more functionality, including acting as my camera and being useful for distress calls if I happen to get reception somewhere. Some day I may get the bluetooth version of the DeLorme inReach or something, to send texts as well.

But if I use it (for instance as a camera, or with the inReach) then I'm not going to be able to keep it down to 4% battery per day. On a longer hike I might want a recharge- especially if I do the CT some day as I hope to. Thus my interest in solar and/or battery backups. Clearly, if I am miserly with battery useage it is ok if I get a solar system that takes 3 days to recharge, so I thought the Bushnell SolarWrap Mini might work for me.

now, that IS a burning question…

I through Hiked the PCT last year with a Suntactics solar charger for my Iphone and was pretty happy with it. At 8oz and 5watts I think it is the lightest option there is for solar. It could fully charge my Iphone from 20% to 100% in about an hour and a half. some stretches I was doing 30+ miles a day and just did not have time to sit and wait for it so I bought some Velcro at a hardware store and was able to stick the thing to my hat and walk with it. Got some funny comments from hikers going the other way and my wife warned my not to try to hitch into towns with that thing on my head. It did get harder and harder to get enough sun the farther north I went. A couple of weeks ago I bought a New Trent Travelpak plus from recommendations on this forum. They claim 5 iphone charges but 3 is more realistic. It weighs almost the same as the Suntactics solar charger so It will be a toss up between unlimited charging if I have good sun or 3 charges and not worry about the sun.
As far as using outlets at restaurants and stores I had no problems. It never even occurred to me to ask if I could use less than one cent worth of power. A couple of times I could not find an outlet exposed to the public and asked if they could plug it in behind the counter. At the McDonald's at Cajon Pass the only outlet I could find was on the ceiling so I climbed up on top of the garbage can to plug it in. Most places along the PCT are use to this and have power strips just for the Hiker Trash.