Options for Charging Electronics

[Chuck C.]

Do the staffed camps in the backcountry at Philmont typically have electricity where I might be able to charge personal electronics? I’m at least bringing a camera, a GoPro,  a headlamp, and probably a phone, and I’m trying to figure out the best way to charge them. If the staffed camps have electricity, I can probably get away with a small battery power bank that I charge at these camps. But, if they don’t have electricity or won’t let us use it, then I may have to think about carrying a small solar charger.

For those who have been, what has been your experience? Any advice on what worked or didn’t work?

[Brian T]

There is no availability to charge electronics in the backcountry, only at basecamp.

On our trek this past summer I was using my phone as a camera and had a Sony Action Cam. I carried 2 Anker 20100 power packs and used an Anker 15W solar charger to keep them charged. The setup worked out very well, but I am thinking if stepping up to the 21W panel for quicker charging.

[Chuck C.]

Thanks Brain T!  Next time, would you take BOTH power packs plus the solar charger? Or would it be possible to get by with 1 power pack and a solar charger?  According to the specs, the 20kMah battery can charge an phone 7 times. I’m just guessing, but I would think that would charge my phone and GoPro for about 3 days without having to recharge. Does that sound right at all?

 

[Matthew / BPL]

I easily can get 4+ days of iPhone 6/7 battery life in the backcountry in airplane mode using Gaia to verify location multiple times per day, taking lots of photos and videos and maybe 30 minutes of an audiobook as I fall asleep if night falls too early. 7 full charges would cover me for several weeks…

I dunno how much juice a GoPro takes.

 

 

[Brian T]

I will still bring both plus the charger for our 2018 trek.  Depending on your trek you could be under tree cover quite often, or if you get a stretch of cloudy days, the charger will not be very efficient .

[ed dzierzak]

Just as a bit of explanation – most backcountry staffed camps use solar to power their radios. Not much power left over for anything else.

As mentioned above, there is a fair amount of tree cover. Solar isn’t that efficient under cover. Still, some make it work.

[Matthew / BPL]

Not that I would carry the kit listed above but I’m amazed that 2.5 pounds is 40,000 mah with 21 watts of solar power. Four summers ago I was using a Solar Joos at 1.5 pounds, which held 5,000 mah with 5 watts of solar. It’s interesting to see the technology progress. This stuff should be pretty awesome in another couple of generations.

[David Thomas]

If you are planning to charge a bunch of stuff at basecamp, here’s a suggestion I give airport, hotel and international travelers:

Bring an extension cord sold for Christmas tree lights.  They are light-duty and have 12 to 20 outlets along their length.  Because there often not enough outlets for all the people who want to charge their electronic toys and if you can turn 1 outlet into 12 (Be Prepared!), you’ll be a hero and no one will object to you momentarily unplugging them to create more spots.  And sometimes in hotel room or airport terminal, the outlet isn’t where you want so the length of the extension cord makes things more convenient.

And when traveling internationally, you only need a single China-to-US or Europe-to-US adaptor because your extension cord will turn that into a dozen US outlets.  It won’t change voltage or frequency, but almost all modern chargers are 110-240 vac and 50-60 Hz so you just need to physically connect them, not change the line voltage.  If they are small and light, they are almost certainly are.  If they are dense and heavy, they are the old-style transformers and you should read the label carefully.

I wouldn’t bring it while backpacking, but it could be handy on your road trip / flight there and while hanging at base camp so that you at least start off with fully charged batteries.

[William Harmon]

From my two summers I agree that tree cover is fairly common and could render a solar charger essentially useless. However, some parts of the Ranch have less tree cover than others, specifically the northern canyons around Ponil and the Valle Vidal. If you know your trek will mostly be up there then a solar charger may be a better idea depending on any weight savings. But just because you are mostly out of tree cover doesn’t mean you are clear of cloudy days. This past summer we had a stretch of 20-30 days without any significant amounts of rain so a solar charger would be more useful during these times but you could end up going on your trek during a period of extensively overcast days. Due this variance I would personally recommend going with pre-charged power packs because you never really know what the weather is going to do for a 12-day period.

Some backcountry camps, Beaubien, Clarks Fork, and Ponil do have electricity that is brought in through power lines because they need the extra power to run their horse operations. The staff sometimes allow participants to use their power to charge their electronics however, DO NOT expect to be able to use that. Personally I believe that you should not be able to use that power to charge electronics because you’re on a backpacking trip and, if you bring electronics, you should be as self-sufficient as possible. I know Andrew Skurka recommends and uses the Anker Powercore+ mini Portable Charger that has 3350mAh in a 3-oz package.

[Chuck C.]

Wow! So much great info and wisdom here!  Living in the Phoenix area, I hadn’t thought of the possibility of the sun being obstructed by clouds or trees.  We don’t deal much with either here. It is also good to know that most backcountry camps do not have power and that I’ll need to be autonomous with regards to electricity.

I need to think very carefully about what electronics I really need to take (ie camera) and how to keep them powered. Bringing multiple device specific pre-charged batteries might be enough for my camera.

Is there enough cell/data signal there to warrant keeping my cell phone charged at all times if I have a dedicated camera?  It is unlikely I would use it for navigation or reading.

 

[Brian T]

I had AT&T service at basecamp. On a whim, I checked for service at the top of Baldy and Phillips because I was hoping to update our Troop website and FB page with some pics so parents and other Troop members could see the fun. Both spots had good enough service for me to upload a short video  of our Scouts hitting the summit of Baldy and some other pics. I really didn’t check any other locations, I generally kept the phone in airplane mode so I wouldn’t get flooded with work email when my attention should be on the Scouting experience.

[ed dzierzak]

@ccanode

Granted there are places on the Ranch with no tree cover, I’d rather NOT be doing much hiking in those areas during bright, sunny days ;)

 

[William Harmon]

There really is no cell phone reception in the backcountry besides on the more prominent summits and ridges. If you aren’t planning on using your phone as a camera then I suggest you just turn it off at the beginning of the trek and only turn it on when you want to use it. Unless you are trying to use your phone every time you hit a prominent location then your phone should last your trek for the few summits you might call family from.

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