How to Keep Your Electronics Charged While Backpacking

1st) Thank you Dixie. I'm an active hunter, camper, and trail runner, but I haven't backpacked since I was a teen. I'm 63 now and much has changed. I've been thinking about extending my backpacking from just the two or three miles it takes to find a place to camp to taking a week and covering some significant miles. I'm learning a lot from your videos. However...  2nd) One thing you didn't mention was using a hand crank generator. For many years now I've kept one like the unit in the link below (trying to use your affiliate link) in my "survival pocket". Reading the reviews on any similar unit, you'll immediately note mostly negative comments. Here is my input on the matter: (a) The unit is for emergency use only; not for fully charging your phone. (b) Despite what the product claims, it will not directly charge a modern Android or Apple phone. (3) However, it will charge a small battery pack, which can then charge your phone. (4) I keep a very small and light fully charged 1500 mAh battery pack in the pocket with the generator. (5) The small battery pack will give my phone a partial charge. (6) Then 10 minutes of cranking will put enough charge back into a depleted battery pack that I can power up a fully dead phone to make numerous text messages, a phone call of several minutes, or get my GPS coordinates. (7) You cannot crank the generator fast or put strain on the crank. It will break. It is very cheaply made. (8) Since it is cheaply made, test the one you have before you go out in the field with it. (9) Let me say it again, do not try to charge your phone directly from the generator. - - I'm traveling right now, so I can't weigh the generator and battery pack, but I would venture to guess they total 3 to 4 ounces. Once I forgot my large battery pack. This setup allowed me to stay in periodic touch with my wife over a long weekend hunting trip. It was worth its weight in gold. [LINK: https://www.amazon.com/Baynne-Travel-Emergency-Charger-Dynamo/dp/B07DYWX3M3/ref=sr_1_21?crid=1L3Q1BHT57IOL&keywords=hand+crank+cell+phone+charger&qid=1552353176&s=gateway&sprefix=hand+crank+cell+%2Caps%2C199&sr=8-21 ] 3rd) I've recently been using the "ElevenII 22W Solar Phone Charger" (people can use your Amazon link to find it). I haven't used it while hiking or backpacking, but I can say it will charge my Galaxy S8+, which has a 3500 mAh battery, from 0 to 20% in 1 hour 19 minutes with only broken morning sunlight through a tree canopy. I'll have to report back after I've tried it on a hike, but I suspect that if strapped to my pack it would keep my phone fully charged while hiking. At 1.5 pounds the unit is double the weight of the 10,000 mAh battery that I usually tote, but it's kept my phone and headlight fully charged on extended camping trips. For a trip 3 days or less, I'd take my Anker battery pack, but for longer trips or where I expect to use more juice then the solar panel saves weight in the long run.

These backpacking basics videos are really well done and I'm really enjoying them. Thanks!

Solar charge your battery pack while hiking, then charge your electronics at night at camp. Get a good solar charging panel that will work in indirect light, and you still get some charge. Anker 15w or 21w is great for this. This is the combo I use while hiking/camping. Thanks for the videos.

One tip I have is if you have an older phone you no longer use you should bring it. My previous phone has a cracked screen but overall still works just fine. My main phone I keep off or in airplane mode and my older phone I use to take pictures or videos. Or have downloaded Netflix or prime videos saved to it and will watch them at night so my main phone can stay charged.

Yeesh! In regards to Solar and USB Batteries... Rule number 1: Never charge your device while it's on (while outdoors). The device will use power from the cable to charge the device while it's trying to divert some of the power to the devices battery. Placing non-waterproof solar panels in a large, commercial, resealable bag will give it weather protection while charging your batteries in the rain/snow. As for me, I just hang my solar charger off of my backpack while I'm hiking. An added 30amp solar charge controller with USB works great to assist in charging a vehicle battery with a solar panel. They can be purchased ultra small and lightweight. These are used in offgrid homesteads to assist in charging arrays of marine batteries to give free power to common household appliances and technology like computers, TV's and internet routers/modems. Carry about 6 foot of 16/2 power cable some aligator clips to use as an emergency 12v vehicle battery charger. Cable can be harvested from a cheap, 2-prong, household, extension power cable and used with a charge controller. The charge controller can also be used to charge USB Battery packs and other types of electronics via the USB Outlets. Rule number 2: Charge your backup batteries during the day and charge your devices at night with the backup batteries (I learned this from active duty US military and have always used this tip with great success). Be sure to check your power connections from the solar panel to the USB battery for disconnections. Nothing will charge if the device disconnects. I've owned both Anker and RAVPOWER USB batteries. Anker are priced higher for the same or lesser quality battery (every since Walmart picked up their batteries for in store sales). RAVPOWER batteries with Qualcomm Quick Charge are my favorite! Plus, RAVPOWER batteries are better priced than Anker. USB Batteries with at least 20,000 mAh or more are generally preferred over a 10,000 mAh battery. The mAh rating of the battery gets weaker the more you recharge it. After several complete battery charges, 10,000 mAh will become 9,000 and 9,000 will become 8,000 and so on. Make note that outdoor versions of USB Batteries are marketed as weatherproof and will still work after being rained on and submerged in water. If you feel that your batteries may come in contact with water or humidity, then research these types of USB batteries. Sincerely, Jacob May 31st, 2021

Changing your display to grayscale/black and white saves a ton of battery life. The pictures you take will still be in color when you switch back, but you get a lot more display hours on the same charge without all the bright colors. You can set home button (iPhone) or mutliple keys pressed at once (android) shortcuts to easily toggle back and forth.

I hike in the Sierra on the JMT and other trails and attach the Anker PowerPort Solar Lite 15W to the top of my pack to charge my Anker 10000+ brick during the day. I never fiddle with it unless it's raining, in which case I unhook the brick, which goes in a baggie, and stow the panel in a side pocket (it's ok in the rain and has survived a creek dunking just fine). I then charge my phone, Inreach and Fuji camera at night. Works for me since wall charging opportunities are infrequent. The panel is 12.5oz, the same as a 20000mAh brick. I always have extra power even though I'm lazy about turning off my phone and Inreach at night.

Spot on at minute 11:45 or so. If you are on a long back country trip with no access to power, a solar panel makes a lot of sense. If you are on a throughhike that gives you access to power every few days, a battery makes a lot of sense. Another great video Dixie.

One thing to add about the BioLite Campstove 2: at peak output, it generates 3 watts. At 5 volts, that's 600 mA (0.6 amps) per hour. That means it will take 4 hours and 20 minutes of peak burn to fully recharge the included 2600mAh battery. Plus, ashes build-up fairly quickly in the small chamber - every 30 minutes you'll have to dump ashes and restart the fire. I love the idea of the BioLite, but its just not a realistic option in its current incarnation.

As someone who has dealt with this issue for years I wan't to add one more thing to her list of things to keep in mind. Even if you keep your phone on airplane mode at all times, which I do while I'm working. Be careful because the inside of your thigh might constantly be engaging with your phone and might still drain your battery very quickly. It could constantly lighting up your phone and trying to access things that even airplane mode blocks. Because of this, I turn my phone outwards from my hip so it doesn't do this while I'm out in the woods.

You just need to invent a solar powered umbrella so you can charge your little heart out while lounging in the shade.

Another option is to use a Goal Zero Guide 10 battery pack charger, it’s the one that comes with the Nomad 7 solar panel as a bundle. It’s fast to recharge when you have power but you can also swap the 4 AA rechargeable batteries with a second set or with regular alkaline batteries when in a hurry. Best of both worlds for me in most situation.

I use a linksolar 13 watt panel and I tie it to the back of my back, I plug that into an anker powercore 20100. In sunny Florida it will trickle charge the battery through the day. I think that’s the best use case for a solar panel, rather than trying to rely on it to bring your devices up to 100 percent off just the panel alone.

What about a really long extension cord?

Thank You for this information. I am sporting a pair of cochlears and when the batteries run down I am stone deaf. Never thought about a battery pack.

Dixie - You're the bomb! You started out like me to do a single thru hike, and it became your life. Thanks for helping so many hikers out.

I use an Anker 21000 battery and solar panel. I charge my devices from the battery at night and then charge the battery pack from solar during the day. I just strap the panel to my pack and I’m good to go. It’s worked great for a couple years now. Yes, a little bulky but I don’t mind.

I use a GoalZero Nomad 7 solar panel for charging my devises. It’s amazing!!! After a full day of hiking, I set my panel facing the sun (leaning on a stick or rock). While I setup camp it charges up my phone (or power bank) 1% per minute. Loooooove it! I took it on a 6day backpacking trip in Sawtooth Mountain range and always had a charged phone which I used constantly for navigation GPS and for picture taking.

Daisy chain the solar into a backup battery while charging your phone from it. No on off charging

The battery packs hold about 60% of what they claim relative to your electronic device. So if you have a 10,000 mAH battery pack, you can divide your mAH of your battery you are recharging into 10000 x .6 or 6000 mAHs. So if you have a 3000 mAH battery that requires charging, you will get two full charges from your 10000 mAH bank.