I know this has been discussed somewhat before, but all the posts I found were old so I thought it was time for a new one.

I make not infrequent trips in the backcountry to locations without cell phone service, internet, or electricity. I'm looking for a way to charge my camera batteries while backpacking and tripping in such locations, and I was thinking a solar charger might be a good bet. I know the technology wasn't the best when I first researched this, and I'm not sure if its gotten any better.

So, what is the best way to charge batteries in wilderness settings? Is it a solar charger or another power generating device? And how do I find a product that will accept my camera and/or battery charger? Most of the Brunton solar panels I've looked at only have USB or mini-USB outlets. Are there adapters?

What about battery banks (cubes that hold a large amount of stored energy)?

My travels occur mostly in the northeastern US but have the potential to take me all over in all types of environments and weather conditions so that is something to consider.

Thanks in advance.

Technology has not changed much I still think spare camera batteries are less expensive, less bulky, lighter, and more practical. Things to think about also is can you plan on it being sunny, will you be in one place long enough to let it charge from a solar panel, and how much does one more electronic gadget degrade the experience. Things have changed it used to be that 3 or four rolls of film was plenty for a one week trip.

I have read some very positive reviews of the Brunton Solar Roll 14 solar chargers for camera batteries, iPods, etc. Seems Thom Hogan may have been one of them, but I'm not sure. If I have a chance, I will try to find it for you. They are really compact because they roll up for packing. I saw some once on eBay and the price is not cheap, but for some uses, like backpacking in foreign countries, they could be just the ticket. Extra batteries are probably much cheaper in the long run, but it's nice to have alternatives.

SFJ
EDIT: I found the article for you, but since I'm not a techno geek, I'll just give you the address instead of a link! bythom.com. Under Nikon see: techniques and articles. Then "Charging in the Wild".

SFJ

Another thought occurred to me. Has anyone tried solar garden light chargers with rechargeable AA camera batteries? I know many can be separated from the bulk of the light fixture and some seem to charge better, or at least light up longer than others. By separating the charger, they are much more compact and, if they can charge a camera style battery, they may be feasible for a camp style setting. You may not get a full charge, but maybe enough to last a while and they are cheap. My Nikon has the adapter for AA batteries and, maybe others do, too.

SFJ

A garden light charger would likely be way too low powered, they rely on the fact they are using LEDs which draw almost no power. I think the easiest solution is going to be spare batteries, AA MiMH and Li-Ion batteries are about the most energy dense power sources available.

If you want to go solar then, to charge 4 AA NiMH with 2000mAHr capacity in say about 2 hours you need about 10W of solar panel, possibly more if you are using an inverter and mains power charger to allow for inefficiencies in each device. And you need to have the panel positioned to get peak efficiency to achieve that. A 10 W panel is about 350 x 350mm of collecting area. You will need to carry a few gadgets with you for connectivity, something like this will allow you charge AA NiMH batteries:

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/833971-REG/Power_2000_XP_UNV_XP_UNV_AC_DC_Universal_Battery.html

and you will need a car adapter to plug into the solar panel like this (For Canon NB-1L and NB-1LH for example) :

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/581835-REG/Pearstone_CMNB1L_Mini_AC_DC_Battery_Charger.html

plus of course the Panel:

http://www.backcountry.com/brunton-solarroll-solar-panel

So it can be done, and I would recommend using the DC input chargers in preference to bringing an inverter and trying to use your AC chargers. but whether it's a better solution or not than a couple of extra batteries is up to you.

For those that seriously in need remote charging power you might want to keep your eye on a new charging system based on fuel cell technology that was shown in the latest issue of ShutterBug magazine. Here is a link to the product: http://www.industrialrev.com/powertrekk.html, it is rather expensive at this time and doesn't look like it is shipping yet, but I have always been interested in fuel cell technology and am excited to seen some early consumer products using the technology.

Roy

The fuel cell is interesting but capacity is rather limited as it stands. It has about 4W hr for each charging puck. The energy stored in a single AA NiMH (2000 mAhr capacity) is 2.4Whr. A 1DMkII battery is 24Whr or 6 pucks worth which is $24 according to the website (not that you can attach a a camera battery to it as it outputs via USB.

Interesting, but even for a phone you might be better off taking a few spare phone batteries than a bunch of pucks. I wonder if you can fly with them?

If you are going with batteries and are already in the price range of that hydrogen fuel cell you might consider a Buff Vagabond Mini. It uses a lithium battery that puts out 120VAC. There is also an international version with 230VAC. I use mine to run a 7 watt pond pump for as much as eight hours and more, run a blacklight, and charge batteries / ipod. They were designed to power studio strobes anywhere you want to shoot but it turns out that they are great power stations for many things. Lots of people use them to run laptops.

2.75" x 4.3" x 7.8", 3.5 lbs.

Might want to check out Goal Zero's products - they will have a new power pack at the end of the summer. Very user friendly products and company:

http://www.goalzero.com/shop.html

When you're talking about fuel cells, charging pucks, solar chargers, adapters, camera battery chargers etc., the weight factor and logistics become complicated!!! Why not just keep it simple and just use a camera that requires AA batteries via a battery pack like Nikon uses? Lithium batteries are super light weight and easy to pack in/out while providing a very long power life. You can use rechargeables when you are closer to civilization. Lithiums are not inexpensive, but neither are the chargers and fuel cells we are talking about. When it comes backcountry packing, less equipment is much desirable. Simplicity is key!

SFJ

I highly recommend this one:

http://www.bill.lockharts.com/blog/when-you-get-to-the-end-of-the-road-you-still-need-joos/

Keep an eye on http://www.solio.com/chargers/

Chas

Wow; that's a nifty looking little device, Chas. Have you used that at all? That would come in handy on a couple of trips I do.

Carl,
Yes, I have used the device. I was given one at a corporate sponsorship meeting I attended in St Louis. It works quite well and is very compact. A higher capacity device is in the works for charging camera batteries.

It is great for charging a GPS device, etc, when hiking/back packing for multiple days.
Right up your alley, wink.

Chas

Thanks for all the great links.

I'd definitely rather carry extra batteries than hydrogen pucks, which seem more wasteful since you need to carry and discard them. I can juice up several Canon rechargables and carry them with me for the same weight.

But the solar options are really interesting, even for use at home, like Bill does with the Joos.

The Solio products look interesting, Chas. Wish I had pro-deal on those (I do on Brunton).

Hey Chas

Thanks; yes, that's the best option I've seen for recharging. Normally I just carry enough batteries to get me through a trip, when needed.

Is this version not burly enough to charge something like a nikon EL4a camera battery?

Thanks

Cheers

Carl

I went on a recent backpacking trip to the mountains and was able to take over 1000 images with two batteries and lots of charge left over. That's how I'd recommend addressing the problem -- extra cards and batteries as needed.

From the quick perusal I had it seem the solio are also aimed at lower capacity devices, like Ipods or other USB charged items, they just don't have the collecting area to allow them to charge AA NiMH and DSLR batteries. The battery pack included with the device is about equal in W-hr capacity to 4 AA Imedion NiMH bateries or just under one LP-E6, but less than half the capacity of a Canon 1D mkIV (LP-E4) battery.

The current models will not handle pro camera batteries, but one is in the works.

Chas