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Portable Power Packs
#16008 07/04/11 07:36 AM
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I am looking for a portable power pack to charge mobile devices and I am not sure about brands or where to start. Any thoughts on products would be appreciated.

Mike

Re: Portable Power Packs
mja #16037 07/05/11 10:10 AM
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how much weight do you want to carry? How much juice will you need? There are many options, from a tiny Energizer unit with two lithium AA batteries in it to 10 pound lead acid battery bricks for video professionals.

If it's just for a phone or an mp3 player, look for the battery-based units like this on:

http://www.amazon.com/Energizer-CEL2MUSB-Energi-Instant-Charger/dp/B001FO0IPM

This will power a small mp3 player or a basic phone.

need more juice, or 12V output to support standard car chargers, here's 70,000 AA batteries worth of power:

http://www.goalzero.com/shop/p/7/Sherpa-120-Power-Pack/

they also have smaller solutions, but the prices are rather breathtaking.



Last edited by Fishmonger; 07/05/11 10:12 AM.
Re: Portable Power Packs
Fishmonger #16049 07/05/11 05:38 PM
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Thanks for the leads Fishmonger and sorry for the vague question -

I am looking for something I could use to power phones, mp3 players, gps devices and maybe a laptop. I would like something heavy duty that could be a power supply for up to a week. I am willing to pay a little more for extended power and also might pay more to shed some weight since I will use this backpacking in addition to other uses.

The sherpa option at 3.8 lbs sounds reasonable but would be interested in something lighter yet comparable if it exists.

I was looking at the Brunton Impel and some other options at REI, Backcountry, etc., but it seemed like the reviews were very mixed. That led me to the board to see if anyone could recommend a specific brand...

Re: Portable Power Packs
mja #16062 07/06/11 03:54 AM
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Originally Posted By: mja

The sherpa option at 3.8 lbs sounds reasonable but would be interested in something lighter yet comparable if it exists.

I was looking at the Brunton Impel and some other options at REI, Backcountry, etc., but it seemed like the reviews were very mixed. That led me to the board to see if anyone could recommend a specific brand...



Brunton makes similar stuff - these two guys clearly are happy with their products, and it's a cool video to watch (I found this a few weeks ago linked from a Sierra video by the same author):

The Edge of the Earth - DOCUMENTARY from Eric Dennis on Vimeo.



My own experience with Brunton is limited to their flexible roll-up solar panel, and even though it "worked" it was completely useless - it took 5 hours to fully charge two AA batteries, and we're talking a 1x4 foot panel for $400 list price. I switched to AA-powered gear and started carrying disposable lithium AA batteries instead, saving over a pound in gear and actually gaining battery life on stretches up to 8 days. In a place like Alaska, that may not be enough, but I wouldn't carry a big HD camcorder there, either.

The first review I found online on Brunton portable power was similarly negative:

Look at the entire power selection at Backcountry - http://www.backcountry.com/batteries-and-solar-power and note that GoalZero is getting the thumbs up.

If weight wasn't an issue, DIY solutions with lead acid batteries are extremely powerful and much cheaper. You can get a lot of car battery or sealed lead acid batteries for the money they want for one of these rugged units. I've built audio gear based on sealed lead acid batteries and there's a lot of power in those for pretty low cost.

Last edited by Fishmonger; 07/06/11 03:56 AM.
Re: Portable Power Packs
Fishmonger #16087 07/06/11 10:34 PM
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Fishman, would you please post that video in the "Cool Videos" thread? I sat mesmerized watching all 18 minutes of it. Beautiful.

Re: Portable Power Packs
Fishmonger #16093 07/07/11 07:00 AM
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I agree with Steve - great video.

Thanks for the info - I will look to the GoalZero options as the Brunton reviews make me skittish.

Re: Portable Power Packs
mja #16153 07/08/11 01:33 PM
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Mike:

I have the small Goal0, which I brought onto Whitney back in March to charge my iPhone4 with (I was using my phone in lieu of a camera, and updating status on FB). I carried the solar panels on my pack while we climbed, and several hours in the sun was enough to charge my phone at night. Since the weather forecast wasn't favorable, I brought extra batteries (charged at home) for backup.

Here's what it looks like on my pack (we were taking a lunch breat at UBSL):

Re: Portable Power Packs
DobeMom #16169 07/09/11 03:49 AM
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DobeMom

Any complaints or has the Goal0 done the job for you?

Thanks!

Re: Portable Power Packs
mja #16272 07/11/11 07:26 AM
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Mike:

No complaints, although it has only used only on that one trip so far. It worked fine for what I needed it for. Think it weighed about a pound, and I still saved over 1.5 pound by not bringing my DSLR.

Good luck on your search!

BTW, it's a Goal0 Elite Nomad.


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