smartphone charging on long through hikes (JMT)

[rayfound]

The thermoelectric effect is so weak, pretty much all reviews on these devices is that they are near useless.

[Wandering Daisy]

franklin 411- I disagree that "any" P&S camera takes better pictures than an I phone. I have pretty good P&S with options to shoot manually, and my husband's I-phone6 actually takes better photos, unless you shoot in unusual lighting conditions. Additonally, he can upload to the cloud.

The concept of "one-devise that does all" is very appealing. When they get to the point of being lighter and having longer battery life, I will likley go that way. In the meantime, the reason I take a camera (no GPS, PLB or I-phone) is weight and battery life. I have my husbands old I-phone5 which does not take as good photos. My camera weighs 7 oz and will go for 10 days on the original battery (that is over 250 photos). I take ane extra battery (very small and light) on longer trips. I do not use other eletronic devices, other than my 1oz I-pod shuffle. I take a small key-chain light or a solar light (the small Luci). I take no extra batteries, becuause none of my electronic devices are absolutely necessary - nice to have but I can do without in a pinch.

[cloudlesssky]

I saw plenty of solar chargers dangling from packs along the PCT/JMT in mid Aug this year. Truthfully though, there's really no need for a GPS. The trail is pretty obvious and generally has good signage. A compass and mapset like the Tom Harrison JMT set is adequate. I carried a Garmin Inreach this year because it's the deal I make with my wife that allows me to go solo (prior to the Garmin I used a Spot and/or satellite phone). I turned it on once or twice a day to text my location and a few messages but I never used the GPS map function. The battery was still above 75% when I finished. I also carried a Canon SX410 zoom P&S with a few additional charged 1200 mA batteries.

[JWreno]

I use the Suntastic unit for several trips including a couple of JMT trips. I put a 2 inch wide strip of loop velcro under the unit. I sewed a 2 inch strip of hook velcro on the lid of my pack. I charge my steripens, iPhones and camera. I use it on any sunny day above the tree line. Works great. I now use Gaia GPS on my iPhone instead of GPS. I have it also loaded on my wife's iPhone so we have backup. I keep the phone plugged in while in a front shoulder strap mounted pouch. The cable runs up the the solar charger on the lid. The phones get charged every day. The Steripens need charging about every 5-7 days depending on use.

https://www.amazon.com/Suntactics-Ultra ... =suntaskic

[JWreno]

I agree about not needing GPS on the JMT. My last 2 trips have involved 3 - 4 days of hiking away from trails over wild passes. I found the Gaia GPS map and location detail extremely useful when route finding. Just got back for the Lake Loop GPS route in the Ruby Mountains.

[SSSdave]

A cellphone during camera or video use will drain a lot more battery power than a similar compact digital camera. Thus better to bring a compact digital with its own spare batteries and use your cell phone sparingly for essential tasks only, turning it off otherwise. The notion of putting a cellphone into airplane mode in order to receive phone calls is unwise. If someone want to occasionally call, tell them to do so during a limited period in the evening, say after sunset while otherwise powering off. Will also recommend a hefty lithium ion power battery with USB ports versus solar cells.

I carried 16 each NP-FW50 batteries for my Sony A6000 camera over the 9-day backpack I returned from last week into Humphreys Basin and used all but the last one. Also a 7.4 ounce 5000 ma-hour Lithium ion battery with USB ports to charge my Sandisk Sansa Clip+ MP3 player and moto g cellphone that I probably just used 1/3 of.

David