How to Charge Your Smartphone While Camping
How to charge your device even when you are camping
Are you out, camping in the wild and worried that your mobile device would soon run low on battery? You also would stop taking great photos with your device once it runs out of battery, if yes, do not worry, we have a detailed list of alternatives to regular home electricity that you can use to charge your devices while you are out camping.
1. A USB Battery Bank
It doesn’t get much easier than charging a USB battery bank at home before you go. Then, you can top up your iPhone or Android phone as needed throughout your trip. This is great for short trips, overnight camping, or weekend music festivals.
To make sure you have enough charge before you leave, research your device’s total battery capacity (measured in milliamp hours, or mAh). You’ll also need to factor in how often you charge your device, although, it’s best if you use it as little as possible to preserve as much juice as you can.
Let’s use the iPhone 11, which has a 3,110 mAh battery, as an example. To charge it once a night for three nights, you’d need around 10,000 mAh. While that might sound like a lot, a charger of that size would easily fit in a rucksack or daypack.
2. Portable Solar Panels
If you don’t want to rely on a battery pack you have no means of recharging, solar panels could be the answer. Their efficiency depends on a range of factors, though, including how sunny it is, and the wattage of the photovoltaic panels.
The problem with solar panels is they’re largely dependent on the weather. This is why so many solutions designed for charging smartphones and similar devices use multiple panels. For a truly effective solar charging solution, you’re going to need an array of around three panels to charge your phone within a few hours.
This could be a problem if you’re not staying in one place. Many hikers opt to hang solar panels over their rucksacks to charge while they hike. Of course, this inevitably affects how much direct sunlight the solar panels receive. For this to work efficiently, you have to position your array so it’s facing the sun for as long as you want to charge.
Solar arrays that offer around 25 watts of charge should be sufficient for individual use. The Amazon reviews on the Nekteck 28 Watt Portable Solar Panel suggest it can charge a 10,000 mAh power bank from empty to full in two days. Another reviewer saw a 50 percent increase in a smartphone’s charge after two hours in the sun.
3. Hand-Crank Chargers
Kinetic chargers aren’t the same as battery banks or even solar chargers. You won’t be charging your smartphone from empty to full with one of these. These are designed for those last-resort occasions when you need to make a phone call, but you’re miles away from a wall plug.
They also have quite a price range, from cheap $20 hand cranks, to $400 human-powered generators. Some offer a raw power output to the USB device of your choice, while others use the crank to charge a built-in battery, which you then use to charge other devices. If you buy one with a battery, you can usually charge it at home before you need it.
At the cheapest end of the market (around $20), you’ll find chargers like the Aivica USB Charger with Radio and Flashlight. Most products in this price range offer the same limited feature set. You’ll be cranking for a long time to make a phone call that lasts even a minute.
4. Convert Running Water into Electricity
If you want to impress everyone at the campsite, the WaterLily Portable Turbine is the charging solution for you. For just shy of $200, you can convert flowing water in a river or stream into a USB or 12-volt (car adapter) power source that charges 24/7.
You can even use the WaterLily to charge with wind, which is perfect if you’re not camping near a water source. The Canadian manufacturer claims the WaterLily can generate about 15 watts and charge most small electronics at the same rate as a wall charger.
Unlike the sun, a river is a constant source of energy, regardless of the weather or time of day.
The main drawback is you’ll need to be right next to a river with your device to charge it or use a very long, weatherproof cable. This is why it’s probably best to use the WaterLily to charge a USB battery bank, which you can then use to charge smartphones and other devices.
5. Use Your Camping Stove
Camping stoves allow you to cook a delicious meal in the middle of nowhere. The BioLite CampStove 2 not only cooks, but it also converts waste heat into power you can then use to charge your smartphone. It generates 3 watts (5 volts) of power and includes a built-in USB battery, which you can use to charge devices or turbocharge the stove.
The CampStove 2 uses sticks, wood scraps, or biofuel pellets as its primary fuel source. A heat probe captures waste heat, which is then converted to electricity and stored. The battery pack can then charge smartphones or drive internal fans to improve airflow and increase the stove’s intensity.
The BioLite also includes a USB-powered FlexLight so you can see to cook at night. The battery only holds about 2,600 mAh. However, if you cook multiple times per day, it should be enough to keep most smartphones alive with minimal use.
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