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Post by Deleted on Jun 7, 2021 17:42:42 GMT -8
I am now the proud owner of a GPS that has built-in rather than replaceable batteries, so I need some kind of backup. Any suggestions? Most of the ones I have been looking at are around 10000mAH, weigh about 8 ounces, and are rated waterproof.
Lighter weight would be nice - so what do you use? Thanks.
And to think for years I've been perfectly happy with map and compass..............
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Post by JRinGeorgia on Jun 8, 2021 4:45:25 GMT -8
It depends on your overall power needs. How many days? Will you be charging anything else? How often will you be using the GPS? Etc.
I have a 5000mAH and a 10,000, depends on the trip as to which I bring for charging an InReach, cell phone and camera.
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zeke
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Post by zeke on Jun 8, 2021 5:10:42 GMT -8
I use an Anker product, but a 20000mah, and I only carry it in the kayak. It weighs 12 ounces. I could see where a 10k would be less weight, and they make some waterproof ones, but that adds weight. A dry bag or a ziplock might do for your intended purpose.
As an aside, power banks need to be in carry-on baggage and 20k is as big as is allowed on the plane.
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Post by trinity on Jun 8, 2021 5:49:11 GMT -8
I don't use a powerbank, but Nitecore makes very lightweight ones. Here is the 10k mAH: link. I don't know much about these things, but since it sounds like you are carrying this as a backup, I wonder if a 5K would work for most trips? According to the Nitecore website, that would give one full charge to an iphone 11. Seems like that would be plenty for most backpacking trips. What kind of GPS did you get? How do you like it?
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Post by High Sierra Fan on Jun 8, 2021 7:11:46 GMT -8
The math might give you the information you need: go out for a weekend with a full charge and use the gps as you want then see what’s left. That gives you a look at your daily burn rate. Then the size, if any of your needed backup. Depending on how you use it there might be little drain at all.
I’d agree with above; ziplock for waterproof is far lighter. I’ve a couple of Ankers: no issues and I’ve had the smallest for years.
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daveg
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Post by daveg on Jun 8, 2021 8:11:35 GMT -8
As others have said, the first thing is to determine your power needs. Then you can determine what size power bank you need and can look for the lightest one that meets your requirements. But keep in mind that the claimed mAh of a battery bank is misleading. The actual output will depend upon the conversion efficiency -- which is typically 80% to 90%. So if you have two 10,000 mAh power banks that weigh the same, one with a 90% conversion efficiency and the other with an 80% conversion efficiency, the former will provide 10% more power for the same weight. A couple of articles: What is the real output capacity of a Power bank?Xiaomi power bank efficiency comparisonEdit -- Note that the Xiaomi Power Bank Pro is advertised as a 10,000 mAh power bank (at 3.7V -- the battery voltage) with a conversion efficiency of up to 93%. But the actual output capacity (at 5V -- the USB voltage) is a minimum of 7,000 mAh. (Scroll to the very bottom of the page to see these numbers.) I have a variety of power banks ranging from 1,500 mAH (2.6 oz) to 12,800 mAh (10.2 oz). I take the lightest one that will meet my needs for a trip. My 12,800 mAh bank is this Kodiak Plus Ultra from Outdoor Tech. I make no special recommendation for it -- it works. The primary reason I bought it was that I got it for a bargain price. It's supposedly waterproof but I put it in a ziplock bag anyway. My other power banks are not waterproof but I find a ziplock protects them just fine.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 8, 2021 11:21:47 GMT -8
I don't use a powerbank, but Nitecore makes very lightweight ones. Here is the 10k mAH: link. I don't know much about these things, but since it sounds like you are carrying this as a backup, I wonder if a 5K would work for most trips? According to the Nitecore website, that would give one full charge to an iphone 11. Seems like that would be plenty for most backpacking trips. What kind of GPS did you get? How do you like it? thanks for the tip about Nitecore, this looks like a decent option. 5k should be enough for the length of trips I currently take. I want to prepare for at least one full recharge in case I pull a stupid and leave the thing on all night. Yes I did once.......
I bought a Garmin 66i at a pretty good discount. Its my third Garmin, so I'm familiar with the function and interface. I haven't used it in the field yet, but a day of messing around with it, there's been some nice improvements over the 62ST. I'll post back with experience once I've had it in the field.
Most of the time I use GPS as a backup to map and compass. Sometimes I let it run all day just to create a track, most of the time I use it intermittently. With this one at least I can send my wife a message now and then. She's at the point where she really doesn't like my solo ventures.
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swmtnbackpacker
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Post by swmtnbackpacker on Jun 8, 2021 12:43:17 GMT -8
On longer backpacking trips I’ve used the 10,000mA and it’s worked well enough to get me to the next town (smartphone on airplane mode.. with nav aid, rechargeable headlamp). I’m a little worried that new updated electronics may require more power, but that’s in the future.
There’s also faster chargers if not wanting to stay in town much on longer trips.
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ErnieW
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Post by ErnieW on Jun 9, 2021 6:18:43 GMT -8
Sorry to add to the complexity but you might want to consider the fast charging aspect. My Samsung A50 supports it as well as the Anker power blocks I use. iPhones also have their own fast charging which I believe the Anker supports as well. Also if you are going to carry a AC wall charger make sure the charger supports fast charging as well as the cable you are using. Not all do. Some chargers only support certain fast charging protocols. You might want to carry a multi-cable like this. I keep the chargers in a dry bag with my wallet and a few other things. One of my modes on the trail is either reading ebooks at night or possibly watching a movie or TV. For this I count on being able to relatively fast charge my phone the next morning while packing up. Generally my phone is my map these days. I have been running my InReach Mini in tracking mode during the day and then powered on mode overnight so if my wife sends a message I will get it right away. Takes very little for charging the InReach but the phone is a bit of a hog. This would be a higher power consumption mode mostly on shorter more local trips. In this mode I regard charge as an consumable resource and plan accordingly. Going the other way I could use paper maps and leave the phone and GPS off except for occasional check ins. In this case the phone and the InReach would be backups of each other and could go for a very long time like that. Maybe even no need for a backup battery.
So how you are operating will determine your selection.
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desert dweller
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Post by desert dweller on Jun 9, 2021 10:28:45 GMT -8
I just got this one from REI during their sale last month. My new Galaxy S21 Ultra phone has a 5000mA battery. This backup is rated at 12,500mA. It's only 10 ounces.
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ErnieW
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Post by ErnieW on Jun 9, 2021 14:20:00 GMT -8
I just got this one from REI during their sale last month. My new Galaxy S21 Ultra phone has a 5000mA battery. This backup is rated at 12,500mA. It's only 10 ounces. I like that it has a LED light and IP67 is good. My 10000 mAh Anker charges my 4000 mAh fully two times but generally I am just topping off the phone (partial charge).
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Post by High Sierra Fan on Jun 9, 2021 14:35:10 GMT -8
The one feature that imho is beyond useless in a battery pack is Qi wireless charging. The fifty percent conversion inefficiency completely bleeds the battery.
I suppose maybe if you’re in a vehicle and trickle charging the pack resting the phone on the wireless connection wouldn’t be completely insane. But in an actual portable situation? Why on earth halve your reserve power?
And, yes I’m writing from experience: a Goal Zero Sherpa 100AC powerbank, 25,600 mAh. But the AC outlet is nice for powering up those #%^*€££ proprietary camera batteries on the road away from outlets.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 11, 2021 17:21:43 GMT -8
Went with the Nitecore NP10000. 5.4 ounces. We'll see how it works.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 18, 2021 16:59:53 GMT -8
just got the nitecore NP10000. I started the GPS and will let it run out of juice then see how this works. I'll post back.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 19, 2021 18:18:10 GMT -8
Posting back with test results. I let the Garmin 66i run out of power (it was about the 35 hours the advertise!) and the NP10000 fully recharged it in about 2 hours, with charge left over. I could probably get nearly 2 charges out of this backup. With proper battery saving measures, I could get several days out of this setup. Nice! but a bit heavier than my 62st and extra AA batteries. I can live with that considering the extra features I now have. For a map geek - this is perfect!
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