Wireless Charging system for phone/camera/gps in back country

TimberJunkie

TimberJunkie

Active Member
Feb 13, 2015
167
4
Central Point, OR
Hey guys, I know this is more of a gear question, but it seems that more members will see it here. I am looking into a charging system for the backcountry and just general everyday use for my cell phone and gps. I generally use my phone for several hours a day with my phone skope while spotting. It really drains the battery. I also like to have my gps tracking while I am moving.

8 have looked into two companies that I get deals on, and both seem ok. One is Goal Zero. The other is Mophie. The cost is about the same for what it is. My only real worry is how they will work in cold weather. I would like to get 2 or 3 full charges out of a backup battery.

Does anyone have any experience with these brands, or with backup batteries and wireless chargers? I would love to hear some opinions on what you have used or know of.

Thanks much
 
pmcgovern

pmcgovern

Active Member
Feb 11, 2014
190
0
Oregon
I have the mophie that doubles as a case and a backup battery on my Galaxy S5. If I turn the backup battery on when the phone battery gets to 40-50%, I can get 2 recharges. If I wait until the phone battery is almost dead, its 1 recharge. Works good for what I need, but I'm thinking about a solar charger, as well, just to keep in my pack.
 
Hilltop

Hilltop

Veteran member
Feb 25, 2014
3,847
2,230
Eastern Nebraska
I use the cheap rechargeable power packs from Wal-Mart. They have a USB outlet so you can plug about anything into one. One of them fully charged will charge my phone to about 60%. They are pretty small so a person could fit 3 or 4 in a sandwich size ziplock. I believe I paid around $10 each for mine a year ago.
 
ivorytip

ivorytip

Veteran member
Mar 24, 2012
3,769
50
44
SE Idaho
I have goal zero. have the whole set up, I like the product. bad thing is, u need direct sunlight, any clouds, any shade slows down an already slow process. works great on an afternoon while taking a nap on mountain or while glassing for a while. ive found it easier to just bring batteries for gps and my phone never even gets turned on unless I need to make a call from tip top of a mountain, if I need phone on for any other reason in backcountry I put it on airplane mode so its not searching for a signal and eating all the power up. it doesn't work to bad in cold as long as u have direct sunlight.
 
Woolybugger226

Woolybugger226

New Member
Sep 7, 2015
6
0
I have been using an iBattz 20,400mAh Mojo battery pack for all my electronics this season. A bit on the pricey side but it charges my smartphone (Which i use as a field gps) at least 6 or 7 times before the pack needs to be recharged. I bought mine on Amazon.
 
GOSHENGRUNTER

GOSHENGRUNTER

Active Member
Jan 8, 2014
439
127
Clermont County Ohio
I'm waiting for my dark energy pack to come in. Weighs about a pound, waterproof and can charge your phone I think they said 5 full times for an iphone

Sent from my LG-VS450PP using Tapatalk
 
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Iron Mike

Active Member
Oct 23, 2014
369
1
Tumalo, Oregon
I also carry an Anker. 2nd Gen Astro 2 9600mAH ($29.99 on Amazon) along with an Instapark 10 watt solar panel with dual usb ports ($62.70 on Amazon)
 
tttoadman

tttoadman

Very Active Member
Nov 16, 2012
629
1
Oregon
can Anker or ibattz charge a garmin rino? I understand the issue with charging a rino is it's desire for 5V of power to trip into charge mode. The ibattz says 5V, but has anyone tested this?
 
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WapitiBob

Veteran member
Mar 1, 2011
1,385
58
Bend, Orygun
Anker is 5v output, up to 3 amps. I currently charge my Montana with the Gen 2. Don't have a rhino to test. I did have to change the Montana "interface" to "spanner". Doing so forces the unit to ask for usb or normal mode when plugged into a power source and enables charging if you choose normal gps mode. Prior to that change, the unit was voltage sensitive and would only go to charge mode with a Garmin branded charge cord.
 
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coastalarms

coastalarms

Active Member
Nov 10, 2014
275
0
Harrisburg, OR
www.coastal-arms.com
tttoadman said:
can Anker or ibattz charge a garmin rino? I understand the issue with charging a rino is it's desire for 5V of power to trip into charge mode. The ibattz says 5V, but has anyone tested this?
Click to expand...
Thats what I have been trying to figure out. The standard USB charge is 5v. Amps are all over the place from .5 amps (which is the lowest the standard goes I believe) up to about 5 amps. I may have to pick up another of the cig lighter chargers for rino and experiment a bit..

eta: I have 2 of these that I have used for over a year and they work well and are priced pretty well too. Too big for a solo trip....but when there are 4 people they are great.

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1126280-REG/juicebar_do12k_tabbk_12_000mah_hurricane_travel_charger.html
 
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WapitiBob

Veteran member
Mar 1, 2011
1,385
58
Bend, Orygun
If that juicebar charges a Rhino an Anker certainty will. The beauty of the Anker is the output amperage is regulated to be no more than the input capacity of the item being charged.
 
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Iron Mike

Active Member
Oct 23, 2014
369
1
Tumalo, Oregon
The issue I am encountering with the Rino is not necessarily the Anker or my Solar panel not having the output to charge it (I think) but no way of doing it with the existing cords. From what I see the USB port on the Rino is only for data and you can not charge that way. Its a dilemma for me also as I do not want to also carry batteries with the optional battery pack for the Rino as I do not need any more weight when packing in. I am not electrical savvy but have searched websites for some type of cord or cords to be able to hook up the Rino to no avail. Garmin didnt seem to have an answer. I am also open to suggestions. Right now I use the Anker to charge my cell phone and Inreach.
 
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WapitiBob

Veteran member
Mar 1, 2011
1,385
58
Bend, Orygun
Something doesn't seem right. Garmin sells a 12v Rino 655 charge cable as well as a usb data/charge cable.
Go into setup/system/interface and set it to "spanner", then plug in a usb charge cable from a 120v/usb phone charger. My 600 Montana wouldn't charge off the usb until I made that change. Set to "serial" the port is data only.
 
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Iron Mike

Active Member
Oct 23, 2014
369
1
Tumalo, Oregon
WapitiBob
When set to your instructions it uses the 110 as external power but does not charge the Li battery pack. FYI if you are not aware the normal 110 cord and 12V car charger plug into a different port that is not USB but is round.
 
tttoadman

tttoadman

Very Active Member
Nov 16, 2012
629
1
Oregon
Here is what I was able to accomplish with a goal zero guide 10.
The guide 10 has a 12V plug in that goes from a small plug to the car style receptacle.
I plugged the car charger and the "charge clip" that Iron Mike speaks of to the receptacle.

The guide 10 battery pack could never trip the charge mode by itself. with the battery pack on and in 95deg direct sun, I was able to charge my rino for about 15% and that was it. It appeared to charge quickly, but the charge system needs to be pretty bad ass to charge the giant battery. The people at Garmin told me that is why they have never messed with supporting a solar charge system. They felt like it would take so long to charge it with a small system, no one would be interested.

By the time I hillbillied up this system, it added so much bulk and weight it wasn't worth it.

I am still waiting for the techies to find a good system, and I will be a happy camper.
 
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