First of all, yes I did do a search of the archives and there wasn't much there.
We are launching on the Grand in a couple of weeks and taking 2 cameras. A Canon 20D and Pentax Optio W60. Both cameras have batteries that, to my knowledge, only recharge by removing and plugging in to a 110 outlet.
Does anybody have any experience with solar chargers that would work for us? It seems that all the chargers I have looked into all have a 12 volt cig. lighter plug on the end and I don't think that will work. Maybe there is an adapter or something for this situation.
Well you could buy an inexpensive inverter and plug that into the charger you're referring to.
There are other options as well. You can take a small yard tractor battery, clips and wire to a 12-volt socket, add a small inverter to 120 volts, and recharge them that way. It should all fit in a medium sized ammo can. If you're skittish about it lasting all trip, add a 10 watt or so solar panel from eBay, and re-charge the battery during the day.
I have a setup sort of like this (battery is in the ammo can, 12-volt socket waterproofed into the lid, solar panel has a 12-volt plug, and then just plug either the panel or the inverter in the top of the ammo can), and it works fine.
In the alternative, there are a number of automotive-type gizmos that have a battery inside and include an inverter to 120 volts. Might cost a little more, and depending on the amp-hours of the included battery, you still might have to use a solar panel every now and then.
I have looked at the Brunton flexible solar panels myself... but ultimately decided to carry extra batteries.
Quote:
Originally Posted by rwhyman
First of all, yes I did do a search of the archives and there wasn't much there.
We are launching on the Grand in a couple of weeks and taking 2 cameras. A Canon 20D and Pentax Optio W60. Both cameras have batteries that, to my knowledge, only recharge by removing and plugging in to a 110 outlet.
Does anybody have any experience with solar chargers that would work for us? It seems that all the chargers I have looked into all have a 12 volt cig. lighter plug on the end and I don't think that will work. Maybe there is an adapter or something for this situation.
$95 solar battery 8 watt charger---built for rough water use
we did a grand with video cameras/rechargeable lanterns/communication radioes,etc.,and didnt have access to 110.we used these great,small,sealed, tough,fiberglass front/aluminum back(nothing to break) 8 watt(approx 750 mA--3/4 of 1 amp))/12 volt,marine grade solar,one-piece panels,with alligator clips,for batteries,with terminals we could clip on,or made our own custom contacts(for all those flat battery packs),and held those onto a weird shaped battery with an industrial rubber band.both systems worked great,and the panel,backup gel battery(no spillage)with standard cigarette lighter power tap outlet,and all related wiring,fit easily in a rocket box,with room to spare.we'd lay the panel out,during the day,ontop of gear stack,while cruising the waves,and set up it on the beach at camp.that eliminates the need to have to bring: (1)larger batteries to run even a (2)small AC inverter well,plus having to bring your (3)own AC adapters,risking damage---fewer components to go bad.i see the store selling them locally,has a couple in stock;let me know if you want details
My wife and I took loads of pictures on a grand trip. We used a nikon D7 and bought a bunch of extra batteries and charged them all prior to the trip. We ran out of batteries towards the end with a couple of days left in the trip, but had tons of shots of the majority of the canyon.
We also got a mass storage device that you could dump pics onto vs. getting loads of memory cards. Memmory cards would be smaller and lighter, but we got this cool storage device and picture viewer that we really enjoyed.
The solar thing sounds pretty cool too. Easy way is just get a shitload of batteries though. We found an online discount store (can remember name) that sold a generic battery that was less than 50% of what we could get at camera stores or from nikon and they worked great.
just put picture/specs,on the "rafts/accessories" ads of the buzz,for that tough,nothing to break,panel capable of charging any battery pack less than/equal to, 12 volts.perhaps an alternative,for your extended trip needs?
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