Curious if this would keep a GPS up and running or the depth finder and for how long. I wonder if they (batteries) would charge in a day of sunny weather fully or would it take two or maybe even three days. New thinking for me, just kicking it around.

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8 batteries for the depth finder per week... probably for me will be every 5 days. Plus the GPS and if I break camp in the dark which is not uncommon for me plus a little reading at night...........I could easily be looking at 50+. I would like to get that number in 1/2 with some help from the sun.

I wonder if this might help?
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As I was contemplating supplies a mind picture of a camel caravan plodding along the shore behind me sprang into my head. My mantra though is "double portage, double portage"...............

mastertangler wrote on Sep 25^th, 2010 at 1:05pm:


You say that like it's a bad thing.

mastertangler wrote on Sep 25^th, 2010 at 7:08pm:


Leave your watch at home.

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I've looked into solar chargers, for batteries & iPod.  For me it's easier to bring spare batteries.  A couple extra sets of batteries weighs a whole lot less than the reliable rigs I've seen.  That leaves the iPod as the only reason for me to spend $200 and add pounds to my pack.

Solio, you will likely come across this product.  I have heard nothing good about it except on the Solio website.  Unreliable fashion-gear.

I have heard of a woodgas stove that can recharge, but I can't find it.  Basically it has a heat exchange that drives a generator which powers the fan and has output jacks.

I found the wood gas item.
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Usually my preference is for each piece of gear to perform its primary function reliably and I'm not into bells & whistles.  Maybe I'm just paranoid, but a tool that does 5 things likely does all those things rather poorly.  Bells & whistles are distractions from the main function.

On the other hand, a single item that does two things reliably is a boon that just might free up packspace & weight.  This item looks like it may fit the bill.

I run my depthfinder/GPS combo unit about 12 hours a day when canoeing.  A 12 volt battery will last me about 2 days.  I found that with a small (8x8?) solar charger from Cabela's I can alternate the batteries and they last through a 6-day a trip.  I always have one charging back at camp while using the other one.  Not sure how efficient AA's are at re-charging, but I'd think you could significantly cut down the number you take along.

I tried the solar cell and rechargeable battery approach for a couple of seasons a few years back and wasn't very satisfied with the results.

I've since changed over to lithium batteries.  They are MUCH lighter than rechargeables (and even standard batts) and, with their improvement over the past couple of years, have a substantial service live.  They are, of course, expensive.

I've been running my depth finder with AA lithium batteries for the past 2 seasons and I've very satisfied.  I don't run the unit daily (I'm not typically pinging the bottom on travel days) and my use is probably on the order of 6 hours per day when fishing.  This season I did a 10 day solo and 15 day solo (with company).  One set of batt's was all that was needed for this season.  In fact, my GPS unit batteries died on the last day out and I yanked a couple of the depth finder batts (because they were more handy than other replacements) and they were ample to finish my last day.  I haven't thrown a volt meter on them yet to see what "signal strength" remains, but I'll swap them out for fresh ones before the next season anyway.  BTW:  I think the GPS batts were the lithium batteries from LAST year's trips.

dd

OK fine. Lithium it is then. Thanks for the input.

I bet the re-chargeable approach would work GREAT here in Florida! That is of course if the solar panels didn't melt first.........

I like lithium batteries for trips due to all the reasons DD mentioned.

Case in point: I borrowed a different depth finder this year. The fishing aficionados I know lead me to believe I could easily do two weeks on a set. Unfortunately, I expect I forgot to turn off the one I borrowed this year on the first night since my $15.00s worth (8 AAs) was dead the next day. It was raining and I didn't know if it was a short or I left the light on or was pinging the moon all night long or all three. Next night my flashlight said all 8 were dead for all intents and purposes.

I did have a total of 8 new AA's with me to power a camera and two flashlights so I went without and tried the depth finder again mid trip. The thing was showing 13 volts a week later and I left it on quite a bit once I hit familiar territory just to get a better feel. Six of the original "dead ones" are still powering my wife's mouse and keyboard longer than the alks that came with. The other two are in my 30 some year old calculator and the last digit is is only slightly dimmer than the rest after a while.

I do like the lithium for trips. Proprietary batteries are a bit of a pain and you would need a solar panel for some things I won't bring. I've never trusted rechargeables even when I know them well. Everything I bring takes some form of single use batts but I start out with rechargeables. The lithiums have a really long shelf-life too.

Master, I've been using that sweet unit for years.  Alkalines run forever in it....any cheapo brand.  It's your use of the backlight that runs 'em dry.  I used my machine alot and I'll wager that 4 extra cheapo AA's in the pack...and you are good for over a week.  I've never had to change batteries once yet on a 5 day trip or less.  And all I ever use is the cheapest blue-light specials.

Was gonna upgrade to the 62...but saw a blowout price on a Colorado I couldn't pass up.

master....do not let me feed you, unless you want to starve.

gotta say I'm having some remorse of not going for the GPS62.  the Colorado looks and seems like an adequate instrument ($100 off due to overstock), but the screen is just not quite as bright as that GPS60 series.