Why your outdoorsy friend suddenly has a gummy bear power bank • Hacker News Board

Re: Why your outdoorsy friend suddenly has a gummy bear power bank

#191

Post by voidmain0001 » Mon, Sep 22, 2025, 1:36 AM UTC

ics wrote: post #143

trenchpilgrim wrote: post #136

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I spent time in India as a kid sleeping on the hard floor of my grandmother's home. Maybe my sense of comfort is different IDK, but I don't consider a pad essential on a warm night

I’m from the US but a “floor sleeper” and have never camped with a pad like these even in near-freezing temperatures. I’m sure it helps but these days I get the impression from people around that they just like gear, don’t like being uncomfortable, and any other benefit is just a bonus to rationalize spending money. Maybe I’ll try it some day and be a convert, until then…

You sleep on a hard surface? That is really difficult for me as a side sleeper. I have slept on hard surfaces out of necessity and my hips and knees are hurting by morning. Do you use a pillow or is your head on the hard surface too?

Re: Why your outdoorsy friend suddenly has a gummy bear power bank

#192

Post by greesil » Mon, Sep 22, 2025, 1:37 AM UTC

nwallin wrote: post #170

coin wrote: post #159

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Watthours is more important than amp hours I'd go a step further and say that amp hours is meaning less since voltage is not specified. The only valid battery capacity unit of measure is watt hours. While most battery packs use a single 3.7 lithium ion battery, Apple's first gen MagSafe battery pack used two internal batteries in series, throwing off everyone's amp hours only comparison.

> The only valid battery capacity unit of measure is watt hours. I would also accept Joules. But yes, the unit should be a unit of energy.

I prefer to use British Thermal Units (BTU) for my battery capacity.

Re: Why your outdoorsy friend suddenly has a gummy bear power bank

#193

Post by otoburb » Mon, Sep 22, 2025, 1:39 AM UTC

addaon wrote: post #148

jeffbee wrote: post #141

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If saving here and there is worth it, why would a hiker carry a 300g battery? Imagine the savings from leaving that boat anchor at home along with whatever obviously non-essential gadget wants to be recharged.

I don't carry a battery, but I do carry a solar panel that weighs around 300 g. I use my phone when backpacking as a GPS receiver, map, flashlight, and eBook reader. Phone + solar panel weighs less than paperback + paper map + flashlight, gives me more flexibility for adjusting plans, and doesn't leave me out of novel after a few days.

Assuming you could afford it, would the new iPhone Air be a consideration in your ultralight base load going forward?

Re: Why your outdoorsy friend suddenly has a gummy bear power bank

#194

Post by GuB-42 » Mon, Sep 22, 2025, 1:40 AM UTC

addaon wrote: post #148

jeffbee wrote: post #141

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If saving here and there is worth it, why would a hiker carry a 300g battery? Imagine the savings from leaving that boat anchor at home along with whatever obviously non-essential gadget wants to be recharged.

I don't carry a battery, but I do carry a solar panel that weighs around 300 g. I use my phone when backpacking as a GPS receiver, map, flashlight, and eBook reader. Phone + solar panel weighs less than paperback + paper map + flashlight, gives me more flexibility for adjusting plans, and doesn't leave me out of novel after a few days.

I have tried my luck with portable solar panels, and my conclusion is that in most cases, they suck.

For a solar panel to be useful you need:

- At least a few days without access to electricity, otherwise even at max power, you won't get as much charge as a similarly sized power bank

- Good sunlight, preferably in the summer (more daylight)

- No shade, which is the opposite of what you want in hot and sunny summer days

- Correct placement for your solar panel, for example, having it hanging from your backpack will only work if you have the sun in your back

- A large enough solar panel, these tiny panels you sometimes find on power banks are useless

- Compatible devices. Solar panels have a variable power output, not all devices support it, some of them just shut down charging. Your best bet is to use a compatible power bank, but that information is not often specified. Test it beforehand!

My experience with a solar panel is from two week-long music festivals in the summer, which would be almost ideal conditions. My experience was that over the course of a week, I got about the charge equivalent of a 10Ah battery from my solar panel (rated 10W, 300g), so about half the efficiency of that gummy bear battery, for the reasons cited earlier. Maybe I could have done better with a better panel and better planning, but I'd rather have a battery, much more convenient, and cheaper too. I want to enjoy the festival, not babysit my solar panel.

So I'd say you need at least a week without electricity in the best conditions to make a solar panel worth it, preferably more, which I believe is rather uncommon.

Also, I am talking about these portable <1kg solar panels. The large solar panels that go in your car/van are another story.

Re: Why your outdoorsy friend suddenly has a gummy bear power bank

#195

Post by addaon » Mon, Sep 22, 2025, 1:42 AM UTC

otoburb wrote: post #193

addaon wrote: post #148

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't carry a battery, but I do carry a solar panel that weighs around 300 g. I use my phone when backpacking as a GPS receiver, map, flashlight, and eBook reader. Phone + solar panel weighs less than paperback + paper map + flashlight, gives me more flexibility for adjusting plans, and doesn't leave me out of novel after a few days.

Assuming you could afford it, would the new iPhone Air be a consideration in your ultralight base load going forward?

Potentially? I have an iPhone 15 Pro now, which I got both because it was lighter than previous equivalents, and was the first (?) with direct-to-satellite, which I definitely value. I know I can get ~5 days of navigation (but not reading) out of it, which is one of the reasons I don't take a backup battery (the solar panel isn't a single point of failure; but of course the phone still is for nav, so still need a minimal paper map and a compass). I only spend a couple weeks a year backpacking so I wouldn't choose a phone purely based on that; but if I were in the market for an update this cycle I'd consider it.

Edit: Looks like the Air is 165 g, vs 187 g for the 15 Pro; not even an ounce difference. A bit more compared to the 17 Pro (206 g); but I probably just hold on until Russia collapses into a new metastable state and we can get bulk titanium again.

Re: Why your outdoorsy friend suddenly has a gummy bear power bank

#196

Post by addaon » Mon, Sep 22, 2025, 1:45 AM UTC

GuB-42 wrote: post #194

addaon wrote: post #148

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't carry a battery, but I do carry a solar panel that weighs around 300 g. I use my phone when backpacking as a GPS receiver, map, flashlight, and eBook reader. Phone + solar panel weighs less than paperback + paper map + flashlight, gives me more flexibility for adjusting plans, and doesn't leave me out of novel after a few days.

I have tried my luck with portable solar panels, and my conclusion is that in most cases, they suck. For a solar panel to be useful you need: - At least a few days without access to electricity, otherwise even at max power, you won't get as much charge as a similarly sized power bank - Good sunlight, preferably in the summer (more daylight) - No shade, which is the opposite of what you want in hot and sunny summer da…

> So I'd say you need at least a week without electricity in the best conditions to make a solar panel worth it, preferably more, which I believe is rather uncommon.

That's basically my use case. I have a "15 W" panel. I can get about 5 days from my iPhone for navigation, and most of my trips are 5 - 7 days, so really it's opportunistic charging for reading on my phone after dinner. I can generally get an hour or so of reading from just hanging the panel off the back of my pack, and another two hours from setting it in the sun during my ~1 hour lunch break if it's not so hot out that nothing charges. 300 g for ~3 hours of reading at night, indefinitely, is a good trade for me.

Re: Why your outdoorsy friend suddenly has a gummy bear power bank

#197

Post by s0rce » Mon, Sep 22, 2025, 1:49 AM UTC

trenchpilgrim wrote: post #136

ashdksnndck wrote: post #127

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That the purpose of the sleeping pad is characterized as thermal performance and not comfort is proof that I am not capable of the ultralight mindset.

I spent time in India as a kid sleeping on the hard floor of my grandmother's home. Maybe my sense of comfort is different IDK, but I don't consider a pad essential on a warm night

Then you are sleeping on rocks/dirt with just a thin tent fabric. At the very least most people use some closed cell foam.

Re: Why your outdoorsy friend suddenly has a gummy bear power bank

#198

Post by macNchz » Mon, Sep 22, 2025, 1:49 AM UTC

exabrial wrote: post #80

> Ultralight culture seems a little nuts to the uninitiated. I prefer "Durable, but as light as possible", not the other way around. Most ultralight gear breaks after a few uses or when it is mishandled in anything-less-than-perfect conditions, which, happens a lot outside.

I feel like advances in manufacturing and materials science have really made some massive strides in the past 10 years or so—my sub-2lb 2p tent feels just as durable as my 7lb backpacking tent from the late 90s did.

Re: Why your outdoorsy friend suddenly has a gummy bear power bank

#199

Post by sva_ » Mon, Sep 22, 2025, 1:53 AM UTC

AdmiralAsshat wrote: post #22

Are these actually designed by Haribo? Or is it just a branding on top of a Chinese generic?

They're crowdfunded: https://www.makuake.com/project/haribo_dcglobal/

If you Google XU102998-24006, you can find some seemingly identical generic version

Re: Why your outdoorsy friend suddenly has a gummy bear power bank

#200

Post by lelandbatey » Mon, Sep 22, 2025, 1:56 AM UTC

serf wrote: post #181

mbesto wrote: post #124

This is a very poorly researched article. A few things worth considering: - 20,000 mAh is the rated capacity. Anyone who has tested 18650 batteries (which are the cells typically used in these battery packs) knows the rated capacity != tested capacity. - Watthours is more important than amp hours - Tested watt hours as typical loads is more important than amp hours - It's very normal to see tested capacity to be roug…

you're never going to construct a lightweight pack with cylindrical (18650/21700, whatever) cells. a real light weight battery construction isn't going to have redundant casings and fuses; it'll be the bare minimum pouch/plate style construction, the bare minimum fuses at main junctions, and as light a protective shell as can be produced to house it all in. It probably won't have a BMS of any kind on board, with the…

While that's technically true for highly specialized applications such as an F1 car such as the one you listed, the parent article is discussing USB compatible consumer battery banks. Consumer battery banks are worth building with cutting edge-but-still-mass-produced cells, multiple layers of redundancies, and integrated BMS.