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Why your outdoorsy friend suddenly has a gummy bear power bank

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

#301

Post by averagewagon »

nicbou wrote: post #95
NoiseBert69 wrote: post #4

You can learn a lot from the ultra light dudes. I replaced all my travel electronics to be powerable from USB-C. This saved me from a lot cables and adapters. Even re-soldered the cable of my electric shaver to use a USB-C PD adapter PCB. As long it's somehow close to the standardized voltages (5/9/12/18/etc.) there will be no problems.

Fully committing to USB C was a wonderful move. It's much easier to pack for the day, but also for hiking, cycling and motorcycle trips. I wired my motorcycle panniers to have USB C chargers inside them. Retractable C to C cables are also worth it.

Which brands of retractable USB C to C cables do you prefer?

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

#302

Post by sva_ »

pards wrote: post #285

There are better options out there. I recently bought the INIU 10,000mAh 22.5W powerbank from Amazon for $29.69 CAD [0]. It weighs 205g/7.2oz. [0]: https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B09176JCKZ

I like INIU, but this has half the Wh? 10Ah @ 205g vs 20Ah @ 280g.

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

#303

Post by ics »

14 wrote: post #211
ics wrote: post #143

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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…

How do you stay warm camping in near freezing conditions? I think pads are more so for insulation to the ground then comfort. Yes they add comfort but a cold ground will suck the heat out of you so fast. How would you describe your typical tent bed time set up?

Setup is just a thin rain mat, tent, sleeping bag, and inside dressed mostly in wool. If traveling with a parka and it's clean/dry, I might wear it inside but suppose it could be laid underneath as a pad. With colder but not sever temperatures coming up I might give that a try and see what difference it makes.

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

#304

Post by ics »

voidmain0001 wrote: post #191
ics wrote: post #143

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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?

I started doing it as a kid in order to break my reliance on side sleeping and help general posture. These days I'm less strict but benefit from being able to find a comfortable position anywhere. I'd recommend not resting your head on a pillow but using firm cushioning under your neck; that will very slightly lift and relieve pressure from your head and keep head/neck/shoulders adequately separated. A straw cushion (common in Japan, maybe elsewhere) is nice but a tightly rolled hoodie is almost as good.

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

#305

Post by trenchpilgrim »

s0rce wrote: post #197
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

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

I have a barrier I made I place under my tent to protect the floor and keep out rain, so there's some additional layers here.

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

#306

Post by stickfigure »

dreadnip wrote: post #240
stickfigure wrote: post #174

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Not op but my backpacking (overnight) kit contains similar. When people talk about "10 lb base loads" I assume they are talking about overnights? 10 lb base loads for day trips would not be impressive.

Definitely overnights, but also long distance. Ultralight only makes sense once you get into long distance trails IMO. I’ll happily carry 10-15lbs on a casual weekend with some friends, but when I did the PCT my baseweight was down to 6lbs once I passed the Sierra. Turns out if all you do is hike all day, for months at a time, you really start thinking about pack weight.

To each their own I guess... I carried a 4 lb banjo on the Camino de Santiago and it was hands down the best thing in my pack :-)

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

#307

Post by xp84 »

sva_ wrote: post #300
xp84 wrote: post #93

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Then the fact we’ve “standardized” on mah as the unit is just another in our long proud tradition, same reason we still use “Watts” as the main measure of light output, even when it has to be made up for use on LED bulbs.

Mostly all flashlights advertise in lumen though? I suppose you mean light bulbs?

Yes, I mean the bulbs. Generally in the US at least we find them in the store labeled like "40 watt equivalent (small print: 2.1W)"

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

#308

Post by ndnxnxb »

ricardobeat wrote: post #70
phito wrote: post #34

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Also I doubt that Haribo has special light battery technology. Seems more likely that they lied on the capacity... Article doesn't test the capacity

This is a white-label product, they likely just used lighter plastic or a cheaper frame (cost savings? white color?) and accidentally made it attractive for hikers. The weight difference to the Nitecore pack being mentioned is only ~15g.

While the price is only 1/5 of the Nitecore packs.

This seems off, either nitecore is putting a very heavy premium on their products while not using obvious weight saving options, or the Haribo pack simply will not deliver on capacity

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

#309

Post by steve_adams_86 »

zparky wrote: post #299
lightedman wrote: post #78

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Pain equals gain. Most ultralight hikers optimize for low weight, I optimize for low weight and maximum leftover space to haul a ton of weight back. https://imgur.com/a/ezPqNG1 Cuz trust me, you don't wanna leave that behind when you find it.

yours will be an unpopular view, for good reason. however it is funny imagining you hiking back with a backpack full of stolen rocks.

Is it really so bad? My son and I have hiked out to fairly remote places and dug up some rocks to find fossils. I know there are more there and very few people are likely to visit the spot, let alone to find fossils in the dirt. We leave very little trace at all. Is this actually frowned upon?

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

#310

Post by bmicraft »

mattmaroon wrote: post #122
thegrim33 wrote: post #48

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Man it drives me crazy when people/products use Ah instead of Wh as a way to specify battery "capability". Without knowing more details about the battery, "20Ah" alone does not convey enough information to determine how long the battery could power a given load for. If I need to power a 100 watt lightbulb, will a 20Ah battery power it for an hour? 10 hours? 10 days? No way to know. Wh is the unit of stored energy, Wh…

I think they really just do it because generally everything you will connect to the battery, for the most part, will be using the same voltage, and it’s just easier to do your math and in your head. Remember, most people can’t just calculate a 20% tip in their head without having to think about it for a while or use an app. Also, in this particular instance, phone batteries are measured in miliamp hours, so it makes…

That's wrong, if they only specifiy Ah, then they usually imply cell voltage (3.7V avg.) and not the 5V you're drawing over USB.

Even if you assume you're charging a phone with that, you first need to subtract 25-40% total losses. And then consider that phone batteries are LiHV with 3.85-3.9V nowadays.

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