When heading out into the field I always try to make sure that my gadgets are fully charged and if possible, I have spare batteries. For the cameras I use, e.g. the Canon 7D, it’s pretty easy as I have a spare LP-E6 and 6 lithium batteries for the battery grip. However, for the iPhone, iPad and Sony Bloggie it’s a little difficult. So, here are the batteries and chargers I carry around.
Solio Classic
The Solio classic is an attractive little solar charger with a built in lithium ion rechargeable battery. It’s built, primarily, to charge itself and attached goodies from the sun but can also be charged from USB or DC adapter in case of bad weather. When charged it will provide enough juice for an Iphone 4 (with special adapter – check the solio website) and the Bloggie. Unfortunately it takes a lot of sunlight to fully charge (more than 8hrs) and has to be positioned appropriately to gain the full benefit of the suns rays.
Hypermac Micro
The iPad is a special case when looking at charging solutions as it requires a specific amp/volt combination to initiate charging which is above the standard USB output, therefore the Solio is unable to recharge the iPad. One of the best performing (and looking) rechargeable batteries for the iPad is the HyperMac Micro (iPad edition). It packs a 3600mAh and extends the life of the iPad by another 5 hours and can recharge the iPhone three times. As a hybrid solution, you can also charge the HyperMac Micro
with the solio.
Sunlinq 12W and Tekkeon MyPower
The Solio classic and HyperMac are great if you’re not going to be off the grid for more that a weekend. If you’re going to be off the grid for a little while longer then I recommend the Sunlinq 12W folding panel and Tekkeon MyPower battery. Shown below is the Sunlinq 12W folding panel
connected to the Tekkeon MyPower (on my table and when trekking through Mongolia) and to a Uniross Universal Li-Ion Charger
. The Uniross Universal Li-Ion Charger
is configurable for most li-ion batteries including the Canon LP-E6
, Canon G10, HyperMac Micro , Nokia phone battiers
and even a netbook (I’ve had it powering my eeePC 901)








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