Solar Charging System for dSLR Batteries

Finally! I have a solar charging system for backpacking that actually charges anything, including the big batteries on my Canon full frame dSLR! It's tricky because many camera batteries are 7.4V or 7.2V far more than the 5V of most USB devices. The good news: once I found something that could charge at 7.4V, it had no trouble with my phone, AA and AAA batteries and all other 5V USB devices!

The 5 Devices for My PCT Thru Hike

[Most of the links on this page take you to products on Amazon.com where, if you buy anything, Amazon will support this hungry hiker!]

1. Kindle

I took my Kindle Paperwhite with me last summer on an 8 day trip in the Sierras. I loved it! It was probably my favorite piece of gear (if a luxury can be a favorite). When it came time for me to plan my PCT thru hike, there was no question, my Kindle was going! Here's why:

• Reading Books (ok, obvious, I know)

•  The Kindle is relatively light, holds 1.21 gigabooks, has a build in light and has a battery that easily lasted me all 8 days of my last trip. I know many thru hikers read on their phones, but the screen isn't as nice for reading and the battery life sucks!
• Navigating the PCT
• I'll have Halfmile's app and maps on my phone, but I would never rely only on my phone--the battery life is just too iffy. A Kindle accepts PDF files, so it will be easy to load all the Halfmile maps onto my Kindle. That way, if my phone dies and I have no way to charge anything, I will still have maps until the next town stop.

Camera Gear for the PCT

And you were whining about the
weight of a dSLR

I'm a very serious photographer. Obsessive might be the right word. Two bad things happen when you become maniacally obsessive about photography: 1) you spend a fortune on camera gear, and 2) your gear weighs a ton.

So, all this weight becomes a serious problem when you're also carrying your house and all your food for a week or more of backpacking. Thru-hikers and backpackers who only use a point-and-shoot camera can disregard this post (That being said, a point-and-shoot will only ever give you cheap snapshots--seriously, bring a dSLR. It's worth it!). For those who, like me, want high-quality photographs and video of their journey, you will have to face three problems.

The Three Problems of a Manically Obsessive Photographer on a PCT Thru-Hike

1. Weight. You're already carrying everything you need to survive, now add ten pounds.
2. Power. Your camera battery is good for a couple of days of shooting (fewer if it's cold in the High Sierras). How do you power your camera continuously for months?
3. Storage. You shoot in RAW (because it is the only choice for maniacal, obsessive photographers). You're also trigger happy. You can burn through a 32gb memory card in three or four days. Where do you store 1.5 terabytes of pictures and videos?