How to keep your phone charged while camping

How to keep your phone charged while camping

The title should actually read “how to keep your phone, and other devices, charged while camping without EHU” but I thought it was long enough as it is!

So obviously if you’re camping with electric hook up (EHU) you can stop reading right now. If, however, you prefer a simpler experience, here’s a few tips that should help you keep everything charged up.

This year we plan to stay away from wi-fi and go off grid while camping. Having said that, we will still take our phones. Firstly, for safety reasons, and secondly because I like to track our walks using Viewranger (and use it’s GPS capabilities). We will also both have a camera, so we may need to charge the batteries, plus we often take our tablet for photo editing (and keeping Finn quiet with some downloaded songs!)

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Taking and editing lots of photos means that we need to use several power hungry devices!

So how do we keep all those devices charged? There are a few options.

  • Make sure everything is fully charged before leaving. We will also each take a charged spare camera battery.
  • A car charger is great for topping up the phones and tablet while travelling around.
  • Ask at the campsite as many places will charge things for you in the reception/shop area for a small fee.
  • A battery powered charging pack is great for emergencies. It isn’t the best choice for long term charging, but is great if your phone needs a quick boost.
  • We do sometimes use our Biolite Stove for charging purposes. Again, it’s not going to charge a phone completely, but good for keeping it topped up enough to use over a weekend
  • Keep an eye out for spare sockets! If all else fails, we have sometimes used a free socket when eating out or having a coffee.

More recently, I have reviewed two very effective power banks, that are great for keeping phones charged. Firstly, the VARTA 5200 mAh powerbank, ideal for short trips and taking out hiking, and the impressively powerful OUTXE Savage 20000mAh Rugged Power Bank which is perfect for longer trips.

I hope this has given you some ideas. Let me know if you have any other great tips.

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Comments

  • cyclingonthecontinent cyclingonthecontinent July 06, at 08:06

    I use a 10,000mah battery pack which has worked well. I can normally last about 3 days if I use it sparingly! Saying that my garmin needs a recharge everyday. If travelling for several weeks and in a sunny area, a solar powered battery pack is a great option when out in the wild. Also for cycling a dynamo is an idea to attach to the wheel to generate free electricity!

    Reply
    • TheHelpfulHiker TheHelpfulHiker July 06, at 10:00

      We have considered a solar pack, but probably wouldn’t need it enough to justify carrying it. I do like the idea of a dynamo-though I might have to walk a bit faster to generate any electricity!

      Reply
  • I’ve not tried a battery pack but they sound so useful! Car chargers are a lifesaver sometimes when trying to charge phones out and about and good tip too about asking at the camp site and keeping an eye out for spare sockets.

    Reply
  • Jonathan Jonathan August 24, at 20:09

    We’re often out overnight in places where there’s no charge available, but it seems like overkill to bring a battery pack for those instances. The camera lasts fine, but the iPhone… well, we all know what they’re like! We’ve taken to putting it into aeroplane mode when we don’t need it (e.g. overnight, when we’re not using maps), which saves a lot of battery.

    Reply
  • Jake Jake July 19, at 20:02

    Awesome tips! Definitely a good way to keep your phone charged. Although, using my biolite, I can charge up too when I need too. That thing truley is some real future tech. Itll charge your phone… with fire.. in the wilderness! I recommend one!
    http://thesurvivaljournal.com/biolite-campstove-review/

    Reply

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