How can I extend my laptop usage during camping trips so I can stay connected for over four hours?
How can I extend my laptop usage during camping trips so I can stay connected for over four hours?
Hi bros
I'm planning a camping trip and noticed these power packs on Amazon that look like rechargeable car batteries. They seem to last only about an hour. There are also solar panels that require a kitchen-sized one to work, and a petrol generator that runs for around four hours per tank. What’s the best option? I can charge from the mains and bring it to camp, but I don’t go there often—just once a week. I want to use my laptop a lot, so how can I get enough power? Cheers
Hey there, just wanted to confirm you're still in the no car scenario for this question.
You can even construct a homemade version using a motor from an off-cast treadmill paired with a suitable voltage regulator. Many people are unaware that when connected to a treadmill, feeding it input power causes the motor to spin, but taking it out and making it independent allows you to spin an external pulley, turning the motor into a generator.
I'm sure others have likely mentioned this already—just search for Car DC to AC converters on Amazon or Newegg.
Or if you're feeling old-school, consider a big UPS around $400 and charge it before heading out. You might just have to tolerate the beeping. 😛
Some modern laptops have batteries that last up to 20 hours. Of course it means spending money, but it's a solution.
https://www.tomsguide.com/best-picks/bes...ttery-life
If it's a gaming laptop I'm not surprised. If it's a "normal" laptop and several years old, you might consider replacing the internal battery. After 4 or 5 years use, your battery might be getting "tired".
Unfortunately, power = weight. Just think how heavy EV batteries are in a big saloon car or SUV. Maybe half a ton, perhaps more? Your laptop battery probably weighs somwhere between 8oz and 1lb (225 to 450g). If you're taking external batteries to charge the laptop, you'll need 8oz to 1lb of external batteries for each additional recharge.
(Large) Solar panels are an option if you can place them in direct sunlight throughout the day (at a permanent camp site) but if you're back packing, you probably don't have enough area on your backpack for an adequate number of solar cells.
I use this Anker power bank to directly charge my laptops via their USB-C Power Delivery inputs. It outputs 20V at 3.25A for my 65W laptop and 20V at 5A for my 100W laptop. To charge this Anker power bank, I use a standard USB-C power brick or my laptops' USB-C chargers.
https://www.anker.com/uk/products/a1340-...7568390308
If you have an older laptop with a cylindrical DC power jack, you can buy a DC-to-DC converter with a 12V car cigarette lighter plug on the input and a 19.5V (or appropriate voltage) DC power jack on the output lead. Much more efficient that wasting vehicle battery power converting 12V to AC mains then back from AC to DC in your laptop charger. Not much use if you don't have access to a vehicle. I keep one of these adapters handy when using my older laptops in the field.
https://www.amazon.com/EliteBook-TouchSm...202&sr=8-4
We can't be certain the OP is playing games when camping. I backup photos and videos on vacation (up to 100GB per day) and sometimes there's no mains or vehicle power available for the laptops. I have enough CF, SD and microSD cards to last 4 to 5 days, but then I need to copy the files and wipe the cards.
Nothing in his remark referred to "games". Instead... playing around on the laptop.
I believe it will be him relying solely on foot camping, without any power grid or vehicle, just using nature and finding a way to run a laptop off-grid for a week. The key factor is how dedicated he is to reaching his campsite to achieve this solution.