Recharge in the Great Outdoors

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eReader

An eReader is a great way to put the R & R in your camping experience while still packing light. These small, rechargeable tablets make it easy to take your book selection with you, and most offer low back-lighting so that it’s still easy to relax with a great read when the sun goes down.

Photo: Earth911

Battery life for eReaders varies greatly between products and also depends on the user’s reading habits. Most models support at least 8 hours of continuous reading in between charges. If you’ve got a long trip ahead and know your device will need recharged, make sure to consider an outdoor charger that properly accommodates your eReading device.

GPS/Emergency locators

Apart from helping road trips run smoothly, GPS systems have also established themselves in the world of outdoor activities.For outdoor travelers heading way off the grid, there are a wide variety of GPS tools available to assist you.

Along with GPS mapping tools, which can come in handy, satellite text messengers allow you to communicate in areas where a smart phone might not. Also, tools like GPS receivers and locator beacons allow you to communicate your location in case of emergency.

These devices run on a variety of batteries. Some run on rechargeable lithium-ion batteries, while others can use rechargeable AA’s. If you’re headed outdoors, make sure you know how long your battery is expected to last. If you will need to recharge remotely, make sure you know what type of battery and device your charger will have to support.

Photo: Earth911

Flashlight, Headlamps, Lanterns

Whether you’re camping overnight or you’re exploring some cavernous mountains on your hike, it’s important to have a dependable light source. The likes of flashlights, headlamps and lanterns increase visibility and therefore safety when they’re needed.

These items run off of a wide variety of batteries, including household batteries. Having a rechargeable set of household batteries on hand can help make sure you are reusing batteries rather than tossing them out. However, it’s important to remember to pack out and recycle any dead batteries you may have at the end of your trip, as they are hazardous to the environment if left behind.