Useful Electronic Devices When Camping

Why would anyone want to use electronic devices when camping?  Aren't camping and other outdoor activities a way to escape our dependence on electronic devices?  Absolutely!  Yet there may be times, if we are carefully selective, when electronic devices may actually enhance our fun.  Teenagers today are highly connected to their electronic devices and would likely consider total disconnection to be cruel and unusual punishment.  While learning to live without them has its character-building advantages, being able to accommodate their occasional wants and needs may make a trip more enjoyable for everyone.

Our modern world is highly dependent on electronic devices.  We rely on our computers, cell phones, GPSs and (at least for teens and wannabe teens) hand-held video games.  While we often go camping to escape some of the electronic tethers that tend to control our lives, there are also times we will want or even need to use them.  All of these are marvelous inventions that provide wonderful capabilities, but they also require support, most importantly power and often cell tower or Internet access.  Both electrical power and cell tower or Internet access are often scarce in a camping environment.  If you are car camping or in an RV you should have ready access to 12-volt battery power.  Many RVs also have 120-volt generators. Inverters can convert 12 volt DC power from the battery in your car or RV to 120 volt power to run electronic gadgets.  If you take your portable devices with you out on the trails, you may need to bring along some kind of auxiliary battery or charger to recharge them.  Solar chargers are especially well-suited for camping and other off road endeavors.

One of the most useful devices for campers is a GPS system or a cell phone with GPS.  Being able to get turn-by-turn directions to where you’re going saves a lot of unintended detours and can avoid a lot of bad roads, traffic, and construction.  Some GPS systems are even appropriate for off-road use, tracking your exact route and allowing you to reverse the route to get back to camp should you get disoriented or encounter poor visibility that would prevent you from using landmarks to find your way back.   The digital camera on most modern cell phones can be an invaluable aid if you have to make repairs in the field.  Take a picture of things BEFORE you take them apart so you have a good reference for how they go back together.

CB radios and FMRS/GMRS walkie talkies can provide excellent short-range communications between vehicles in a convoy or between riders or hikers out on a trail.   FMRS radios do not require a license.  GMRS radios have some higher output channels that give you greater range but do require an FCC license.  Some of the FMRS/GMRS channels overlap CB channels so you can use your CB base station in camp to monitor communications among members of your group out on the trail. That might be particularly important if someone needs assistance, such as mechanical problems or a medical emergency.  HAM radios can give you greater range, especially if you can make use of  "repeaters" operated by Ham Radio Clubs or other organizations in the area.  HAM signals sometimes take advantage of "skip" to reach far distant stations.  That means you might be able to reach someone on the other side of the country but not someone behind the next hill!

We have successfully used inexpensive walkie-talkies to communicate between riders on dirt bike rides.  We just pack the radios in a pocket of the Cambelbak hydration packs we're already wearing.  Headsets with microphones and either voice activated or push-to-talk switches let use use them without taking them out or even removing our helmets.  There are also really nice helmet mounted communication systems that work very well but they tend to be a bit more expensive than common walkie-talkies, like about 10 times the cost!

 

For many years portable radios have provided information and entertainment in campgrounds and on the trail.  A popular option is a pocket size transistor radio.  Some of them even have FM steror sound and the often fit in your pocket!  Portable cassette and CD players provide even more options.  Just make sure you bring extra batteries or have a way to recharge your equipment.  Solar chargers are especially appealing to tent campers but even RVers can put them to good use.   They can be used to obtain important weather reports that might affect your outing as well as providing entertainment and background music for some activities.  NOAA weather radios are particularly good for this.

Laptops, tablets, and smart phones give us highly portable computer power we can use almost anywhere we go.  If you happen to be within range of a cell tower, you may even be able to access the Internet from your phone or tablet.  That can be helpful if you need help with an emergency repair or just to look up some bit of information relevant to your situation.  And, if you really need an electronic "fix" for your gaming or movie addiction, you might be able to accommodate even that.  We have taken advantage of the hot spot on our cell phones to power Internet to bring Roku to the TV in our RV, giving us almost ulimited movies and TV shows to escape bad weather in camp.

Portable electronic devices depend on reliable battery power.  Hand-held CBs and walkie talkies may have rechargeable or replaceable batteries.  You can usually remove rechargeable battery packs and replace them with ordinary batteries in a  pinch.  Always carry a good supply of replacement batteries for all your hand-held devices.  Cell phones and GPSs usually have only rechargeable batteries so you will need a way to recharge them in camp.  Many such devices these days use a USB charge cable that can be connected to a computer or 12-volt or 120-volt charger.  12-volt chargers plug into the cigarette lighter or 12-volt power receptacle on your vehicle or battery power pack.  You can purchase pocket-sized auxiliary battery packs with USB connectors to recharge most GPSs, cell phones, etc if you need or want to carry extra power with you out on the trail.  In camp you can use the 12-volt charger plugged into your vehicle.  We have noticed that our cell phones charge faster using the 120-volt wall charger than with the 12-volt car charger so we usually use a small inverter plugged into the cigarette lighter to power the wall charger to charge our portable devices.   One advantage to the car chargers are that they are fairly inexpensive.  You can even get them at Dollar Tree, along with standard sync cables for Android phones (Lighting cables for iPhones are harder to find and more expensive).  Be aware that although the car chargers may look the same they may not always act the same and deliver the same performance as the OEM chargers from your phone manufacturer.  In some cases, using an unapproved charger may even void your warranty!  However, in my experience, the only problems I have encountered have more to do with reliability and longevity and a longer charging time.  I have also discovered that all 12-volt chargers usually take longer to charge my phone than a wall charger.  So we usually use a small inverter that plugs into the cigarette lighter in the car and then run the wall charger off that instead of using a 12-volt charger. 

Using high-quality replaceable batteries will usually give you the best performance and they will usually last longer than cheaper batteries.  Alkaline batteries are usually better than standard batteries and newer lithium ion batteries can deliver even better performance, but in each case you pay for what you get.  Because my backup batteries often sit around in my camp kit or motorhome for some time before getting used I tend to avoid stocking up on high priced batteries that may be dead by the time I need them.  Instead, I stock up on inexpensive batteries at Dollar Tree or get them on coupon sales at Harbor Freight so I always have plenty on hand for each trip.

Portable power packs (rechargeable batteries) can be used to power or recharge cell phones and other small hand-held devices on the go.  A attractive alternative that provides free power (once you pay for the charger!) is a solar battery charger.  These use solar panels to charge your batteries using only sunlight.  The only problems I’ve found with them are that 1) they tend to be a little pricey and 2) the are usually somewhat awkward to carry conveniently when hiking or trail riding.  However, both the cost and the effort to bring them along may be well worth it to be able to recharge your devices in remote areas.  Portable solar chargers that are small enough to be carried with you are becoming fairly affordable and can mean the difference between using your cell phone or simply cursing it!  For many years I used a small solar charger that plugged into the cigarette lighter and sat on the dashboard to add a little extra power to my vehicle batteries in camp.  It wouldn't recharge a dead battery but it acted liked a trickle charger to help keep batteries charged during daylight hours.  It was inexpensive (under $30) and very easy to use.

Because our excursions away from camp are usually measured in hours, not days, I don’t usually carry spare batteries with me out on the trail.  I just check batteries in radios and flashlights before each outing and replace any that are getting low before we take off.  If you are going to be back-packing or engaging in some other activity where you will be away from your base camp for more than a few hours you may want to carry spare batteries for your flashlights, lanterns, and your electronic devices.  Solar LED lanterns are becoming a viable option for remote camping.  Some even have USB  ports to charge your cell phones or other small electronic devices.  They are kind of the best of both worlds:  efficient portable light that can be recharged for free anywhere you have sunlight.  I wouldn’t recommend them for spelunking or cave diving!   Just remember to take them out of your tent and put them out in the sun every day to recharge.  LEDs low power demand means you get the most out of each charge.  I've seen an LED lantern still bright for months after being left on in the barn all night.  Do that with an ordinary incandescent type light and the battery would have been long dead way before morning!

While RV camping with 12 volt battery banks and 120 volt generators lends itself to the use of just about all the electronic (and electric) gadgets you have at home, tent campers may be able to avail themselves of many electronic opportunities.  With lots of battery powered devices and with modern portable generators now being smaller, quieter, and more affordable, even tent campers can enjoy a wide range of modern conveniences in camp.

Solar chargers, hand cranked chargers, and battery packs are available to recharge cell phones and other small USB devices out on the trail.  You will see USB charging ports built in to some solar lanterns and even propane powered stoves!

One more important aspect for using electronic devices when camping:  be thoughtful and courteous to your fellow campers.  Just because you like the sound turned up until you can feel the bass doing CPR on your chest doesn't mean the people around you will appreciate it!  Radios, CD players, and TVs are generally the worst offenders but sometimes people are lax about using noisy power tools around camp too, so think about where you are and what time it is and who or what other activities your use of electronic or electric devices is going to impact. We once had a bunch of teenagers roll into camp about 3:00 am with a stereo blasting at what had to be at least 1000 watts!  Fortunately, to their credit, a polite word with the resolved the problem.

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