Shine Turbine by Aurea Technologies Inc.
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I am not sure if it is better than solar panels for backcountry charging, but it is Innovative and interesting.
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Portable Wind Turbine - Solar Alternative?
- Thread starter CaptainOllieWest
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shineturbine.com
I am not sure if it is better than solar panels for backcountry charging, but it is Innovative and interesting.
Agreed.
No thanks. I have zero need or interest in getting involved with this:
On all my canoe trips, my electrical needs have been always been met by a few spare AA or AAA batteries. I'm not much of a electrical gadget guy. Others may have different charging needs if they really must have a plethora of electrical devices in order to go on a lake, river or into the woods.
I've been living the "van life" for forty years, and my electrical device needs have always been met by charging via the alternator (not the car battery) and by using inverters for AC devices.
On all my canoe trips, my electrical needs have been always been met by a few spare AA or AAA batteries. I'm not much of a electrical gadget guy. Others may have different charging needs if they really must have a plethora of electrical devices in order to go on a lake, river or into the woods.
I've been living the "van life" for forty years, and my electrical device needs have always been met by charging via the alternator (not the car battery) and by using inverters for AC devices.
The only devices I bring are my phone (for the camera) and my Spot Gen 3. I have not yet needed solar. My phone battery lasts a long time if just used for pictures. I may try a small solar panel in the future.
My friends who are now paddling in the Arctic Northwest Passage are using these to charge their communication electronics. Not much available solar up there at any time.
www.texenergy.com
Texenergy - Portable Infinite Off-Grid Power and Energy
We develop and manufacture the very best portable power generating and power storage products to keep your technology working for you whilst you are off-grid. Our wind turbines and solar panels harness the power of the wind and sun to bring you infinite green sustainable energy to power your...
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I have two 26,800 mAh battery packs that I carry on extended trips but have yet to need the second one.
I think, if my charging needs every exceeded that capacity, I'd lean toward hydroelectric such as the Waterlily or the Estream on canoe trips (and, possibly on backpacking trips also). On a canoe trip, one could troll it but, in either scenario, I would rather charge at night than to try to remain in full sun during the day.
I think, if my charging needs every exceeded that capacity, I'd lean toward hydroelectric such as the Waterlily or the Estream on canoe trips (and, possibly on backpacking trips also). On a canoe trip, one could troll it but, in either scenario, I would rather charge at night than to try to remain in full sun during the day.
Imagine paddling down a remote Canadian lake, happy to have a small tailwind. Your leaning the canoe over, admiring your canvas packs, the sun shining off that last varnish job to the gunnels, watching the shoreline for any sign of wildlife. You are in that zone you have been looking for since the start of the trip 3 days ago. You round a point and off in the distance something catches your eye. It looks like a loon caught in a tree branch at the end of a point a mile away. What the heck?
Rather than get to explore this long cove's shoreline, your mind and eyes are fixed on the motion. As you get closer, you see a couple of canoes pulled up on shore, both have GoPro cameras on long snake like poles attached at each end. In camp, you spot a skinny-jeaned hipster holding a device against his chest as he stares up in the sky. As you get closer to the "all the colors in the rainbow" camp, you see the flailing loon that pulled you out of your zone is actually the latest craze for backcountry travel, a wind turbine.
No more worry about recharging your GoPros, drones, cameras, and all the other electronic devices necessary for a safe and modern camp, just put the turbine out on a point for all the world to see.
The latest rumor is that Algonquin Park is rescinding the "no drones allowed" rule and installing permanent wind turbines on every backcountry lake to encourage more younger folks from TO to visit the park. There will even be Electric Vehicle charging stations powered by bigger versions of the portable wind turbine installed at many backcountry put-ins. Just look for the whirling blades.
It used to be so simple.
Rather than get to explore this long cove's shoreline, your mind and eyes are fixed on the motion. As you get closer, you see a couple of canoes pulled up on shore, both have GoPro cameras on long snake like poles attached at each end. In camp, you spot a skinny-jeaned hipster holding a device against his chest as he stares up in the sky. As you get closer to the "all the colors in the rainbow" camp, you see the flailing loon that pulled you out of your zone is actually the latest craze for backcountry travel, a wind turbine.
No more worry about recharging your GoPros, drones, cameras, and all the other electronic devices necessary for a safe and modern camp, just put the turbine out on a point for all the world to see.
The latest rumor is that Algonquin Park is rescinding the "no drones allowed" rule and installing permanent wind turbines on every backcountry lake to encourage more younger folks from TO to visit the park. There will even be Electric Vehicle charging stations powered by bigger versions of the portable wind turbine installed at many backcountry put-ins. Just look for the whirling blades.
It used to be so simple.
In canoe country, the charging station is for those autopaddles people will be using. The fisherfolk call them "trolling motors." Water skiers call them something else. They'll be needed in popular camps to keep those batteries topped up, not just at put-ins. (I'm joking around here)
Not that I need much during my trips. I'm not a gadgeteer. But I have to confess I do enjoy the paddling videos by some of the more talented / dedicated guys. Riverwalker, Maratokambo, ToBoFilm, Steve Flusswanderer, Ingo Ammerhai… Granted, Germans/Austrians and inflatable kayakers on top of that but still. The actual shooting must be comical at times and I wouldn't want to go through it but the results are pretty decent and take the audience places. Just sayin'…
this post reminds me of why I miss simpler times when the only power you needed was flashlight batteries and cameras required rolls of film and a tiny thumb crank to advance it....
Has anyone ever tried something like this (a tow-behind water prop charger)?
www.waterlilyturbine.com
WaterLily Turbine | Energy Anywhere
WaterLily is a portable turbine loved by paddlers, campers, and off-gridders around the world. It charges phones, speakers, cameras, battery banks, and even 12V devices & batteries, by generating power from water or wind. WaterLily is lightweight, packable, and easy to bring on your next outdoor...
www.waterlilyturbine.com
Sorry @Gamma1214 , I didn't see that you mentioned it until after I posted!Has anyone ever tried something like this (a tow-behind water prop charger)?
WaterLily Turbine | Energy Anywhere
WaterLily is a portable turbine loved by paddlers, campers, and off-gridders around the world. It charges phones, speakers, cameras, battery banks, and even 12V devices & batteries, by generating power from water or wind. WaterLily is lightweight, packable, and easy to bring on your next outdoor...
A battery bank, or spare batteries, still seems like the best bet for most trips. Simple and pretty much fool proof. Wind seems like the worst option for canoe trips. Most of us trip where it's heavily forested and most of us probably prefer campsites that are protected from the wind. And winds are most likely to be light in the early mornings, evening, and night, when most of us are in camp. No way am I going to rig up anything to my canoe during the day that will add drag or wind resistance.
Alan
Alan
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No need to be sorry (and I didn't ask if anyone had used one).
Personally, I haven't had a need for anything like that as my power needs remain fairly minimal and one of my battery packs has (some) solar capabilities. If I were to take a portable generating station, I would think: maybe a solar charger in the boat while in motion; probably a hyrdo generator in a stream overnight but using the wind for anything but sailing (or mitigating bug infestations) would be pretty far down the list for me and I'd probably just let the device's battery die. (Only exception would be the inReach. I would get too much grief when I returned home if I allow that to go dead)
As is often the case, Alan has hit the issue square on the head.
Power density per pound, in a battery, versus ANY of the infield generators is a hard win for the battery, in the short term (lets define that as 1 week or less). Once you start extending the trip time past 1 week, then it starts to make a more sense to have some sort of generating capacity, and you will likely need to use whatever generator you decide on almost every day.
The wind turbine looks cool, the flexible solar panels are nifty, but the reality IMO is that for the weight they represent, the power production is pretty low in practical terms. A power bank of some sort will usually represent a better option for trips that are about 1 week or less ... like I said, extended trips are where the generators start to be favoured.
Brian
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