Brunton Inspire Portable Power

[lostlandscapes]

Has anyone had experience with this device? Lately I've been using my iPhone and the app Gaia GPS as my GPS unit. The GPS (and constant hunting for towers) obviously renders the phone's battery useless after just a few hours (especially if I'm tracking). Looks like this could be the answer. Apparently some people get three whole charges out of the thing, which would come in handy on a 3+ day backpacking trip. Reviews are very positive, and the thing weighs in at only 7oz! Before I pull the trigger I wanted to see if anyone on the board has experience with it though. Thoughts?

http://www.backcountry.com/brunton-inspire-portable-power-device

 

[Deadeye008]

I don't have any experience with that device but I too use my phone as a GPS when in the backcountry. I have an Android phone with a removable battery. My simple solution is to bring as many extra batteries as I need. Not sure if the iPhone has a removable battery or not though. If it does not, something like this would be the answer. It says it has a capacity of 3200mAh. If you look at your battery or the specs on your phone you will be able to tell how many charges you can get out of this power pack. I think my phone batteries are 1600mAh so I would be able to get two charges out of this device.

There are other similiar devices like this with good reviews out there also.

5600mAh $35
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005K7192G/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B005K7192G&linkCode=as2&tag=backcountrypo-20

5200mAh $35
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005VBNYDS/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B005VBNYDS&linkCode=as2&tag=backcountrypo-20

 

[Aldaron]

I have one of these that I carried with me in New Zealand earlier this year:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00449U3K0/ref=oh_details_o03_s00_i06

I only used it once on the trail, but it worked great. With the charger in full sunlight, I charged my wife's Garmin watch from completely dead in a couple of hours, and it didn't use any of the battery power of the charger. In other words, it charged her watch just off the solar power. I was very surprised by that.

Of course, you can charge the charger's battery with an AC or DC plug, also.

I just liked the option of being able to charge with solar power.

Of course, the price is cheaper, so it may not hold up well. The battery is smaller, so it looks like it wouldn't charge as fast or charge as much from a single battery charge. But for the one time I used it it worked better than expected.

 

[Nick]

How'd the charger work out in the Winds, lostlandscapes?

 

[lostlandscapes]

How'd the charger work out in the Winds, lostlandscapes?

Worked very, very well. Got two full charges out of it and it still had 2 out of 4 bars of energy left after that. Very light (7oz) and about the size of a deck of cards. At home, the Brunton gains full charge in about an hour (haven't officially clocked it) when connected to my CPU through a USB cable. iPhone charges quickly when connected.

Pros:
-light, portable power
-durable--edges made of soft, rubbery material; this thing could probably take a small drop or two
-quick phone charge (just a tad slower than charging through AC outlet at home)
-straightforward battery indicator
-no evident battery drain when not in use

Cons:
-yet another thing to carry

Gonna try to put a full review up this week, but need to take some more pics of the device first.

 

[Sandro]

For those who are interested.... http://www.batterypackreviews.com/

I think I'm going to order a New Trent. They are available on amazon or directly from New Trent site.