Camping and the iPad - Preliminary Charging Results Inside

[NumbLock]

We have to go shopping tomorrow to replace the tent that was damaged, I'll see if some other charging possibility presents itself.

 

[NumbLock]

[
the guesstimated 6.25ah capacity of the ipad corroborates your 20% fill measurement of that Solio... at 1800mah... you have to factor in less than 100% efficiency...

Yep, looks like you're right. Everything makes sense now.

 

[iPadCharlie]

We have to go shopping tomorrow to replace the tent that was damaged, I'll see if some other charging possibility presents itself.

Ouch!!

I know I (and others) have driven this point home, but I'll say it one more time (and that's it, I promise!), make sure it has an output of 10 watts or more.

 

[NumbLock]

We have to go shopping tomorrow to replace the tent that was damaged, I'll see if some other charging possibility presents itself.

Ouch!!

I know I (and others) have driven this point home, but I'll say it one more time (and that's it, I promise!), make sure it has an output of 10 watts or more.

On exactly that point, your wrong. You can charge with one watt if you're patient - but only if the iPad is off.

I'm more worried about battery capacity at this point, or a solar panel with, as you say, 10 watts or more, even if not on full sun, so that I don't have to think about charging the whole day.

 

[iPadCharlie]

On exactly that point, your wrong. You can charge with one watt if you're patient - but only if the iPad is off.

Sure, you could do it that way, but if you are going to charge your iPad with 1 watt, your camping trip will most likely be over by the time it is fully charged!

 

[henry2]

in my bad weather car camping stowage tote i have a small folding solar panel system to recharge the phone and protabla dvd player set up along with extras power cords for the iphone and ipad to be able to plug them into the car cig lighter and recharge them that way also ..

 

[NumbLock]

Sure, you could do it that way, but if you are going to charge your iPad with 1 watt, your camping trip will most likely be over by the time it is fully charged!

Yeah, you have a point, but I'm on vacation, hehe. Even only 20% a day should work, I hope.

 

[Temp40]

that Solio Magnesium thingy is super cool, I want one!!

 

[NumbLock]

Even after charging with the half-charged Solio Mag, I'm at 51%! No chance to find anything better in this backwards area. Where does one get 9 hours of sunlight? Sure, maybe if you could leave it in a field, but in this area, I would never see it again! Realistically, I had it five hours on a charge in bright sunlight with the boating and bathing, but still...

I can tell now that I really need something with a much bigger solar panel. We have access to power now, but I'll continue with the test on intellectual grounds.

 

[iPadCharlie]

I can tell now that I really need something with a much bigger solar panel.

If I say, "See, I told you so!", NumbLock will dope slap me within an inch of my life!

 

[iVan]

Swipe someone's car battery..

 

[NumbLock]

I can tell now that I really need something with a much bigger solar panel.

If I say, "See, I told you so!", NumbLock will dope slap me within an inch of my life!

It was all in the interest of science...

 

[NumbLock]

 

[iPadCharlie]

That's cheating!

 

[WAM]

You never mentioned the obvious -- a DC car charger. So you must be backpacking? Regards a solar charger, I have a .5A at 12V panel that measures about 15" square. So that would be 6 watts. Obviously a 10 watt panel would be nearly twice that size. And charging circuitry probably doesn't exceed 50% efficiency, so bigger still. Seems like your disappointing test results were on the money.

I'd carry both an AC charger and a 2amp car charger and hope for opportunities. My Kensington 2A car charger is half the length of a cigarette lighter plug and can use the existing AC usb cable. So no hindrance packing it along.