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I'm thinking about getting a small solar panel to keep my iPhone etc topped up on an off-grid hike of 2 weeks or more in Norway. It will be in the summer, so very long days but relatively weak sun, and that's on the days it isn't cloudy. Some of the DNT cabins have panels and batteries from which I should be able to charge, but it's not something I can rely on.
I want to keep my pack weight down as much as possible, so want the smallest and lightest panel that will do the job. I will have to use it to charge a power bank and then use that to top up my phone, so there's also a trade-off in terms of size and weight of that, but whatever happens I am not going to take a massive power bank that might last a full 2+ weeks. This will be a dry run for a 2+ month hike, so I need to find something that would work for that.
Does anyone have experience of doing this for hiking or cycling in cloudy weather? If so do you think I can get away with a decent 10W panel such as this one? The review makes it sound great, but that was in Utah... If I have to go to 20 or 25W that would be tolerable, but I'd prefer to keep the weight down if I can.
I'm using a Mobile Solar Chargers 15w 3 panel ultralight charger for trekking and kayaking. It's a few years old but very effective. They do a wide range of light panels for expedition work, mine has been superceded by more powerful units so I can only imagine they will be very impressive.
On a cloudy day it works surprisingly well provided the sun is up high. Last week I was trying to charge around 6pm on a cloudy day but didn't achieve much at all. The next day at midday was much more productive despite the same level of cloud. Generally I get it out for 30 minutes minimum during a lunch stop for example, or for morning/evening periods of sunny weather. On a 3 week trip I've never run out of power for 2 phones, 2 torches, but radio and kobo. To be fair, the phones are the primary power users. This is in northern Scotland region and overall I've never worried about power running out.
My set up includes a power bank so I can either go direct to the gadget or to the bank
The panel is light, it's like a sort of thing flexi plastic so no frame or case. You can hang it on your backpack although in practice I haven't needed to, and just do static charging as it is so effective. I've just weighed it, I don't have digital scales but it weighs bang on 9oz which is 255g. You need to add the USB cable of choice to that.
The guy who runs the company is very helpful, well worth having a chat about your needs as he has lots of options. I had lots of schoolboy questions and he was very happy to explain everything to a simpleton!
https://www.mobilesolarchargers.co.uk
I would 100% buy another, I reckon a similar power one would weigh less now too.
Double post
Many thanks @kormoran, that's extremely helpful! Mobile Solar Chargers is exactly what I've been looking for so I'll send them an email and see what they recommend.
Intrigued, I looked up the latitude of Utah vs Scotland and there's quite a big difference. I dug out my emails with the msc guy, and he recommended a 15w set up for UK light levels, so you are definitely right to wonder about Utah vs Norway, and whether 10w is enough. From my basic understanding, you really want bigger/more, to harvest power from less light.
I'm sure someone could say it better than that!
Thanks! I've emailed him and included the bit about Norway, so will see what he says.
Me and a friend did part of the GR20 in Corsica this summer over a week, we had 2 Flexsolar panels from Amazon, and E20 and an E10 - the 20 is bigger and did a great job keeping everything charged, even when there was cloud. The 10 was way less effective and could only charge a phone in direct, bright light when directly facing the sun.
I think the extra weight of the bigger panel is worth it!
Which trail are you doing in Norway? In the summer months you will be able to charge almost 24hrs as the days are so long.
As you say a lot of the DNT Cabins have solar chargers but if it's busy there can be a queue to charge stuff, so being self sufficient is a good idea. The DNT website will tell you which cabins have what facilities so you can plan in advance!
Thanks @steezysix. A Flexsolar panel did well in the Outdoor gear lab review I mentioned before, so I could go with one of them, but I'll see what the chap @kormoran mentioned comes up with.
My mother is from near Kristiansund and we have a family cabin near there. We've been to quite a few of the local DNT cabins (Jutulbu, Hardbakkhytta, and Grytbakksetra this summer) so will probably go further afield next year. The long term plan is to a big hike through Norway, ending up at the summer place - partly inspired by @tjagain and his epic rides - in a couple of years.
The main problem is Brexit and the 90/180 day Schengen rule. We want to do the whole thing overland, need to allow for rest days and injuries, and will want a rest at the end, so we're quite limited for time. My original plan was to walk from Kristiansand to Kristiansund, but we probably wouldn't manage that in the time available. I then wondered about Oslo to Kristiansund, following the St Olav's way pilgrim route for the first part, but we decided that the bit from Oslo to Lillehammer probably isn't worth it so the current plan is Lillehammer to Kristiansund (actually to a village near there, but that's the closest decent sized place).
I've worked out a route with DNT cabins all the way, but we'll bring a tent and will camp as much as the weather allows. This summer would have been amazing - or perhaps even too hot - but one never knows...
I take it from your response that you know Norway well, so if you have any tips please let me know - either on here or via DM 🙂
Just to point out thst you can dramatically decrease your power consumption by turning off mobile data and even more by selecting flight mode until you need it. This means you might only have to charge 1/5 of a battery per day instead of a whole one. But if you're in flight mode you can still take photos or use mapping and it's quick to turn it back on.
Sounds like an awesome trip! Have you though about integrating some or all of the Massiv trail? Would take you through some of the most stunning natural areas in southern Norway, although there will still be snow in higher areas until well into the summer. I honestly think that would be a more interesting trip than hiking from Lillehammer, although certainly a bit more challenging.
I actually live on the outskirts of Oslo, the Pilgrim trail goes within about 200m of my house and err, you can probably go ahead and skip that part 😂 Unless you fancy walking next to a main road and past an Ikea?
It's probably worth you joining the DNT, you'll get a discounted rate to stay in the huts and if you do more than 8 nights (I think) you'll save more than you pay for membership. They also have a "dagpris" (50/100kr) which means you can go in, use the facilities but not stay overnight. This is super convenient for doing cooking, washing up, etc, and then moving on a little way before setting up camp!
The folk at the DNT are also super helpful when it comes to route ideas and planning, so you could call them and see what they suggest?
Thanks @molgrips - excellent point! I knew that would help but hadn't appreciated that it makes quite so much difference.
Thanks also @steezysix - good to know I won't miss anything by skipping the Oslo section of Pilegrimsleden 🙂
If we were to follow the original plan of Kristiansand to Kristiansund we'd pick up the Massiv trail, but we'd really struggle to get it done in the time available, and more to the point my beloved companion isn't keen. I'm still aiming to go up Snøhetta on the way (it's on the way from Snøheim to Amotdalshytta) but I don't think I'd get away with sneaking Galdhøpiggen and Glittertind in there...
If this one goes well I'll see if I can persuade her to take the tougher route, but this is going to mark my retirement so I'm far from sure that an old man like me would manage it anyway!
I've been a DNT member for a while now, and they are indeed extremely helpful. I spent an afternoon in their place in Kristiansand earlier this year, and I'll go to the Oslo one when I'm next there.
I've attached a screenshot of a very rough outline itinerary from Komoot, which gives some sort of indication of the route. It will however have to diverge quite a bit from this cabin-to-cabin route as we're going to need to take detours to towns so we can find food that isn't just the tinned lapskaus, sodd and bacalao that they have in the DNT cabin larders 🙂
Looks like a fantastic adventure
It's worth making sure your battery pack charge through. Then you can plug your phone or other items into it and they all "get charged" and nothing os wasted rather than filling up the battery pack and then immediately draining it to top up the phone.
Also aswell as flight mode etc some of the battery saving modes in phones make a huge difference. You can still pick the apps you want or need bit it will freeze loads aof battery draining stuff.
Thanks @joshvegas, that’s helpful.
I’m aiming to use the phone as little as possible for anything other than camera duties. Having spent decades of work sitting at a desk in front of a screen I want to mark my retirement by avoiding screens as much as possible! But I’ll need to use some apps, even if only to pay for the DNT cabins 😀
Looks like a fantastic adventure
Thanks @tjagain. You really have been an important inspiration for this, going right back to your original retirement plans. With arthritis in both my wrists I wouldn’t be able to do a really big bike ride, but my legs still work okay so we’ll just have to carry everything on our backs…
No thanks needed but that does make me really happy!
FWIW I used to do a lot of long distance walking but now have arthritis in my feet so no longer can - hence the bike rides 🙂 I am jealous 🙂
Thanks @joshvegas, that’s helpful.
I’m aiming to use the phone as little as possible for anything other than camera duties. Having spent decades of work sitting at a desk in front of a screen I want to mark my retirement by avoiding screens as much as possible! But I’ll need to use some apps, even if only to pay for the DNT cabins 😀
Personally i would ditch the phone for camera duties and pick up a nice wee digital camera. Even a tough camera.
Only on when you want it. Better photos*. Not eating your phone battery.
*Contentious opinion. Actual optical zoom, actual flash. Fast. All a phone "does better" is make a heavily processed jpeg which is nicer for snap shots and sharing.
I mean what I actually do is carry a film camera but accept that might make me a bit weird.
@joshvegas I take your point about a real camera, and have thought long and hard about it, including considering a film camera. I even, briefly, contemplated bringing my ancient Hasselblad, which has been up plenty of mountains with me…
However, I want to get my pack as light as possible - ~8kg if I can, including tent, food etc - I’ll have a phone with me anyway, and my current iPhone already has a 3-stage optical zoom.
I may yet decide to bring an X100/GR/RX100, or even my old Leica CL or Minolta CLE with a couple of lenses and a few rolls of film, but I suspect I’ll go for the lightest option that will still give me reasonable images. I know you’re right, but this is just one of many compromises I’m going to have to make!
@tjagain Very sorry to hear about the foot problems - you have my sympathies. If I can identify a section that can be done just as well on foot or by bike I’ll let you know 😊
@joshvegas I take your point about a real camera, and have thought long and hard about it, including considering a film camera. I even, briefly, contemplated bringing my ancient Hasselblad, which has been up plenty of mountains with me…
However, I want to get my pack as light as possible - ~8kg if I can, including tent, food etc - I’ll have a phone with me anyway, and my current iPhone already has a 3-stage optical zoom.
I may yet decide to bring an X100/GR/RX100, or even my old Leica CL or Minolta CLE with a couple of lenses and a few rolls of film, but I suspect I’ll go for the lightest option that will still give me reasonable images. I know you’re right, but this is just one of many compromises I’m going to have to make!
yeah its a toughcall. I have a nikonos which is pretty new to me but despite it in theory being pretty much the most resilient to everything camera in existance... The price in carrying it is pretty high.
Minolta 16mm.... Tiny... Very light... Fully manual... Bomb proof. Cheap if you cut down 120 film to feed it.
But I’ll need to use some apps, even if only to pay for the DNT cabins 😀
FYI, you don't need to do this every night - you can just make a note of everything and do a bunch together, when you have power & signal.
One thing I use a lot is the OSM app, as I don't need a data connection to see the map. You can also use the Norgeskart overlay which is same as the maps they sell in DNT shops.
Sounds like you've already put a lot of thought into the trip, I'm sure you'll have an awesome time!
Minolta 16mm.... Tiny... Very light... Fully manual... Bomb proof. Cheap if you cut down 120 film to feed it.
Ha - sounds very cool but if it comes to it I'll stick with my also bombproof Leica CL!
Cameras. It depends on what you want the pics for. I have been thru a few different things but concluded as all I really wanted was snapshots to put online or to play on my telly a phone was good enough. My good camera weighed more than my tent!
One thing I use a lot is the OSM app
Thanks, I've used the Norgeskart, and this year I also tried out the Norgeskart friluftsliv app which seems good, but I'll take a look at OSM.
The Sør Norge overview map from DNT is really good for planning, but I'll need more detail for the hike itself. I don't want to have to depend on a phone so I'll probably print out a set of custom maps for the route from the Norgeskart website. I love maps 🙂
My good camera weighed more than my tent!
My wife is a fine art photographer so there's a slight risk she's going to want to bring an 8x10 view camera. I'm hoping we can get away with just a sheaf of cyanotype paper...
My good camera weighed more than my tent!
...but perhaps that says more about your tent than your camera!
My good camera weighed more than my tent!
My wife is a fine art photographer so there's a slight risk she's going to want to bring an 8x10 view camera. I'm hoping we can get away with just a sheaf of cyanotype paper...
I have a half plate field camera if you want to borrow it...
We took this Alpkit flare on a 6 week cycle tour or Norway last summer.
It Sat on top of the handlebar bag all day and then could be placed in the sun once we set up camp (we didn't have a dynamo...)
We just used it to charge power packs and then could recharge phones in the evening where needed from the powerpack.
I would run the same set up.again. We were generally off-grid for 4-5 days before we might be at a campsite to plug in to the mains again, but didn't always need to, had no power issues.
However, I want to get my pack as light as possible - ~8kg if I can, including tent, food etc
Hope fully this will turn into Lorax's big adventure thread!
I just thought i'd add that that your 8kg pack is reasonably achievable - my normal base weight for long distance walks with Madame is about 5.5kg without food or water. That includes half the tent/cooking equipment. My rucsac weighs 1300g and the tent 1800g, so there is a reasonable bit of weight to be lost if I could be motivated to buy new kit. When it wears out I will, but for the time being I'm comfortable carrying what I have. If you are putting together new kit then it should be pretty easy.
(This is packing for 3 season Scottish or Alpine trekking where temperatures and weather could be uncomfortable. Sub zero nights, chilly days at altitude kind of thing)
You won't get a better quality/weight ratio than using your phone camera. Since you'll have your phone anyway for emergencies etc then the camera weighs nothing. I used to think about carrying a camera for outdoor trips but then I realised that the time spent looking for and taking decent photos really breaks up your walk or ride or whatever.
Thanks @Matt_SS_xc It was an Alpkit Flare that inspired this thread - I recently found one in a drawer that I had forgotten I had! It was a few years old, outside the warranty, and completely dead... It's very reassuring to know that it provided sufficient power in Norway. but I'm reluctant to get another one. I'm going to speak to Tim at Mobile Solar Chargers (suggested by kormaran, above) later in the week and will buy something more robust from him.
Yes, @molgrips, I agree, although travelling with a photographer may make that a bit challenging. She think I should take the Hasselblad...
@kormoran That's good to hear. I also think it should be possible to keep the weight down, especially if I blow my tax free lump sum at Ultralight Outdoor Gear 🙂
I may yet change my mind but I suspect I won't put together a big hike thread: this is a cycling site, not a hiking one, so it would seem wrong; I'm aiming to stay off screens as much as possible; and 'we walked from hut A to hut B, through beautiful scenery, in the rain, and didn't see anyone' would be pretty dull to read 50 days in a row!
may yet change my mind but I suspect I won't put together a big hike thread:
A weekly update? that might be nice
Good idea - that sounds like a decent compromise 🙂
I'm going to have to go ahead and do it now! Next summer is out, for work/family reasons, but if I can get things sorted in time I hope to set off in June 2027...