The outdoors is a great place to really relax from the everyday routine of life. It allows us to take some time off and just enjoy what the simpler things in life have to offer. The trees, the sun, the air or the running river give us time to think, it slows down the sands of time and overall it’s a great way to calm ourselves.
Along with the outdoors being a great place to kickback and relax, it’s also a place that doesn’t have any electronics or any outlets for you to charge your devices. The outdoors is also place that has a high chance of your electronic devices getting damaged. This is the natural world we’re talking about here, in nature there’ rough terrain, hard surfaces and water can be anywhere.
Taking your electronics with you whether you’re going for a biking ride, hiking, camping or just a walk is a perfectly fine but you must make sure that you have the neccessary tools to keep you’re devices safe and running.
The most important things to take when going into the great outdoors
Important thing #1: Power Bank
Power Banks are absolutely necessary to bring with you when you’re going into a place that doesn’t have any way to charge the devices that you bring with you. You may not be using your phone all that much when you’re out and about but it’s a smart choice to have the devices with you to be charged just in case.
You’re phone can be used in times of emergencies or maybe you’re using your phone to listen to music; It would suck to have your phone die out as you’re halfway biking down a trail. Keeping your devices charged is a great way to improve you experience when you’re in the wilderness because you’re able to enjoy it more.
The Astro E1 is a power bank that is great if you’re going into the outdoors for a few hours because it has a quite a large capacity for its size. The Astro E1 power bank is perfect for bike rides, runs or walks. It should only be limited to those things though because the power bank has a capacity that can only charge a device like a smartphone to its full capacity and charge it again half way. A full charge and a half is great for a day but if you need your devices charged for a few days out in the wild, then we recommend a power bank with a higher capacity.
The size of the Astro E1 is what makes it a great power bank, described to be a “Candy Bar Sized” power bank, the Astro E1 is about 30% smaller than a iPhone 6.
If you need a power bank that can last you a day out in the wilderness, away from the noise, then the Astro E1 is a power bank that will keep you going.
RAVPower Outdoor Built Power Bank
There are power banks that are built for the outdoors. This RAVPower power bank is able to withstand what the outdoors have to throw at it.
If you’re going into rough territory of the wilderness or if you’re running the at the speed of light, biking on rocky terrain or near a lake or river, then the RAVPower outdoor power bank is what you need.
Build for fortitude:
Water Proof: The power bank is able to withstand water, so there’s no worries of being near water and having it damaged
Dust Proof: RAVPower outdoor power bank can be taken to the driest of places without any damage from sand or dust.
Shock Proof: Dropping a electronic device causes absolute dread because most electronics are fragile but the RAVPower outdoor power bank can take falls from the hardest of surfaces.
Flashlight: Although not a fortitude feature, the power bank features a flashlight if you’re in the outdoors at night where it will definitely be dark.
The capacity of this power bank is great for going into the natural world. With a capacity of 10050mAh, the power bank is able to charge smartphones about 3 times over, tablets about 2.5 times over. Your worries about device running out of power are gone. The size of the power bank is small and portable, it also features a handle space so you can hook the power bank onto your backpack or anywhere so it’s always nearby charging your devices.
Power, fortitude and safety to give you all the tools to meet mother nature with complete confidence.
When you’re out in the wilderness it’s important to have constant power, but wait there’s no such thing as constant power! Oh but there is, and it can happen with a Solar power bank. Solar power banks are the solution to having power with your power bank at nearly all times. Solar power banks are able to charge themselves through the solar panels that are installed on them.
All that’s needed are the sun’s rays to shine on the solar panels and the power bank charges itself. Solar power banks are basically a necessity and very convenient for outdoor exploration because since you’re outside, the sun is bound to shine and charge your power bank; They are meant for the outdoors, not only through their self solar charging but also through their structural fortitude.
Solar chargers are built to be shock proof, dust proof and water proof, like the power bank that we mentioned above, solar chargers should be able to handle the elements. Along with a strong body, solar power banks also feature amenities such as LED flashlights, compasses and hook rings so it always stays with you.
Solar power banks are great because they can be powered via the sun, an outlet and are built for the outdoor setting.
There are larger solar chargers that aren’t power banks but are still able to charge devices via the sun. The solar charger above, Anker’s PowerPort Solar Lite, is not a power bank because it doesn’t store energy within it. The PowerPort Solar Lite and other solar chargers like it, charge devices directly with the power from the sun. So the solar charger should be hanged on the back of a backpack or should be in some place where the sun will hit the solar panels. This way the solar charger will be able to charger your devices.
Here’s how chargers like these are supposed to be used:
They should be opened up all the way so all the solar panels are showing. By doing this, the solar panels are able to harness as much solar energy as possible and transmit that energy to the devices being charged. Yes, it’s not a power bank but these chargers can very efficiently capture solar energy and are very useful if you’re in a sunny climate.
Anker also has a 21W variant for the solar charger above. The PowerPort Solar 21W.
Important thing #2: Cases & Bags
Not many smartphones today are waterproof. There’s the Samsung Galaxy S7 that’s waterproof but many other smartphones are very susceptible to water damage and as result caution is a must if you have your phone near water.
There are products to solve this though. Waterproof cases for phones and bag pouches are able to keep devices safe from water.
Joto Universal Waterproof Case Pouch
The Joto waterproof pouch is a pouch that you can put your phone into and it will be completely safe from water damage and other dangers such as dust and scratch damage.
Pouches like these even allow you to use your phone when it’s in the pouch because the film covering the phone is thin enough so that your phone is able to detect touch motions.
Water proof bags are great if you’re going swimming, canoeing or any other activity that involves a lot of water to be present because you can use your smartphone freely without worrying about water damage.
You probably already use a smartphone case but you most likely don’t use a case that is waterproof. Waterproof cases is another way to protect your phone from water and make it shockproof as well. These kind of cases are becoming very popular because many people don’t want their phones to get damaged because of a drink that spilled or perhaps they dropped their phone into a body of water.
However in this case, a waterproof case will make sure that you’re phone is safe and usable even when around water in the wild.
Waterproof cases are the best from companies that specialize in cases that are meant to face the elements with complete confidence. LifeProof cases are the best when it comes to not only waterproof phone cases but generally LifeProof creates cases that are fully protective for the phone.
LifeProof cases are exactly what their company name implies into their products, the cases they create can withstand what life throws at it.
Apart from their phone cases being waterproof, LifeProof cases are shockproof, and dustproof. The main thing about LifeProof cases is that they are not just cases, they’re full protective armor for the phone that you put it on. The outer shell of the case is dust and waterproof, it also has hard material to make it shockproof. Then there’s the protective screen over the case that makes the case into a full protective armor because it protects the phone’s screen.
Buttons and input points for phones are covered by covering points that can be flipped off from their places so they can be used; So you can use your phone as normally as you’d use it with no case on it.
There’s versatility when you have a case that is fully protective because there’s no more caring about it getting damage, the only thing that matters is adventure.
LifeProof has cases that are made for the devices within brands such as:
- Apple
- Samsung
- Motorola
- LG
Important thing #3: Safety Lighting
When you’re out and about into natural world, things can become scary and very unsafe because in the natural world there is only natural order. Humans don’t have very much control over the natural world unless we morph it into what we want by building roads and cities.
However, if natural disasters strike, a wild animal attacks or you’re in need of serious assistance out in the wilderness, then you need some sort of beacon or plan so that you can get help.
The most important thing for safety if you’re going into a natural territory solo, is to TELL SOMEBODY where you’re going. You must tell somebody where you’re going, because if you don’t have a way of beckoning or reaching somebody to help you, at least somebody that knows about your whereabouts will be able to know your location and that you’re in danger. Telling somebody that you know costs nothing, it’s free and is a must do before you go venturing into the wild.
Now that we’ve covered ways for your electronics devices to be charged and safe, let’s cover electronics that can aid you for safety.
The most serious thing about being in the wild when it’s night is the amount of light you have. Perhaps you need to signal for help or simply need a light for safety. Ultimately, lighting is very important in the darkness of the wilderness.
The bases of safety within the wild at night is a great flashlight. The OxyLED flashlight serves as a flashlight that can deliver on the most basics a flashlight can have and goes a bit further than expectations.
- Three brightness levels
- Strobe Light
- SOS Signal function
- Zoom in capabilities
- Water Resistant
The above traits are the best for a flashlight to have because it what makes a flashlight a quality one. Any flashlight that you buy for nearly any purpose should be an LED as well because regular lights are obsolete because they’re not nearly has bright.
Another great lightning system to have that is quite new to the lighting world is called the Lumin Aid.
The LuminAID is a light that is packaged with a TPU (thermoplastic polyurethane) casing. The device that you see on top of the light is where the solar panel and the functions of the light are. The LuminAID is a simple idea that is taking off because the execution of the lighting device is done so well.
The LuminAID is very versatile. It can be folded and tied to a backpack when it’s not in use. When it does need to be used, the LuminAID just needs to be blown up with air and it becomes a lightweight float-able lantern that can be tied behind a backpack or carried.
It’s a lantern that excels by the way it’s designed because the the LED light with the LuminAID casing is actually not that bright, with a max Lumen light of 65, the LuminAID is able to make lighting its main attraction because of the TPU casing. The casing diffuses the light, spreads the light out in all directions so the lighting is amplified. By doing so, the LuminAID can illuminate many things within a near and somewhat far radius. However the most important thing is that the Lumin Aid can be seen from afar.
The LuminAID was created in a response to an observation of how people were left devastated after natural disasters. There’s really no clear way to see who is in need but with the LuminAID, the indication is a light that reaches out.
Within a natural setting the LuminAID is a great device to have because it’s easy to carry and can hold tremendous value if you ever need it. Either for serious situations or simply because you need a light in a dark place, the LuminAID is able to clear away doubts.
Since 2016, Usman has flourished as an independent tech journalist, reveling in the evaluation of diverse tech gadgets, with a particular fondness for charging technology to ascertain product performance. Besides his journalistic endeavors, he helms the Charger Harbor YouTube channel, where he extends his tech insights to a broader audience.