Bike gps which one for a long week in the saddle

[GregMay]

Solution for eTrex problems:

* Buy a spare back and mount.
* Attach mount to new back.
* Dremel out space so the quarter turn lock works.
* Glue to each other.
* Attach to eTex, then cable tie to bars.

Works well. Haven't lost a GPS since doing it. Easy to change batteries still. Worked the whole way down the TDR and in training. Still run a leash on it though.

[Gummikuh]

I use the GPSMAP 62s, works well with gloves, and is fairly foolproof. always gets a fix, will need a different attachment to the bars though.
Problem with pretty much all GPS's is the size of the screen, it just doesnt show enough to easily plan routes, thats where paper maps are best.
I usually get around 24hours out of 2AA batteries, before the backlight feature bows out.
I bought it second hand for not much money, and have been very surprised at how good it is, especially with OS maps loaded.

[ton]

we sell a 15000 mah battery pack. small and light too.

[Alpinum]

I mostly agree with that Gian. Ultimately it's down to how you use the device and where you are heading. Most of the "tricks" for extending battery life are applicable to all devices of course, you just have to find the menu option to enable/disable that particular feature.

I went with a powerbank battery over dynamo for this year's HT550. Partly due to cost as I would have had to purchase dynamo and build the wheel up but I worked out the capacities of the batteries in the devices I had and reckoned I would be better with the powerbank. (my phone was off for most of the route and I used about 50% of the original charge in my light) A different route and the equation might have been different. It was actually a close call and for me I reckon the HT550 is about the borderline between powerbank and dynamo.

The/A problem with AA batteries is that there's a lot of "container" when compared to the space used for the actual power cells. Dedicated batteries are usually much better in this respect. I'd like to see devices like the Etrex/Dakota/Oregon use a dedicated replaceable battery that's the size of two AA batteries but also ship a battery holder so you can use AAs if you can't recharge the main battery. My fifteen year old camera does this so it's not exactly novel.

Does the 820 require an "on the go" USB cable to charge whilst in use? The older Garmin Edge units go into PC storage device mode if you attach a standard USB cable. A slight annoyance but one that can trip you up when you are tired.

I must have made utterly long breaks as I hardly used my battery pack on the HT550 and just recharged my gear when a socket was available during brekkers, lunch or supper.
Despite using the phone regularly (photos) and riding with the 810.

The 820 has this trick, that the screen goes to sleep completely. It goes black!
When you hit a junction, it switches on, shows you the routing info, and goes back to sleep.
But true, the 64 (can't remember which one exactly) and extrex (touch 25/35) have that too and nowadays probably many more.

I've not yet tried/needed it when out riding, but when the 820 is connected to power all seems just as if switched on sans electricity.

Every one is different with power consumption.
For me I'd need to travel for about 20-25 days with absolutely no means of recharging before I start to think about dynamo (or solar panels when hiking). When I travel in winter it's a different story for the use of much more light makes a dynohub worthwile on much shorter trips. Now, 20-25 days on a bike is quite a distance, there are very little places where you can go so long without ever meeting a socket.

Got an Garmin 810 but battery life is pretty shocking and would prefer disposable ones ideally another Garmin that would fit on my mounts.
Rich

Can you say a little about how you're using your 810? What settings and sensors are on? Also what do you think of as non-shocking? Just so we've an idea of what kind of life you'd like from the device.

I should say that I've no experience currently, but I am in the 'doing research on buying my first gps' camp, What amazes me is all the stuff that gets crammed into a garmin cycle gps/computer that I have no interest in at all, it seems there's loads of redundant functionality there that would no doubt drain a battery way faster than was needed. All I want is mapping and the ability to follow an imported gpx file. Possibly worth starting a new thread for that rather than derail this one?

Good point Oli
Before I lost the 810 during a bike-bushwhack, I used it for many trips and never really felt it drained very quick. I just made sure the display and sensor settings where set accordingly.

Chekc https://www8.garmin.com/manuals/webhelp ... 0CB7B.html
maybe you'll find a way to make battery life longer.

What does a pair (or even 2) of Lithiums weigh compared to an external battery pack of reasonable capacity?

15 - 24g for Lithium Ion AA battery. A 20,000mAh powerbank weighs 320g or so.

My 3000 mAh battery pack, which compares to one 14500 (AA) Lithium cell weighs 65 g and has USB male and female as well as micro usb male ports. was a giveaway...

One 14500 (AA) lithium cell (Energizer) is 15 g at 3000 mAh.
One 14500 (AA) Eneloop rechargeable 26 g at 2000 mAh.

Lithium isn't just lighter, it lasts longer and works better in the cold, also discharges less during storage.

But then again, your GPS mostly isn't the only electronic device is it? (rhetorical question)

[whitestone]

On the HT I had four electronic devices:

Garmin Oregon
iPhone 5
Exposure Joystick
Panasonic Lumix camera

The Oregon had 2 rechargeable AA batteries and I'd a spare set of rechargeables. The other three devices all have internal batteries and were fully charged before setting off. I charged the batteries from the powerbank each night when bivyying.

The phone was turned off for most of the time - I knew from recent reccies that I wouldn't get a signal in quite a few places like Oykel Bridge and Lochinver so there was no point turning it on when there. The phone lasted one charge for the five days.

The Joystick was set to the most economical program. It got a couple of hours use per night on the lowest setting but I rode through the last night and had it on the middle setting for about half that time. According to the charge indicator I had only used around 50% of the charge.

I forget how many shots I took but the camera still had plenty of charge by the finish.

I did have a plug and charging cable and used this on the third night when we availed ourselves of the bothy at the OBH and recharged the powerbank. I don't think I'd really change anything for a route like the HT550, the batteries in the Oregon lasted for a day's riding which is all they needed to do: get up, start the recording, ride, get to bivy, stop the recording and save, put unit on to charge.

[sean_iow]

On the HT I had four electronic devices:

The Oregon had 2 rechargeable AA batteries and I'd a spare set of rechargeables. The other three devices all have internal batteries and were fully charged before setting off. I charged the batteries from the powerbank each night when bivyying.

Reading this thread has made me think I should start using rechargeable AAs in my Etrex instead of lithiums, for cost and environmental reasons. Was it the AAs you recharged when biving and if so what did you use?

As an aside, I also have my etex on a lanyard, I would of lost it on the Braunton 150 otherwise. I looked down to check a junction in the night and had a mild panic when it wasn't there only for the feeling to be immediately replaced by a mild euphoria when I saw it hanging off the bars on the lanyard It doesn't usually come off and I think perhaps I hadn't fully clipped it back into the mount after changing the batteries earlier in the night.

[benp1]

For my trips I don't bother recharging the AAs, I just take a spare set. My trips are all quite shor tthough, no more than 3 days

I do take an Anker battery pack for topping up phone (it's my camera) but don't bother with a USB to AA charger. I have one, just don't bother, it's just easier to take another set of batteries

[ScotRoutes]

Reading this thread has made me think I should start using rechargeable AAs in my Etrex instead of lithiums, for cost and environmental reasons. .

Definitely!! Get an intelligent charger and some NIMH batteries. I'm currently using Amazon Basics - rated at 2400MAh but my charger tells me I'm usually getting more than that. It's a Youshiko YC4000. Similar models are available.

[whitestone]

Was it the AAs you recharged when biving and if so what did you use?

Yes, recharged the AAs in-situ. I've one of these https://www.amazon.co.uk/Anker-PowerCor ... 00VJSGT2A/ or very similar.

If you look inside the battery compartment of the Oregon you'll see a small black rubber button in the middle of the base. It's this what determines if the Garmin battery pack is in use and only if the button is pressed down will it recharge the batteries. The Garmin battery pack is simply two rechargeable AA batteries in a thin aluminium holder for which they charge £20 Easy enough to fake: just get a bit of old toothpaste tube cut to size and put in the compartment before you put the batteries in.

It's also worth getting a USB lead with a right-angled down mini-B plug. http://www.l-com.com/usb-right-angle-us ... ni-b5-male A standard min-B plug protrudes too far much and can foul on other items on your bars or put too much strain on the socket.

[sean_iow]

Ah, so the unit will recharge the batteries when plugged into a power source. As far as I know my Etrex doesn't do that. I could just carry spare rechargeable batteries with me (I usually have 4 spare lithium ones in a case) and just swap them over. I take the flat ones home anyway for correct disposal. If I use up all my spares I could just buy some normal AAs in the Tesco at Ullapool