Living with AA and AAA's only ?

[Ken in Anaheim]

Hi.&nbsp; OK, I admit it.....I"M A BIG CHICKEN !!&nbsp;&nbsp; I just can't seem to bite the bullet and MAKE THE COMMITMENT !! to full-timing.<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; In the mean time I'd like to car/tent camp and kinda/sorta just get my feet wet.<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; With that in mind I'll probably be doing most (all ?) my lighting with AA and AAA powered lites (occasionally using C or D "shells" for the AA/AAA).&nbsp; I'm assuming that I'll lay in a big stock of Eneloops but I was wondering if anyones come across a <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>GOOD, RELIABLE</strong></span> SOLAR charger that can be used (?)<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; I don't know if it's too much to ask but a "smart charger" would be preferred (necessary).<br>Thanks...........open to all comments/suggestions.<br>KinA<br><br>P.S. This looks like a decent lantern.....yes/no ?<br>http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...le_2?ie=UTF8&amp;psc=1&amp;smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER

 

[greybeard23]

I spent more than a year tent camping and only use AA &amp; AAA.&nbsp; I use eneloop and La Cross batteries.&nbsp; I have a La Cross smart charger that charges 120 or 12v.&nbsp; When tenting I used a fold out Brunton solar charger, worked great.&nbsp; Even charged my car jumper pack.<br><br>Now that I have solar, I just gave the Brunton away to someone car living with a battery that keeps running down.&nbsp; So now he trickle charges his car battery with it.

 

[VanLifeCrisis]

That lantern takes Ds btw.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Since D batteries are so expensive, i opted for AAs and went with this smaller lantern, it works ok.&nbsp; Not super bright but I have no problem seeing fine in the van, probably even brighter in a tent or car:<br><br>http://www.amazon.com/Coleman-MicroPacker-Compact-Battery-Lantern/dp/B000EH0NLK/<br><br><br>Maybe when im more flush with cash ill upgrade to the Ds

 

[caseyc]

I have lanterns that can operate on different sources of power. I have a few lanterns that can operate on D size batteries, plus have a 12 volt cable to plug into your cigarette lighter to recharge its internal rechargeable battery.&nbsp;

 

[wrcsixeight]

Disposable alkaline batteries are evil.<br><br>You can get 12 volt LED's which draw so little power from your vehicle battery you need not worry about depletion unless your talking days and days without driving &nbsp;<br><br>I made this &nbsp;red oak housing around a halogen 12 volt light. It has a ciggy plug on it. It was bright, and drew 1.28 amps at 12.6 volts.<br><br>

<br>Later I replaced the halogen bulbs with &nbsp;warm white mr-11 LED bulbs that cost $8.99 for a pair. &nbsp;Just as bright, &nbsp;and draws 0.18 amps.<br><br>

<br><br>One day I'll stain and polyurethane the oak. &nbsp;I just put into use right away and never got around to it.<br><br><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Lighting-EVER...2402663&amp;sr=1-1&amp;keywords=mr11+led+bulb" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://www.amazon.com/Lighting-EVER...2402663&amp;sr=1-1&amp;keywords=mr11+led+bulb<br><br><br><br></a>I do use rechargeable AA and AAA's in my flashlights and camera. &nbsp;I have a 12 volt charger for them, and get several years out of the batteries before they lose too much capacity.

 

[caseyc]

I have so many different types of rechargeable batteries, it's sick. As in sickness, really! <img class="emoticon bbc_img" src="/images/boards/smilies/eek.gif">&nbsp;That said, I do like the convenience of buying disposable AA and AAA batteries. Whenever Radio Shack store has a 2 for 1 sale on batteries, I&nbsp;usually stock up and&nbsp;buy several packs at a time. I don't remember the exact price, but it's something like $12 for 1 pack of a couple dozen AAs, and you get the 2nd pack for free. Seems like a pretty good deal. I just recently loaded some new&nbsp;AA&nbsp;size Radio Shack batteries into a new handheld CB radio because I didn't feel like taking the time to&nbsp;juice up the provided&nbsp;rechargeable battery. <img class="emoticon bbc_img" src="/images/boards/smilies/biggrin.gif">&nbsp; In my closet, I have literally many dozens and dozens of rechargeable Energizer AA batteries and various chargers to go with it. I got tired that these rechargeable batteries kept having problems keeping a charge, and I started throwing them out.&nbsp; Rechargeable batteries aren't cheap either, so I get peeved when they don't hold up as I think they should.&nbsp;

 

[ilovemyvan]

Hi Ken,<br><br>I use a landscape solar spotlight for both lighting and charging batteries. I bought it at Home Depot for around $40.<br><br><img class="bbc_img" style="left: 32px; top: 16px; width: 640px; height: 480px; -ms-interpolation-mode: bicubic;" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-...AAAAAEzQQ/_hvvOxx4grE/s640/100_5085.JPG?gl=US" rel="lightbox"><br><br>I bought one that has about 10 feet of wire between the panel and the light. The panel is on the dashboard of the van and the light is used in the back. I ran the wire along on the passenger side hidden behind the wall. The panel has lithium batteries which are bigger than AA's and AAA's batteries so I have to&nbsp;use a bit of a 'backing/support'&nbsp;to&nbsp;make sure the positive of the battery&nbsp;have good contact&nbsp;when&nbsp;it charges. It works well for us and I'm sure it'll work well for years.<br><br>Good luck and enjoy your camping adventures.<br><br>Nicole