Backpacking with mavic

[xjjon]

Looking to do multi-day trips with my drone and wondering what you guys do to keep the batteries charged. I have 3 batteries but that's like 1 or 2 days of flying.
For my photography, I solved this by bringing 4-6 batteries, but those last much longer and are easy to charge via power bank.

Any suggestions on how to charge the mavic 2 batteries away from civilization? I have the car charger but that doesn't really help on the trail. Thanks.

 

[ChrisOutdoors]

You have 4 options. Solar, wind, or stream for harnessing power from nature; cons are it's slow, pros are it's unlimtied. 4th option is carry a large battery like this Amazon.com: AC Outlet Portable Charger RAVPower 27000mAh Power Bank 85W(100W Max) Built In 3-Prong Laptop Travel Charger ( Type-C Port, Dual USB iSmart Ports, AC Power Indicator)[Updated Version]: Cell Phones & Accessories. Pros: fast charge, cons: limited to 6-8 charges and it weighs 3lbs.

 

[tcope]

You have 4 options.

So you've ruled out the nuclear option?

 

[ChrisOutdoors]

So you've ruled out the nuclear option?

Never rule out the nuclear option. Unlimited power!

 

[MAvic_South_Oz]

Extended trips on foot like bushwalking / backcountry hiking just don't generally go together with drones and battery charging.
Unless you carry a lot of batteries, or a decent power pack like (minimum of) that in Chris's post above, there are no real-life (effective) charging options for carrying with you.

That RAVPower weighs 30oz, (850gms), should give about 7 charges on an avg Mavic battery (if it will disperse all of that power ? I guess it should), so considering a Mavic battery weighing ~ 8.46z (240gms) you should get some effective charging capacity for weight carried.

You might find higher capacity and / or lighter / faster options in battery packs, so check around the internet thingy

Bear in mind you would have to most likely also carry your 3 batteries, so you can charge them up after use which takes time . . . but I guess if 3 batteries would last you up to 2 days of flight where desired, you could possibly get by with taking 2 batteries and have one charging between 2 flights.

So 2 options, take 4 batteries for a realistic 1.3hrs of flight, and be very selective about when / where you fly, and lengths of flights (get up and get footage and back down asap), or get the power pack (of similar 27ah capacity as above) that can give you 7 charges, along with 2 batteries, you get a realistic (theoretically possible) 180 mins of flight.
3 hours is not too bad for 47ozs (1330gms) of battery power.

Depends how you travel on foot and other gear taken, but if you take a fair bit of photog kit on such trips, you are no doubt used to taking on a decent load of camping kit and the hobby needs (weight / bulk) for multi day walking.

 

[xjjon]

Thanks for the responses.

The RAVPower seems like a decent option. I already carry a lot of weight on my trips (camera, tripod, lenses, filters, batteries, etc) on top of the backpacking gear, but if this allows me to fly throughout the trip then I can consider it. Ideally I would like to be able to fly without worrying about "wasting" flight time on b-roll content and being able to do 7~ charges gets me just about that.

Other option is more batteries of course, but that adds a lot of bulk and they don't serve much purpose when shooting on short trips.

Another thing I wonder is if you have access to your car, how long do you need to charge a battery? I do a few trips a year where I camp/sleep near the car but not in a hotel, so while I can charge via the car, there won't be hours of driving where I could charge the battery. (This scenario is mostly for rental cars, in my own car I can just keep an auxiliary car battery to charge from)

 

[MAvic_South_Oz]

Another thing I wonder is if you have access to your car, how long do you need to charge a battery? I do a few trips a year where I camp/sleep near the car but not in a hotel, so while I can charge via the car, there won't be hours of driving where I could charge the battery. (This scenario is mostly for rental cars, in my own car I can just keep an auxiliary car battery to charge from)

This is where i use my 12v charger all the time on 4wd trips.
I have an MP and 4 batteries, could easily manage with 3, even if filming more than say 4 - 6 full flights daily.

Using the 12v charger, I really don't know exactly how long a charge takes, as it might be a short charge from finishing a flight at 30% battery level, or a near depleted 10% level, and I have never tried an actual test on that, but the 12v charger is noticeably faster than the mains charger.
I notice this too when charging other Lithium batteries for tools, having both mains and 12v car chargers for these.

You will have to watch the DJI 12v charger input voltage needs, as mentioned in this thread . . .

Fly-more kit car charger for Iceland

I will be flying to Iceland(10 day camper van trip) soon and taking my Fly-more kit for M2P with me which includes the car charger. Any suggestions for keeping the batteries charged everyday? Anyone have similar experience? Thanks

mavicpilots.com

Obviously you can use other means in a car . . .
An inverter with the regular DJI mains charger plugged in, just be aware of the battery drain unless using it while driving.
A larger battery bank setup, as it doesn't matter about weight.
A step further, an AGM 2nd battery with 100ah or so capacity would give you loads of charging, can be charged in the car or at home before a trip (obviously using a step conveter) with the 12v DJI charger.

 

[ChrisOutdoors]

After researching this more (I too camp a lot in remote areas thus my interest) I would do a solar+battery combo.

If you are hiking all day and stopping each afternoon and setting up camp, a 20W solar panel that hangs on your back and connected to a power bank is your best bet.

If you have a base camp, buy a big 60W/100W panel and let it charge your power bank all day.

For both scenarios charge the mavic batteries at night. I found a lighter power bank with an AC plug than the one I previously mentioned, a solar+light battery is prob better for long trips and short the bigger battery.

Some good panels on Amazon for cheap now.

Car charging I do a lot, use the AC charger vs cigarette charger if you can, much faster.

 

[MAvic_South_Oz]

use the AC charger vs cigarette charger if you can, much faster.

Chris, are you sure about that ?
I have only my my personal experience on driving remote for anything from a week to up to 5 weeks or so, and charging exclusively with the 12v charger through a step up converter (as mentioned in post above), comparing this to charging at home on the AC, singularly or on the hub charger.

I've never tried two batteries of similar drain and charged on each 12v and AC to see for sure.

DJI fact sheets for both chargers state (and this is for my MP, not sure but MP2, should be similar) . . .

Mavic Pro 50 W Battery Charger (AC)

It will take approximately 1 hour 20 minutes to fully charge the Mavic Intelligent Flight Battery, and 2 hours for the remote controller. It will take a longer time to charge the Intelligent Flight Battery and remote controller together.

Mavic Pro Car Charger

54-minute charging time
Charges four batteries in just 3 hours and 15 minutes when used with the Mavic - Battery Charging Hub (Advanced).

(It doesn't mention in the 12v car charger info how long for charging the controller, but this is minimal anyway and easily charged on any USB connection in the vehicle or on a battery bank.)

If you are hiking all day and stopping each afternoon and setting up camp, a 20W solar panel that hangs on your back and connected to a power bank is your best bet.

This is also troubling to me as I know solar charging is fraught with things that affect charging ability, fine weather, trees / shade, time of year with short days . . . plus the weight of a solar panel with inbuilt or separate controller is getting up to a kg (35oz).

Just how does one charge a Mavic battery from a battery bank anyway ?
Does the DJI power bank adapter do this, or is that purely one way as they advertise ? (As a power bank for charging other devices like a phone.)

 

[ChrisOutdoors]

The DJI car charger takes much longer than the AC converter setup I use, like twice as long. It does this thing were it charges for a few minutes and turns off and back on, constantly. I've tried other cars/DJI chargers same result, sticking with the AC chargers has been the faster solution. Maybe they can't handle heat as well, no clue. Regarding the powerbank/ac question, click the amazon link, they make powerbanks with AC plugs and decent wattage (80-100w).

Power bank + solar combo may take a while depending on your panels and weather conditions but there's no reason you can't charge at least 1 battery / day under mediocre daylight conditions. Optimal conditions you could get several a day with a good solar pack.

 

[xjjon]

Thanks for all the insight!

Have a 2 night trip this weekend so will see how my battery consumption plays out. Still new to using the drone so I'll see how it juggles between my regular camera setup.

Ordered the RAVPower to try for my next trip as well.

I have inverter in my car but also the 12V car charger. Which one is more optimal for charging when driving? (i.e. charge a single battery the quickest)

 

[MAvic_South_Oz]

The DJI car charger takes much longer than the AC converter setup I use, like twice as long. It does this thing were it charges for a few minutes and turns off and back on, constantly. I've tried other cars/DJI chargers same result, sticking with the AC chargers has been the faster solution. Maybe they can't handle heat as well, no clue.

Ah, there's your problem Chris.
You must boost output to 13.1v min, why I set up the 13.8 step converter as mentioned in post linked above (post #7) Fly-more kit car charger for Iceland

Your does what mine did, sort of duty cycles unless driving, which suits my touring most of the time, but if I have a couple of batteries to top off at camp, well the step converter gives the juice you need.

I have inverter in my car but also the 12V car charger. Which one is more optimal for charging when driving? (i.e. charge a single battery the quickest)

Try both

If you are driving (and the alternator pumping out 14v or so) you should have enough power for the 12v charger and it should be faster.
If it duty cycles like in my reply above, and in the link post, you would be needing to make up one of those voltage step converters.

Or, just use the AC on inverter and it matters very little if it might take 10 or 15 mins longer to top off charge battery.