Charger Doodad

Due to an error on my part and a lack of preparedness, my phone had the camera application running all night and I neglected to bring the charger. Needless to say, my phone was almost dead. Thankfully due to packing a spare phone for the invasion I could get comms.

This morning, on a hunch I tried V’s USB battery charger thing. He got it as part of a deal with 2 camera batteries. The device is a clamp with a folding USB socket on one end and has two pins that can be moved to make contact with the battery terminals.

When connected correctly to the battery, a green LED on the USB plug lights up. A red one comes on when charging so you know it is working.

Writing on the bottom:

Input DC 5.0V +- 0.25V

Output DC4.8V +- 0.05V MAX 500mA

Suitable for charging original mobile phone batteries from manufacturer

Neat little device. Contemplating creating an urban possibles pouch of sorts with a few bits of useful electrical nicknacks like the charger.

London Invasion Pack List

All packed up for the imminent R4nger5 invasion of London to meet up with Avagdu. Squeezed a bunch of stuff into my 5.11 Rush 24 (proably too much thanks to the huge sleeping bag).

Front Left flap pouch:

• Nikon Coolpix S220 digital camera

Front Right flap pouch:

• Microfibre cloth
• Buff
• Grimloc carabiner on outside with boonie attached

Bottom front compartment:

• Notebook
• Nature and Walking by Emerson and Thoreau
• Bushcraft by Mors Kochanski
• R4nger5 Campaign Log 1 (may donate it to the 56a Infoshop)
• Pens, pencil and permanent marker
• Paracord on a carabiner
• Map of central London (which will be replaced with a proper one)
• Hair brush with hair ties
• Tissues

Strapped to the bottom is my self inflating mat. Top zip pouch has my sunglasses.

Main compartment

• Hygiene kit
• Towel
• British Army sleeping bag (which is far too heavy and bulky) Poncho liner (aka ranger blanket) and another synthetic blanket
• 2 changes of clothes (including Rant 10th anniversary shirt)
• EeePC and charger
• Crappy inflatable pillow
• Avagdu’s goodie bag

Whole lot is fairly heavy (22.4 pounds, less now that the sleeping bag has been removed), hopefully I won’t have to carry it around for long. Will be dumping the main compartment contents at Sloe’s place where we are crashing for the event. Grabbing the 9.55 am National Express train to London King’s Cross, arriving at about 15:50 if all goes to plan. Meeting with Avagdu the next day and then home the day after that. Repeat in August. Gonna be an accomplished nomad one of these years.

New Swag

Going camping in a month or so and I needed some stuff. Grabbed some maps for the areas I may be camping in.  There is something about maps that I think is cool, much better than using map sites on the net. Hardcopy definitely wins.

Also got a 3 way folding spade which would be good for digging a pit for a fire, as well as other uses outside of camping, especially when snowy.

Got another bundle of paracord as well cause you can never have enough of the stuff. So very useful.