going camping - cable question

Typically I charge my Droid every night, all night, while I sleep ... and most days that works well and I can go without another charge until bedtime ...

I'm taking the family camping in a couple months ... in the past while camping, I have been able to charge my phones during the day using my car charger so that I could keep my phone next to my airbed while I slept just in case I needed it ... but that was for my RAZR and LG Dare and LG Touch... which were all great phones but as you imagine, I use my droid a lot more than any old phone ... and I'll not want to keep it in the car, charging all night long, all by itself without me to protect it from the bears. LOL!

So I'm wondering if anyone has used extra long cables to charge their Droid ... I'm thinking I would be able to plug it into the car and thread the cable right through my car window and into the tent's 'doggie door' so I can watch tv, movies, play with my droid, etc while it's charging in the tent at night ... or even just let it charge and leave it be ... I know there was some mention of extra long cables losing data or something.

Any thoughts or experience?

What sort of distance are we talking?

You can get a couple of USB extension cables.

Monoprice has 2 Micro USB cables at 15ft length.

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OR...look into a product like this. But I don't have personal experience with products like this on my Droid. Used them on iphones and blackberries with no issues.

http://www.amzer.com/Amzer-Emergency-Portable-Charger-with-5-Adapters-P84075.htm

i would say 15 to 25 feet ... thanks... will check out those links now.

You're camping out within cable distance to your car, in a tent, and want to watch tv and surf the internet on your phone?

Hell yes! I'm camping alone with five kids ... LOL! That's roughin' it enough don't ya think? :icon_eek:

Actually, my boys have a hard time falling asleep that first night in the tent, so I have used my iPod to let them watch tv or videos to calm them a bit ... so this Droid would be great for that too ... during the day it's the great outdoors but at night, in the tent ... this Mom has to do whatever it takes! :icon_ banana:

Please post what you finally decide on. Wife and I are going camping in a few weeks

You are a brave woman :hail:

You could always get a power inverter and just run a standard extension cord into the tent. That's what I do to power my air pump when I inflate our mattresses. Of course you may have to have your keys in the ignition. They do make some that attach directly to the car battery as well.

Just get one of those portable car jumpstarters / powerstations and keep it in your tent. Even a small one will power the phone for a week.

Bears aren't going to mess with the Droid unless you keep food in the car.

that is an excellent idea, most of those have a 12v plug on them.

zagg.com has the zagg sparq as well i have one and it works great

Camp extensively and always depend on AA battery dongles to keep phone charged and ready to go. (currently use Gomadic brand on sale) AAs are universal, used in so much other equipment and the dongles are cheap and dependable. That's your best bet! Also, "My Tracks" Google app is fun to record hikes, etc. in Google Maps. There are some neat "compass" apps, like GPS Status. Finally, the Car Locator is a good way to insure getting back to camp! :smile: See 'Ya Down the Trail, Mike

The best solution for you would be this: Duracell Powerhouse Charger | Portable USB Charger for Cell Phones, iPhones, iPods, and More

You can charge it durring the day or whenever your not using it. The Droid battery is a 1400 mAh battery and the device above is 2000 mAh, so it should keep your phone charged through the night...it features both a mini and a standard USB port.

The jumpstarter / power station is probably the most practical solution. We use them at our radio station to broadcast little league baseball games when there is no power available and the generator is being used by the crew at our other station. Cell phone, radio, and mixer run for over 5 hours on a full charge. So I would guess that charging or running a cell phone is no big deal during an extended camping trip.