I need to film, for thirty days, in the wilderness, with no power, etc...

King Cole

King Cole

Active member
Hey everyone,
This summer I'm going on a 30 day sea kayaking trip in Alaska with NOLS. It should be an unbelievable experience. The program that is sending me wants me to film a travelogue/documentary of my experience. They're buying an HDV camera (probably a Sony HC9[?]), mainly for space purposes compared with the DVX, and a dry bag for storage on the kayak. We're trying to figure out the power challenge. They're won't be any power out in Alaska. I was looking for suggestions. Right now we're thinking we'll probably buy a bunch of batteries. Do any of you know if the batteries will likely hold their charge 20 days in? 30 days in?

Has anyone had experience with solar chargers? I'll most likely be moving and kayaking during the day, which presents another challenge, because I don't know how much time I'll have to leave a solar charger out under the sun. Also, size is a consideration because my gear must fit in the kayak.

Lastly, I'll also be taking a Canon Rebel still camera, probably with a bunch of compact flash cards for storage, so I'll need to address powering it too.

I also welcome any other advice. I've never filmed under circumstances like these, so if you've got any tips, I thank you in advance.

Yours,

JC
 
I would be interested in seeing the outcome of this. I would think that solar would not supply enough power to efficiently charge batteries. I would almost recommend getting a camera powered by double a's and just bring like a thousand of those. Its going to be expensive, but I can't think of any other reliable source.
 
Automated Media Systems

Automated Media Systems

I recommend you contact Stuart Cody at Automated Media Systems (www.automatedmedia.com). I've worked with him in the past on problems similar to what you are describing. I think he can help you find the right solution.
 
Thanks to everyone for the replies- all look like excellent possibilities; sorry it's taken me so long to post back. I'm going as part of a scholarship-funded trip, and the folks sending me have decided that 4 pre-charged batteries will do it for me. I'm still skeptical, so I'm going to check out some more options. Plus, I need a way to charge my DSLR.

Solar looks nice, though I'm worried about output too.
That generator might be the most reliable, but I fear the size and weight will be too much for the kayak. I'm in touch with NOLS to see how much space I have.
brob, thanks for the contact. I just checked this thread tonight, and I'll try to be in touch with your contact ASAP.

Thanks again to everyone for your feedback, and I'll let you all know what I end up taking, how it ends up going, and I may be able to upload some footage or pictures.

JC
 
I think there are some solar solutions out there that could provide enough wattage to do justice. the problem is that a car-sized battery is part of the solution. First that thing has to be charged and then you draw power from that to recharge your camera battery. Google solar charging, I just looked thru my bookmarks and came up mt. Will post again when I find my old R&D. Another question worth asking is if AK will provide enough sunshine to reliably charge. I know they get light 24/7 in the summer, but on the coast there are lots of clouds. year round.

reads like a great trip!
JB
 
Maybe you could take a ton of anton bauer batteries?

http://www.antonbauer.com/elipz.htm

It would be really expensive, but it could do the job? How many hours of footage do you think you will be taking over the 30 days? I think you just need to try and keep the camera on for as little time as possible.
 
There is no way 4 batteries are going to last you 30 days, unless you only shoot for a few min a day.

When/where in AK are you going? Its true that we get a lot of daylight, but the weather can be largely unpredictable. Are you going to be shooting every day?
 
Hi JC, I myself use a solar setup for wilderness shooting. I have a 90 watt panel with a cheap charge controller going to a deep cycle battery and from that to a Dolgin Turbo Charger all in my little 15' trailer and it works perfectly! With 90 watts it can also power my satellite radio and my invisible dog fence on a cloudy day.
The Dolgin uses about 40-45 watts when charging all 4 batteries at the same time but I usually only charge 2 at a time and it only takes a couple of hours.
You might look into those rollup/fabric type solar panels instead, I've seen them as big as 40 watts and perhaps you could find a way to permanently mount one to the top of your kayak with the leads going into your dry bag for charging. You may not need a 12v battery attached as long as you use a charge controller however you should do a little more research on that as I've not attempted it. At 40 watts you should be able to charge up to two batteries even with an overcast sky.
 
Hey everyone,
Thanks again for the suggestions. I've been swamped with end-of-high school exams, hence the delayed response. I should have specified that I don't plan on filming too much. I won't be taking an underwater housing for the camera, so my use will be limited. Additionally, this is more of a promotional video than a travelogue or documentary, and I plan to film much less than I normally would. Basically I want a bit of footage of the various highlights for a 2-5 minute final video. I've never done anything like this, and filming so little will be difficult for me, so we'll see how it goes. If that was all I was taking, I might be willing to see what I can do with 16 hours of total runtime and if it dies, it dies. However, since I plan to take a still camera, I think what badjuju suggested might make the most sense. Because my video use will be so limited and still photos don't take much power, I think one of the smaller solar cells will do what I need if I can strap it to the front of the kayak. I need to figure out if I can charge directly in the kayak with the cell sitting on top.

Again, thanks to everyone for chiming in, and I'll let you know my final setup. Hopefully in a few months I'll have some pictures and video to post.

JC
 
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