Ajax Bay
Guru
- Location
- East Devon
Pretty annoying (although self-inflicted*) to have a ride (validation) stymied by technical issues and risk mitigation failure (wee hours shop closure).I need more drumming bunnies (that go on and on) for my GPS that keep their charge for years if not used. I did have my small battery packs with me to keep my mini speaker charged up for the night. Alas the usb cable was micro not the mini connector I’d need to run the GPS off them.
I wanted to prove my control visits by gpx/fit files (but got either PoP or took photos at each control as back up). My Garmin 500 normally gives me 15+ hours on one USB charge (I know and have tested this, but for this 400 it was of course was not enough). I had a small powerbank with me and also carried another 'navigation occasionally' purposed Garmin (Touring Edge Plus). So at 14 hours (life shortened by hours of back display needed before dawn and after dusk) I put the 500 onto charge and started the Edge. Two hours later, swapped back over. The 500 had charged from 12% to 64% in 2 hours and that saw me to the end (another 7 hours).
I also deliberately routed (maybe easier in the south west) past two 24 hour garages for the 'after midnight' stretch, and in fact used one for coffee and food (albeit the door was locked so I couldn't get in and warm up - night tray routine but a very helpful chap).
* Use of a GPS requiring inserted batteries and then using rechargeables without being sure of their expected life. For lights (I'll bet you have a dynamo) I run a test 'how long will the light last' test in the week before the light's going to need to deliver (eg a ride longer than 300).