A couple weeks ago, I was searching the Internet for any new developments with regard to electricity production that would work for our pack trip. As you might recall, I bought two solar panels for the trip last year, which worked very well, except on days in which we were riding in the trees and when there was significant cloud cover. There were a few days in which all my battery-powered tools were useless. I missed getting some pretty good photos because of that. Also, if batteries were discharged at the end of the day, the appliance was useless until the next time I could get sunlight to charge with.

So, I was looking for some way to charge things at night, or in the evening. I came across this handy little portable generator that uses heat from a camp stove burner to generate enough electricity to charge one item fairly quickly.

It is called the Mini O, made by Ajirangi, Inc. I purchased mine through Amazon and it shipped from Korea, where it is manufactured. I found the price to be very reasonable price at $85.00 (compare to a regular laptop plug-in charger from Apple for $80). Shipping was a very reasonable $5.49, and the item arrived in good condition, very well packed, in about two weeks (received it today).

The specifications indicate 5W, 5V/1Amp (max), which should charge a cell phone or my GPS unit in a reasonable amount of time to at least a functional level. I am curious as to just how long it will take to charge my iphone 6 from dead to 100%. It will certainly take some propane. I don’t expect to have to use this thing every night, but it will certainly be handy for those few nights when we really need it.

The unit has a machined aluminum base with a collapsible upper body of heat resistant siliconized rubber. The upper body is made to extend upward, forming a container into which water is placed. The unit is then placed on a propane burner. As the water heats, electricity is generated and transferred to the electronic device to be charged via a USB cable.

When not in service, the unit folds compactly into a size comparable to a decent hamburger. A durable, padded vinyl case with a zipper closure is included.

As an unexpected and unadvertised bonus, I received an LED lamp that can run off the charger. The lamp has its own cord and switch, as well as a small hanger, so that it can be hung from a tent pole or hung from a tree branch…as long as it is a pretty low branch. The cord is only about five feet long.

I looked at several other designs that use similar technology, such as one unit that uses a metal tongue that extends into a flame or over a burner and can be used while cooking on the burner. However the other units were obviously made for backpackers, very lightweight, and I was concerned about its durability when packed and unpacked daily into/out of paniers among other gear on a long horse pack trip. The fact that the Mini O has no framework or moving parts, and the fact that it packs away into a very compact and tough container, won me over. It just looks like it could survive a long horse pack trip.

We’ll see how it works in the field in the next several weeks. I’ll give a full report on it then.