CaliforniaPC.com Says; Ready, Set, Camp!

 

Summer is heading right at us and it's about time to start planning some R & R from our winter inside. A little outdoors exploration is a fantastic way to get rid of the cabin fever from the past months.

Enjoy the beaches with some spring time camping and be spoiled at the same time, don't compromise your love of music, electric cooler for extra cold beverages, reading your kindle, some hip outdoor lighting for extra ambiance or making sure your phone is fully charged. Make sure you have all the right portable solar equipment for your camping adventure.

Southern California is famous for its sandy beaches, warm sunshine and ocean breezes, which, makes it a great spot to pitch a tent. There are lots of state parks and campgrounds for beach camping in Southern California.

The summer months are most popular for camping in California, and reservations should be made in advance for beachfront campsites, but Southern California’s moderate weather makes it a top spot for year-round beach camping. Pack your beach chair, snorkeling gear and few good books, and head one of these favorite Southern California beach campgrounds.

Monica Prelle Camping Expert tells us a few of the best places to head to:

At the northern point of the Santa Monica Bay, Point Mugu State Beach is one of the most scenic beach camping areas in Los Angeles County. It isn’t far from the hustle and bustle of LA, but it still feels quiet, secluded and relaxing. Point Mugu State Park is located 15 miles south of Oxnard in the Santa Monica Mountains. The park features 5 miles of shoreline and more than 70-miles of hiking trails. There are two campgrounds with more than 100 campsites available at Point Mugu. The Sycamore Canyon campground is just inland from the coast in the canyon, and Thornhill Broome is a beachfront campground where you can pitch your tent in the sand. The wide sandy beach is perfect for beach combing, and relaxing. The campground has bathrooms with pay showers.Point Mugu SP Campground reservations can be made online through Reserve America.

Just south of Point Mugu and 28 miles north of Santa Monica is Leo Carrillo State Park. The campground is close to Malibu and nestled in a canyon on the east side of Pacific Coast Highway. There are a few hiking trails that depart form the campground and it’s just a few minutes walk to the beach along a path that heads through a tunnel and under the freeway. The campground has 130 campsites that can accommodate trailers up to 31-feet. There is a small store, bathrooms with pay showers, and also a group camp. Large oak and sycamore trees offer nice shade; the campsites are spacious and grassy. Leo Carrillo SP Campground reservations can be made online through Reserve America.

Malibu Creek State Park is located just 25 miles from downtown Los Angeles. It is not a beachfront campground, but it is only 7 miles from the beach in the coastal Santa Monica Mountains on Malibu Creek. The park features hiking, fishing, bird watching and horseback riding opportunities. The campground has more than 50 campsites with bathrooms and pay showers. Malibu Creek SP Campground reservations can be made online through Reserve America...

In the heart of Los Angeles close to the Los Angeles International Airport is Dockweiler State Beach. This campground offers beachfront sites with full hookups , picnic tables and barbecues. The 22-mile Marvin Braude Bicycle Trail traverses past the camp and the park is located close to highways, which makes it accessible to LA’s most popular attractions like the Santa Monica Pier, the Getty Museum, Universal Studios, and Disneyland. Reservations for Dockweiler can be online through LA County

CaliforniaPC Camping, Solar Survival Kits and Places to Go.

Time to Start Planning for Your 2015 Outdoor Trips by CaliforniaPC.com

Posting #1, Big Sur

It is still the winter season however it is not too early to start getting your plans ready for the sunny season that will soon be here. There are many camping places around the country that are amazing to visit but I thought I would start with some here in California, our local beauty where we here at CaliforniaPC.com like to work and play. So I thought I would do a weekly posting of the top camping spots in California for the next 10 weeks from a compilation of a few good sources, articles and websites out there in the camping world and outdoor activities.

Along with camping information each week I am posting a list for the Red Cross recommended first aid kit and a DIY lightweight survival kit we recommend everyone has for all outdoor activities as well as one for the house for emergencies.

I have put together the following article on Big Sur as the first place to check out for camping and exploring this coming year, plan your trip well and make sure to take all the right equipment.

A road trip along the Pacific Coast highway through California’s Central Coast is an unparalleled camping experience. From the sandy beaches in Santa Barbara to the rugged coastline in Big Sur, there are many scenic spots to pitch a tent. Big Sur is a favorite location in the Central Coast for its stunning views, quiet beaches and hiking in the Los Padres National Forest. There are a variety of state park campgrounds and private RV parks for campers.

As written by By Monica Prelle Camping Expert, Big Sur is a stunning region in the Central Coast located south of Carmel and north of Cambria. The Los Padres National Forest spans a large portion of the area and there are nine state parks. Big Sur's natural beauty truly is spectacular and makes it an extremely popular camping destination.

The Plaskett Creek Campground is nestled in a Monterrey pine forest and is situated just east of Highway 1. The Los Padres National Forest campground is in an ideal location and only a short walk away from the nearby Sand Dollar Beach and Jade Cove, top beach destinations in the Central Coast. The campsites at Plaskett Creek are spacious and many sites have ocean vista views. The campground accepts reservations for most sites, but also offers first-come first served campsites. Site 21 has the best ocean view and the closest beach access. Sites 35 and 23 are most private and shaded. The campground is favored by local surfers and is very popular on weekends year-round.

The best ocean view camping in Big Sur is located at the Kirk Creek Campground. Also located in the Los Padres National Forest, the campground is situated on a bluff overlooking the ocean and rugged coastline. Sites 9 and 10 are most popular for their unobstructed oceanfront location, but all campsites have ocean views and are in close proximity to hiking trails. Directly across the highway from the campground is the Vicente Flats Trailhead, which leads into the Ventana Wilderness.

Further north in the Big Sur region are state park campgrounds and a few private campgrounds located on the Big Sur River and in the Santa Lucia Mountains. There are just 24 campsites at Limekiln State Park, which is nestled in the Limekiln River canyon on the eastside of the Pacific Coast Highway.

Julia Pfeiffer Burns and Andrew Molera State Parks both have walk-in and environmental campsites, but no car camping or dogs are allowed at either of these parks. Andrew Molera walk-in campsites are first-come, first-served.

The largest of the Big Sur area campgrounds is at Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park; 158 riverfront campsites are situated on the Big Sur River and surrounded by redwood, chaparral and oak trees. There are 8-miles of hiking trails within the park and 200-miles in the bordering Ventana Wilderness.

Big Sur Campground Online Reservations: Plaskett Creek Campground | Kirk Creek Campground | Limekiln State Park | Julia Pfeiffer Burns SP Environmental Campsites | Pfeiffer Big Sur SP

   

 First Aid Kit

Whether you buy a first aid kit or put one together, make sure it has all the items you may need:

• Include any personal items such as medications and emergency phone numbers or other items your health-care provider may suggest.
• Check the kit regularly.
• Make sure the flashlight batteries work.
• Check expiration dates and replace any used or out-of-date contents.

The Red Cross recommends that all first aid kits for a family of four include the following:

·         2 absorbent compress dressings (5 x 9 inches)

·         25 adhesive bandages (assorted sizes)

·         1 adhesive cloth tape (10 yards x 1 inch)

·         5 antibiotic ointment packets (approximately 1 gram)

·         5 antiseptic wipe packets

·         2 packets of aspirin (81 mg each)

·         1 blanket (space blanket)

·         1 breathing barrier (with one-way valve)

·         1 instant cold compress

·         2 pair of nonlatex gloves (size: large)

·         2 hydrocortisone ointment packets (approximately 1 gram each)

·         Scissors

·         1 roller bandage (3 inches wide)

·         1 roller bandage (4 inches wide)

·         5 sterile gauze pads (3 x 3 inches)

·         5 sterile gauze pads (4 x 4 inches)

·         Oral thermometer (non-mercury/nonglass)

·         2 triangular bandages

·         Tweezers

·         First aid instruction booklet

Survival Kit for All Purposes

We recommend adding a portable solar charger to the below survival kit, it will provide the ability to charge and run a smart phone, laptop, tablet, mini fridge, electric cooler, GPS, camera batteries, anything that you can charge. It will give you the comfort of lighting, of communication, and security when needed most. There are many sizes and kits available for exactly what your needs require. We offer a wide range of different styles and brands for you to mix and match or trust us to put together a kit tailored for you. 

 

 

The Do-it-yourself Coffee Can Survival Kit

This is a compact kit that can be carried in the car, on the boat, or in a pack for hunting, hiking, exploring, etc.  Most of the contents will fit in a one-pound coffee can which doubles as a pot for melting snow and device with which to dig an emergency snow shelter. (However, if you can carry it, include a small shovel.  It is far, far better than trying to use a coffee can.)  You should be aware that if this kit is carried while on hiking or hunting trips, you still need to carry the other Ten Essentials not included below.

Keep three points in mind when putting together a survival kit.  First, make it small enough that you'll actually carry it and not leave it home.  Second, use the list as a guide and customize it to your needs.  For instance, if you are allergic to insect bites, bring the appropriate medicine, or carry appropriate wrap if you have knee problems.

Thirdly, bring enough to enable you to spend at least one night out.  It is usually the first 6 hours that determine whether you'll be able to survive an emergency.  If you can make it through the first night, then your chances are good that you can make it a few more nights if necessary.

Thanks to Allan Priddy who helps teach the Wilderness Survival class for putting this list together.
 
 

General Items

Braided nylon rope (25 feet)
Mirror
Matches (2 boxes)
Fire Starter
Poncho (bright orange to attract attention)
Toilet paper
Candle (wrapped in aluminum foil)
Paper and pencil
Fishing line, hooks, split shot leads
Knife
Whistle
Money (2 nickels, 2 dimes, 2 quarters, $20 bill:  helpful for making phone call or paying for gas if broken down along highway)
Garbage Bags (2 large size bags)
Bright orange surveyor's tape 

Repair Kit

Sewing kit
Dental floss (It's strong and useful as thread for sewing, or a fishing line or for lashing branches for improvised shelters.)
Safety pins
Wire (bailing wire)
 

First Aid Kit

Moleskin
Sterile pads (2 x 2 and 4 x 4)
Sterile Gauze
Neosporin
Bandaids
Aspirin
First Aid Tape
 

Nourishment

Honey Packages (available in small foil packages available at convenience stores)
Instant Soup or tea (a couple packages)
 

Optional

Folding saw
Compass (learn how to use)
Hard Candy
 
 

Carrying container

Coffee Can (1 lb size) or nylon stuff bag
 

All contents except the plastic bags and the optional items will fit in a 1 lb coffee can.  (Or you can flat "Spam" cans or oval-shaped containers available at outdoor stores.)  The plastic bags can be affixed to the outside of the can with a rubber band.  To keep things from rattling in the can, wad up some wax paper and stuff it around the items.  The wax paper stays dry and also doubles as a fire starter.  To save weight the contents can be placed in a stuff bag and a metal cup can be used instead of the coffee can. 

  It is that time of year again where trying to find the unique perfect gift can become a bit trying. If you have a camper, biker, adventurist, hiker, hunter, nature lover or just simply want to be able to have power wherever there is sunshine and no electricity then we have just the thing for you. 

  These kits are perfect for the holidays: 

Check us out at www.CaliforniaPC.com for all the details. We can help you get the perfect gift for the hard to shop person on your list. 

Oh how I love Solar Power! I am addicted and love it!

So due to a scheduled power outage I am without power and internet which I need to work, but thanks to my Goal Zero Sherpa 50, and my PowerFilm F16-1800 and a hot spot option on my iPhone, I can still work. I have the laptop plugged into the Sherpa 50, as well as my phone into the USB port, and the Sherpa 50 plugged into my PowerFilm F16-1800 to keep it charged up with the power of solar!

Go to www.CaliforniaPC.com for more information and some special deals going on right now. This set up saved my bacon for an entire day of power outage. I never could have charged my phone and run my laptop at the same time on another system. I just love the concept of using the sun, a completely amazing all natural renewable power source to power up the electronics I need. I can't wait to purchase a larger PowerFilm and a Sherpa 100 both a little bigger for the house if both my husband and I need to charge or use at the same time during a power outage, or for camping, riding, music at the beach, so many options! 
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Fall in love with your solar set up by going to CaliforniaPC.com to see what best fits your needs, email sales@CaliforniaPC.com for any questions you may have or simply call any of our super knowledgeable sales staff at 1-877-487-1213 to find out just what system would work for your lifestyle. 

These great bundles are still available online! Start your holiday shopping now for the persona in your life that is always on the go and needs to stay connected!

Check out this great blog article on the use of a PowerFilm Portable Solar Charger for the use use of photography!

Solar Charging Canon Digital SLR Camera Batteries

Posted on January 20, 2014 | 3 Comments

http://rowancastle.wordpress.com/2014/01/20/solar-charging-canon-digital-slr-camera-batteries/

Why consider investing in a solar charging system?

I tend to specialize in travel photography – and perhaps more specifically adventure travel. This often involves trekking for long periods far from a mains power supply. In the past, when I used Canon film SLR cameras, this did not present any difficulties. The film cameras I used (from 2000 to 2006) were powered by one or two disposable lithium batteries, which were fairly cheap. In addition, the cameras themselves used little power. It was easily possible to do a three week trek and take all the photographs I needed without having to change the batteries at all.

This all changed when I switched to digital SLR cameras, which by comparison are power hungry. The energy they require to power the LCD display, the camera sensor and internal processors is considerable. Also, the tendency with digital photography is to take many more photographs than was possible in the days of film. As a result, these cameras are powered by beefy rechargeable lithium batteries that are not only heavy, but also very expensive (typically around £50 each for an O.E.M. brand battery from Canon). Changing or upgrading your camera system will often necessitate investing in a whole new type of battery to power that particular camera, adding to the expense.

For travel photography in general, this arrangement still doesn’t present too many problems. When backpacking around, even to some quite remote locations – there is usually a source of electricity available (even if it comes from a generator and might be limited to certain times of day). All that is usually required in the kit bag is a travel adaptor and the camera battery charger. However, trekking for several weeks through the wilderness far from any source of electricity is a completely different scenario, and this was the problem I was facing last year when I was due to undertake a three week trek in the mountains of northern Pakistan. It was then that I decided to investigate (and invest in) a method to solar charge the Canon LP-E6 batteries that power my EOS 5D Mk III camera. I thought that I would share my experiences in this blog and hopefully this will be of use to other photographers.

The Equipment

There are several videos on youtube showing the set-up required for solar charging, but one concern I had was that they often didn’t show the exact equipment and wiring required. As it turns out, the equipment is quite simple. There are two basic configurations – one system involves using a solar panel to trickle charge a storage battery (and the camera battery is recharged from the storage battery) and the other is to directly charge the battery from the solar panel. I opted for the latter system, to save weight (I didn’t want to carry the storage battery when trekking) and expense (the storage battery is expensive).

To directly charge my Canon dSLR camera batteries, I opted to purchase a PowerFilm roll-able 14 Watt solar panel. At maximum power, this will deliver 15.4V and 900mA, although the manufacturers suggest that in good conditions, a charging current of approximately 400mA should be expected. I ordered my solar panel from www.sundancesolar.com in the United States. They sell this panel as part of a solar charging kit for Canon cameras. You can specify your model of dSLR when you order.

The solar charging kit they supplied consisted of:

*The PowerFilm R14 Solar Panel

*A Cigarette Lighter socket (and cable)

*A 3rd Party Manufacturer Canon LP-E6 battery charger with cigarette lighter adapter

Of course, to make this kit ‘trek-ready’ and more likely to survive the rigours of the great outdoors, I added a few things to it. Firstly, in very windy conditions, the solar panel could just blow away. It might also be useful to be able to attach it to the roof of a tent. The panel has tie-down holes around the edges, so I attached a length of paracord at each corner. I also invested in four very lightweight titanium tent pegs, which can be tied to the end of each piece of cord and used to stake the solar panel to the ground. Secondly, the manufacturers warned that the panel should not be rolled up too tightly (from memory, less than 2 inches diameter) or it would be damaged. Hand rolling it without exceeding this limitation was tricky, time consuming and annoying. I solved the problem by using the cardboard tube that some bottles of Scotch whisky are sold in. I found one that had the correct diameter (i.e. slightly larger than 2 inches), and could now just roll the solar panel around it. This also had the advantage that the whisky tube (which has a metal lid) could be used to store the battery charger and the cigarette lighter socket / cable (and also I got to drink the whisky of course!). Thirdly, to make it easy to attach the kit to the outside of my rucksack, I bought a small water resistant stuff sack.

Solar Charging

With the equipment described above, the charging process itself is fast and easy. I just unroll the solar panel in a position where it will catch all the sunlight available, attach the cigarette lighter socket / cable to the connector on the panel, and plug the charger (don’t forget, this charger has a cigarette lighter adapter for power and is designed to work from a 12V source, it can’t be connected to the mains) into the cigarette lighter socket. Finally, the LP-E6 battery is slotted into the charger.

Field Tests

Before taking the equipment on a long expedition, I wanted to test it out. The first test was just simply to see if it would work, and was done on a fairly sunny day in February, in the Yorkshire Dales. It did indeed start charging up my battery (which was deliberately at just less than full charge). In the short time it took my friend and I to have lunch, the battery charger was indicating that the battery was fully charged. I did make one modification to the set up after this test. I noticed that the battery was a bit loose in the 3rd party charger, and also the charger was quite flimsy. I decided to upgrade to the Canon LP-E6 car charger. This charger is eye-wateringly expensive, but it is (according to Canon) able to supply a higher current from the 12V supply and looks and feels much more robust.

Photo: Testing the Solar Charger

The second (and final) test I did was a bit more scientific. I wanted to get a fair indication of how long it would take to fully charge an LP-E6 battery using the solar charger. I picked an ideal day in May – there wasn’t a cloud in the sky and the sun was beating down. In this test it took 58 minutes to increase the battery charge by 25%. That suggests that under ideal conditions, it would take around 4 hours to fully charge an LP-E6 battery (rather better than I was expecting).

Performance In The Wilderness

Unfortunately, my intended trek in Pakistan was cancelled at the last minute, and I opted to climb Mount Roraima in Venezuela instead. This was only an 8-day trek (rather than the 22 days that the trek in Pakistan would have taken) but I decided to take the solar charging kit with me to see how it performed under really testing conditions. My plan was to use the charger to top up my battery(ies) in the mornings/evenings in camp, and also during lunch breaks. In that way I hoped to get perhaps three hours a day of charging time.

There were a few factors that meant I didn’t get to use the charger as often as I think I would have done in Pakistan:

• Our lunch stops were much shorter than they would have been on a Himalayan trek (often we just had a packed lunch).
• As Venezuela is in the tropics, it gets dark very early in the evening, so there was not much sunlight left after we arrived in camp.
• The top of Mount Roraima is often shrouded in cloud

Despite these problems, I did manage to do some charging with the solar panel, especially on the trek to the base of the mountain, which crossed the savanna where it was both hot and sunny.

Photo: My Solar charger with Kukenan Tepui in the background (Venezuela)

There is no doubt that the solar charger worked and it did increase the charge on the batteries that I used it on. However, I did hit an unexpected snag. I found that the Canon charger would for some reason (even in strong sunshine) occasionally enter an error state where the charging light would start flashing orange rapidly. The only way to restart the charge was to unplug it and plug it back in again. This was not ideal because my aim was to really just be able to leave the charger out in the sun and forget about it, whereas I had to continually check on it to make sure it was still charging. I spoke to Canon about this problem and they could not really identify what the fault was. Apparently the Canon brand charger is so expensive because it contains a lot of electronics designed to protect the battery from incorrect voltages. I’m still not sure why this would have caused the fault, but it is possible that the charger was getting too high a voltage in the very bright tropical sun, or perhaps overheated. I could not replicate this fault back in the UK (where the light only flashed orange when the sky clouded over and the sunlight hitting the panel dropped right off). I intend to do some more testing soon, but this time using the 3rd party charger, which might be a little less ‘fussy’ about variations in the output from the panel (but possibly at the expense of the longevity of the battery).

Conclusion

There is no doubt that solar charging is practical and does work, but I think my system just needs a bit more testing to get the best out of it. There really is no other option for very long treks in the wilderness and I think that over time the high initial outlay will probably pay for itself in battery costs. However, until I get the bugs ironed out I will still be taking a healthy supply of batteries with me on very long treks.

The above article is in no way affiliated with Californiapc.com, nor is an endorser for this company. It is simply an article of relativity to our products and interests. 

For more information on PowerFilm Solar and similar products go to www.CaliforniaPC.com, sales@californiaPC.com or 1-949-487-1213. 

June is Great Outdoors Month!

 There is so much to say about the great outdoors! It surrounds us on all sides of our lives, whether in a city, town, village, seaside community, farming community, mountain hideaway or the middle of the desert.
  We can get outside anywhere and enjoy the sun, rain, snow whatever the weather but agreeably the sunny weather seems to be the most popular and often the most fun!
  I often take for granted being spoiled by the weather in sunny Southern California and find that I don't always take the time to just go out and do something active and enjoyable. Well this is the month to get out and be active!
  The possibilities are endless wherever you live, hiking, fishing, playgrounds, parks, city streets, historic parts of your city or town, amusement parks, beaches, rivers, swimming pools, surfing, bike riding, tennis, playing catch, a blanket on the beach, I could go on and on, but I think you get the idea!
  For those of you that have children,  young or teenagers, or for those of you adults that just can't seem to "unhook" from social media, music, a Kindle or any similar device as myself, convincing yourself or the kids to get outside may sometimes be difficult.
  For those that fall into that category I have the perfect solution! Portable Solar Chargers! 
They are simple, lightweight, and portable as well as economic and Eco friendly... today is World Environment Day by the way.
  I take my Solar Charger to the beach with me to listen to my iPod. I also put it in my bike basket to keep my iPod or iPhone charged while riding to my destination.

There are so many possibles and most people just assume that solar power are large panels on the roofs of houses and commercial buildings, which is true but check out how you can also use it for everyday ordinary tasks or outdoor adventures:

Charging while traveling. 

Create a cool outdoor charging station at parks, backyard etc. 

Charge phones, camera batteries, an electric coffee maker, etc. while camping. 

Charge your phone over morning coffee while camping. 

Provide light in your tent while camping. 

Keep your electric golf cart charged all day. 

Keep your GPS, phone or other device charged while hiking. 

Stay charged while riding. 

Keep your phone charged on the go. 

Stay charged up for all your devices if on a camping/ kayaking trip that you are going on to keep powered up. 

Charge your extra camera batteries for those that are avid picture takers or photographers. 

Add to battery powered planes to keep the battery charged for longer air time when flying. 

Attache it to your bag at a picnic for some extra tunes or reading a kindle or a laptop!

Charge your device while exploring a new city or country!