Electronics in the water environment

I will be out this week for Thanksgiving under the stars in the Gulf of Mexico.   I will be doing a little planning for 2010 but also a write up on managing your electronics on long distance trips.  Modern day  expeditions typically require a multitude of electronic gadgets.  A typical trip for me includes:

• Digital SLR(s)
• Digital Point & Shoot
• Video
• Netbook w/backup drive
• GPS
• Cell Phone
• VHF Radio
• Ipod
• AA battery gear (Laser Signal Device,  Headlamps, Spot Messenger)
• External Battery (Brunton)

Most of this gear requires it's own unique charger cord and possibly brick or docking station.  For instance both the VHF Radio and the SLR camera batteries must be charged in a unique charging station.  If you are using rechargeable batteries for your other gear such as headlamps, spot messenger, etc., then you would have small recharger for that as well. You will also want the ability to recharge your exteranl battery system via A/C when you have access to it.  While solar is nice, the reality is there are many times when it is not available or you have the dreaded 'everything needs to be recharded at once' scenario.  When that happens, having your A/C cords available for your battery and for your devices is so very pleasurable.

All of this creates a great tangled mess of cables, chargers, connectors, etc.  So, how do you deal with all of this including storing it, keeping it dry, and recharge everything.  Check back next week for my detailed summary of what works for me, some pictures, and some of my plans for improving on my system.  I will also be testing out an AT&T data card, so I have some hope that I will be able to write a little this week while I am out under the stars.

Happy Thanksgiving