Primary or Rechargeable Batteries?

[Gondor]

What are your batteries of choice to use in your electronics and flashlights when you're outdoors? I tend to use lithium primary batteries but they are very expensive.

[Barney]

I use alkaline and I know there are better alternatives but these are the right cost and they perform fine. The only devices I use rechargeables for are my GPS and camera.

[oldsarge]

What ever is on sale, Alkaline or lithium. I never had much luck with rechargeable's.

[Hikenhunter]

Usually Alkaline as they are usually the best price.

[Gondor]

It gets cold in the winter time and alkaline aren't of much use in lower temperatures. But lithium kind is much better. That's where my decision is coming from.

[Barney]

I get that but I always carry spare batteries in my pack where they will be insulated from low temperatures, like the inside of my sleeping bag, which is in a stuff sack, in a backpack.

[RingTwist]

I use alkaline. I have tried rechargeables a few times and they can never hold a charge for very long, so I always get frustrated and quit using them.

[Marshmallow]

We go with alkaline, using coupons and shopping the sales. Because we live in hurricane territory, we do buy a lot of batteries and pray that we never have to use them. That's unless we are camping.

[Grandpa]

Grandma has spent a small fortune on rechargables. I think they are a waste. Every time I had that perfect photo op, durn things were dead. My SPOT requires lithium so I started using those in my camera and mag lites. However, I have noticed the lites are brighter with lithium than alkaline. I wonder if that is why I keep burning out bulbs and even the bulb sockets, ruining the whole unit.

I now use lithium in my Spot and Camera and alkalines in all my lights. I put fresh lithium in my Spot until the batteries in my camera die, then transfer from spot to camera and put fresh in the spot. The spares I carry are alkaline.

[oldsarge]

I often wondered, what if you had a small solar charger mounted on the outside of your pack and recharged batteries that way. I'm not a high tech guru, would this work?