Cold weather camping and batteries

[340pd]

My son in law is going on a four day camping trip and temps could run minus 10 degrees. I gave him a Foursevens Quark with a spare 16650 battery. Will super cold weather create any problems?

 

[Hooked on Fenix]

At minus 10 Fahrenheit, the only batteries to work will be lithium AAs and AAAs, 123As, and cold weather rated 18650s. At minus 10 Celsius, eneloop AAs and AAAs may work too (you'll be pushing it for regular li-ion cells).

 

[caelyx]

Yes, extreme cold can cause Lithium Ion batteries to become less effective -- leading to significantly shortened runtimes (see this page for an example) or just not powering up the device.

Where practical, it can be helpful to keep the flashlight (and perhaps the spare battery) inside your jacket so that it stays warm, which can help reduce that effect and keep the device working.

 

[caelyx]

Found this older thread which might be useful, too: https://www.candlepowerforums.com/v...-power-loss-curves-for-CR123-RCR123-amp-18650

 

[Lynx_Arc]

One alternative would be a headlamp with an external battery pack you could keep in a warm pocket.

 

[340pd]

Thanks to all. The info is appreciated. I passed it on and he said he always keeps battery devices very close to his body or packaged with disposable hand warmers.
You people are the best.