Ready to break the golden silence of Nature? There are a few ways you can do this. Those are the critical energy-sucking devices that you need to make the portable camping theater work. There are a few gadgets that will definitely need some energy: the video source (see above), the sound source (see below) and the video projector (also see below). You could always use your vehicle’s battery as well. You could also bring a bunch of back-up batteries (I have reviewed quite a few here, here and here) or even, if you have the space, have something as elaborate as the solar-powered GoalZero and use the sun to power your devices. Sure, you could bring a loud generator along…but I feel there is something dramatically wrong with doing that. Out in nature, you typically have to rely on Mother Nature for your lighting and even power. There was a bit of a delay streaming my home’s live TV to my iPad, so we appropriately named the test tent theater – the “replay booth” – as there was about a 10 second delay and we could race out to see a “replay.” The Power Source (The latest DISH Hopper has Sling built into it meaning that you can stream most live TV broadcasts or your recorded content directly from you home.) We did this for Super Bowl 50 and had the game streaming to my iPad from my DISH Anywhere app. I was able to connect to his WiFi network. For this article, my friend and I set up a tent in his backyard to simulate a “high-tech” camping environment. If you do have access to a WiFi connection (or cellular, although I wouldn’t recommend streaming video from cellular because of the scary bill you will receive later), you have the option to watch from a variety of streaming sources like Netflix, Amazon, Hulu, Apple, HBO and others. Similarly, if your tablet or smartphone has a lot of storage, you can load it up with content ahead of time. Thumb drives are great for storing multimedia because they are very small and extremely portable. Be sure you transfer all of the video or movies before you leave your home. Having “local” content, that is to say, content that is stored on your device, thumb drive, SD card or hard drive, could be better, especially if you do not have access to a cellular or WiFi signal. When it comes to content, the sky’s the limit. For this article, I chose my Apple iPad Mini 2. Or you could stream video via your phone (provided you have a good WiFi or cellular connection – watch out for those connection fees though!). You could store videos (music or photos) on a thumb drive or an SD card. You can bring a portable DVD player, or a smartphone or tablet, or even a laptop. I will speak a bit generically here, but also provide some product thoughts (especially if I have reviewed the technology before). If you do intend on sneaking some technology on your camping trip, whether it is to keep the kids entertained in the tent while the adults enjoy a cool (or warm) beverage by the campfire, or you want to catch up on the latest game, or you simply want to share previous camping videos around a digital campfire of sorts, you need to select the appropriate gear to pack. Obviously, the gear that you bring may be different but I wanted to provide some thoughts on what you may want to bring. This article is about some ideas on setting up a portable yet quite functional camping theater. Either way, if you do decide to bring technology to a camping environment, make sure it is small and lightweight. If you are car camping, you still need to think about space. When you go camping, especially if you have to hike to a campsite where you pack in all of your gear, you need to be very concerned about weight and the size of the things you bring. It is more about setting up a small portable camping theater, with the primary device being the AAXA P5 Pico Projector. This article is NOT about the good or the bad of bringing and using technology while camping (although many camp sites are starting to have free WiFi for better or worse). But there may be an occasional instance when being able to show a movie or stream a broadcast (provided you have a good data plan and connectivity) is ok within a camping environment. Lord knows, I barely ever do it and having to pry my daughters’ phones from their hands is like trying to remove a limpet from a wet rock. It’s good to disconnect from time to time. Camping is all about returning to nature, friends and family, and “roughing it,” right? Ideally yes, and it is often a great way to detach ourselves from technology and the daily digital addiction our device provide.
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