In reply to Monkeyrock:
It depends on just how many devices you have? Why the AA/AAA? An eTrek GPS would only need one set of AA plus one spare. Though in this case head torches could be a problem, which might tip things in the favour of recharging?
Not familiar with the Lithium Ion storage device, normally AA/AAA can be charged direct from the panel in their own little charging dock like you see in camera/electronic shops etc.
If the video cam batts require their own dock, then you're starting to accumulate a lot of gadgetry. We use a solar setup in Antarctica, very successfully for years, but we get flown into basecamp (though we travel on foot from there). You will have to backpack this stuff up onto the ice from down low. Horses can only go so far.
As for the cameras, if you have not tried it before it's hard to tell, but going batteries-only is usually fine now up to 40-50 days if you have a couple of spares. But it depends on your cam, how you look after it, how many pix you take etc etc. This causes a lot of variation, hence the thing about trying it first before the trip. What people did a few years ago is not necessarily valid any more as the batteries and cams have improved so much recently. I took my panel to the ice last year but didn't use it, though that was only for about 30 days. I had 3x batteries but did not use one at all. Also, the most modern digi stills can take HD video, which is fine to watch on tv or the net, though not for making a doco. This is an awesome development for climbers. So maybe you can ditch the video altogether?
You won't be taking many photos anyway. 42 days of whiteout I reckon
D
