I have one that's not as good. I've never thought to check the voltage on mine, will do that if this area ever sees the sun again. And recharging batteries is a seductive idea.

Lot's of playing around with rechargeable batteries for backpacking has led me down another path. At this juncture, rechargeable batteries tend to be heavy and the charge doesn't last long. One is forever juggling, changing, and fussing. I try to have everything use AA or AAA batteries, and have succeeded except for the small camera/camcorder.

I use generic lithium AAs, available relatively inexpensively through a couple of places. They are light and last quite a while. One problem is the over-voltage which if too great will prevent the GPS or the GMRS radios from functioning, but if one uses them in another application for a while and drains off some of the capacity they work fine even there. The "Energizer" cell phone charger which sells for around $20 and uses lithium AAs solved a problem. I was buying larger batteries for the phone and having to try to charge them when I could.

AAAs are light and the items which use them don't require many. I think one time I found a brand of AAA lithium, but the cost was prohibitive compared to the weight savings.

Thanks for the suggestion.

Arf