Remote Working and Camping: M4 MacBook Pro Power Usage

Source: Dev.to

A goal for 2026 is to camp more. I bought a National Parks Pass in December with the idea of extended stays in mind. I’m equipped for week‑long trips, but I’ve only been employed by my organization for a year, so I don’t have much PTO available. I do have the luxury of working remotely, and to that end, I’ve been gearing up for longer trips where I can work and enjoy the outdoors.

The first thing I need is to power a laptop and an Internet satellite service. I want to stay in remote places without cellular service. I purchased a first‑generation Anker Solix C1000 power station with a capacity of 1024 Wh and a 400‑W Renogy solar blanket to charge it. I chose the C1000 because it was on sale and I’ve had a good experience with Anker products. I also chose the Renogy solar blanket because it was the least expensive portable 400‑W solar panel. My truck is suited for a permanent solar‑panel installation, making a portable solution a must.

Charging the power station

My first experiment was to test how long it took to fully charge the Solix. I ran a 1500‑W heater using the Solix to deplete the power station from 100 % to 15 % charge. I placed the solar blanket on the ground in full sun. Here’s the weather for Albuquerque on January 14 2026:

WEATHER ITEM   OBSERVED TIME   RECORD YEAR NORMAL DEPARTURE LAST      
                VALUE   (LST)  VALUE       VALUE  FROM      YEAR     
                                                  NORMAL           
...................................................................
TEMPERATURE (F)                                                          
 YESTERDAY                                                           
  MAXIMUM         58        MM  62    1980  48     10       36        
  MINIMUM         29        MM  -5    1963  26      3       26        
  AVERAGE         44

SKY COVER                                                             
  POSSIBLE SUNSHINE  MM                                                 
  AVERAGE SKY COVER 0.3 

SUNRISE AND SUNSET                                                    
JANUARY 14 2026.......SUNRISE   7:14 AM MST   SUNSET   5:17 PM MST 

I started the test at 10:56 AM, and the solar blanket averaged 200 W.

I checked the power station at 2:58 PM and saw that a tree could cast a shadow, so I moved the solar blanket to keep it in full sun. Even after moving it, the power output had decreased to about half.

By 4:02 PM, the solar blanket output was 36 W. With sunset an hour away, I stopped the experiment.

Result: In a 5‑hour period, the Renogy solar blanket recharged the Solix at a rate of 0.14 kWh.

Measuring MacBook Pro power usage

The following day I ran an M4 MacBook Pro from the Solix. The MacBook was also connected to a 32″ monitor and a webcam. Usage was typical—a mix of coding, web browsing, and conference calls. I ran the experiment for eight hours starting at 9:39 AM.

At 1:41 PM, I checked power usage.

Eight hours later, at 6:13 PM, the Solix was down to 67 %, having consumed 0.02 kWh.

The MacBook Pro’s power consumption is negligible, especially when I won’t be using an external monitor. Adding Starlink (or another satellite internet solution) will be the next step in determining the overall energy budget for remote‑work camping trips.

Outlook

With an estimated daily consumption of 0.2 kWh for an eight‑hour day, the Solix, combined with the Renogy solar blanket, should be sufficient for at least a week.

My main concern is recharging the power station. It’s likely that I’ll be in places without full sun, and the solar blanket output would be 100 W or less.

I’m considering getting a 1 000‑watt gas generator that can charge the Solix power station in an hour. While not the best option for peace and quiet, it’s probably the most pragmatic choice for long‑term camping.