| Previous :: Next Topic |
| Author |
Message |
DestinationUp
Gearluster
Joined: 26 Jul 2012
Posts: 343 | TRs | Pics
Location: 110 miles from the Teanaway |
I'm debating getting a solar charger for the first of my section hikes in August. I'll be out 8-9 days, and would like to use some of the PCT app tools. I have an iPhone 4S, and will be purchasing a DeLorme InReach SE (don't know if that would need to be recharged).
I am electronically challenged...college physics was a long time ago...so I'm not a good one to judge quality and applicability. Oh, and the lighter the better, natch.
Any thoughts/experience/etc.? Thanks!
Geek, wife, mom, Venturing Crew Advisor, perennially waiting for meltout.
Geek, wife, mom, Venturing Crew Advisor, perennially waiting for meltout.
|
| Back to top |
  
|
|
mike
Member
Joined: 09 Jul 2004
Posts: 6396 | TRs | Pics
Location: SJIsl |
|
mike
Member
|
 Fri Feb 21, 2014 11:43 am |
|
|
Don't think solar is practical or cost effective yet. My first choice would be to bring extra batteries or a rechargeable battery pack like this. ±10oz $35
|
| Back to top |
|
|
btspman
Member
Joined: 30 Jul 2006
Posts: 123 | TRs | Pics
Location: Seattle, wa |
|
btspman
Member
|
Fri Feb 21, 2014 12:02 pm |
|
|
Goal Zero. It'll keep everything charged. Worth every penny. On a trip last summer I was able to keep my phone, gopro, point and click camera, and an external battery for a camera slider charged with no problems.
|
| Back to top |
|
|
mike
Member
Joined: 09 Jul 2004
Posts: 6396 | TRs | Pics
Location: SJIsl |
|
mike
Member
|
Fri Feb 21, 2014 3:10 pm |
|
|
Looking at GZ prices just reinforces my first comment above.
|
| Back to top |
|
|
DIYSteve
seeking hygge
Joined: 06 Mar 2007
Posts: 12655 | TRs | Pics
Location: here now |
|
DIYSteve
seeking hygge
|
Fri Feb 21, 2014 5:26 pm |
|
|
Anybody here have experience with a hand crank USB charger?
|
| Back to top |
|
|
btspman
Member
Joined: 30 Jul 2006
Posts: 123 | TRs | Pics
Location: Seattle, wa |
|
btspman
Member
|
Fri Feb 21, 2014 5:27 pm |
|
|
| mike wrote: | | Looking at GZ prices just reinforces my first comment above. |
Thats a $50 battery. For $20-$30 more you get unlimited power.
|
| Back to top |
|
|
mike
Member
Joined: 09 Jul 2004
Posts: 6396 | TRs | Pics
Location: SJIsl |
|
mike
Member
|
Fri Feb 21, 2014 7:08 pm |
|
|
| btspman wrote: | | Thats a $50 battery. For $20-$30 more you get unlimited power. |
First of all nobody pays retail. I paid $35 That's an 11mah battery good for any trip I'll be taking. DG has a good point about using something else for longer periods between refills.
From what I've read (any hands-on reports would be appreciated) the cheapest solar chargers are slow at best. Get a big enough array to charge in a reasonable time on a rainy day and you're talking peso and pesos. And still requires a battery. I already have the battery. If I'm off the grid for more than 2 weeks (unlikely) I can simply add a panel. Depends upon you usage.
|
| Back to top |
|
|
mike
Member
Joined: 09 Jul 2004
Posts: 6396 | TRs | Pics
Location: SJIsl |
|
mike
Member
|
Fri Feb 21, 2014 7:17 pm |
|
|
| BigSteve wrote: | | Anybody here have experience with a hand crank USB charger? |
I'd be interested in first-hand info too. Don't most phones only take 5v 1amp? Would that be a bottleneck? I don't know.
|
| Back to top |
|
|
pnw.hiker
Member
Joined: 29 Sep 2006
Posts: 158 | TRs | Pics
Location: pacific northwest |
Hi DestinationUp, I've had experience with three solar chargers. The first two were small and cheap. They didn't work worth a damn. The third I made myself and it worked great.
A lot of these products have an internal battery that gets charged and which can then charge your phone, or they can charge from the sun directly. This requires complicated electronics to regulate and direct the solar power. A lot of them have undersized solar cells that take forever to give you a full charge. A one watt solar panel might take 10 hours of sun for a full iphone charge. (1W @ 6V = 170mA, iphone battery = ~1900mAh, I think)
Solar chargers without an internal battery weigh less, give you more bang for the buck and have fewer things to break. Here's a 7W one that's not too expensive but it looks pretty big.
I know you said you're electrically challenged, but you really can make one yourself, or maybe find a friend to help. Keep it simple and use a solar panel with a USB voltage regulator.
|
| Back to top |
|
|
T Mary
Member
Joined: 05 Dec 2008
Posts: 313 | TRs | Pics
|
|
T Mary
Member
|
Thu Aug 07, 2014 10:26 am |
|
|
Any current reviews/recommendations re: solar chargers? What works, what doesn't? It's for a 5-day trip to Yellowstone. Thanks!
"We are all travelers in the wilderness of this world, and the best we can find in our travels is an honest friend." Robert Louis Stevenson
"We are all travelers in the wilderness of this world, and the best we can find in our travels is an honest friend." Robert Louis Stevenson
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Daryl
Big Shot Economist
Joined: 05 Dec 2008
Posts: 1817 | TRs | Pics
|
|
Daryl
Big Shot Economist
|
Thu Aug 07, 2014 12:43 pm |
|
|
Goal zero. had mine a few years now and still works great. I use the nomad panel to either charge my phone or their battery pack (the switch I think?). I can also run my garmin gps off the solar panel.
|
| Back to top |
|
|
iron
Member
Joined: 10 Aug 2008
Posts: 6392 | TRs | Pics
Location: southeast kootenays |
|
iron
Member
|
Fri Aug 08, 2014 7:47 am |
|
|
| Daryl wrote: | | Goal zero. had mine a few years now and still works great. I use the nomad panel to either charge my phone or their battery pack (the switch I think?). I can also run my garmin gps off the solar panel. |
i haven't yet looked into the GZ product line, but maybe you could answer my question:
if you have a camera (proprietary lithium ion battery), GPS (AA batteries), and headlamp (AAA batteries), can you charge all three types with the nomad (or other sim product)?
|
| Back to top |
|
|
mike
Member
Joined: 09 Jul 2004
Posts: 6396 | TRs | Pics
Location: SJIsl |
|
mike
Member
|
Fri Aug 08, 2014 2:47 pm |
|
|
My little battery pack charges any phone I've tried, my transformer tablet and I don't see why it wouldn't charge any device that plugs into a 5v usb charging adapter. usb AAA and AA batt adapters are available but I haven't tried them. Cheaper battery packs are now out there.
|
| Back to top |
|
|
|
|
