Solar Charger

[Takeem406]

I bought a small solar charger from Radio Shack for charging the phone during long days in the goose spread. Well it stopped working!
Any suggestions for something small and affordable? It's nice to keep the phone goin for pictures!

 

[colonel00]

I have a Goal Zero charger but it really isn't small. I also recently backed this Kickstarter for the Solar paper. This one is small but not extremely cheap. The campaign is over now but I would imagine they will be available for sale soon. What is really nice is you can add and remove panels depending on your power needs and sunlight.

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1398120161/solar-paper-the-worlds-thinnest-and-lightest-solar

 

[Flydaho]

I would recommend getting an external, large capacity, rechargable battery pack instead of a solar charger. They usually weigh around the same amount, maybe just a little bit more, but they work in any weather condition (or tree cover), and they are cheaper. My wife hiked 500 miles through Oregon this summer and we found out through research and testing that a solar charger was dead weight in Oregon (which would be similar conditions for any PNW state). We bought one of these: http://www.pny.com/t10400-powerpack?sku=P-B-10400-12-K02-RB
($35). It was able to charge her iPhone 6 more than 3 times which was plenty for 6 days worth of hiking (between resupply points) as long as she kept her phone in airplane mode and turned it off any time she wasn't actually using it to call or listen to music.

Also, some of the more popular solar chargers aren't fitted with a one-way circuit and can actually drain your battery if the voltage output from the solar charger dips below the voltage in your phone battery. The solar chargers can also take up to 12 hours to charge a phone. The PNY T10400 has a 2.4 amp charging port (as well as a 1 amp port) which will fill up your phone's battery in a hurry. I'm sure you already know most of this since you were previously using a solar charger, i'm just listing out the pros and cons for people who haven't had experience with them.

As for the solar charger we WOULD HAVE used if we didn't switch to a battery pack, we would have gone with this one: Suntactics sCharger-5 Portable Solar Charger

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...SIN=B003ZFQUWO&linkCode=as2&tag=humanclock-20

Plus its USA made which I will always choose first.


-Flydaho

 

[wapitibob]

Anker gen 2 e5, 16000 mah for $36. NewTrent were the best but they don't make them anymore.

 

[ffparamedic]

Liv2hunt has a good one that we use, it worked well and was around $35.... I have a new Trent battery pack that I carry. L2h will be around to tell you what he's got.

 

[PredatorX]

I would also skip the solar charging idea. Another option depending on what phone you have is to buy replacement batteries. I have the Note 3 and pack 3 or 4 extra charged up batteries. bought for about $25 for all. Weighs a lot less than the external packs too. Unfortunately, all of the newer phones are not giving you the option to replace the battery yourself.

 

[William Hanson (live2hunt)]

Ffparamedic and I used the instaspark mercury 10 in conjunction with his new Trent. I really can't say enough good about it. It worked well and even in some cloud cover it worked better than expected. We had no real issues keeping phones and the Delorme inreach charged. I don't think I would rely solely on a solar charger if having stuff charged is critical though as weather is unpredictable. Not sure the exact weight offhand but it's right around a lb.

 

[AdamLewis]

Anker gen 2 e5, 16000 mah for $36. NewTrent were the best but they don't make them anymore.

On photo jaunts I do that, and this:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00E3OL5U8?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o02_s00

Light or small it ain't, but if you need to keep things charged a backup battery provides the juice to do that quickly and the solar panel can trickle it back up to full over time. Charging most modern phones off a panel in anything other than blazing sunlight is a painful experience.

 

[zeroforhire]

I use one of those big battery packs that have a solar panel built in. Seems to work well. I leave it out in the sun and it charges itself.

 

[bobhunts]

Mobstub deals.com You can get a very small solar charger for under $25.00 that has a battery inside. Charge it all day and plug in at night.

 

[MT_Archer]

On my extended backcountry trips this past season I used the Anker 21W 2-Port USB charger paired with two different battery banks. The smaller one I would keep with me during the hunt while the solar charger charged up my larger bank. In the evening I would use the larger bank to charge both my smaller bank as well as my phone. I HEAVILY use my electronics during my hunts for GPS, videos, photo taking, journaling, watching movies, etc....

 

[Beendare]

Op, FYI......there is definitely a learning curve to this stuff. I have the Goal Zero that I've only used once with less than perfect results. It wasn't compatible with some of my stuff as I recall as I couldn't charge everything. Its been awhile but I think it was a tablet I was going to bring to view larger GE images and my solar panel didn't have enough umph to charge it.
I just use the small rechargeable backup battery now for my phone.

Is there an article somewhere that goes through all of the ins and outs of charging this stuff and the power requirements to do it?

 

[camping1601]

Op, FYI......there is definitely a learning curve to this stuff. I have the Goal Zero that I've only used once with less than perfect results. It wasn't compatible with some of my stuff as I recall as I couldn't charge everything. Its been awhile but I think it was a tablet I was going to bring to view larger GE images and my solar panel didn't have enough umph to charge it.
I just use the small rechargeable backup battery now for my phone.

Is there an article somewhere that goes through all of the ins and outs of charging this stuff and the power requirements to do it?

Off topic but how do you keep those GE images on the tablet to view later?

 

[Beendare]

Off topic but how do you keep those GE images on the tablet to view later?

Save it as a screen shot....on my Lenovo you hold the control button and then the print screen button. Then paste it into a word doc or other and save to view later. If you have a program like Ms Paint, then you can draw in trails, locations, make notes etc.

Wapiti Bob probably has a much slicker way to do it [vs my kindergarten computer skills].......if you can con it out of him.

 

[camping1601]

Save it as a screen shot....on my Lenovo you hold the control button and then the print screen button. Then paste it into a word doc or other and save to view later. If you have a program like Ms Paint, then you can draw in trails, locations, make notes etc.

Wapiti Bob probably has a much slicker way to do it [vs my kindergarten computer skills].......if you can con it out of him.

Thanks. When I get some free time I'll try this.

Again thanks!

 

[406]

I used this one all season, no complaints. It's solar but you can also charge it like a power brick.
Amazon.com: Solar Charger, 10000mAh Solar Power Bank Portable Battery Pack Cellphone Charger with 2 LED Flashlights, Solar Panel with Compass and Carabiner for IOS and Android Cellphones(Orange): Electronics

Sent from my XT1585 using Tapatalk

 

[Tsnider]

just discovered this. wont be out for a while, but its certainly a good weight for being both. if you buy one before i get a chance to use this link so i can maybe get a free one!
of course its a new device though so hard to say if it would hold up. having a camp light, decent battery and solar is pretty sweet. 10 ounces is pretty sweet

Raptor Pro - Solar Powered Quick Charger | Indiegogo

 

[TJ]

I used this one all season, no complaints. It's solar but you can also charge it like a power brick.
Amazon.com: Solar Charger, 10000mAh Solar Power Bank Portable Battery Pack Cellphone Charger with 2 LED Flashlights, Solar Panel with Compass and Carabiner for IOS and Android Cellphones(Orange): Electronics

Sent from my XT1585 using Tapatalk

Any idea what this weighs?

 

[406]

Around 11 oz, so not crazy light. Bit not bad considering.

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[TJ]

Around 11 oz, so not crazy light. Bit not bad considering.

Sent from my XT1585 using Tapatalk

Thanks