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Thread: Best portable solar charger?
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07-16-2015, 12:13 PM #1
Best portable solar charger?
did a search, nothing good came up.
got thoughts on portable solar charge for iphones, androids, ipods, etc... while out and about away from any power source?
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07-16-2015, 02:44 PM #2
I am interested in this too. Amazon has some pretty good reviews on chargers. One problem I am guessing is that the industry is changing so fast that what was best 6 months ago may no longer apply.
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07-17-2015, 06:11 AM #3
One or two have been tested on Wildsnow.
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07-19-2015, 03:09 PM #4
Not solar,but I have seen extra external 3000ma batteries for phones etc down to $30 for 2 at costco
“THE EDGE, there is no honest way to explain it because the only people who really know where it is are the ones who have gone over.” HST
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07-30-2015, 06:42 PM #5
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07-30-2015, 06:44 PM #6
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08-03-2015, 01:46 PM #7Registered User
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- Jun 2015
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OutdoorGearLab has reviewed both solar chargers and external battery packs. I'd link, but as a new user I'm prevented from putting links in posts (le sigh).
Based on their recommendation, I bought the Poweradd Apollo 2 and took it to Alaska this May for a month. It worked great and now travels with me basically everywhere -- traveling, car camping, actual camping, even long bike-rides where running google-maps/map-my-ride all day might drain the battery of my older smartphone. As an external battery it holds about 3-4 phones worth of juice and will recharge via the solar panel in direct sun on the dashboard of your car or clipped to your tent. You can also charge it via a USB cable. I've been pleasantly surprised by how useful it is. Apparently the manufacturer says that it will take 50 hours to fully recharge in the sun, or 12 hrs when plugged in, but honestly it seems quicker than that to me.
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08-03-2015, 02:20 PM #8
Beyond charging a small usb block that can top off your phone a few times, anything small enough that you would want to backpack(?) with doesn't really gather enough juice - that being said, mine are a few years old and I am sure they make bigger and lighter versions - you really need the surface area of a roof sized panel and great sun alignment to get into any more serious power. I have a couple of small ones kicking around if you want to demo for awhile to see what they can do.
Climb the mountains and get their good tidings. Natures peace will flow into you as sunshine flows into trees. The winds will blow their own freshness into you, and the storms their energy, while cares will drop away from you like the leaves of Autumn. - John Muir
"How long can it last? For fuck sake this isn't heroin -
suck it up princess" - XXX on getting off mj
“This is infinity here,” he said. “It could be infinity. We don’t really don’t know. But it could be. It has to be something — but it could be infinity, right?” - Trump, on the vastness of space, man
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08-03-2015, 03:57 PM #9
I have a very similar thing I got on amazon for around $35 or so. I took it on a hut trip in CO. It can't charge your phone while it's gathering a charge itself, and it didn't seem to hold more than about 30% of my iPhone 6 battery life, but that 30% can be pretty useful when you need the device. I'm usually in airplane mode in the backcountry anyway and the phone is a camera / emergency device...
I wasn't thrilled with it, but I probably got what I paid for. I still bring it along if I want the almost-guarantee of not entirely losing a charge.
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08-03-2015, 06:04 PM #10
These are the two set ups I have taken BC - now I just use a bigger USB block pre charged that can charge my phone 3-4 times. Would prob take a better fold up panel if planning on being away from power for more than 4 days
Climb the mountains and get their good tidings. Natures peace will flow into you as sunshine flows into trees. The winds will blow their own freshness into you, and the storms their energy, while cares will drop away from you like the leaves of Autumn. - John Muir
"How long can it last? For fuck sake this isn't heroin -
suck it up princess" - XXX on getting off mj
“This is infinity here,” he said. “It could be infinity. We don’t really don’t know. But it could be. It has to be something — but it could be infinity, right?” - Trump, on the vastness of space, man
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08-15-2015, 04:24 PM #11
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12-06-2017, 03:45 PM #12
Bumping this to see if/whats changed in 2 years. Also interested in whether someone has a solar charging solution for camera batterys.
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12-07-2017, 12:28 PM #13
Goal Zero Nomad 7 or Nomad 7+
http://www.goalzero.com/
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12-07-2017, 12:36 PM #14
I switched to something like this https://smile.amazon.com/Upgraded-Po...battery+ismart
my specific one is apparently no longer sold, but it's awesome. fully charges my iphone ~5x, holds its own charge great. unless I was going for a week+ and needed regular phone use, I'd just take this thing instead of dicking around w/solar.
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12-07-2017, 01:35 PM #15
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12-07-2017, 01:42 PM #16
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12-08-2017, 10:56 PM #17Registered User
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- Nov 2017
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How much solar charger is required to charge plain jane Dewalt batteries? Is that easy?
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12-09-2017, 07:48 PM #18
I have a BLKBOX foldable charger which works well in full sun but slow. I use a large battery pack and rarely need to recharge it with the solar charger, but will use it to top off my phone on occasion.
Check the wirecutter website for reviews.
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12-20-2017, 02:12 AM #19Registered User
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- Dec 2017
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I own a solarmokey adventurer and it works great.
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