Charger for Phones

[rudyc]

Hello,

Our group will be on a drop camp hunt for 10 days this September and we would like to purchase a solar charger or battery packs for our phones, both Andriod and I-Phone. Our outfitter has told us that we will be able to text the base camp from our camp.

Anybody here with experience with a reliable solar charger or battery packs and if so, what brand would you recommend to buy or maybe stay away from??

Also, how about the pros and cons of both styles of charging??

Thanks

 

[Brendan]

If you're going to bring a solar charger - I would still bring a battery pack. Top off / charge the phones at night. Leave the battery pack hooked up to the solar panel during the day. I did that last year, and put the battery pack inside a ziploc in case it got rained on and left it at Spike Camp. Dark Energy Poseidon and Goal Zero Nomad 7 Plus. Every night I would top off iPhone, Inreach, Garmin Watch and I never came close to running out.

If it's a drop camp - weight wouldn't be much of a concern, so you could go with something heavier or everyone could bring their own. All comes down to weight and how much you want to pay...

 

[Tsnider]

Im going to do the same as Brendan this year. The Suntactics solar panels caught my eye personally because they are the lightest weight setup and waterproof. ill be using a smaller Anker battery myself, but i do think the Dark Energy stuff is likley the most reliable. I havent heard of any failures with them yet. if they offer a smaller version ill get on board. Leaving the battery to charge at camp is the way to do it if you ask me. But dont get such a small battery that if you dont get much sunshine for a day that you will be completely screwed.

Never used this type of setup for backpack hunting, but have used one for years for truck camping. and if you battery takes a crap, you can still plug direct into the solar panel.

 

[ColoradoHunterHiker]

Here's a video I did on Backcountry Chargers

Good Luck!

 

[Beendare]

Its been discussed here a lot if you search.

I prefer the battery packs and have a couple Anker units that work well. The solar panels are really slow...and you have to leave them out in the elements

 

[pods8 (Rugged Stitching)]

When amazon has sales you can get an Anker charge that will 2x an iphone for $20 and similar price point increases for more capacity. Since its a drop camp I'd do just that versus a solar charger and leave your phones on airplane MOST of the time, switch them over when you want to send/receive in batches, your battery will last a long time and then you just top up occasionally assuming you don't need to fire off texts all day long. That same battery will serve you in normal life better than a solar panel. My anker rides in my work bag and travels with me.