Solar charger for back country hunt?

[Lvthntitall]

I am new to the forum and am going on my first Mountain Goat hunt in 2020. Was wondering what everyone is using to charge their phones etc. wondering what would be the best option for a backpack mountain hunt. Thanks in advance

 

[LightFoot]

1st - good luck with reception in the mountains

2nd - I use a goal zero solar charger and carry 1 or 2 battery packs. You may be surprised at how much power you can get in a small package nowadays.

If you are using you phone for pictures, you will get way more battery efficiency out of a point and shoot.

Good luck.

>>>----JAKE----->

 

[NevadaZielmeister]

I would recommend the Goal Zero products, specifically this one:

Nomad 7 Plus Solar Panel

short Re-engineered to be lighter and smarter, the Nomad 7 Plus Solar Panel has the innovative technology to charge USB devices directly from the sun. features NOMAD 7 PLUS HIGHLIGHTS Smart Charging for Phones The Nomad 7 Plus features an auto restart that’s smarter than anything else on the...

www.goalzero.com

It is the newer version and very lightweight. I then change a Flip 10 battery (https://www.goalzero.com/shop/flip-family/flip-10-recharger/) and then carry that with me to charge the phone. I also use the Guide 10 (https://www.goalzero.com/shop/rechargers/guide-10-plus-power-bank/).

I have been very happy with this setup and have been using for about 2 years now. Good luck!

 

[Runningwater]

My experience has been unless it's for a larger group, or for an extended hunt (say 7+ days or so), or if you have lots of gadgets or plan on using a lot of gadgets - you're probably better off just bringing an appropriate number of battery packs. Our experience is one medium sized pack can keep a person's phone/camera/gps/satellite going for 5-7 days of moderate use. A decent solar charger is going to likely weigh a couple pounds and depending on where you are goat hunting you are at the mercy of the sun shining.

If its being shared, is a long trip, your watching a movie in your tent at night, and/or if you are guided and not carrying all your gear - they can make a lot of sense. Good luck - goat hunts are great!

 

[Apollo117]

My experience has been unless it's for a larger group, or for an extended hunt (say 7+ days or so), or if you have lots of gadgets or plan on using a lot of gadgets - you're probably better off just bringing an appropriate number of battery packs. Our experience is one medium sized pack can keep a person's phone/camera/gps/satellite going for 5-7 days of moderate use. A decent solar charger is going to likely weigh a couple pounds and depending on where you are goat hunting you are at the mercy of the sun shining.

If its being shared, is a long trip, your watching a movie in your tent at night, and/or if you are guided and not carrying all your gear - they can make a lot of sense. Good luck - goat hunts are great!

I agree with @Runningwater. Based on my research, the best/most efficient solar panels are heavier (~2+lbs) than I want to carry. For just one person or a low number of devices it's better to have a large capacity (15000+mah) battery pack.

My wife and I have charged our phones and a Garmin Explorer+ for up to 5 days of moderate use will the 10,000mah Anker battery pack. We used our phones and the GPS for navigation, e-book reading, and listening to podcasts. Every device was in battery saver mode with the screen brightness turned down.

 

[dazz397]

I took a solar panel but it was painfully slow so I stopped using it. I just left my phone on airplane mode since reception was spotty and used a battery pack. Airplane mode helps preserve battery life when you're in areas with spotty reception.

 

[Youngbuck86]

I use a 10000mah pack. I would feel fine going one week with my phone and Inreach to charge on that. I'm not playing games or surfing the web. I use the phone for gps, maps, photos, and the Inreach. I've tried solar in the past. Nothing worked well that was similar weight to my battery pack.

 

[Backyard]

My experience has been unless it's for a larger group, or for an extended hunt (say 7+ days or so), or if you have lots of gadgets or plan on using a lot of gadgets - you're probably better off just bringing an appropriate number of battery packs. Our experience is one medium sized pack can keep a person's phone/camera/gps/satellite going for 5-7 days of moderate use. A decent solar charger is going to likely weigh a couple pounds and depending on where you are goat hunting you are at the mercy of the sun shining.

If its being shared, is a long trip, your watching a movie in your tent at night, and/or if you are guided and not carrying all your gear - they can make a lot of sense. Good luck - goat hunts are great!

My Goal 7 system (including my charger stick)weighs 16 oz and works pretty good. From what I've found, any large battery style charger is going to weigh that or more and it will run out of charges. My solar isn't limited to anything except the sun, and I haven't had a problem with that ever. I set it out when I leave camp in the morning, and when I get back in the evening I've got full charge. Mind you, it only takes an hour or so to charge my stick from empty in full sun. Works well for me all around.

 

[Lvthntitall]

Thanks everyone for the help