solar chargers

[tttoadman]

To the top for hopefully more first hand knowledge and recommendations.

Currently looking for a power bank and possibly a solar panel charger for a upcoming scouting/ backpacking trip.

I have this battery pack and a cord that converts 5V to 9V. I scabricated the end of the Rino charge cord to the end of it because they use a weird size. I can charge my lithium Rino battery at least 2 times along with my phone once or twice and the Inreach once. I was really pleased. I assume it will trip most big GPS or tablet batteries into charge mode which is part of the problem with small battery packs and solar panels. To qualify, I have about 20days I the field with this setup with perhaps 10 charge cycles. I did cycle this battery and cord setup quite a bit more in the summer with the Rino, the inreach, and the nomad 7. I have the old Nomad 7, so not much to add on panels.
Amazon.com: Battery Pack RAVPower Portable Charger 22000mAh 5.8A Output 3-Port Power Bank (2.4A Input, Triple iSmart 2.0 USB Ports, Li-polymer Battery) Portable Battery Charger For Smartphones Tablets - Black: Cell Phones & Accessories
Amazon.com: KUNCAN Dc 5v to Dc 9v Converter Step Up Voltage Converter 5ft Am to Dc5.52.1mm: Electronics

 

[mfllood3800]

Heard good things about the suntactics panel. I was hoping to get an all in one system. I currently have 12000 mah of charger capability.
I'm not into filming so I only charge my Garmin 62st, phone, maybe the go pro, head lamp...

On a 5-7 dayer if I keep stuff off until I need it I should be ok with the 13,000 mah of stored lithium.
maybe maybe not?

 

[6x6]

Been running Suntactics for years. Light, easy, bombproof, and good customer service. Good company.

 

[dotman]

Ive used Anker charge packs for a few years with zero issues, the Anker 15w looks interesting.

 

[Finch]

Yeah I learned you have to go from the panel to the battery pack to the phone or whatever. Tried it with only the panel and failed miserably.


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Why can you not charge directly from the solar panel to the phone? I have an Anker PowerCore 10,000 battery but it won't last me for the week. I was thinking about buying a bigger battery or a solar panel. Do you guys see any issues with the solar panel linked below?

Amazon.com: Nekteck 14W Solar Charger with 2-Port USB Charger Build with High efficiency Solar Panel Cell for iPhone 6s / 6 / Plus, SE, iPad, Galaxy S6/S7/ Edge/ Plus, Nexus 5X/6P, any USB devices, and more: Cell Phones & Accessories

 

[Jordan Budd]

Why can you not charge directly from the solar panel to the phone? I have an Anker PowerCore 10,000 battery but it won't last me for the week. I was thinking about buying a bigger battery or a solar panel. Do you guys see any issues with the solar panel linked below?

Amazon.com: Nekteck 14W Solar Charger with 2-Port USB Charger Build with High efficiency Solar Panel Cell for iPhone 6s / 6 / Plus, SE, iPad, Galaxy S6/S7/ Edge/ Plus, Nexus 5X/6P, any USB devices, and more: Cell Phones & Accessories

Most solar panels can't stream a consistent charge just by themselves. So they practically won't charge a phone. Need to go to a battery of some kind first. Not real sure on that panel honestly.


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[Finch]

Ok, so I should be fine as long as I buy a reliable solar charger and plan on bringing an external battery anyway, right?

What prompted me into looking at chargers was the fact I could either buy another external battery or a solar charger for the same price.

Thanks

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[Lukeyn]

I used a cheapo from menards.
https://www.menards.com/main/electr...3-c-6509.htm?tid=-4064822981806423132&ipos=20
Works great

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[time killer]

So, if I went with the Goal Zero panel and Dark Energy recharger? I should be ok for phones, gps, type stuff?

 

[C Bow]

Goal Zero 70 and you won't need a panel if you only hunt 10 days

 

[gdog]

Most solar panels can't stream a consistent charge just by themselves. So they practically won't charge a phone. Need to go to a battery of some kind first. Not real sure on that panel honestly.


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Maybe it was the Goal Zero 7 panel you are using(?) I have the same and your right, it doesn't work well with a phone. Too low power coming out of the panel and it stops charging the phone, but the newer panels 7 Plus and 14 Plus are suppose to have corrected this. The Anker panels rank high and are half the price and lighter, plus also have supposedly fixed the phone charging issues. I'm going to pick up one of the Anker Anker | PowerPort Solar 2 Ports and give it a try.

 

[epfd217]

First hand experience is expensive. There are two problems with charging a phone just form a solar panel.

1. Solar panels have unreliable voltage unless its a bluebird sunny day. Any of the newer cell phones require higher voltage charging as well as a consistent power supply. Take a new cell phone and try plugging it into a charger block from 5yrs ago...it will either not work, or tell you it isn't providing enough voltage. Heck, new phones now have "fast charging" if they have the appropriate qualcomm chip.

2. Phones must be connected to the panel to charge. Charging occurs during the day and if you need to use your phone as your mapping device during the day, keeping it tethered to a panel or lying in the sun is not that useful. Additionally, battery loss over night coupled with any use after sunset means you're starting the day with less than a full battery meaning your solar panel needs to be sized to reach more than a full charge per day.

You can choose: 1. Solar panel only
2. Large battery charger and no panel
3. Combination of the two that meets your needs.

I've got a Goal Zero Nomad 7 and Guide 10 setup. Unfortunately the Guide 10 holds less power than my cell phone battery and I no longer use disposable batteries for anything at a rate that needs backups.
After discussing it with several people including a few roksliders, I decided on the Dark Energy. I got two of them for 20K m/a of power. Between my phone and my Goal Zero Lantern, I should have enough power for 12-14 days. One DE charger should last me 5-7 days. With my panel I can extend that for several more days depending on the weather.

The best thing is you charge your phone overnight, start the day with a full battery and if the battery bank needs charging, then you leave it hooked to the panel lying in the sun. Neither the GZ panel or the DE charger care about the rain and even if I cared, I can run the cord from the panel into the tent keeping the charger safe.

If you're looking into good larger panels, the RAV4 15w and the Anker 21w are both great panels at a better price. I like GZ, but I'm not sold that their new panels are than much better. MPPT tech is great, but not on such a small scale.

 

[IdahoRyan]

tttoadman, any input on how you spliced your cables. I'm mid project and there is only one wire inside the garmin cord. Just to clarify, I am terrible with anything electrical.

 

[tttoadman]

tttoadman, any input on how you spliced your cables. I'm mid project and there is only one wire inside the garmin cord. Just to clarify, I am terrible with anything electrical.

The outer sheath is the ground. The inner wire is the power.
I am going by memory. I will pull the tape off when I get home.

 

[IdahoRyan]

The outer sheath is the ground. The inner wire is the power.
I am going by memory. I will pull the tape off when I get home.

No worries. I just figured it out. You are correct. I'm just taping mine up after a test run. Thank you!

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[AlaskaEd]

I have the Anker folding solar panel and it works great directly plugged to my phone.

 

[bjsully]

I am running this for the year:

Amazon.com: 26800mAh Solar Charger, ZeroLemon SolarJuice USB-C/QC 3.0 Portable Solar Battery Charger Outdoor Solar Power Charger with Multi-functional LED Flashlight 400 Lumens, 4 Light Modes, S.O.S. morse code: Cell Phones & Accessories

I have used their other cell phone battery options and they seem to work well enough, never had any complaints. Will let you know how it fairs after nine days in CO.

 

[ecw]

While this article is focused more towards the vehicle based overlanding crowd it has some excellent points that are certainly good food for thought.

Overland Skills: Make Power or Store Power, Which is Best for You? – Expedition Portal


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[Tsnider]

for those not familiar with solar

charging my iphone 7 plus every other day (airplane mode)
delorme when needed (turn it on a few times a day to update my location for the wife, and shoot her a message),
sony a6000,
gopro 4 (only when needed, using the bacpac battery)

i use the Dark Energy Poseidon and the older model SunTactics 5 (new ones are a bit more efficient and 2 ounces lighter). Works good enough for me, as long as everything is charged up before i leave the house. I left my a6000 on one night and my gopro on the entire next day because im a not very bright. so my poseidon got drained, but charged back up over a few days of decent sunshine while i was away from camp.

the cheap 25$ amazon panels with a battery built in are crap, you can forget about those being useful. a solar panel the size of your phone wont charge squat, thats just the way it works. when you see photos of a hiker with a solar panel hanging on their pack, thats marketing. its not real and doesnt work that way. another reason not to carry your solar panel around with you to set up while your glassing or something is because its like reflecting a mirror around on the side of the mountain. i set my panels up in the direction of the sun rise at a slight angle, and when i come back to camp mid day i have to reset the panel.