Cheap Solar Chargers?

[AngryScientist]

I've got a cycling trip coming up fast, and i'm interested in some cheap solar chargers and wondering what the experience level is with some of these....

the scenario is car/backwoods camping with no access to electrical hookups.

the ideal would be to throw something on the roof of the truck while i'm out riding to charge up some usb battery packs during the day, and use them to charge devices at night. i'm talking cell phone, garmin and ipad.

i've got a separate, very good system that charges my camper's main battery to run the fan all night, but i'd rather not be plugging stuff in to that for auxiliaries.

some of the goal zero stuff looks good but pricey, lots of solar chargers on amazon for lots less $$, but wondering how they actually perform?

thoughts on this?

[rheosibal]

I have experience with Aukey and Goal Zero, but honestly didn't prefer any of the two in the portable form. The larger panels are much better, but obviously at a cost.

How long is your trip without relocation? I've found that a 30-50k mAh power bank is more than enough for a few days. I've gone on multiple trips where a 40k would enable me to charge my Wahoo, Phone, and iPad for at least 3 days. Then in-between sites, I'd charge them through the car. If you find some with a quick charge, I've powered up a 30k from 0% to 100% in a couple hours.

Considering the actual power you get from the portable solar chargers, I don't think they're worth it.

[rheosibal]

I should also add that solar chargers don't really work unless there is direct sunlight. It may show that it's charging with the existence of light, but won't be enough to convert power to charge your accessories.

So unless you're camping in the desert, or out in the open, I wouldn't recommend it since you'll need to re-position the panels every few hours.

[Bentley]

Massdrop has a 10000mah battery with 5w solar panel that folds up for $29.99 it even has a flashlight. works good

https://www.massdrop.com/buy/sunjack-solar-panel-and-battery

[R3awak3n]

from what I heard, it will take days (more like weeks) for the solar power to actually charge a full battery.

You are better off with a dynamo and even that, I would ride all day and barely charge anything.

I just bring a 20 000 mah battery which will charge your phone 7 times

[azrider]

So much misinformation.

Solar charge panels can easily charge a phone and/or iPod within few hours.

An overlanding/camping buddy of mine says it’s a great investment but you get what you pay for. I wanna say he has goal zero mat but can’t recall. I’ll ping him.

[eBAUMANN]

i have a GZ yeti 1000 in my van and a yeti 400 that i use as a backup or for non-van purposes. both have been excellent with a few weird hiccups that were pretty easily worked out. would not hesitate to recommend their products to anyone though yes, they are a little pricey.

you can hook up panels from 3rd party companies like renogy via adaptor cables and such...just depends how much power/portability you really need.

[vqdriver]

I have one of those cheapo amazon solar chargers with a 10k mah battery.

consider that you can precharge the battery at home from an outlet so youre not necessarily having to fill the the whole thing every day.

I used mine backpacking for a phone, usb camp light, and a kindle. I hung it on the outside of my pack each morning and it was topped off by evening each day. It did not face direct sunlight for extended periods as i hiked in and out of tree cover and weaved back and forth. I did position it well during my lunch breaks tho, about 30min to an hour around noonish. The kindle lasts forever but the gps function of the phone sucked power like a champ.

Power was not a concern on that trip. Dunno how it'd do if i drained it each night tho.

[Veloo]

I tried the Suntrica Solarstrap years ago.
Thought I could put it in a jersey pocket as it harvested sun rays and kept my phone charged.
Turns out it can't charge and discharge at the same time. Also took 8 hours to charge up the puny battery that it comes with.

Gave it to Valu Village last year. Never did use it really.

No more of these BS small solar chargers for me.

[Scuzzer]

You've got a car, it's already got a more than adequate charging system for phones and IPads. Why would you need something more? I think you need to look at how minuscule the amperage draw is of those items.

I have an off grid cabin with multiple deep cycle batteries charged by solar panels. Things like fan motors and lights draw some amperage, phones and iPads get lost in the noise.

[hartmmike]

Here's another direction to look, because you've got to eat too.
https://www.bioliteenergy.com

[R3awak3n]

So much misinformation.

Solar charge panels can easily charge a phone and/or iPod within few hours.

An overlanding/camping buddy of mine says it’s a great investment but you get what you pay for. I wanna say he has goal zero mat but can’t recall. I’ll ping him.

I was talking about the smaller ones that are built in into batteries, looking at zero mat, sure I can believe those will actually charge things but those are gigantic. I did not read he was going to have a car, I was assuming he needed power for a bike only tour so nevermind on anything I wrote.

But if in a car why not just get a 20000 mah battery which like I said will charge your phone 7 times and then just charge it in the car while you drive.

[AngryScientist]

good thoughts all around.

the scenario i have in mind is setting up a base camp with my trailer and car and riding/hiking during the day. the trailer takes care of itself as long as it's in the sun, so i figured why not throw a panel in a sunny spot and charge a battery during the day while i'm out and about.

good call on getting a decent sized battery to charge in the car while i drive and also hook up to a solar panel during the day to keep topped off.

[ptourkin]

The Ankers are surprisingly effective and are well-reviewed and cheap but they seem to have disappeared from Amazon.

[R3awak3n]

The Ankers are surprisingly effective and are well-reviewed and cheap but they seem to have disappeared from Amazon.

Thats what I have and recommend. I have a few of them and they are fantastic. The 20000 mah is my favorite and rven does rapid charging

[ptourkin]

Thats what I have and recommend. I have a few of them and they are fantastic. The 20000 mah is my favorite and rven does rapid charging

I meant the panels. Waiting for Anker to catch up to 45w on the batteries. That 20,000 with the 30w plug is nice, though.

[R3awak3n]

I meant the panels. Waiting for Anker to catch up to 45w on the batteries. That 20,000 with the 30w plug is nice, though.

Oh cool, didnt know, but not surprised, that anker has panels too

[Mikej]

Backcountry has some goal zero stuff on sale now