Charging devices while on trail

[Slo-go'en]

There are many portable power packs such as "Juice Pack" but I am looking into a solar charger.

Don't waste your money. You will never be in the sun long enough to have it do any good. You need like 12 hours of noon time sun unless you have a panel bigger then your pack. A ZIP stove will run almost forever on one set of batteries.

[Greenmountainguy]

Don't waste your money. You will never be in the sun long enough to have it do any good. You need like 12 hours of noon time sun unless you have a panel bigger then your pack. A ZIP stove will run almost forever on one set of batteries.

You support my concerns. While the salesmen are big on the solar chargers, I operate almost solely under a canopy. I suppose I could periodically put it in the sun for lunch stops and before sun down, but I was afraid of the need for serious duration. The other option though makes me slave to the periodically available power outlet and since I generally have to make time...resupply is brief to say the least...I fear my wife will not hear for me for longer periods than she is comfortable with.
I have never used the ZIP for long periods and as a matter of fact was thinking of one of the newer wood burners that uses no blower. Oh well, I doubt I can get away until high summer anyway.

[Leo L.]

Don't waste your money...

For my last desert hike I did lots of research on solar chargers. It was dissapointing at best.
You will always need a solar charger that includes a battery (usually you're hiking during the daytime, when the sun is up and the solar panel exposed on top of your pack - you will not want to have your precious smartphone always plugged into the charger, thus making it difficult to use and prone to cable/plug defect.
So you end up carrying a solar panel, a battery pack and some cables and electronic box.
If all this stuff is made lightweight, its flimsy and will break just like that.
If everything is made professional style it will be heavy and expensive, and still you can eaysily crack the panel or rip a plug.

There are battery packs that include a small solar panel. Forget about these, this is maybe good for eliminating the self-discharging of the battery, but will not harvest any usable solar power.
A guy I was hiking with had one dangling from his pack - useless stuff.

I ended up carrying a battery pack that got the best review in a serious European computer magazin. (Varta 6000).

BTW, I also did some tests with the Biolite woodburning stove, that claims to be able to charge your phone.
It may be sufficient to charge an old cell phone to a level that you can make a quick call, but to stay realistic, it will not be able to charge a smartphone sufficiently, unless you are willing to stay up and nurse the stove for the whole night.

[Wise Old Owl]

Don't waste your money. You will never be in the sun long enough to have it do any good. You need like 12 hours of noon time sun unless you have a panel bigger then your pack. A ZIP stove will run almost forever on one set of batteries.

CLEARLY YOU DO NOT OWN A GOOD ONE. That being said - I understand... There are light large panels that can charge a phone in two hours. The Military use them,,,, So do I.

[Huli]

CLEARLY YOU DO NOT OWN A GOOD ONE. That being said - I understand... There are light large panels that can charge a phone in two hours. The Military use them,,,, So do I.

Please, don't leave us hanging. What do you use?

[Puddlefish]

Please, don't leave us hanging. What do you use?

If he told us, he'd have to kill us.

[colorado_rob]

If he told us, he'd have to kill us.

No, if he told us he'd have to admit that the model he's referring to is not "light". There is no way a reasonably light (well less than a pound) solar charger will do the job on the AT. Perhaps on the PCT. I tried a small light one (8 ounces) here in sunny Colorado for my phone. No-go. A one-pound panel would probably work (here in CO).

"military grade" stuff is limited by the same laws of physics as "civilian" stuff. Don't waste your money or time.

I say "well less than a pound" being light for a solar panel because as already stated many times, you can get good external battery chargers for 8-9 ounces that will charge a phone many times. I think the sweet spot for on-trail phone charging is about 10,000 mAH, good for 3 full charges (assuming some efficiency losses). 20,000 mAH is overkill and too heavy. All only in my opinion, of course (except the laws of physics thing about "light" solar panels).

[Puddlefish]

No, if he told us he'd have to admit that the model he's referring to is not "light". There is no way a reasonably light (well less than a pound) solar charger will do the job on the AT. Perhaps on the PCT. I tried a small light one (8 ounces) here in sunny Colorado for my phone. No-go. A one-pound panel would probably work (here in CO).

"military grade" stuff is limited by the same laws of physics as "civilian" stuff. Don't waste your money or time.

I say "well less than a pound" being light for a solar panel because as already stated many times, you can get good external battery chargers for 8-9 ounces that will charge a phone many times. I think the sweet spot for on-trail phone charging is about 10,000 mAH, good for 3 full charges (assuming some efficiency losses). 20,000 mAH is overkill and too heavy. All only in my opinion, of course (except the laws of physics thing about "light" solar panels).

Agreed. My actual thought was that he was doing a hasty web search to find something that met those requirements, and that he failed to, and that's why there will be no link forthcoming. But, I decided to go the humor route instead.