View Full Version : Battery Solar Charger
Has anyone ever taken a solar charger on the trail? i know it takes awhile to charge a set, but did you find the charger to be econimical in the long run?
here are the stats on a universal solar charger Learn More> (http://www.siliconsolar.com/universal_solar_battery_charger.htm)
Frolicking Dinosaurs
09-23-2005, 07:47
I decided against using a solar charger because I just couldn't justify carrying 12 ozs and can't imagine reliably having the 8 hours of sunlight necessary to charge 2 AA batteries while hiking down the trail. I'm waiting for someone to come out with a charger that uses this idea http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/showthread.php?t=10175
LIhikers
09-23-2005, 08:25
...that much of the time you're walking under the cover of trees and the solar charger won't be getting bright sunlight.
Ok, let's live in the now! ;)
http://shop.altenergystore.com/items~Cname~FLEXIBLE+%2F+ROLLABLE+Solar+Panels~Cc~ SPFLEXI~iTpStatus~1~Tp~.htm
I saw some lighter ones in a magazine that were made for backpacking, but I can't find it.
Lanthar Mandragoran
09-23-2005, 14:12
Ok, let's live in the now! ;)
http://shop.altenergystore.com/items~Cname~FLEXIBLE+%2F+ROLLABLE+Solar+Panels~Cc~ SPFLEXI~iTpStatus~1~Tp~.htm (http://shop.altenergystore.com/items%7ECname%7EFLEXIBLE+%2F+ROLLABLE+Solar+Panels %7ECc%7ESPFLEXI%7EiTpStatus%7E1%7ETp%7E.htm)
I saw some lighter ones in a magazine that were made for backpacking, but I can't find it.
Yeah, I had some bookmarked by a montana solar or something like that
...that much of the time you're walking under the cover of trees and the solar charger won't be getting bright sunlight. that's true.....the greeeeeeennnnn tunnelllllllllllll........................
justusryans
09-24-2005, 07:30
The problem I found with solar chargers is that to be effective they need direct sunlight for long periods of time. using 2300 NimH Batteries, your solar charger is going to take 3 to 4 days to charge. Why not carry a regular charger and charge when you get to town. They usually charge in 3 - 4 hours. or better yet, keep it in a bounce box.
I looked into solar chargers for our thru hike. Unfortunately they just weren't feasable for what I needed them to do. An alternative is lithium batteries.
If you want a good website for solar products try www.sundancesolar.com (http://www.sundancesolar.com)
HikeLite
09-24-2005, 09:04
The half ounce solar charger.
http://article.gmane.org/gmane.culture.backpacking.light/41397