solar changers for cell phone?

[bsteinberg]

I was planning on taking a solar charger for my hike for my cellphone. Any advise on which works the best, that has been trail tested would be great.

B

[Colter]

It is almost universally agreed that solar chargers are not a good option on the Appalachian Trail, it tends to be too shady and towns stops for recharging are every few days. They can work well on the CDT and other, sunnier trails. Consider a lightweight external battery.

[scrabbler]

Hiking through the shade wont do you much good. If you're lucky enough to have a phone with a replaceable battery, then just charge a spare ahead of time and no worries.

[Biggie Master]

http://www.ianker.com/External-Batteries/category-c1-s1

Anker has a nice variety of options to choose from if you want to go with an external battery charger. I have one for business travel, and can tell you that these are very solid units!

[Slo-go'en]

As an experiment, I carried a solar powered garden light on the back of my pack, starting at Springer on April 18th. By the time I got to Damascus it wasn't getting enough sun to stay on for even an hour after dark. Before the trees leafed out it would get enough sun to stay on most of the night maybe 3 days out of 7. I started to rate the kind of day we had by how long the light would stay on.

[bemental]

I'm a pretty big fan of the Zendure ( http://zendure.com/ ) line - I supported them through their kickstarter project and have purchased a few additional products post launch.

Check out their feature list. They focus on:
-long term battery capacity (doesn't lose its charge over time)
-charge-through technology (being able to plug the battery in to charge, and charging devices 'through' the circuitry of the battery at the same time, saving you space on bringing additional adapters)
-dual USB outlets
-crush proof battery housing

They have varying capacities, depending on your needs. Definitely on my packing list.

[bsteinberg]

I think getting a back up battery charger makes more sense. More reliable and probably about the same pack weight. They seemed to work for up too four full charges and it could be a good will thing to offer a fellow hiker a charge.

B

[Frye]

Honest question, and I'm not knocking anyone, but how much are some of you using your phones that you need an external charger?

My phone is also my camera, and as long as I keep it on airplane mode when not making calls it easily last between restocks. Even in the southern sections with Verizon (Which is probably the most reliable service) I find service too spotty to assume someone can get a hold of me when they want, so I just have friends and family email me and when I turn airplane mode off I get the alert that msgs are awaiting.

I'm also curious as to the uses for my phone that I may be missing out on for backpacking. (In all honesty though, if it wasn't for the fact I wanted a phone with a decent camera, I'd be doing it up like Andrew Luck and sporting the $20 flip-phone)

[Slow n' Steady]

When I hiked in 2013, the folks who had solar chargers got rid of them quickly. They were wonderful at first, but they are not durable enough to last through the conditions of a thru hike. I used a backup battery which was actually part of my phone case. It died near the end and wouldn't charge, but it lasted long enough to make me happy and secure.

[Mags]

re: battery life going fast

I think it is because the phones are an all-purpose device now: camera, email, journal entries, phone, social media updates, guidebooks and related apps, etc.

The constant use tends to run the battery down. Since this is the straightforward section, let's keep the commentary to that. :)

Wired is more or less the most experienced triple crowner when it comes to electronics and their daily use. Take a look at her kit for the AT:
http://www.walkingwithwired.com/2014/03/26-days-til-start-dategear-update.html
http://www.walkingwithwired.com/2014/10/appalachian-trail-gear-review.html

Note see switched to batteries vs solar when she did the AT.

[Blissful]

I just got this for a secondary charger for my cell. Am interested to see how well it will work. PNY Powerpack T2200

[saltysack]

Been using a newtrent backup for years....light has 5200 capacity...cheap


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Kraken Skullz]

DO NOT get the solar chargers from Mini Mobi or Touch of Eco. Ordered one through livingsocial.com and the thing NEVER worked. I contacted both sites and got no response from livingsocial.com and a BS response from Touch of Eco telling me to charge it with the switch a few different ways and when I told them it still didn't work they said "sorry the warranty is up now"

[jdc5294]

http://www.outdoorgearlab.com/Solar-Charger-Reviews

[Wired]

Hi all, Wired here. Thanks for the shout out Mags:) I do get the question about keeping devices charged A LOT, so here's my two cents...
I DO NOT recommend a solar charger on the AT with all the shade you'll be in. It was fine for me on the PCT and CDT, and does give you more charge for the weight if you plan to use a lot of juice, but it can also be risky given the need for sunlight.

I've now found the luxury of a reliable external charger to be worth the extra weight for me. There are external chargers that are comparable in weight to the solar charger, but they charge less than my high usage, which is an anomaly among hikers. I'm a fan of the NewTrent chargers, but after a quick search, their website seems to not carry them anymore....they can still be found online and on Amazon. Here are the two I recommend. Again, I don't know anyone who would really want the heavier one other than me...I called it "the brick" and it was definitely a luxury item!

NewTrent PowerPak 11.0, 11,000mAh, 8oz, should charge an iPhone 4 times, has two usb ports
NewTrent PowrPak 13,500 mAh, 11oz, should charge iPhone 7 times, has two usb ports and a meter to indicate level of charge left.

[Fireonwindcsr]

Hi all, Wired here. Thanks for the shout out Mags:) I do get the question about keeping devices charged A LOT, so here's my two cents...
I DO NOT recommend a solar charger on the AT with all the shade you'll be in. It was fine for me on the PCT and CDT, and does give you more charge for the weight if you plan to use a lot of juice, but it can also be risky given the need for sunlight.

I've now found the luxury of a reliable external charger to be worth the extra weight for me. There are external chargers that are comparable in weight to the solar charger, but they charge less than my high usage, which is an anomaly among hikers. I'm a fan of the NewTrent chargers, but after a quick search, their website seems to not carry them anymore....they can still be found online and on Amazon. Here are the two I recommend. Again, I don't know anyone who would really want the heavier one other than me...I called it "the brick" and it was definitely a luxury item!

NewTrent PowerPak 11.0, 11,000mAh, 8oz, should charge an iPhone 4 times, has two usb ports
NewTrent PowrPak 13,500 mAh, 11oz, should charge iPhone 7 times, has two usb ports and a meter to indicate level of charge left.

Im taking both and will mail back one. Solar charger cost me $26 on Amazon and weighs maybe 6 oz. I have a battery that must weigh 1 1/2 lbs but can charge my iPhone 6-7 times. Check out Woot today....

http://electronics.woot.com/offers/limefuel-15000-mah-2-1a-usb-battery-pack?ref=gh_el_2_s_txt

[bsteinberg]

I went with with an Anker 2nd gen 10,000 mAH. They have a 3rd generation that has 15,000, but weighs a little more. I figure it's a backup, and considering my phone will also be my still/video camera, and online journaling, and a safety item, I wanted a backup. I also figure that I will want to keep my phone one to give and receive texts from fellow hikers. I don't listen to music while I hike like some. For those who listen to tunes all day, a back up charger would be nice.

The last time I hiked, I didn't have a smart phone. I brought a digital camera with me and even with a second battery for bith, I will run out of juice between town stops. I figure my all in one smart phone and charge is lighter than my phone and camera kit I took last time.

I also figure having a back up can be nice to offer to fellow hikers to give them a change to call mom.

B

[Kraken Skullz]

Heard back from MiniMobi and they shipped me a new unit. Haven't fully charged it yet but I have to give them credit for following up on the complaint. Maybe they saw my post.

[ATAdam]

Hiked in 09, and had an expensive semi custom 3500MAH solar charger. At that time, pretty expensive. Didn't find much use for it outside a few zero days, plenty of power in town - and a quick wander through the shelters nearer to road almost always resulted in a weekender with a charger or car juice near by to borrow.

Get some of those AA battery powdered chargers, easy to replace batteries along the AT - there ain't typically much sun.

[ny breakfast]

i came across a threw hiker that was telling me about a solar charger that was being tested on the AT that works really well, don't know much more than that. he claimed it would charge a phone in about half hour in the shadiness of the trail and that it rolls up that's about all i know and was told what he saw. as of now i don't think there is any thing worth the trouble. but then again I'm not very dependent on electronics. but the threw hike i talked to said he was very interested in it

[strogiyogi]

I wouldn't carry a solar charger for the reasons mentioned above. We carried a small mophie and barely ever used it. We also kept our phones on airplane mode all of the time (iphones), but were able to get 3-5 days of charge out of them. We used them as a way to listen to audiobooks and our camera.

[bemental]

$0.02 to follow:

After reading through Wired's site, I feel that we're similar in our technophilic tendencies, and perhaps competency levels.

I've decided to make an experiment of taking a Nomad 7 solar panel from Goal Zero, with two caveats:

1) it's meant to allow me to 'keep pace' or extend the use of my devices, not fully charge them while in the trail (more to follow).

2) I have a mobile, horizontal platform to keep the panel on the entire day (strapped to my service dog's back) which will allow for as optimal as possible charging possibilities for someone who's walking the AT :P

I'll be carrying a 17,000 mAh 'brick' with me, as well as an iPhone 6 Plus and an iPad Mini. Some might balk at the weight of the Mini, but after weighing Awol's guide, my Bible, and one other book, the Mini's many-use-one-device outweighs any associated cost.

I have a feeling that the 17,000 brick is going to get me between towns just fine, but I'd spend my time elsewhere then waiting for juice at an outlet. Yea, there will be opportunities to leave gear charging while I multitask and run errands, but there will be others where I'll be waiting in the devices, plus who wants to leave $1,000 worth of electronics sitting around.

If taking the panel will save time and extend the live of my maps/guidebook/journal/Bible/camera/headlamp/phone/Interwebs Machine, then it very well might be worth it *to me*.

[bemental]

Most of those *in's are supposed to be *on's.

autocorrect.