Timinator
05-18-2015, 18:41
I haven't been on this site in a while but I figure since I'm here I might as well throw a bone.
So I hated the idea of having to pull out paper maps every 5 seconds on the CDT. I did long hard research on a way to power a gps permanently, among other gadgets.
The most practical approach was with solar panels.
Let me start by saying that for most practical purposes a panel below 10w just won't work, even 10w is kinda low. Lots of people on these forums have displayed disappointment in panels and yet they use low watt panels. If you want to use panels on the trail and expect to get reasonable power then don't use low watt panels.
The panels I currently own are the old goal zero 13.5w solar panel, two of their new 13w models and a 17w voltaic panel.
I also have the old heavy goal zero sherpa 50 battery pack and the new light sherpa 50 battery pack along with the guide 10 battery pack.
There's two things that people need to know. 1. Goal Zero panels suck. 2. Goal Zero battery packs don't.
I have replaced so many goal zero panels because they broke in damp conditions or because they didn't output as much as they should, even if they don't get a drop of rain on them they can break from humidity, at least for certain models.
That being said the old 13.5w model has never failed me, even though it's best not to expose the control box to water directly.
Now for the shocker. I have a 17w panel from a company called voltaic that weighs 26 oz which is less than half the weight of the 13w panels and can be thrown into a lake and still function. PLUS it's designed to be strapped directly to a pack or whatever you want. The guy on the phone even said he would do everything he could to ship me out a new one asap if it ever did break during my hike. The panel itself is pretty barebones so I was concerned it might break under a certain amount of stress but he assured me it would take a serious beating, which I confirmed for myself during my hike through Montana. The voltaic panel outputs some serious power, the difference is noticeable even over the 13 watt panels.
So in other words if you are going to buy a solar panel voltaic panels are lighter, cheaper, and more powerful panels than goal zero, and they are already designed to strap to things.
As for the battery packs. Goal zero is pretty solid. The sherpa 50 which is a 50wh battery weighs about 1lb and the guide 10 AA charger weighs about 6oz. I haven't seen or used another battery pack that comes close to goal zero durability and reliability. Always make sure that the terminals on the goal zero batteries are dry before powering them on, I learned that the hard way when a slim film of moisture short circuited my sherpa 50, thankfully they have fuses.
I don't remember the specifics but as I recall the sherpa 50 will charge the batteries of the guide 10 at least two times and will keep my gps powered for about 2-3 days. The blindingly bright led lamp on it will last about a month, and about a week on the guide 10.
As the reliability of the new goal zero 13w panels suck, I don't use their guide 10 super charger cables leaving me with only the usb option. This means it's more efficient for me to charge up the sherpa 50 and charge the guide 10 from that, which I then use to keep my gps powered.
The sherpa 50 can take anywhere from a few hours to a day to charge, a few days in overcast conditions.
The guide 10 can take anywhere from 2 hours to a day to charge depending on how you charge it and the conditions.
It's very hard to drain the battery of a sherpa 50 with a 17w voltaic panel. The only time I ever managed to do it was when I was powering my psp and charging my aa batteries and my gps all at once for hours under cloudy weather.
For the average person just trying to keep their phone from dying voltaic has adapters for seemingly everything imaginable so you can plug the panel directly into you're phone, laptop, guide 10, or whatever and their 9w panel should be alright for the weight conscious, as long as they aren't constantly using their phones or whatever.
As for me, as long as I keep my gps on the home screen when I'm not looking at it, I can keep it powered forever along with my uv water purifier, headlamp, phone, and yes, even a psp on occasion :D.
This may not be for everyone. Carrying around 2lb of power sources can be considered a deal breaker for some people.
The convenience factor for me makes it worth it.
So I hated the idea of having to pull out paper maps every 5 seconds on the CDT. I did long hard research on a way to power a gps permanently, among other gadgets.
The most practical approach was with solar panels.
Let me start by saying that for most practical purposes a panel below 10w just won't work, even 10w is kinda low. Lots of people on these forums have displayed disappointment in panels and yet they use low watt panels. If you want to use panels on the trail and expect to get reasonable power then don't use low watt panels.
The panels I currently own are the old goal zero 13.5w solar panel, two of their new 13w models and a 17w voltaic panel.
I also have the old heavy goal zero sherpa 50 battery pack and the new light sherpa 50 battery pack along with the guide 10 battery pack.
There's two things that people need to know. 1. Goal Zero panels suck. 2. Goal Zero battery packs don't.
I have replaced so many goal zero panels because they broke in damp conditions or because they didn't output as much as they should, even if they don't get a drop of rain on them they can break from humidity, at least for certain models.
That being said the old 13.5w model has never failed me, even though it's best not to expose the control box to water directly.
Now for the shocker. I have a 17w panel from a company called voltaic that weighs 26 oz which is less than half the weight of the 13w panels and can be thrown into a lake and still function. PLUS it's designed to be strapped directly to a pack or whatever you want. The guy on the phone even said he would do everything he could to ship me out a new one asap if it ever did break during my hike. The panel itself is pretty barebones so I was concerned it might break under a certain amount of stress but he assured me it would take a serious beating, which I confirmed for myself during my hike through Montana. The voltaic panel outputs some serious power, the difference is noticeable even over the 13 watt panels.
So in other words if you are going to buy a solar panel voltaic panels are lighter, cheaper, and more powerful panels than goal zero, and they are already designed to strap to things.
As for the battery packs. Goal zero is pretty solid. The sherpa 50 which is a 50wh battery weighs about 1lb and the guide 10 AA charger weighs about 6oz. I haven't seen or used another battery pack that comes close to goal zero durability and reliability. Always make sure that the terminals on the goal zero batteries are dry before powering them on, I learned that the hard way when a slim film of moisture short circuited my sherpa 50, thankfully they have fuses.
I don't remember the specifics but as I recall the sherpa 50 will charge the batteries of the guide 10 at least two times and will keep my gps powered for about 2-3 days. The blindingly bright led lamp on it will last about a month, and about a week on the guide 10.
As the reliability of the new goal zero 13w panels suck, I don't use their guide 10 super charger cables leaving me with only the usb option. This means it's more efficient for me to charge up the sherpa 50 and charge the guide 10 from that, which I then use to keep my gps powered.
The sherpa 50 can take anywhere from a few hours to a day to charge, a few days in overcast conditions.
The guide 10 can take anywhere from 2 hours to a day to charge depending on how you charge it and the conditions.
It's very hard to drain the battery of a sherpa 50 with a 17w voltaic panel. The only time I ever managed to do it was when I was powering my psp and charging my aa batteries and my gps all at once for hours under cloudy weather.
For the average person just trying to keep their phone from dying voltaic has adapters for seemingly everything imaginable so you can plug the panel directly into you're phone, laptop, guide 10, or whatever and their 9w panel should be alright for the weight conscious, as long as they aren't constantly using their phones or whatever.
As for me, as long as I keep my gps on the home screen when I'm not looking at it, I can keep it powered forever along with my uv water purifier, headlamp, phone, and yes, even a psp on occasion :D.
This may not be for everyone. Carrying around 2lb of power sources can be considered a deal breaker for some people.
The convenience factor for me makes it worth it.