GoalZero Nomad7 Solar Charger

[Ashman]

I received one of these as a Christmas gift. I have been looking to pick up a solar charger. I was looking to buy this one found here (http://www.rei.com/product/826630/solio-bolt-solar-charger). My Brother in Law (who camps but doesn't backpack) bought me the GoalZero one. Has anyone had experience with one of these before?

[OldManWalking]

I ended up returning mine to REI after trying it on two week long section hikes. I had the guide 10 kit with the solar charger and battery pack. Just couldn't get enough of a charge out of it to make it worthwhile. I tries hanging it from my pack during the day to charge the battery pack, but unless I had the sun directly on my back it wouldn't charge at all. Also quite heavy. Ran into the problem of the batter pack overheating until they recalled and replaced that part. I am now trying the new trent battery pack which at 6oz seems a better solution. http://www.newtrent.com/HTC-EVO-android-External-Battery-p/imp500_android.htm

[Ashman]

Thanks for the reply, was your experience with the Nomad or the Solio?

[shelterbuilder]

Here's some more unsolicited opinion...FWIW. I've never had much luck with recharging system in the trail, although I HAVE used them successfully for years at our club's cabin. The problem with most solar-charging systems is two-fold: weight and solar orientation. Most (not all) solar recharging systems simply weigh too much for the amount of power that they produce to be practical for use on the trail. (Using them at a base camp is another story.) But in order to produce usable amounts power, they need to be pointed AT THE SUN and they can't be shaded AT ALL. If either of these 2 conditions isn't met, then power output drops dramatically.

At the cabin, I've used small panels to recharge small lights that we've used at various locations for task-lighting. Since the cabin doesn't get heavy use, these units were often placed in a south-facing window and allowed to charge for a week at a time (for the next weekend's use). Because of the long charge times, any shading caused by the sun's tracking across the sky (with branches in the way) caused negligible problems. I've also used solar-direct systems to power small pond-pumps during the day (when the sun goes down, the pump shuts off), but again, any shading causes a drastic reduction in power output.

The bottom line is that, WITHIN THEIR LIMITATIONS, solar rechargers are great, but sometimes - for specific applications like backpacking - those limitations render the units almost useless from a practical standpoint. Say "thank you" to your brother-in-law, and play with the unit, but don't get your hopes up too high!

[OldManWalking]

the guide 10 kit which is the nomad along with the battery pack.