solar charger

[skeletor]

Can anybody provide some recommendations for a good solar charger for an expedition? I'd like to be able to charge sat phone, camera battery and ipod. Looking to balance weight, cost and effectiveness.

[MJaso]

Brunton has a great line of products. I have the solar roll 14, that I believe is the best weight/benefit ratio. At 17 oz its outputs 15.4V @ 900 mA. The price may be a little steep but its free power forever. At least you'll be able trickle charge a deep cycle battery and use that in conjunction with an inverter to run some electronics during a blackout after your expedition. I purchased mine new off ebay for several hundred $, but I believe it's money well spent.

[skeletor]

Thanks, MJaso

 

Any thoughts on going with one of the smaller solar rolls? I see they come as small as 4.5 inches. what about the Burnton Explorer?

[MJaso]

Depending on your sat phones requirements I speculate it would just take longer to charge. The 4.5 solar roll outputs the same voltage with a lower current output. At 300 mA that's going to be a 1/3rd the amount of power output compared to the 14.5. Now the website states that the 14.5 is capable of running a sat phone and charging laptops so I suspect that could be interpeted as the 4.5 isn't capable of running a sat phone, but could charge one. I'd call tech support to confirm.

 

I don't know much about the Brunton Explorer except it outputs 5V @ 1 A. It's considerably cheaper so that's a plus.

Edited August 29, 2010 by MJaso