[pct-l] solar charger

Mon Jan 25 13:52:41 CST 2016

I had an Anker 2nd Gen Astro in 6400mAh for my iPhone 6. Overall this was a good size. I drained it completely twice, which means I wasn’t carrying capacity I wasn’t using. If you don’t listen to music, you could get away with much less. (Paper map users can skip the battery altogether.)

One thing I would do differently is carry a two-port USB charger. In town I had to decide which I wanted to charge first (walking out of town w/o a full charge is the real reason I hit zero). Moreover, if all outlets are full and you have a two-port charger, you can simply plug an existing user into your charger and share the outlet. (Just be kind enough to get a real brand rather than some Chinese or gas-station knock-off so that when you do this the other person’s throughput isn’t affected.)

J

> On Jan 24, 2016, at 3:24 PM, CClark <dr_carolyn at yahoo.com> wrote:
> 
> Thanks for all the input about solar chargers.I am now looking at the Anker website.I see three external batteries.Astro 3 (10000mAh) has some bad reviews.Astro 5 (16000mAh) weighs 11 oz.Do you recall which battery most hikers opted for? 
> Carolyn "Souldoctor" 
> <<<<Message: 3
> Date: Sat, 23 Jan 2016 10:40:30 -0800
> From: Tim Umstead <tumstead96 at gmail.com>
> To: PCT-L <pct-l at backcountry.net>
> Subject: [pct-l] Solar charger
> Message-ID:
>     <CAD3yqM3Oo6GEA16JWTHVcN+WsbJGYM+0jiaUXtiWhcKizbJO5w at mail.gmail.com>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=UTF-8
> 
> On last summers thru hike we use an Anket 6k external battery. I had two
> cell phones, four mp3 players, a camera, and a tablet to keep charged. The
> single external battery did the job just fine. I never ran it dry. Under
> normal usage I had to charge the mp3 players and maybe a phone or the
> camera. On some of the longer sections I needed to also partially charger
> the tablet. I never ran out of power.
> 
> I know of several thru hikers who stated out with solar panels and switched
> to external batteries. They found that they it took to long to charge their
> phones. This was especially a problem farther north where the trees shaded
> their panels as they hike and they could not get the full power of the sun.
> 
> Take an external battery and skip the solar panel.
> 
> The Ravens
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> there heavy ,works good
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>     On Saturday, January 23, 2016 3:23 PM, David Austin <davidaustin777 at gmail.com> wrote:
> 
> 
> I have a Goal Zero Nomad 7 as well as a Nomad 20 and multiple 30 watt
> panels. The trick with solar panels is that you should use the solar panel
> to charge a battery pack. When the battery pack is charged you can use that
> to charge your phone. Many phones include charging circuitry that only
> works with proper strength charge is coming in. Solar panels will not
> provide consistent output. It will vary depending on many factors,
> including weather/clouds and angle to the sun. Other devices such as
> headlamps should charge ok even on weaker signals but still best to charge
> a battery pack then charge the device.
> 
> Goal Zero makes excellent products that may be better quality than their
> competition but they are more expensive. The panels are heavy. I would just
> buy a big battery pack that will charge your phone and other electronics
> between resupply/town stops. This is what I'm doing. Since I already own
> many Goal Zero products, I'll be taking only a battery pack, the Venture
> 30. Many people use Anker and they are good too (and cheaper). Just get one
> that has enough charge for your use and doesn't weigh a ton.
> 
> David
> 
> On Sat, Jan 23, 2016 at 7:38 AM, CClark <dr_carolyn at yahoo.com> wrote:
> 
>> I'm considering purchasing a Goal Zero Nomad 7m solar charger or a Goal
>> Zero Switch 10 Multi-tool Kit to keep our electronic devices charged while
>> thru-hiking.Has anyone tried using these?Can anyone recommend other/better
>> ways to stay charged?
>> Carolyn "(Souldoctor")
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> 
> 
> 
> -- 
> - David Austin
> davidaustin777 at gmail dot com
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