[pct-l] solar battery chargers

[wpsnotebook at charter.net (Richard Woods)]

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Message: 1
Date: Sat, 4 Jun 2005 10:47:33 -0700 (PDT)
From: Sara Dyehouse <saradyehouse@yahoo.com>
Subject: [pct-l] solar battery chargers

I consider myself pretty techno-savvy, but I just discovered that there 
are solar battery chargers.  With the digital revolution, I have been 
pondering how to keep my digital camera powered w/o buckling my knees 
in extra battery weight.  While I love my camera, it's something of a 
power hog.  So I was tickled to learn about the solar chargers.  And 
they're cheap, too.  They start at $15 and can charge Ni-Mh and Ni-Cd.  
Some can charge the proprietary disc batteries that some cameras are 
using.  The smallest one I've seen, which can charge 4 AA batteries 
weighs 10 ounces.  A smaller version weighs 6 ozs.

Has anyone had any experience with these?  Do they actually work?  
Obviously they would be less useful in the forested parts of the trail, 
but how about the more exposed portions of the trail?
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Yes, they really work. One will charge a pair of AA NiMh batteries in 
about seven hours even in overcast conditions. A friend pinned his to 
the top of his pack and listened to CD's and radio whenever he wanted. 
I'm looking at the same rig for my GPS, and camera.

Mo Jo