Solar Chargers

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HikingGeek.com
Posts: 126
Joined: Thu Jan 01, 2015 6:15 pm

Post by HikingGeek.com »

For those that use them, what solar charger/powerbanks are you using? Any good or bad experiences with them?

I just received my first "nice" solar charger. Looking at the box, I was a little surprised to read this on the box:

"The less you use the solar panel to recharge the battery, the longer the battery will last"

Looking online I found:
"RoamProofs product's battery life will decrease when the solar panel is used to recharge the device's battery. Extend the life of any internal battery by charging through a wall adapter using provided charging cables."

Is this the norm?

If you're interested in seeing specs and my photos of the unit I'm talking about, you can see them here:

Unboxing Photos: RoamProof SOS20K Portable Solar Powerbank & Package
Image
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mattmaxon
Posts: 1137
Joined: Mon Mar 24, 2008 12:48 pm

Post by mattmaxon »

Hiking long distance always moving during the day I don't a lot of time to layout a solar panel. I have hung the Anker 21w on my pack while moving.

I think just using a battery pack and power management is better
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DukeJH
Posts: 65
Joined: Fri Jan 07, 2011 11:14 am

Post by DukeJH »

I use a GoalZero Switch 8 battery and Nomad 7 panel. I charge the battery by a wall charger before I leave town. I recharge my devices at night from the battery and charge the battery during the day from the solar charger. I find that I don't need the charger for weekend trips using the battery and power management. The solar charger works best for me in a base camp situation or when you have shorter days on the trail and time in camp to charge the battery.
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