solar

February 15, 2013 By Chas Bruce

Eton BoosterSolar Battery/Solar Charger

Eton BoostSolar Battery/Solar Charger — Eton BoosterSolar Battery/Solar Charger

This handy solar charger and battery measures 6 x 6 inches and is only 3/4 inch thin and weighs just a hair over 5 ounces.

Coated in rubber, the BoostSolar features convenient fastener loops for attaching to your backpack. This solar-powered backup battery pack features a rechargeable 5000mAh lithium battery. When fully charged, you’ll have enough backup power to fully charge most smartphones twice. And with the 2.1A USB out you can also charge your tablet.

Press the button and the LED charge indicators will let you know how much battery charge you have left. The removable battery allows you to pop in another for unlimited backup power.

$130

August 11, 2012 By Chas Bruce

d.light S250 Solar Lantern Mobile Charger

This camp-ready solar lantern was really designed for the developing world, where after dark illumination can provide huge cultural advantages.

The d.light S250 has provided bright, safe and affordable light for millions of people who do not have access to reliable electricity in over 40 countries. Certainly safer than open flames, this LED lamp can provide up to 12 hours of bright light and a 100-hour night light from a full day’s charge.

The S250 is a dual-purpose solar light and mobile phone charger. A surprising number of people in the developing world have cell phones for primary communications. A sturdy plastic housing protects the unit from dust, insects and water.

The S250 comes with a handy grip and a top strap to allow users to hang the unit from hooks or poles. It has four different light settings from bright to a low night light. Also charges from any AC/DC source and will charge various cell phones.

Ten percent of profits go to providing this lamps to people in need. You can also make a donation for persons in need. d.light also makes 2 smaller lamps including a nifty $12 solar desk lamp.

$45

July 12, 2012 By Chas Bruce

Goal Zero Guide 10 Solar Charging Kit

For our power on the go, we found strapping Goal Zero’s folding panels to our pack was a cinch. We found the best use is to charge the AA battery pack and to use that for charging other electronic gear, like an iPhone or camera after you’ve stopped to camp.

The Guide 10 Adventure Kit combines the Nomad 7m solar panel, the Guide 10 battery pack, a 12volt “cigarette adapter”, a USB to mini-USB cable, a 6 volt cable and a AAA battery pack insert. The Nomad solar panel measures 6 x 9 x 1 inches when folded and 19 x 9 x 0.1 inches when unfolded. The edges of the panel are fitted with loops that make it easy to lash it to a backpack.

We tried the Goal Zero in the hot Southern Utah sun and got a complete charge on 4 AA batteries in under two hours. We hear cloud cover can lengthen charge time by 50%.