Solar Chargers - What do you use?

[SC Living Outdoors]

I am in the process of planning a really serious backpack mtn hunt for next fall. Probably the most serious/demanding hunt I've ever attempted. I'm anticipating being on the mountain for 20ish days (possibly solo) living out of my pack. I usually just carry like 3 or 4 portable power banks, but that isn't going to cut it on this trip. My plan is to carry 2 portable power banks and a solar charger to charge the banks. Obviously, I think it goes without saying that weight is going to be at a premium, because I am anticipating going in pretty deep. I have heard good things about the Anker solar charger, but I was just hoping to hear some first hand reviews about what has worked for you because Amazon reviews aren't always the most accurate and it is very important that whatever I buy works.

 

[Raisin Bran]

I am in the process of planning a really serious backpack mtn hunt for next fall. Probably the most serious/demanding hunt I've ever attempted. I'm anticipating being on the mountain for 20ish days (possibly solo) living out of my pack. I usually just carry like 3 or 4 portable power banks, but that isn't going to cut it on this trip. My plan is to carry 2 portable power banks and a solar charger to charge the banks. Obviously, I think it goes without saying that weight is going to be at a premium, because I am anticipating going in pretty deep. I have heard good things about the Anker solar charger, but I was just hoping to hear some first hand reviews about what has worked for you because Amazon reviews aren't always the most accurate and it is very important that whatever I buy works.

Not sure to what extent you are talking in size or input/output but a couple of companies I am familiar with are dark energy & lion energy.

Darkenergy.com
Lionenergy.com

Check them out-

 

[JLDemo]

I've had zero issues out of my Harbor freight Thunderbolt 9 watt foldable. Used it for a few years on Backcountry hunts and Its worked great. I use my phone for GPS and so on, I also have a single battery pack for a backup and bring my kindle along. That foldable panel will charge two devices fairly quick (few hours) in direct sunlight.

I haven't used any other brand so I can't speak on the quality vs others. But it works, cost effective, and super light.

 

[crock239]

I've got a BigBlue Solar 28W

I've used it on a couple hunts including AK fly-in hunt and it's worked well so far...

Edit: this is the one I have and have had success with so far. I can get a an accurate weight on it and will post later

https://www.amazon.com/BigBlue-Foldable-Waterproof-SunPower-Cellphones/dp/B01EXWCPLC/ref=mp_s_a_1_8?dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.zcownrgXgkrbna1wSG2bO2LTs_H8fvFA7DDRBRkSZLlrKsbfg4gZ6h6E-SRrcv3liUDRIT_FUlTcQqxRmihDIwkSuK-fQyZ1zqSa2-4D9Ql-AGGTBDTdSsXR4USOWqcROo3PeagS9RN-9DfqJdQZVXjz3x-fBM8DO6n7vqEn-Dc_g5F4kS-NiCeVeV4KTGoOTEoAlihmXOhrusO8QXvFGA.-y7PD53Ark5ZgdgwnhB-kFtMA9U7cl-wi7R5c_vOCR8&dib_tag=se&keywords=anker+solar+charger&qid=1734321928&sr=8-8&th=1&psc=1

 

[Moserkr]

I do not recommend goal zero... my old one just never cut it and sits collecting dust. Overpriced, heavy for the watts.

Hopefully someone will chime in with a good brand cause Id like a new one. But make sure it has a few things. Over-charge protection is a big one. Minimum 15 watts, more the better. 7w on my old one was super slow charging a 10,000mAh battery. Imagine charging on a cloudy day. The two battery pack idea is good, I carry the two 10k and could recharge one while using the other.

But my thought on a straight 20 day trip without coming out of the woods is carrying that much food. I would break it into 3x 7 day hunts. If one area isnt producing Id be packing out to go try plan B. Depends on your hunt though. Usually we do 5 day hunts into areas before switching or resupplying.

 

[homers]

BigBlue SolarPowa 28

 

[Straight Arrow]

I do not recommend goal zero... my old one just never cut it and sits collecting dust. Overpriced, heavy for the watts.

Hopefully someone will chime in with a good brand cause Id like a new one. But make sure it has a few things. Over-charge protection is a big one. Minimum 15 watts, more the better. 7w on my old one was super slow charging a 10,000mAh battery. Imagine charging on a cloudy day. The two battery pack idea is good, I carry the two 10k and could recharge one while using the other.

But my thought on a straight 20 day trip without coming out of the woods is carrying that much food. I would break it into 3x 7 day hunts. If one area isnt producing Id be packing out to go try plan B. Depends on your hunt though. Usually we do 5 day hunts into areas before switching or resupplying.

Some helpful thoughts there.

My Solar Monkey worked just fine on backpack trips with sunny days. When backpacking in the Thorofare in August in a drought year, surprisingly we had five cloudy days of rain out of the seven day trip. Luckily I had good maps, but a couple of battery packs would have been better since I had the whole trip preplanned and pinned with ONX.

Not intending to be disrespectful to the OP, nor question level of experience ... but IMO based on alot of backpacking experience, twenty days living out of a backpack, especially on a mountain hunting trip, is unrealistic and ill-advised. There's no place in the lower 48 that is so "deep" that it requires almost three weeks to get there and hunt it.

 

[Johnny Bravo]

I have a 28w BigBlue I got for xmas last year, and it's still never bene opened... But I got it from someone who is pretty serious when it comes to research and their gear that I have to believe it's pretty darn good.

 

[Dsnow9]

Some helpful thoughts there.

My Solar Monkey worked just fine on backpack trips with sunny days. When backpacking in the Thorofare in August in a drought year, surprisingly we had five cloudy days of rain out of the seven day trip. Luckily I had good maps, but a couple of battery packs would have been better since I had the whole trip preplanned and pinned with ONX.

Not intending to be disrespectful to the OP, nor question level of experience ... but IMO based on alot of backpacking experience, twenty days living out of a backpack, especially on a mountain hunting trip, is unrealistic and ill-advised. There's no place in the lower 48 that is so "deep" that it requires almost three weeks to get there and hunt it.

Come on man, he can’t send old batteries back with the heli food drops! And how is he gonna watch all his soap operas during the down time without enough juice!

I have a goal zero and the one big enough to efficiently charge batteries weighs to much to warrant bringing it in the back country.

 

[LuketheDog]

I am in the process of planning a really serious backpack mtn hunt for next fall. Probably the most serious/demanding hunt I've ever attempted. I'm anticipating being on the mountain for 20ish days (possibly solo) living out of my pack. I usually just carry like 3 or 4 portable power banks, but that isn't going to cut it on this trip. My plan is to carry 2 portable power banks and a solar charger to charge the banks. Obviously, I think it goes without saying that weight is going to be at a premium, because I am anticipating going in pretty deep. I have heard good things about the Anker solar charger, but I was just hoping to hear some first hand reviews about what has worked for you because Amazon reviews aren't always the most accurate and it is very important that whatever I buy works.

I have an Anker 15W panel and charge two small Goal Zero battery packs (the finger-size Flip 12) with it. I took it to Alaska and it worked great for me, however the overcast days really reduced the ability for a solar panel to work well, so keep that in mind. It takes a while on a sunny day for a small panel to charge even those little packs.

 

[TransplantHunter]

Obviously size of the panel is going to depend on your power needs (or how long you are going to have to charge your items). With that being said, I took a 28 watt cheap solar panel up on Denali and used it to supply power for my 3 week trip. I had 0 problems and it was able to keep up with my power needs. It is currently unavailable on Amazon but I only spent $55 on it. It was light weight and durable (even had it strapped on top of my sled that I was dragging around - actively snowing on it - no problems).

Cheap Solar Panel

Anyhow, my .02 is that you should size up the solar panel a bit. If you have a bigger panel, it will charge your devices faster OR be able to get more of a charge in overcast weather.

 

[SC Living Outdoors]

I've had zero issues out of my Harbor freight Thunderbolt 9 watt foldable. Used it for a few years on Backcountry hunts and Its worked great. I use my phone for GPS and so on, I also have a single battery pack for a backup and bring my kindle along. That foldable panel will charge two devices fairly quick (few hours) in direct sunlight.

I haven't used any other brand so I can't speak on the quality vs others. But it works, cost effective, and super light.

I've also had good luck with Harbor Freight. I might check that out. Thank you. I didn't even realize the sold them.

 

[SC Living Outdoors]

Not intending to be disrespectful to the OP, nor question level of experience ... but IMO based on alot of backpacking experience, twenty days living out of a backpack, especially on a mountain hunting trip, is unrealistic and ill-advised. There's no place in the lower 48 that is so "deep" that it requires almost three weeks to get there and hunt it.

Of course I could come out, but my plan is to give it my all. I truly want to be successful and if Im not I don't want it to be from a lack of effort. I want to maximize my time in the mountains and not lose days just hiking back and forth to the truck. I'm planning on scouting for 12-14 days straight then jump straight into the hunt for a week. Obviously, this plan is weather dependent, and I will modify as needed. If I need to come out I will. I know it won't be easy, but my goal on this hunt is to push myself physically and mentally. I feel like every hunt I've done thus far in my life has been in preparation for this hunt. I'm not taking a typical guys approach because I'm hoping to not get a typical result.

 

[PRO MO]

i must be the only one happy with my goal zero - Nomad 10. I've used it many times and it charges power banks just fine.
i also had a friend that bought a cheap amazon solar charger/battery pack combo. it was a little heavy, but it also worked amazing over a 10 day period.

 

[mrcowboy]

I used goal zero for my wilderness archery hunt this past year. Had no issues. Ended up only needing to charge my phone. I was only off the grid for 6 days. Don't remember the exact model but I will check.

 

[crock239]

Ok. The BigBlue 28W solar panel is 1.5lbs. It has worked well as a basecamp charger. Probably not the best solution for extended serious backpacking.


My 10,000mAh power bank is 5.5oz by comparison.

 

[daltrix99]

Dark Energy is excellent, I had a great season beating mine up in the mountains. In direct sun it will charge a power bank or phone very quickly.

Seconding another comment to avoid goal zero. Overpriced for less than top quality.

 

[Johnny Bravo]

Ok. The BigBlue 28W solar panel is 1.5lbs. It has worked well as a basecamp charger. Probably not the best solution for extended serious backpacking.
View attachment 353419

My 10,000mAh power bank is 5.5oz by comparison.
View attachment 353420

that will charge your phone 1-3 times so if that is all you need, great. I use battery packs that are 26800+ and they weigh about 1 pound each I think. But once they are drained…you need to recharge them hence the solar….

 

[crock239]

that will charge your phone 1-3 times so if that is all you need, great. I use battery packs that are 26800+ and they weigh about 1 pound each I think. But once they are drained…you need to recharge them hence the solar….

Yeah I've used the solar panel at a base camp location to have it set up and charging a spare battery pack while I have another battery pack with me in my backpack....my phone is old and the battery life sucks so I like to have a spare battery with me that I can swap out every 1-3 days.

Y'all sent me down the rabbit hole a bit on solar panels for backpacking...

The DarkEnergy claim to be rugged and have a power/weight ratio of approximately 1.2W/oz which they claim is 50% more than most solar panels....the BigBlue 28W pencils out to about 1.14W/oz and is half the price. I can't speak to the comparative ruggedness / overall durability between the two.

If you're truly traveling / hunting out of a backpack and camping where you end up for the night, then you'd likely need to be in for 7-8+ days at a time to make the solar panel worth the weight vs more spare batteries...but each person could do the math on their specific phone battery and power consumption vs. number of batteries required, etc. etc. and decide on best path for themselves.

 

[dribeerfeht]

I have a folding backpack charger from Amazon...works great for charging in the 30s or warmer, but won't charge a phone below 30s, even if the sun is bright