PDA

View Full Version : Solar Backpack, Anyone ?



Justin Case
09-25-2010, 06:12 PM
Anybody tried these ? http://www.voltaicsystems.com/offgrid.shtml

Looks pretty nice !

Rick
09-25-2010, 07:05 PM
No but I do have one.

http://site.unbeatablesale.com/img102/gs55237.gif

Justin Case
09-25-2010, 07:11 PM
Did it come with all the different plugs ? The one i posted seem a little expensive.

Rick
09-25-2010, 07:15 PM
It came with a mini A that plugs into the Type A USB receptacle on the right hand side of the solar panel. My camera patch cord is a mini B so between the two cords everything I own can be plugged into it.

Well, my fridge can't but most of the stuff can.

Justin Case
09-25-2010, 07:31 PM
It came with a mini A that plugs into the Type A USB receptacle on the right hand side of the solar panel. My camera patch cord is a mini B so between the two cords everything I own can be plugged into it.

Well, my fridge can't but most of the stuff can.

I like your set up better !! it allows you to carry a better pack !

Rick
09-25-2010, 07:37 PM
It folds up pretty small 9.5 X 5 and weighs 1 pound. It's not something I'd pack with me when out hiking but it's pretty good for keep batteries charged when car camping. If power were completely out (generator down too) then I could still keep batteries charged.

NightShade
09-26-2010, 10:29 AM
I don't have one, but can definetly see the advantages of one in a car camping situation like Rick said....
A while back I was a member of a site you've been banned from twice... got to talking to this guy who was around my age but a little younger, and lived near me... He had one... I asked him how it worked he said it was great... and "You need to get one"... He told me it was the "ultimate SHTF survival pack".. I was like "Huh?"

He told me it was great for charging his portable playstation out in the woods, and "when SHTF there will be a lot of boring down time, so gaming is a great way to fill that"

That's only 1 example of the great advice I got there.... haven't been back since.

Justin Case
09-26-2010, 10:42 AM
I don't have one, but can definetly see the advantages of one in a car camping situation like Rick said....
A while back I was a member of a site you've been banned from twice... got to talking to this guy who was around my age but a little younger, and lived near me... He had one... I asked him how it worked he said it was great... and "You need to get one"... He told me it was the "ultimate SHTF survival pack".. I was like "Huh?"

He told me it was great for charging his portable playstation out in the woods, and "when SHTF there will be a lot of boring down time, so gaming is a great way to fill that"

That's only 1 example of the great advice I got there.... haven't been back since.

LOL,,, Yep,,,, Ok everybody, Forget about Books ! Its Survival Play Stations !! :)

sgtdraino
09-26-2010, 01:03 PM
LOL,,, Yep,,,, Ok everybody, Forget about Books ! Its Survival Play Stations !! :)

In all seriousness, an electronic device can hold a LOT more information, be tons smaller and lighter, than the biggest stack of books you could imagine.

Rick
09-26-2010, 01:05 PM
I have it to charge up cell phones and camera mostly.

Justin Case
09-26-2010, 01:09 PM
In all seriousness, an electronic device can hold a LOT more information, be tons smaller and lighter, than the biggest stack of books you could imagine.

Good Point,

NightShade
09-26-2010, 03:26 PM
My interest in it was , as Rick said, to charge cell phone and camera, as well as GPS.... I don't use GPS because of the battery issue.... With a solar charger I might give it a try... Just don't know how well it would work under a tree canopy..imagine you would need direct sunlight...

NightShade
09-26-2010, 03:29 PM
and..... While I enjoy playing xbox with my son (hey anything to bond, he isn't into outdoor activities) even tho I always lose.... I couldn't imagine bringing a portable game system anywhere with me.... Especially out into the woods...!

Rick
09-26-2010, 07:33 PM
You definitely want direct sun light. I haven't tried to attach it to a pack. I've just carried it in the truck with me. I can obviously charge stuff off the truck but if power goes down at home I have some great west facing windows that give me plenty of sunlight.

My wife has a Kindle 2 and she forgot the car charger on one of our trips so she used it to charge the Kindle.

Justin Case
09-26-2010, 07:36 PM
Ohhhh,, I thought you wore that around your waist .. a solar belt, lol (after looking at it again, I have no idea why i thought that)

Rick
09-26-2010, 07:42 PM
It won't fit. I'm just lucky the thong does.

http://www.stomachfatisugly.net/images/cms/Image/Big%20Bear%20.jpg

Justin Case
09-26-2010, 07:52 PM
YIKES !!!!! Thats not belly fat ,, Thats a TUMOR !

Camp10
09-26-2010, 08:08 PM
Even if it did fit, it would never get any sun!!

Rick
09-26-2010, 11:10 PM
I've been working out with free weights. It's, uh, muscle. Yeah, that's the ticket.

Geek
05-20-2012, 04:27 AM
I recently acquired a Samsonite solar backpack. I haven't used it much yet. The solar cell feeds a cigarette lighter style outlet, which I have filled with a USB converter. I've also added a battery so the solar cell always has something to charge and then I can charge devices such as the cell phone more rapidly off the battery. I've charged a Kindle, a Blackberry, and an iTouch off of it so far. There is a good pocket for carrying a full size laptop.

I like the idea, but the pack lacks a waist strap and external attachment points. There seem to be about a half dozen makes of these on the market, but they are really meant for carrying your electronics between home and office, not as serious backpacks. I would expect more of these to come out over time and hopefully the choices will get better.

Warheit
05-20-2012, 05:36 AM
Geek, do you know if that backpack you have can charge a MacAir?

Geek
05-20-2012, 08:15 AM
I'm not a Mac user, but if you can charge the MacAir off a USB charger, you could set it up like I have, i.e. charge a seperate battery and charge the USB device off of that. Absent the battery I suspect you would find the charge rate way too slow. I suspect the same would be true of the other manufacturers.

jcullen24
05-22-2012, 10:51 AM
In all seriousness, an electronic device can hold a LOT more information, be tons smaller and lighter, than the biggest stack of books you could imagine.

That is SO true!
I have Six books on my Droid Phone which is like 5". While the two print books I have The forager's Harvest and the SAS Survival guide take a huge amount of space in my B.O.B. I really need one of those solar strips like RICK has, I'm going to have to sneak it past the wife though :P

Geek
05-22-2012, 12:07 PM
My first eReader was an iTouch. It's got both Kindle and Nook apps, plus a bunch of Google Books, etc. You could hold an absurdly large library on it. I've got a variety of "How To" books as well as pleasure reading on mine.

I've since upgraded to a Kindle for reading. It seems to need to sync with Amazon much more than the iTouch, so I think the iTouch is a more secure device, albeit not as good as paper, but a lot more portable.

My intent in the short term is to keep the iTouch in a Mylar bag, and store that in my BOB. I'll use the Kindle for day to day reading.

1stimestar
05-22-2012, 12:51 PM
I thought about getting one of those but bought a fiddle instead. Almost as portable but a lot more fun.

Geek
05-22-2012, 01:11 PM
Everyone has their own individual needs. BTW: the iTouch also has a lot of music on it. :-)

1stimestar
05-23-2012, 12:10 AM
Ah well yes, there is that. Lol. But I don't see many people dancing around a bonfire to iTouch music.

1stimestar
05-23-2012, 12:16 AM
Of course, they don't to my fiddle playing yet either. But they will. They will!

Geek
05-23-2012, 01:06 AM
My wife also has an iTouch and speakers to play the music. It's what she uses whenever she throws a party and people want to dance. :-)

1stimestar
05-23-2012, 02:53 AM
Ah darn it. Ok ok, you win that one. :fishface:

Geek
05-23-2012, 03:52 AM
Keep the fiddle. I wish I had the talent to play a musical instrument. Just don't plan on it replacing a library of "How To" books or a solar panel. :-)

Rick
05-23-2012, 06:43 AM
Don't forget spare rechargeable batteries for your devices. I have a spare battery for my cell phone and I alternate batteries keeping both at full charge. That way no matter what I have a fall back.

Geek
05-23-2012, 07:03 AM
Apple devices don't permit that, but what I have been using of late is an external battery that you can charge from a USB charger. In this case the solar panel is the USB charger. The device then charges off that battery. Seems to work.

crashdive123
05-23-2012, 07:22 AM
Another issue to consider, especially for 1stimeststar would be the effects of -35 degrees F on the batteries of a device. Smaller battery operated devices can be carried close to the body to keep the battery warm, but the cold will take it's toll on them after exposure to those temperatures. Of course, in the milder weather (I think she gets about 34 days of that a year) its electronics and fiddles all the way around.

I would also imagine that the solar chargers would be lacking for those months where the sun barely creeps above the horizon.

1stimestar
05-23-2012, 12:16 PM
Another issue to consider, especially for 1stimeststar would be the effects of -35 degrees F on the batteries of a device. Smaller battery operated devices can be carried close to the body to keep the battery warm, but the cold will take it's toll on them after exposure to those temperatures. Of course, in the milder weather (I think she gets about 34 days of that a year) its electronics and fiddles all the way around.

I would also imagine that the solar chargers would be lacking for those months where the sun barely creeps above the horizon.

Yep and yep. When we do multi day dog mushing trips with tourist, we take radios to communicate between teams and the support snow machine if we have one, and we usually do for these. We keep the radios and batteries in chest packs worn under clothing. It's a pain in the rear. I think the solar sheets would work well for backpacking because I only do that in the summer, when we have 24 hours of daylight. It'd be nice to charge up the camera batteries. Then again, when backpacking, I weigh things out by the ounce. So how does the weight of these and an inverter compare to AAs?

Geek
05-23-2012, 07:26 PM
Temperature is definitely a factor. I don't think you want an inverter as you would primarily be charging USB devices off of these.

Personally, I consider the solar backpack to be a bit of an experiment at this point. The library on an iTouch may not work, but I'm not going to carry around a shelf full of books, so what have I got to lose? If I find that over time this sort of gear is very reliable, then I'll become a bit more committed.

We all recommend trying stuff before having to rely on it in an emergency and I see this period as just my initial test. The backpack I have now is okay for hauling a laptop to the office, but I would not use it as a BOB. On the other hand if I find this works well electronically, then I'd start to look for a more rugged pack with the solar panel feature.

crashdive123
05-23-2012, 08:34 PM
There are a few folks here that have used some of the Brunton solar chargers with good results.