Has anyone had first hand experience with any of the solar chargers available...ie, Brunton, Solio etc. I would like to use it to recharge a cell phone while on a multi-day hike. Besides the phone capablilities, i will also be using it for the camera and music which will consume the battery very quickly.
I have had the solio for about 4 years now. I have the model that is about the size of a deck of cards and spreads out with three wings. It is very portable and light but takes a coons age to acquire a full charge. I strapped it to the outside of my pack on a 7 day hike in Yosemite last year but still struggled getting it to get fully charged. I will not be taking it this year. I would suggest a larger roll out version with more surface area if you feel you really need one. I upgraded the GPS to one that takes AAA's and will be leaving the solio home this year.
I got this one the other day, based on a suggestion in another thread
http://www.amazon.com/Premium-Solar-Charger-Built––Windshield/dp/B00449U3K0/ref=sr_1_4?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1308110381&sr=1-4
I actually planned to review it today, but got tied up in some other business and didn't get a chance to. I'll try to review it and post a thread during this week sometime.
The cons that I've read about are that you can't charge the internal battery to 100% using the solar panel. You can only get it up to 50% that way. If you want it at 100%, you have to plug it into a computer via the supplied USB cable.
The pros are that it's compact and super lightweight, as well as the LED snake light that stows into the body of the unit.
Ty, possibly still leaning for the solio. As long as it gives me even half charge per day. I'm good.
Originally Posted By woolseyspike:
Ty, possibly still leaning for the solio. As long as it gives me even half charge per day. I'm good.
I was able to test it slightly with my work phone. It's a non-smart phone (I can't remember the make or model right now). In 10 minutes, this charger brought it from 100% dead to 1/5 battery bars. I had to unplug it after exactly two hours because of time constraints and it was at 4/5 battery bars. The charger still indicated between 20%-50% left. (it only has LEDs for 20, 50, 80 and 100%.)
I haven't had a chance to test it with my iPhone 4 yet. I'm headed out to work in a few and I'll try and drain my battery so I can test it in the morning, since my weekend is starting.
