- Joined
- Mar 17, 2010
- Messages
- 4,256
i went on a 3-days/2-nighter last weekend and since my iphone is my camera nowadays too i bought this one to keep it charged up. i don't have an ipad so i can't test how it performs with it though.
it comes with 3 cables, from left to right: for charging the battery pack with the solar panels, female-end cigarette lighter adapter to use with the solar panels, and a cable to charge the battery pack using a usb port from a computer. on day hikes, i'll leave the panels at home and just bring the battery pack as backup.
spyderco military to show the dimensions:
there are 8 reflective cord loops around it so you can hang it just the right way to soak in the sun.
the battery pack can only charge usb devices though. you can't use the female cigarette lighter adapter with it.
steel-braided cable lanyard loop:
it will only use rechargeable nimh batteries (the instructions say it). i tried using regular aa batteries and the led light will work but it won't produce power to charge a usb device. also, on older models i saw a aaa battery plastic adapter was included but not anymore - gotta buy it separately now
talk about nickle and diming...geez.
the internal pocket can only fit the battery pack and the two smaller cables though.
action shot from day 1 of my 2-nighter:
the whole package (9" x 6.5" x 1.5") fits inside my backpack's top lid just fine with plenty of room to spare. it should fit most mid to full-size backpacks' top lids as well.
the solar charger is kindy finicky when it came to charging the battery pack and my iphone 4. as the sun moves, it's best to check up on it every 2-hours or so and move it accordingly for best angle. you can't just lay it flat on the ground under the sun and leave it there all day - well, maybe if you're in arizona desert or something. it's winter here now so the trees have no leaves anymore but they still cast giant shadows on the ground and it's too easy to completely block out the panels. all it took is a few secs of shade and the panel aborted charging my phone. if i unplug and plug it back in then it "reboots" it.
i have yet to measure the time it takes to charge the battery pack using a computer at home though (i'll update this thread when i get a chance to) but it takes just under 2 hours for it to charge an almost drained iphone 4 then the battery pack is completely drained. overall, i'd rather bring the battery pack only as opposed to the solar panels only to charge my phone. i'll bring both on multi-day trips but i won't expect much from the panels unless the conditions are perfect for it.
it comes with 3 cables, from left to right: for charging the battery pack with the solar panels, female-end cigarette lighter adapter to use with the solar panels, and a cable to charge the battery pack using a usb port from a computer. on day hikes, i'll leave the panels at home and just bring the battery pack as backup.
spyderco military to show the dimensions:
there are 8 reflective cord loops around it so you can hang it just the right way to soak in the sun.
the battery pack can only charge usb devices though. you can't use the female cigarette lighter adapter with it.
steel-braided cable lanyard loop:
it will only use rechargeable nimh batteries (the instructions say it). i tried using regular aa batteries and the led light will work but it won't produce power to charge a usb device. also, on older models i saw a aaa battery plastic adapter was included but not anymore - gotta buy it separately now
talk about nickle and diming...geez.
the internal pocket can only fit the battery pack and the two smaller cables though.
action shot from day 1 of my 2-nighter:
the whole package (9" x 6.5" x 1.5") fits inside my backpack's top lid just fine with plenty of room to spare. it should fit most mid to full-size backpacks' top lids as well.
the solar charger is kindy finicky when it came to charging the battery pack and my iphone 4. as the sun moves, it's best to check up on it every 2-hours or so and move it accordingly for best angle. you can't just lay it flat on the ground under the sun and leave it there all day - well, maybe if you're in arizona desert or something. it's winter here now so the trees have no leaves anymore but they still cast giant shadows on the ground and it's too easy to completely block out the panels. all it took is a few secs of shade and the panel aborted charging my phone. if i unplug and plug it back in then it "reboots" it.
i have yet to measure the time it takes to charge the battery pack using a computer at home though (i'll update this thread when i get a chance to) but it takes just under 2 hours for it to charge an almost drained iphone 4 then the battery pack is completely drained. overall, i'd rather bring the battery pack only as opposed to the solar panels only to charge my phone. i'll bring both on multi-day trips but i won't expect much from the panels unless the conditions are perfect for it.
. Sanyo makes the Eneloop batteries that are NiMH and I am going to try those in the Goal 10 Plus and see if I can't extend it's use by carrying another four charged batteries.
