During my short trip in the Carmel recently, I tried testing my improvised solar panel to see if it can charge my
phone. It did not perform as expected. In retrospect I can say it was probably because we were mostly under trees,
and in the shade. Not the optimal conditions to test a solar charger. But when I got back home that day, I felt as
though it's not going to work between us.
After reading many favorable reviews on the Suntactics sCharger 5, I decided to buy a kit, along with an external 6000mA battery. The kit also comes along with a 10 LED usb powered light, which I'm going to leave at home. I really don't see any use for it on the trail.
The price was not so bad, with a sale price of $152.95, and a work colleague of mine was just taking of for 4 days in Seattle, so I took the opportunity and asked him to bring it over for me, after I order it to his hotel. Luckily, this crazy plan worked, and I am now the proud owner of the sCharger 5. Yay for me.
The panel does look much better than my improvised one. Sturdy and simple, just a panel with a USB output. The
external battery also seems like a good deal, with two USB outputs (1.2mA and 2.1mA), so I guess I will be able to
charge both my phone and my camera at the same time (I just need 2 USB cables for it). This will come in handy, I
guess.
I just need to figure out how I can secure the panel to my backpack, so it will be out and open to the sunlight while I hike.
As a side note - after ordering the sCharger, I took my improvised panel for another spin. This time I just put it outside of the window, in direct sunlight, and it charged two phones easily. I guess I was too quick on the gun with the decision to buy a charger. But the sCharger does come with the battery, which is a bonus, and it does seem better than mine anyway. So it was not all a waste of good money...
After reading many favorable reviews on the Suntactics sCharger 5, I decided to buy a kit, along with an external 6000mA battery. The kit also comes along with a 10 LED usb powered light, which I'm going to leave at home. I really don't see any use for it on the trail.
The price was not so bad, with a sale price of $152.95, and a work colleague of mine was just taking of for 4 days in Seattle, so I took the opportunity and asked him to bring it over for me, after I order it to his hotel. Luckily, this crazy plan worked, and I am now the proud owner of the sCharger 5. Yay for me.
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| Panel with case, battery with its own little case, the LED is hiding beneath the instruction manuals. |
I just need to figure out how I can secure the panel to my backpack, so it will be out and open to the sunlight while I hike.
As a side note - after ordering the sCharger, I took my improvised panel for another spin. This time I just put it outside of the window, in direct sunlight, and it charged two phones easily. I guess I was too quick on the gun with the decision to buy a charger. But the sCharger does come with the battery, which is a bonus, and it does seem better than mine anyway. So it was not all a waste of good money...
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