Finally found a portable solar charger that works

[Bam]

I have tried a bunch, but the Instapark 10 watt is the only one that actually puts out close to 10 watts at 2 amps and some how is the cheapest of the bunch.

Granted it needs actual sunlight, over cast won't work all that well, but so far it has charged my Garmin Rino, cell phone, GMRS radio, 6000mAH and various battery packs, and even my Nexus 7 tablet. Around noon time with a full sun, it will output as well as a 2A charger.

<broken link removed>

http://goo.gl/TdJFE

Can't wait to try it out in the Steens, so far it has proven to be a must have.

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[greycobra_03]

Nice but the only output is USB?

 

[Decker]

Nice find.

 

[Key-Hay]

I got one of those for my wife (She's constantly talking about "Off the grid". Only cost justification is not there.

We would have to charge out iPads, Phones and other USB char gables 1.4 million times to pay back the cost of the unit.

 

[Key-Hay]

I got one of those for my wife (She's constantly talking about "Off the grid". Only cost justification is not there.

We would have to charge out iPads, Phones and other USB char gables 1.4 million times to pay back the cost of the unit.

 

[Bam]

Nice but the only output is USB?

That is the catch 22... portable usually means you're stuck with a USB output. Everything else I have seen with a traditional 12v pos/neg connection becomes bulky such as:

Mars100-Watt Solar-powered 12V Battery Charger - Solar Power Panels

 

[knuckle Head]

So I guess the question is, where can you find an in between system which does not cost an arm and a leg??

 

[John Gault]

I've heard pretty good things from this unit and company. Saw a couple bikers who had this unit strapped onto backpacks while riding and they say that it charged phones in a couple hours. This unit charges batteries also that can then be used for GPS or ??

REI Goal Zero brand Guide 10 + (sorry, couldn't post link from here)

 

[Bam]

I looked at the Goal Zero first, but it didn't put out the output I needed. The one I posted has the output to charge my devices that need 2A.

 

[geometro]

Depending on what the power demands are you could pick up a briefcase panel from Harbor Freight. They're only good for a nominal 13W which would be a losing proposition if you were using it to charge a battery to drive an inverter for a laptop. But if your power demands are less: charging a battery to power a LED lantern at night, or using the battery to charge smaller devices, it should be OK.