SHTF Portable Charger for GHB/BOB other than Solar?

[etrain16]

I don't know that, but it being over 40 amps I don't think I'd want to charge it off a start battery.

I'm thinking more of being able to trickle charge it - with the engine running - maybe during a road trip, etc. Mostly for use when it's not SHTF. I wouldn't really consider trying to charge it off a car battery only.

 

[Skier]

I've been looking for a while to find some kind of small, portable charger I could use for electronic items such as cell phones, in a long-term emergency. I've looked at solar chargers and those can be an option, but they can get quite large and may not be the most effective depending on the weather.

I've seen plenty of hand-cranked emergency radios that supposedly can charge electronic devices, but upon closer scrutiny, these devices are not what they promise and most, if not all, have a pretty fair share of negative reviews. Even the top-rated models seem to do no better than 3-3.5 stars - hardly a raving endorsement.

I am also aware of the pre-charged USB charging sticks/battery banks you can use to top your phone off, but those require you to make sure they're always charged, and once they've been used, they're done until you can recharge them again, so, not my first choice.

So, have any of you come across a small, say hand-cranked charger that could fit in a GHB/BOB without taking a huge amount of space, but could reliably provide at least reasonable charging capability for small electronic items? My searches to date seem to be coming up empty in this regard, so maybe you more experienced folks might have some ideas.

For my BOB, I have a 28watt fold up solar panel that is a littler larger than your average tablet

I could charge my phone off it, but I also have a USB power pack 10-20 thousand MaH, I forget) but it's not a sealed unit like you'll often see, it takes 2 (or 4, I have both) 18650 Lithium Ion batteries, which you can swap out and/or recharge in place. The cool thing about this setup is that LIon batteries are relatively light weight, compared to their capacity, and they ate the same batteries used in the past majority of laptop batteries, so you could always break open a spare/scavenged laptop battery and get (typically) 6-9 batteries out of it.

By having the solar and battery pack, you could potentially keep your phone on you while allowing the battery pack to charge off the solar panel, them charge the phone when convenient.

For applications when I'm stationary (e.g. camped out), I also have a little in-line USB multimeter that shows voltage and current draw, and this can be used to help position the solar panel for optimal output.
. : - )

 

[DuneHopper]

I found a solar charger on Amazon a few years ago, will charge a smart phone in two hours and a Tablet in about 4.

Paid around 20.00 that wa sin 2012 they do not make it anymore, but was only the size of wallet and had a built in flashlight.
Specs were.
External battery and charger includes:
Built-in Lithium Ion battery that can be charged using the provided USB cable or using sunlight via the solar panel. (USB cable included)
Button for multifunctional lighting options: Flashlight, SOS strobe, bright lantern, dim lantern
Built-in battery capacity: 1800mAh.
USB output DC5V±5% 500mAh

So it will charge from solar or from the battery thats in it. The battery gave about 60% charge on a smart phone.
So in an emergency it would do it without solar.

 

[thereddog]

Well guys I've got some news for you if tshtf, any Networks will fizzle will fizzle out after they run out of fuel for the generators. car batteries may be readily available but unless you got a vehicle that you can throw it into it's pretty hard to carry one around very far. if you live downwind from any nuke facility you're really in trouble because they've only got enough juice for the generators for a couple weeks at best.
if the electrical grid is compromised you're not going to be able to get gasoline out of the gas pumps, and if there's an EMP or catastrophic solar flare like the Carrington event, any vehicle builtbuilt about 1990 isn't going to work anyway, unless you,ve taken the time to harden it.
.. more than likely there would be martial law and curfews and restricted use of the roadways, so you're not going to be out and about much.

And since the C.O.G. protocols have have beenbeen written, any any supplies assets or other property deemed to be needed by the the government will be seized.

That means you'll be stuck with a bicycle or push scooter oh, the clothes on your back the food you can hide, Panic sex, and bargaining with God.

 

[Siglvr]

I'd just go solar. Easy, common, lightweight, reliable. Good solar chargers produce even during overcast weather. (less of course)

Anker brand portable 21 watt solar charger. (I bought some Blitzwolf as well for back up that were dirt cheap). If you feel that 21 watts is too heavy, they make smaller panels but you get less output)
Anker or Xiomi brand power bank
Xtar or Litkota brand USB battery charger.

Have a couple of each. The powerbank will have the power whne you need it and jack it into your cell or walkie talkie fast, just keep the solar panel on and plugged into it. They're set up to hang off your pack while you walk, and a wire into your pack can charge the PB as you hike. Get 2, one for your Faraday Cage and 1 for use. The FDC chargers (solar and xtar) get wrapped in 3 layers of foil, marked with what it is, and then put in the FDC. The power bank will charge your stuff, including your ham radio batteries and cell phones. The solar charger will recharge the power bank. When not hiking and at home, any batteries (which is what a power bank is) get put in a separate location than simply stuffed into a faraday cage. If you are using a metal garbage can, then putting the batteries into a cookie tin and put in the top of the FDC is a good solution so you can easily dig them out for recharging. 18650 Lithium batteries from a name brand like Panasonic, Sanyo or Sony will easily have over 80% of their charge after 2 years of storage, and that's not bad stuff at all. Eneloops don't need to in a FDC, but makes sure your FDC charger will charge them.

Here's some worthwhile links for all of this:
12 Best Power Banks - Portable Chargers to Keep Your Battery Going


Rating Scores - The Best Solar Chargers | OutdoorGearLab

Best power banks of 2018: The top USB portable chargers for your phone