The Goal Zero Guide 10 Solar Device Charger

Right now I am posting from a phone in the middle of the desert. For security purposes I can't tell you where I am, all I can say is that we are doing field training exercises. Out here there is no convenient power distribution. All power generation is reserved for mission equipment. Since I wanted to be able to continue posting here and keep in touch with family, I needed to find a method to keep my personal comms gear working.

Enter the Goal Zero Guide 10

I have used a few solar charging kits, but all of them have failed to function as advertised. This one is an exception to the rule. It charged my phone in less than an hour in direct sunlight. Even when the sun is obscured by high clouds the charge time was only extended by about 40 minutes. It comes with a battery pack for charging AA and an adapter for AAA. It boasts being able to charge iPads as well though I do not own one so I could not test this claim.

It certainly works as advertised. Follow the link for more detailed info. I can attest to the validity of this product as I would not be posting right now.

only one problem you would need a donkey to carry it about for u and we have eaten them all in europe ps are you on commision there

reply to post by billdadobbie


Its actually very small and easy to carry. And Im in the military which will often put me in situations where power won't be available.

I got one of the first or second generation Goal Zero chargers a few years ago. Worked pretty good, but there was a problem with the output to DC on the unit. It tended to overheat, so they stopped shipping the required cable with that model till they phased it out. I was one of the unlucky ones that got this unit.

What I liked was that I could fix the panels to the top of my pack and still charge on the go. Cool stuff.

So I could only charge USB, which these days would probably be all I need, but back then I remember really needing the other charging port for some reason. Worked great besides that until I cracked the transformer part cuz my dumb ass put it in the very bottom of my pack. So be really careful with that part that holds the batteries.

Still have the solar panels though, not sure if they have any other use without the part I broke.

I like the product and got plenty of use out of it before it broke.

I think in about 5 or 10 years these little personal solar stations will become way more viable and we'll start seeing them everywhere.

At a little over $100, not bad.....

I don't want to use a lot more solar in my prepping, but the tech is vastly improving right now, so I'm holding off on going to it in a big way..

However, a small charger like this is a pretty good idea, so it's on the shortlist for me now....Thanks!

reply to post by projectvxn


I love.....love .....love goal zero stuff. I had a issue with a old style sherpa 50 battery and they replaced it with a brand new style and a new 12 watt panal.



I own a sherpa 50......nomad 13.5.....elite 12......nomad 7.....I bunch of there lights and cords. It is the best solar stuff in the world hands down.

I have the small folding panels myself
I have found out online however that if your power back discharges say to power things at night
it can take 18HOURS to recharge the next day of sun which means during that day you should not power anything but the battery pack and you are still short of daylight

Comments?

reply to post by gz007


I will have to test that out over the next few days.

I will get back to you on that in two weeks time. We're kinda busy out here and soon we won't have personal comms at all.

Hi there.

I've recently bought the Power Monkey Explorer.

powertraveller.com...

I paid a bit more than the web-sites listed price as I did not shop around at all.

I've been using it to charge my phone as it basically acts as my PC to access net, read, Music and films. I needed a solar charger so I could run my phone in the event of the bridge going down. I can live with not making calls but if I had no music, films or books I probably wont stay sane for long.

Plus with the downloaded books/files on survival etc I would loose access to this information.

So, I've departed with my £65.00 in exchange for this device. It has a small solar charger which is 13m x 9cm when closed and fold out to collect a charge. I can charge my phone directly or opt to charge the powermonkey which comes with the kit. This is like a battery which can hold a charge so you can power/charge your phone at night/in a cave/hiding down the sewers etc. The weight is about 100grams.

It comes with a lot of adapters to.

Ill also probably look at the cheaper chargers I seen that are about £15.00 to £20.00 as a means of backup as people like me who are "too" reliant on "How To books/guides" need to be able to access this info in the event of things going bad. Hopefully it wont be a case of solarflares etc...
There's only so many actual/ Physical books you can carry.

eee.

Hello I am very interested in solar battery chargers that are cheap but effective and for emergency panel that supports say a doublewide mobile -seen things on youtube and areas of internet is there any good do it Y's out there?