I had a few photos - they did not work out... after the last hike they were blurred from a dirty lens.
I am excited - so many years of nay sayers and the stuff keeps getting better. I am working on a new approach with a physics teacher, here is what you need to know!
2. Assuming you have to choose between them (e.g. space is at a premium), portable battery packs are often a better choice than a solar panel when going off-grid if you're only gone a short time (i.e. 1-3 days). A 10k mAh pack can charge most smartphones 3-4 times from dead, and run about $30 for a decent one. They also work regardless of time of day or weather and many have built-in lights.
3. For real 'emergency' use, you cannot rely on panels. You're going to need batteries, whether they're rechargeable or just throwaway. I'd hope it's pretty obvious, but solar panels don't work at night or anywhere under cover. Inclement weather or even glass windows seriously impair their effectiveness- in those conditions you need batteries.
4. Some of the larger solar panels are very cumbersome to deploy. You can have a huge foldout panel that theoretically generates 20W, but if it's so clumsy that you can only keep half of it in the sun at any given time, you might as well have a 10W panel or in between.
I am excited - so many years of nay sayers and the stuff keeps getting better. I am working on a new approach with a physics teacher, here is what you need to know!
- There are many panels that are smaller than a loaf of bread. Continue to pass them up.
- Real panels are limited to Anker, Goal Zero, and after some trepidation Joos. and maybe Bushnell
- Joos is heavy but I give it a pass & I won't buy one to test it. Why? Who cares if its raining on the trail I think the group will pack it away when wet.
- We need light and something reliable. Q we need quality and as we approach panels towards 37% efficiency, there is higher but you approach the prototype market.
- Larger panels collect more energy and still provide portability.
2. Assuming you have to choose between them (e.g. space is at a premium), portable battery packs are often a better choice than a solar panel when going off-grid if you're only gone a short time (i.e. 1-3 days). A 10k mAh pack can charge most smartphones 3-4 times from dead, and run about $30 for a decent one. They also work regardless of time of day or weather and many have built-in lights.
3. For real 'emergency' use, you cannot rely on panels. You're going to need batteries, whether they're rechargeable or just throwaway. I'd hope it's pretty obvious, but solar panels don't work at night or anywhere under cover. Inclement weather or even glass windows seriously impair their effectiveness- in those conditions you need batteries.
4. Some of the larger solar panels are very cumbersome to deploy. You can have a huge foldout panel that theoretically generates 20W, but if it's so clumsy that you can only keep half of it in the sun at any given time, you might as well have a 10W panel or in between.
Be wise enough to walk away from the nonsense around you! 
.jpg){kind=link}
