(Part 2) Best cell phone solar chargers according to redditors

I finally sprung for the solar-powered one I’ve had on my wishlist for a long time.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07RG6L8CW/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_B4bADbS4EDJP5

inb4 fuck bezos, I agree

I don’t see this 2.8 ounce Lixada 10W High Power Panel in the list. I’m not sure this is quite it, but some day in the near future the tech is going to cross a line into feasibility and make battery packs a less obvious choice. This is starting to get close.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B06Y655DJD?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share

Use as little power as possible to avoid the need for heavy batteries or having to recharge at all. Put your phone into power-saving mode or keep it off until needed.

A Kindle with wireless disabled will last a month before needing a top-up.

Try to look for commonality between electronics.

A ThruNite U1 is a universal, single cell, USB charger that doubles as a powerbank. It works with all battery chemistries (NiCad, NiMH, Li-Ion) and all battery sizes up to C, including Li-Ion 18650 cells which have capacities up to 3500mAh.

Get a headlamp that uses 18650 cells and you can swap the cell between the charger and headlamp, and use the U1 as a bank to charge your other USB devices.

If you're doing hikes so remote as to not have any contact with civilization and you feel a need to recharge, carry a small solar panel with a USB output to top up batteries on the move and then use the U1 as a powerbank at night.

I’ve got a solar charger for cheap on amazon, like $40. Unlimited power of the sun! And works for my phone, watch, camera, flashlights, vapes and more. Best camping companion, definitely recommend.

Edit: This is the one I have, only complaints are 5w is pretty slow and there’s no trickle charge mode (so if you want to charge something small like a vape or flashlight you need to have a phone charging at the same time), but you can’t beat the price for the size of panels and battery. But I’m sure if you spent a little more you could get quick and trickle charge etc

Edit 2: found this one with 18w!

Wait, so you're saying .22kg is too much for a battery, but a 2 pound device (that's about 1kg btw) is a good solution (that's the turbine in the gif)...

Compare that to a 220 gram (.22kg) battery, and a 704 gram (.7kg) 10 watt solar charger including a 5200mAh battery... that's .9kg that's 2 batteries, and a solar charger for less than the turbine. Drop the crappy battery that comes with the solar panel and it probably weighs closer to 600grams. Lighter than the charger, and you can use it while walking to charge your battery. Can't really do that with a turbine.

Leaving on 8/23 out of happy isles for my JMT trip

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I will be bringing an Anker 6700 and a UL solar panel. I tested the panel at home when I got it and it would fully charge the Anker in a day of just sitting facing up (not angled at the sun). This was in the winter as well, I would expect in the Sierra to get good coverage and sun intensity. It weighs less than 3 oz. Its super cheap but the build quality is not great, you really have to be careful with the USB connector or it will be damaged (most of the bad reviews are either people who damaged the USB connector or people that dont understand how much power a 10w solar panel is supposed to output). When you plug in or unplug a usb you have to hold the connector still.

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The battery pack will charge my phone twice on its own. I dont plan on using it that much and I likely will only need another 1-2 charges to get me through the whole thing with airplane mode on, so if in non ideal testing conditions I got a full battery in a day, I think expecting a full battery over the course of the entire trip with it strapped to the top of my pack is reasonable. The only other piece of gear I need it for is my headlamp. I chose the 6700 because it is lighter than the Anker Powercore 5000. It does this by lacking quick charging, the input is less for charging the device from the wall, but the output to your device is the same. So if you plan to charge by outlet it is a terrible choice, but by charging via solar its perfect.

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https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B06Y655DJD/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B06XS9RMWS/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

There's a deal on a 12,000 mAh battery bank and 40% off solar panel charger on Amazon. 40% shows up at checkout ($12 off). I'm about to buy this exact setup.

Budget is pretty flexible but preferably under $40, and I have really been considering this one
https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00W7Z3G84/ref=pd_aw_sbs_107_1?ie=UTF8&dpID=41VWbbhETmL&dpSrc=sims&preST=_AC_UL390_SR390%2C390_&refRID=NG55VGJGCJ5EWA7JKBA4

On the contrary, my group entered early May this year into the Sierra and after our first 8 days in. 3 in our group ordered a solar panel. We had one other in our group, Ultra, who had been using one on and off most of the trip and that’s the one they all bought. It was decently light and, found on amazon, only cost a few bucks. I believe it’s $50CAD for me. I used it once to charge m stuff and man, was it useful. I’ve always been the anti-solar panel type but given we were looming to do 8+ days throughout the rest of the Sierra, it seemed worth it.

u/bartmetmayo - consider your own but if I was doing 5+ days out again I would use this.

link for the one they used. there are others out there.

I've used a StrongVolt Solar 7 before on long car camping trips. I didn't need it because I had so many batteries, but I wanted to test it "in the field". The 18650 charger was a Xtar MC1, chosen because the very small size and lightweight is attractive for backpacking. Furthermore, I've tested this solar charger and found that it can put out ~0.7-0.8 amps in the middle of a clear day.

Do I recommend it? In most cases, no. Usually you're better off carrying extra batteries. Now if you're a prepper, and plan on the power grid being unavailable for a very long time, then a solar charger is a great thing to store wherever you'll be riding out the apocalypse. Don't take my word for it. Record your battery life and put that, along with the weight and volume of batteries and various solar charger setups in a spreadsheet and crunch the numbers yourself.

Looks like this one

I use this device: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00B2SGO90/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B00B2SGO90&linkCode=as2&tag=theworldwidewabs

Note that I have only tested it with an iPhone. It should have the voltage you need, but I don't think anything "solar" will provide a quick charge.

I don't know where you are going but as a rule of thumb you'll always want to have a rain jacket and enough socks (go for merino wool). How about a foldable solar panel to charge your electronics? This one has always worked nicely for me. How about a water filter? Katadyn makes really solid products. Fuck it, just go here /r/ultralight

You're welcome!

On most of the integrated solar and battery units, the solar panel barely does anything, unless you want to spend $120 for the Joos Orange. Check the reviews.

I ended up getting this
https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00P7QQRT0/ref=mp_s_a_1_7?ie=UTF8&qid=1481991627&sr=8-7&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_QL65&keywords=5w+solar+panel&dpPl=1&dpID=51-d-87K2EL&ref=plSrch

And using it in conjunction with this
https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00XBGKO1U/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1481991723&sr=8-1&pi=SY200_QL40&keywords=viivant+5000&dpPl=1&dpID=41JtRMpfcaL&ref=plSrch

Together they weigh less than a pound, and the solar cell will actually charge the battery, or your phone directly.

Plus, most of the time I leave the solar cell at home and then I just have a battery that weighs about 5 ounces.

I went with this Anker 10000 mAH battery at 6.4 ounces it's a couple ounces lighter than other 10 Ah batteries I've seen, and it's very small in size.

For solar I have a small panel from Sunkingdom that weighs 6.5 ounces on my scale. So a total 0f 12.9 ounces for battery and panel.

I used this same combo of solar panel and 10Ah battery on the colorado trail this past summer and found it worked well. Many days I would use the solar panel only, but it was nice to have the battery for the times it was cloudy for a few days in a row.

I'm not sure how much you're going to be using all of those gadgets but I used this solar charger + battery pack on a 2 week hike last summer and it worked well for charging 2 phones and a flashlight. The charger itself has 2 USB ports so you can charge 2 things at once with it. It was nice to have the rechargeable battery pack that comes with it in that link so that we could still use it to charge stuff on days when it was raining and we couldn't use the solar panel.

If your headlamp takes AAA batteries, couldn't you just use rechargeable AAA's? Same goes for other sizes. Quick google turns up this on amazon:

http://www.amazon.com/AAA-Solar-Battery-Charger-Batteries/dp/B0042Z14FO

Maybe there are other options without the solar business.

solar panel WITH USB output: https://www.amazon.com/SUNKINGDOM-13W-5V-Port-USB/dp/B018I0MJT8/

if you want to power a lightbulb at night, you'll want a USB battery bank to plug the usb and lightbulb to: https://www.amazon.com/Omars-10000mAh-Slimline-Portable-Compatible/dp/B07G26S5V8/

You only get full power from a solar panel WHILE it is getting DIRECT sunlight. This only happens for a couple hours during the day, depending where it is used.

Smallest USB solar panel? you dont want to go smaller than 10 watts or so, or it will not be enough to charge that battery bank. In fact, the bigger the better. Some solar panels, like the one i linked in here have built-in charge controllers for USB. But most don't. Most larger panels will need a charge controller with USB.

My plan for this winter is to convert my apartment to USB lights with enough power to last through the night. I will be using a car battery, 100 watt panel, a charge controller, ten USB lights, and about 50 feet of cable. Total for that was $160

I would get whatever speaker you like and run a USB cable from something like the panel below mounted on the roof to the speaker. Unless you are using the speaker for several days in a row or the battery in the speaker is really small I think anything above 10w or so should be fine. A 5v panel is the key.

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https://www.amazon.com/SUNKINGDOM-13W-5V-Port-USB/dp/B018I0MJT8/

I think the Instapark Mercury 10 is much better quality for a better price.

Kinda close to $3.14 1 2

Science Bish!

You'd want to go straight from 12-18v. You can try a laptop car charger but I'd be kind of nervous of low voltage issues. I'm guessing the laptop charger will turn off when it decides it doesn't have enough power. From there it will either cycle on and off or stay off until you unplug it and plug it back in.
From there you might want to add a 12 battery in between the charger and panel, it'll need is own charger controller, we're adding weight at that point. I'd probably not bother with the battery, try the 12v laptop charger and if that doesn't work go with something like this:


https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01IQMAUSA/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B01IQMAUSA&linkCode=as2&tag=tcb1050-20


*I think there's an affiliate link, it's not mine but the website that found it for me

Powerfilm lightsaver.


https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B016N2NMBC/ref=od_aui_detailpages02?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Or this:

A great tool for aspiring trainers. $18 (US) 10,000 mAh portable charger w/ solar panel (Amazon).

Not exactly sure what you’re asking? It’s the only one I have experience with. At $17, it was worth getting just to experiment. I’ve been pleasantly surprised. Just don’t set expectations high that it’ll charge an empty bank all the way up or work in shady or rainy conditions.

Lixada makes an even lighter and cheaper model, which I’ve heard performs similarly, but the USB connection is apparently more delicate.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B06Y655DJD/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_JMVGDb6G29512

If you’re looking for more serious output to keep big cameras and dedicated GPS trackers running, then a panel that puts out a real 2.5A and 20W would be more appropriate. But at that point, you can carry a lot of battery for the same weight.

In the long run, buying one of these or these would probably be cheaper.

https://www.amazon.com/LightSaver-Roll-up-Solar-Charger-Battery/dp/B016N2NMBC/

Full disclosure: I don't own one, just know the owners.

If you want usable solar, you need a lot more surface area. A 2 panel 20+% efficiency jobby like this can be had for around $30-40, or a 3 panel for ~$40-50, and do a decent job.

I bought a Powerfilm USB+AA charger some time back but have never integrated it into my kit. It's always been easier to simply plan ahead and pack extra batteries. Anyway, the Powerfilm gadget does work fairly well at recharging a pair of Eneloops, and it can also be used to recharge a USB device. I now notice that they've come up with a larger AA charger that supposedly recharges a pair of AA batteries in 3 1/3 hours, but it weighs 8oz.

Great write up by the way, very informative. I'll have to order one of these lights and possibly the Liponano suggested by /u/atetuna.

/edit-just weighed my USB+AA charger, with a pair of AA Eneloops it comes in at 179 grams. There's a lot of room for modification since it has an extra flap of cloth, plastic cover, etc that could be removed.

This is the one I use: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00C3A6KKO/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1

They have better ones with the same design/size with higher output now: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01EQW0IP4/ref=twister_B019SHMBP2?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1

i use this - https://www.amazon.com/KINGSOLAR-trade-Ultra-light-Portable-Charger/dp/B00P7QQRT0/ref=sr_1_2?s=wireless&ie=UTF8&qid=1473382564&sr=1-2&keywords=ultralight+solar+charger

I can't vouch for this, but here's what comes up at the top of an Amazon search for "solar laptop charger":
https://www.amazon.com/X-DRAGON-Charger-Sunpower-NoteBook-Smartphones/dp/B01IQMAUSA

The thing about the freewrite is that it's stupidly expensive for what it offers and that makes it easy to find a much better alternative.

You can get a bluetooth mechanical keyboard for your phone and 4 of these massive powerbanks for the price. You could even go with solar charging, but I'd recommend against it as they mostly suck.

By using your phone and a bluetooth keyboard you make your life a lot easier than by lugging around an expensive piece of technology all the time.

That one is really good. But I was looking into this one http://www.amazon.com/Nekteck-12000mAh-Rain-resistant-Shockproof-Supported/dp/B00W7Z3G84/ref=sr_1_3?s=wireless&ie=UTF8&qid=1459457834&sr=1-3-spons&keywords=solar+charger&psc=1

Is this one any good?

I really like mine: http://www.amazon.com/SunJack-20W-Portable-Solar-Charger/dp/B00UK56AR2/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&qid=1458599677&sr=8-7&keywords=Sunjack Super durable and charges my portable batteries SUPER fast out in the desert.

If you're completely new to this, or just want to charge your phone by solar, I'd suggest getting a pre-made product rather than building one. You can buy a panel that comes with a battery and whichever cable/port your phone needs. And it's generally a good idea to get one with a battery, because that will store a large power buffer that helps to recharge a lot faster when you plug it in, amd it ensures that the power regulation is handled properly. For example: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07V2CQVV3/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_UbnKDb0YWHZ02

I've not tried any of those and can't vouch for them, but I've seen people use them and those people didn't look like they wanted to kill the product. So I guess it's OK.

Hope your training goes well! [This] (http://www.amazon.com/EasyAcc-charger-External-Bluetooth-Smartphone/dp/B00C3A6KKO/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_nS_nC?ie=UTF8&colid=15NOPX8ONVFO3&coliid=I30XF5S50BS3LA) would be great. Solar power is cool.

Sorry for the late reply.

This is it. I have had it for a couple of days and I am pretty happy with it. Used it to charge a tablet yesterday!

I have one of these for emergencies


Solar Charger with Qi Wireless Charging, Fojojo 10000mAh Solar Phone Charger with 2.1A Input/Output, Waterproof Outdoor Portable Solar Power Bank with Strong Flashlight and Carabiner Compass https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07XYMZQXT/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_i6P4DbQCPY14H

Range is rated around 300 watt hours per mile divided by lets say 8 hours of sunlight means a 37.5 watt solar panel could give you a mile per day. This solar panel could give you a mile a day ignoring drain. It adds up, 4 years 365 days 8 hours * 40w = 467 kwh and that panels only 4 square feet. I want to say its 8-10 watt per square feet for a solar panel, probably slightly less embedded in glass. Need measurements on the Model S roof.

I use something simple like this. I have the 4 panel version, and during power outages or something like camping, it works great for charging batteries and USB devices!

The environment may be over the tipping point, or it might be under it for a decade. I know it's moving in a bad direction, but the chart for it is not calculable right now.

Regardless, I KNOW that even if the entire USA stopped using fossil fuels TODAY, and poured every cent we had into developing clean energy, the rest of the world will not. The time we spend slowing down our economy to develop alternatives will be wasted when every developing country burns all those fossil fuels without emission controls haphazardly.

You do see how the use of petroleum boosts an economy, right? If we scale back, every other "3rd World" country will leave us in the dust and create a Mad Max landscape while we just watch in the midst of our own Depression.

Trump is pro-nuclear energy, and you can't build nuclear power plants with teams of oxen and solar powered drones. I think the best path for the US is to make a shift towards nuclear as a stop-gap, and when comfortably using nuclear for most of power we start moving towards greener and greener technologies.

On the State level, states (like Hawaii, for example) can continue to make their own decisions about becoming 100% renewable - but the federal government should set a reasonable bar (which I believe it has already done) and allow States to exceed it on their own.

I believe that the "halfway point" that Trump will have to reach with Congress/Senate in order to have this vision "https://www.donaldjtrump.com/press-releases/an-america-first-energy-plan" realized will make both you and I happy. Hillary Clinton will not be able to reach a halfway point, and will only have the Obama-like tactics to tax the heck out of energy instead of letting it propel the country forward. Also, "half a billion solar panels" is a ridiculous goal. It doesn't mean anything! Half a billion of these, maybe? https://www.amazon.com/Charger-Levin-10000mAh-Portable-Android/dp/B01F6UGT6W/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1468332070&sr=8-2-spons&keywords=solar+panel&psc=1