Solar charger? power bank?

[ausvegguykk]

Hi all, some of you know i am planning my first bike tour in january, and i will be taking a few devices i want to keep charged and wondering if anyone ha some advice

so i was thinking of getting a goalzero guide 10 plus nomad 7, that way i could use it to charge my phone, light and garmin, and i wouldnt have to hang around for hours doing so
but the more i thinjk of it, the more i am thinking... do i really need this haha

i have also looked at some decent capacity quick-charge banks, but the ones i have looked at approach the price of the solar panels

just wondering what everyone else thinks, if they have used cheaper brands, or powerbanks, experiences or whatnot

[Gadgetgeek]

A good quality charge bank is worth the extra cost. they are more efficient, which means you get to use more of the charge in them. any solar system will take hours to charge. your best option if you know you will be off-grid is a solar system that you can have operational on the bike. If you know you will have access to AC power at least every few days, then just do a power-bank and a multi-port USB charger, and charge when you can. But either way, a good power-bank is going to be key to the whole system. the goal-zero method works if you want to charge AAs, but is not ideal for charging USB powered devices.

[paul_gee]

I got gifted a cheap merchandisey battery pack last year from a supplier. It surprising performed pretty well. Got 4-5 charges for an iPhone 5 out of it, which was plenty.

[Johnnie Walker]

A solar charger needs a long time (more then 4 hours) full sun exposure, for example the Goal Zero Nomad 7 needs 4-8 hours to charge a 2200mAh battery. If you go solar power, make sure you have at least a small backup battery (PowerCore mini) in case yo need to use / charge a device when there is no sun. For hiking I gave up on solar power as I never walk in the sun long enough or there is no sun, I just carry a PoweCore 20000.

There are a few commercial bicycle phone chargers and DIY projects to use a bike to charge devices. Few examples: (Google for more)
http://sivaisenergy.com/pages/cycle
http://www.instructables.com/id/How-to-make-Bicycle-mobile-phone-charger/
http://www.spineticsinc.com/thecydekick/
http://lifehacker.com/charge-your-phone-while-riding-your-bike-845323645

(I'm not affiliated with Anker, just a happy user)

[ausvegguykk]

A solar charger needs a long time (more then 4 hours) full sun exposure, for example the Goal Zero Nomad 7 needs 4-8 hours to charge a 2200mAh battery. If you go solar power, make sure you have at least a small backup battery (PowerCore mini) in case yo need to use / charge a device when there is no sun. For hiking I gave up on solar power as I never walk in the sun long enough or there is no sun, I just carry a PoweCore 20000.

There are a few commercial bicycle phone chargers and DIY projects to use a bike to charge devices. Few examples: (Google for more)
http://sivaisenergy.com/pages/cycle
http://www.instructables.com/id/How-to-make-Bicycle-mobile-phone-charger/
http://www.spineticsinc.com/thecydekick/
http://lifehacker.com/charge-your-phone-while-riding-your-bike-845323645

(I'm not affiliated with Anker, just a happy user)

i dont think your numbers are accurate?

for example, the goalzero guide 10 plus kit (with nomad 7) claims to fully charge the 4x AA batteries in 4 hours from the solar panel.

i think AA batteries are usually around 2400MA each, so thats almost 10,000 mah in 4 hours (even if they exaggerated their numbers a little, it should still be reasonably higher than 2200mah in 8 hours)

[Johnnie Walker]

i dont think your numbers are accurate?
for example, the goalzero guide 10 plus kit (with nomad 7) claims to fully charge the 4x AA batteries in 4 hours from the solar panel.

i think AA batteries are usually around 2400MA each, so thats almost 10,000 mah in 4 hours (even if they exaggerated their numbers a little, it should still be reasonably higher than 2200mah in 8 hours)

I had a quick look at the Goalzero website and they state charging a Goalzero Switch 8 battery takes 4 to 8 hours. The Switch 8 is a 8Wh, 2200mAh battery, hence my assumption.

[highercountry]

i dont think your numbers are accurate?

for example, the goalzero guide 10 plus kit (with nomad 7) claims to fully charge the 4x AA batteries in 4 hours from the solar panel.

i think AA batteries are usually around 2400MA each, so thats almost 10,000 mah in 4 hours (even if they exaggerated their numbers a little, it should still be reasonably higher than 2200mah in 8 hours)

This is charging under ideal conditions ie. full sun and panels directly facing the sun. Not the sort of situation you'll find yourself in very often on a bike, other than rest days.
Yet to see any truly positive practical reviews of solar panels on moving bikes, or backpacks for that matter.
The best solution for charging on the go is a good quality built-in hub dynamo from the likes of SP, Son or Shimano, they are reliable, durable, tried and tested with imperceptible drag.
Otherwise, take a decent capacity rechargeable lithium battery and top it up whenever you can from mains power.
Read all about it from people who actually do it;
http://www.bicycles.net.au/forums/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=50649