Solar Camping Gadgets?

[PaulD75]

Hi peeps,

I'm new here and need some advice re solar gadgets ideal for camping. A friend has recommended a site called [url=http://www.thesolarcen - link removed[/url] but I'm not sure what product to run with. I want to be able to charge torch batteries, my MP3 (not an Ipod), radio and most importantly my phone. Does any one on here use solar chargers? Thanks in advance.

[nightshade]

Maplins do that sort of thing and there must be scores of eco-sites
hows this one?
Freeloader Charger from Freeloader

[at]

Hi there
Ive recently been traveling, just before I went away i purchesed a solio from amazon.co.uk

intro

they come with a variety of attacments for cameras, phones, mp3 players, including a car charge attachment so just about anything you would charge in you car can be charged by the solar charger. A little bit expensive but even at home with the recent sunny weather ive been using it to charge my mp3 and my phone, and it fits in the plam of you hand.

[Mark Tulley]

You need to look carefully at the current that the charger will provide and what your battery capacity is. When I went to Nepal a couple of years ago, I found that a double-hand sized charger would still need more than 12 hours of sunshine to charge the AA cells for my camera. Easy calculations - 2000mAh (milliampere hours) requires 200mA for 10 hours for example. I was trekking so I couldn't just leave the charger sitting all day in one position - camping is probably easier from that point of view.

Isn't it nice to be looking forward to holiday sunshine.

[Tomgrowscress]

If your using a solar charger, make sure you have LOTS of sun, otherwise its really a waste of money.

New batteries probably better unless your camping in florida lol

Sorry for stating the obvious, but these things need A LOT of sunlight!

Tom
Idiot that bought one last year

[Paul mabbott]

Originally Posted by PaulD75

Hi peeps,

I'm new here and need some advice re solar gadgets ideal for camping. A friend has recommended a site called [url=http://www.thesolarcen - link removed[/url] but I'm not sure what product to run with. I want to be able to charge torch batteries, my MP3 (not an Ipod), radio and most importantly my phone. Does any one on here use solar chargers? Thanks in advance.

I would also be very interested for comments. We seem to carry more chargers (lighter, car, mains, solar, manual) than we do actual appliances! From my point of view, I need to recharge a big camera battery and reading lights - everything else is trivial - but ... Any views what is the best overall recharging method (a) if you have a car and (b) if you're walking for all the possible devices that you might be needing?

[eeyore]

for the car i would get an inverter (25 quid from screwfix) plug that into the ciggie lighter and a multiplug adaptor into that - then just plug in all your mains chargers - make sure you only charge while driving though as doing it stationary will flatten the car battery quick smart

on foot away from the car i would forget charging up just carry lots of fully charged batteries.

[richardkm]

Hi

I've used solar panels in all sorts of situations, including the western desert in Egypt, where of course there was no problem with lack of sunshine, for charging batteries.

I use a large solar panel for keeping the leisure battery topped up in my motorhome, which allows me to be away from the mains for fairly long periods (10 days just recently).

A decent sized panel which would serve your purpose at a static site will be quite expensive, have a look here: CPS-SOLAR - 12VOLT CHARGING 13 WATT BRIEFCASE SOLAR PANEL WITH CHARGE CONTROLLER.

Tantronics Battery Chargers | Camera Batteries | Battery Charger | Rechargeable Batteries | Camera Battery | Rechargeable Battery can supply a charger which runs from either mains or 12V, you buy the base unit, then different inserts for your particular batteries, works very well.

On the move, I would agree with what has been said already, just take plenty of batteries