I use a folding solar panel (Anker) and 2 separate 10,000 mah power banks. One is used to recharge devices, the second can be recharging easily even on overcast days. I normally carry a 5,000 mah phone and either a tablet or phone of similar mah. The second device is used for Media consumption. This system has kept me going during power outages (usually hurricane) or camping. Peace
Sounds like an effective system. I feel like solar power options are most effective with systems like this, so you aren't waiting for a charge all the time. Thanks, as always, for the support.
@@consciousearth76 Feed a man a fish and he eats for a day. Teach a man to fish and he eats for a lifetime. Google, Siri, Alexa, Wikipedia are great search engines for information. milliampere hour (mAh) is 1000th of an ampere hour ( Ah ). Both measures are commonly used to describe the energy charge that a battery will hold and how long a device will run before the battery needs recharging.
IMO the biggest flaw of all portable solar panels out there (i.e. ones marketed to backpackers...as in charge while you're moving) is that they only have USB-A port(s), each with a typical 5V/2.4A (12W) max power output. This is always less than the theoretical max power output of the whole panel array. This means that if your strategy is to charge only one power bank and then use that to charge up all your devices, you're only using 12W from the panel and wasting the rest! The only (less than ideal) solution is to plug in more to one power bank to the solar panel to not waste that (potential) extra wattage. IMO, portable solar panel manufacturers need to include USB-C PD ports that can output more than 12W.
Here you need to take into account several nuances. Firstly, for example, my AllPowers 21W solar panel can output power up to 13.5W (5.2V x 2.6A) from one USB port, although the manufacturer promised only 12W. That is, in fact, all the electrical power that a solar panel can give out, I can get from one of its USB ports. More power from this solar panel can only be obtained if connected directly to the solar cells of the panel to avoid power loss that occurs in the voltage converter in front of the panel's USB ports; then you can get 14.5W, and possibly all 15W of power, but no more. The problem you mentioned may occur on large solar panels such as the BigBlue 28W in fine sunny weather, but many will find such a panel too heavy to carry in a backpack. Secondly, you need to understand that not every power bank will be able to accept even 12W of power at a voltage of 5V when charging. You still need to look for such a power bank. In general, there are a lot of power banks on the market that are poorly compatible with charging from unstable sources of electricity, and this should also be taken into account. Usually, the dumber the electronics of the power bank, the better. Thirdly, you need to understand that marketers indicate the power in the name of the panel. They just pretend that the solar cells in the panel have the power that their manufacturer claims. However, the manufacturer, when declaring the power of a solar cell, meant a whole plate of a solar cell, and in modern solar panels this plate is most often cut into 6 parts, despite the fact that the solar cell manufacturer SunPower does not recommend cutting them into more than three parts. This cutting results in a loss of power. In addition, in solar panels, the solar cells are laminated with plastic, which also leads to power loss. It turns out that in fact my AllPowers 21W panel, for good, should be called AllPowers 18W, and the BigBlue 28W panel should be called BigBlue 24W. In addition, you need to understand that such power is possible only when the solar elements of the panel have a temperature of 25 degrees Celsius, but in reality, the panel very quickly heats up to 65 ... 80 degrees Celsius in direct sunlight, and each extra degree above 25 degrees Celsius reduces solar panel power by 0.35%...
What is needed is a really wide brimmed hat w/solar panels and the holes for cord connections could be inside the hat with waterproofing in between -- or would that be a fire hazard?
I use an X-Dragon 20w panel to charge up my powerbanks. 15000mah and 20000mah - Both take roughly 5-7 hours to fully charge (from 0 to 100). You also need a good USB cable! A lot of them can only deliver around an amp. Luckily I got a great thick usb cable bundled with my power bank, and it can transfer up to 2.4a - Makes for an incredibly fast charge.
@@cherieparsons2982 A little late, sorry. I personally use a 60w/3A cable. This will allow power to flow unhindered into whatever device you have (and I recommend a good quality powerbank, they will accept all charges).
I think you kind of said it, but the Key deciding point for any of these devices is to "Get Power For (a charge) Something Else". So the Solar Charger should be the hands down choice. It is Faster, and actually charges the "Something Else". Thanks I know what I am buying. Otherwise you are charging a battery so you can use it to charge something else, but have to wait for it to get charged so you can charge the other (something else) device.
Had a similar 4 panel foldout solar charger. Left it on my dash to charge and came back to a swollen battery. Now I just use a small 14w solar panel on my dash with a cable running either directly to my device or a larger power bank under my seat. Charges MUCH faster and no risk of a swollen battery.
SAME HERE.. I left it in the CAR and BOOM, expanded battery. Still works but deformed the case. If I'm charging outside on a hot day, I cover up the battery part and just let the extended 4 or 5 panels in the sun. WAY TOO HEAVY for backpacking on a hike!! A smaller solar charger for hiking will work better... I have many solar panels.. and they do the job nicely.
Most of the 14-28 watt (2 & 4 panel) solar chargers output 5v 2.4A per usb max. The difference between the two is that the 4 panel can output that to both usb ports (in theory). So yes, it was excessive heat, not the solar charger having 4 panels. Volts times amps times power factor (which is at 1 aka unity in this application) equals watts. They don’t even output 28 watts. Lol
this vid pretty much sums up all the other vids i watched today while trying to understand how effective the recent aimtom solar panel i bought recently might serve my time in the wild... worst case scenario seems to be that I end up going out on a rainy weekend so best buy a cheap but efficient power bank to carry along...
@@RandoTechInfo yes if not faster even. I tested it 1 month every day. Maybe 21W big blue was older version. Sometimes older versions are better than newer versions.
I honestly just said screw it and bought a large 4 panel folding solar charger and a 38,600mah solar power bank Honestly I don’t wanna leave my bank outside so it overheats so I leave it near my window on a white towel, and if I ever want a quick charge I can use the solar charger and get many hours of juice from a couple hours😁 Edit: forgot to mention that my power bank was only 40$, it will charge my 13 mini about 15 times before it fully drains Or so that’s what I believe until I fully test it…
Thank you amazing you've helped me make my mind up and it's the one that doesn't take days hahah thank you could you do a review on wind and hydro chargers thanks
@@RandoTechInfo I'm not familiar with hydro but there's a few decent wind turbines around, good informative and clear content , easy to follow and well delivered I will be subscribing and look at more of your content
Good video. I've used both types of solar banks mentioned on here, and not happy with either one's performance. Looking to buy a Big Blue, so this, and one or two other videos have helped me decide. Want something that actually works on my hikes and wild camps as 'The Jacobite Hiker', and Big Blue seems to be just that, so I will be ordering one ASAP. Thank you for sharing. Davey.
I honestly don't know. Power through the input port might cut off current from the solar panels. It might vary from bank to bank. I no longer have the bank from the video so I can't test it.
Thank you so much. I already have the solar power bank, however I need the fast charge, so it’s the stand alone for me I can charge my power bank as well directly from it also.😅
*****Funny, most these "REVIEWS".. they never test a fully charged unit.. how many times it can charge an iPhone XR. ******Banks are good for camping.. but not backpacking.. just too heavy. I have three (3) "BLAVOR PN-W12 Pro" Solar power pack battery with solar..... instead of 1 solar panel, it has 4. If drained, it takes 4 days to charge up by solar. The Panels are good if camping and keeps it topped up. The Battery is "20,000 mAh" but it can't fully charge my iPhone XR only 3/4. My iPhone has 2,942 mAH battery.... so..... feels like really a heavy 2,000 mAh. That is the Bad (Posted negative review on Amazon, $45) ...the company sent me two more free... but they both had the same results. The GOOD is the very bright LED lights last a LONG LONG LONG time. Like 10+ hours on full charge.. that is impressive. So BAD, in charging a smart phone, GREAT for camping and bright BRIGHT LED light... and a compass also. This one does not have wireless charging... USB 2.0 and 3.1 charging (I checked the output, only 2.1 Amps at 5 V each. I have older type that have wireless charging and 5 (five) panels... still "13,000 mAh battery" but really, 2,000. IT could be the efficiency of charging the battery to 5V 2.1 Amp is very very very poor and the battery is really 20,000.... but I doubt it.
just bought a new solar panel for my dad for christmas , it has usb-c out ... its this one - ELECAENTA 30W ETFE Foldable Solar Charger i realise the video is a year old and this is probably out of date by now as a problem!!
hi, am interested but not knowledgeable at all on this topic do you know if the bigblue would allow me to charge a Xiaomi Mi 50w Power Bank 20000mAh Lithium-Ion (Li-Ion)? Thanks in advance :)
Do you have recommendation for a 20k power bank in all black colour no accent colour that also has solar panels? Doesnt have to be many panels as its just for backup without dolar charger.
If you are looking at power banks I think 4 panels are a better option. They charge quite a bit faster than single panel banks, and don't cost that much more. Thanks for watching!
Planing a 2 week canoe camping trip, so I am looking into folding solar panels. Weight is luckily only a factor for travel from and to the start/endpoint. I think I will pick either my 20k mah or two 10k mah Anker power Banks, so the power Bank can sit all day, connected to the panel and charge. For a 1 week trip I would most likely only pick an extra 20 k mah powerbank and not take the solar panel.
It will obviously plan on how much power you are planning on using but I agree, for a one-week trip I don't know that you would need panels. For a two-week trip if you can leave the panels in the Sun all day, I would think that would give you a decent amount of extra power.
I'm looking for a solution to charge 1 or 2 phones during an extended power outage 1-4 weeks in a location that is often overcast. Portable solar panels make much more sense for my use case. I have always expected that the solar panel on the solar power banks is just to small to be practical .
In your situation I agree. I think larger panels would be the way to go especially if you don't get a lot of direct sunlight and have to take maximum advantage of the sunlight you get.
2:11 I have a bank similar to this, though I have no idea if the solar panels can be detached Can a solar bank have 8 panels, can it recharge even quicker?
Looks like the SunJack 60W "portable" (~4 lb) panel has a USBC-PD port with a max 45W output and a USB type A outputting 18W max (for QC3.0 compatible devices). It even has a DC5521 plug with 19V max output. SunJack also has a 25W version with a USB type A and a USB type C port but the type C port maxes out at around 15W. Not sure why no manufacturer allows the USB-C port to output all available current from the panels. Sharing power output between ports is nice and all but if you're just charging one device, that's wasted power going to an empty port!
It does seem odd. It's not like solar panels generate a TON of power in the first place. You'd think they would want to maximize the power the panels can pull. Thanks for the information!
Just bought the GOODaaa Power Bank 45,800 mAh. Also has a (hand crank generator) built in plus many more features. There is a larger one. Reason is our area has way too much cloud cover since 2008. Now I am looking for a portable solar panel to add capability and I think Big Blue just may meet the goal.
I have one of these too. The hand crank on that particular model works well, you just have to crank it pretty fast, around twice a second. However, it charges more than twice as fast as the solar panel
Are solar chargers/power banks actually safe for phones? I'm going on a week long bicycling trip this spring. I don't anticipate any issues charging my phone and gps at restaurants or whatever, but I was thinking about getting a small, solar power bank just in case and possibly for convenience. I don't want to destroy my expensive electronics.
Obviously I can't speak for every single product out there, but I have used many power banks with many phones, and have not had any issues. Hope that helps.
Here in the north phones often lose charge when connected to solar charger. The fluctuations in power input keep messing them up. Far better to charge a power bank and then charge the phone from that.
Really? No one has ever told me that before. Is there a particular place in the video where you felt this was a more serious problem or was it just the whole thing? I'm genuinely curious and just trying to improve my content. Thanks.
I have used both solar panels (Big Blue) and power banks (multiple). While traveling I take the power banks, while I am home I just use the Big Blue. I have had good results with both depending on the use case. Thanks for the video.
What would you recommend for the following requirements I need something that will charge my iPhone that; 1. Can charge in winter without much or any sunlight 2. Won’t get damaged by rain 3. Something suitable for camping and is reasonably priced for what I get Thank you.
That information can be found starting here. 2:45 In the future, please watch the entire video before leaving a negative comment. It can actually really impact a video's performance, especially for smaller creators. Cheers!
