Solar charger

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Anyone got recommendations for a solar charger to use whilst on the bike.
I've seen some with foldable panels which I may be able to secure between the rear panniers, and seen some that just have a small panel attached to a power bank

Will only be used for topping up phone, and sunshine should be available frequently.

Tia.
 

mjr

Comfy armchair to one person & a plank to the next
The Anker ones seem to get consistently good reviews. I think Portapow do too. I've not got one yet but I've been told the fold out A4ish ones let you cope with some cloud and the panel not being aimed optimally while riding and still have some to spare.

The panels on power banks are generally poor and once the power bank battery is dead (too old) then it's often a nuisance to replace it and then you end up junking the panel too. Also, you usually can't charge another power bank once the built-in is full without discharging the built-in. Even a small solar panel and a 18650 power bank is better IMO. I've tried a couple of each.

When you say topping up your phone, how big is its battery and how many % do you need to top it up by?
 
Location
España
Anyone got recommendations for a solar charger to use whilst on the bike.
I've seen some with foldable panels which I may be able to secure between the rear panniers, and seen some that just have a small panel attached to a power bank

Will only be used for topping up phone, and sunshine should be available frequently.

Tia.
In my experience solar panels don't work very well on the bike. I used mine several years ago in southern France and Northern Spain where there was no shortage of sunlight.

However, my Ravpower 3 panel fold out is very effective when placed properly when not on the bike.

Placement is the key and that has proven too difficult for me.

For on the move charging a dynohub and converter is the way to go.

Lots of previous discussions if you have a look.
 

Gravity Aided

Legendary Member
Location
Land of Lincoln
I find it hard to keep the charging cells in consistent sunlight when not in camp. They are good for charging in camp. I live in a flat plain with few trees, and get pretty good results on the move, but many others have problems due to the nature of charging in variegated light situations. I often see these promoted as something you could hang on your backpack for hikes. Mine, a Coleman, does have tabs and loops for hanging it off a backpack or pannier, and I have done so, but I find charging works better in camp. I also have found that I prefer charging from storage chargers, and I have enough ready for shorter tours. But solar units are light and practical. Just look at your charging requirements, because they may be slower to recharge than you have the time or patience for.
 

andrew_s

Legendary Member
Location
Gloucester
The amount of power available is directly proportional to the area of solar cells in use.

A 3 x A4ish fold up panel would typically be rated at something like 21 W, which rating would assume that it's sunny, the panel is aimed directly at the sun, and that the sun is fairly close to overhead.
21 W is equivalent to a current of 4 amps out of a USB port. A standard port is 1 A, and 2.4 A mains chargers are commonplace, so that's a fair amount of power.

However, when you look at the assumptions, you aren't going to be able to get that power unless you dedicate a lunch stop to charging, and that's of a limited duration.

If the panel isn't pointing directly at the sun you won't get full power - a 45 degree pointing error may mean you only get 1/4 of full power.
Light overcast will reduce the available power to about a quarter, or heavier cloud to an eighth. On the plus side, light from cloud is fairly uniform, so pointing errors matter less.
If it's within a couple of hours of sunset (or sunrise) the amount of power will be down to around a quarter.

A lot will depend on how well your luggage carrying arrangements match the requirements of the solar panel. Having all the component panels horizontal is best; it's not useful if they start to hang off the side or form a trough between two pannier tops. It's also good if they are far enough back that you don't cast your own shadow over them.
 

newfhouse

Resolutely on topic
I’ve tried using a Portapow 15 W (2 x A4) panel. Aimed correctly it’s fine but strapped across panniers on the move the available current is too variable to reliably charge a smart phone or Garmin directly. It will charge a battery pack or dumb phone, but is not really worth the weight. Unless you’re travelling miles from civilisation you’d be better off carrying a couple of high capacity USB power banks and topping them up whenever you get an opportunity. I tend to leave my smart phone switched off on the road until I need internet access, and just use an old four day battery life Nokia for calls and texts. Paper maps printed from Google or torn from an old motoring atlas usually suffice for navigation as I’m not one to plan detailed routes in advance. I do carry a Garmin Oregon GPS to record speed, distance and route taken. It runs for about 16 hours on alkaline or 10 hours on rechargeable AA batteries.

I‘m considering using a dyno hub for my jaunt this summer, again via a battery pack.
 
OP
OP
Lien Sdrawde

Lien Sdrawde

Über Member
When you say topping up your phone, how big is its battery and how many % do you need to top it up by?

I was hoping to use the phone to navigate with on approx 5 to 7 hrs riding per day, so topping up fully would be needed.

From the replies it sounds like a good size power bank, and top up via mains at camping site might be best.
I wonder if campsites (in France) would have multiple charge facilities for our ever growing reliance on smartphones.

Thanks for replies.
 

mjr

Comfy armchair to one person & a plank to the next
I was hoping to use the phone to navigate with on approx 5 to 7 hrs riding per day, so topping up fully would be needed.
Ok but how big is its battery? You can sometimes find this in the phone back or insides, or just look it up on Wikipedia or GSM Arena or something.

There are some phone navigation apps like osmand which save battery by only lighting the screen near turns, too.
 
Location
España
I was hoping to use the phone to navigate with on approx 5 to 7 hrs riding per day, so topping up fully would be needed.

From the replies it sounds like a good size power bank, and top up via mains at camping site might be best.
I wonder if campsites (in France) would have multiple charge facilities for our ever growing reliance on smartphones.

Thanks for replies.
A couple of hints....
Get familiar with the battery saving options on your phone. Not just airplane mode but knowing what apps are running in the background. You can test various options out overnight by leaving the phone unplugged. They can make a big difference.
Look for a travel plug thingy that has got 2 or more USB outlets - that way you can charge your phone & powerbank at the same time or perhaps "share" a socket with someone else.
 

mjr

Comfy armchair to one person & a plank to the next
Look for a travel plug thingy that has got 2 or more USB outlets - that way you can charge your phone & powerbank at the same time or perhaps "share" a socket with someone else.
And keep an eye out that it can put full power out of both USB outlets. I've seen some which basically share the power of one USBus over two ports which is a bit sneaky.
 

Tenkaykev

Guru
Location
Poole
A short while ago I bodged expertly repurposed a garmin mount onto the back of a Samsung S7 case, ( one of the " Spigen" rubber cases that covers just the sides and back.)

I put it in " Airplane" mode ( gps still works), loaded "Komoot" which I'd downloaded to the device for offline use, set the screen to always on and went for a pootle.

I was pleasently surprised by how legible the maps were and how smoothly they were scrolling. Battery life was about 10% per hour.

The screen is a big drain but in airplane mode the phone isn't constantly scanning for WiFi /Bluetooth / cellular signals.

( Samsung S7 is waterproof)
 

froze

Über Member
Since all of these solar chargers come out of China not sure what a more expensive ones has over these cheaper ones:


View: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07FPHHNDL?tag=outdoorlifereviews-20&linkCode=ogi&th=1&psc=1


Or this one:


View: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00NGKPX4Y?tag=outdoorlifereviews-20&linkCode=ogi&th=1&psc=1
This one has a rugged build quality to it that makes it durable and suitable for bike touring or hiking.

Or:


View: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01G4GQDUE?tag=outdoorlifereviews-20&linkCode=ogi&th=1&psc=1
Also very ruggedly built with gromets so you tie it to the top of your pannier or rack, or to a backpack.

Just a few ideas.
 
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