3.7oz solar, direct charge

Does this panel have a brand name and where did you acquire it?

Edited to include the name…..doh!

Interesting. The biggest reason I've never used solar is the size and inefficiency, but living in Arizona I would like to see how this goes.

Looks like i can get a pretty good charge on a cr123 in 4 or 5 hours. So i can charge two batteries in a day, and thats plenty. The batteries dont last nearly as long as the non-rechargeable primary batteries but i never actually use my light on blinding high mode so one will do for an evening.

I am pretty impressed by how efficient the panel is, for its weight and size. Its about 5 inches to a side and i dont really notice its weight on my pack. For up to a week of backpacking, the lighter option would be to carry a few extra primary batteries, and use a AAA MP3 player, but its not really about that for me. I really like having an unlimited supply of electricity, (almost) never buying more batteries, and never carrying or throwing away dead batteries. Even with the solar panel mounted, my 21L pack weighs just over 10oz and is good for at least 4 days for me, longer if i lash on a food bag.

My phone is dead so i will set it outside to charge while im at work today, though the sun is still hiding.

I have discharged and charged two new cr123 flashlight batteries three times using the panel. They really do last half as long as a primary battery, but at 3.7 instead of 3.0 volts, they seem to burn a bit brighter. I had two mornings of bright sunshine this week and the 650mAh cr123 battery charged in less than 3 hours. My phone, which has a 1000mAh battery, charged from low battery warning to full in 5 1/2 hours when there were some clouds.

I admit, the setup is totally impractical for day hikes, or overnighters, but i'm stoked on it. I can catch sunlight and use it later, its like a magic trick. All smiles. I weighed my zimmerbuilt hybrid daypack plus mounted panel on the kitchen scale at work, and its still just 10.7oz.

The panel is part of my pack, bolted to the lid. The other day the pack caught on my finger and was yanked 5 feet down off a rock wall and landed right on top, so 5 pounds of gear and food smashed down on top of the panel on golfball sized rocks. The sound made me weak in the knees, but just a small scratch on the edge. Not fragile at all. Historically i do break stuff, so if its Stefan-proof its pretty solid. On the same hike, i got rained on pretty hard. The panel is oblivious to water and there was no trace of water in my pack or around the bolts puncturing the lid. I used rubber washers on either side of the fabric, plus a metal washer and aluminum acorn nuts.

Considering a new camera, and making sure it works with this solar panel. I'm partial to Sony cameras, and Voltaic has most of them covered as far as charging docks. Not sure about direct charge. I will find out shortly and report back.