Out West solar is a must-have. Single-panel facing up. Sewed-in loops on the pack to ensure facing-up. The smaller Lixada was plenty of juice in open areas, but it did warp due to being all black. Never failed, despite warping. Going with the slightly larger (white) Lixada this year, due to being in more trees. Found the key to making solar work reliably is the USB-c "PD" function of the battery-bank. PD negotiates maximum power into Nitecore battery-bank at all times, regardless how much (or little) sun is available. Velcro battery bank to Lixada and charge devices from the bank at night. That way, the solar/bank system remains a single unit all day long, so cabling isn't an issue while hiking.
@@StamfordBridge - Lixada Solar Panel Charger USB Port Portable High Power Paper Shaped Monocrystalline Silicon 10W Solar Panel . On Amazon, $20. Ignore the star-ratings. It gets bad reviews because it promises 10W and delivers 2W, but 2W is plenty. Also, the USB connector is hot-glued to the panel and needs a line of super-glue run around it, lest it separate during a hike. Don't get the bigger one, it doesn't work. (technically, the bigger Lixada appears to be missing a reverse diode, which drains devices instead of charging them).
for my bike and packrafting tours (off grid and tent camping) i take the BioLite SolarPanel 5+ with me. It has only one panel, but this is easier to face towards the sun than a double panel with a loose hinge inbetween. It comes with an integrated battery, from which it charges the connected gear (simultaniously charging itself and gear). Facing is crucial, but hey, you are out all day long, so this is a 6-7h exposure (in perfect alignment this would be a 3x full charge of a iPhone. Western Europe is about 45° north). When i m not on the boat the panel is always connected to a powerbank and during the night i charge all my gear with the panel-battery and the powerbank. Especially on a more-than-two-days trip i would really recommend a peace of gear like that!
The thing about solar power on hikes is that it's not a universal binary decision that can be applied to every hike. It's not always great. Sometimes it is. On this hike it was the perfect setup. Appreciate your comment- thanks for watching!
Out West solar is a must-have. Single-panel facing up. Sewed-in loops on the pack to ensure facing-up. The smaller Lixada was plenty of juice in open areas, but it did warp due to being all black. Never failed, despite warping. Going with the slightly larger (white) Lixada this year, due to being in more trees. Found the key to making solar work reliably is the USB-c "PD" function of the battery-bank. PD negotiates maximum power into Nitecore battery-bank at all times, regardless how much (or little) sun is available. Velcro battery bank to Lixada and charge devices from the bank at night. That way, the solar/bank system remains a single unit all day long, so cabling isn't an issue while hiking.
Exactly which Lixada do you use for backpacking?
@@StamfordBridge - Lixada Solar Panel Charger USB Port Portable High Power Paper Shaped Monocrystalline Silicon 10W Solar Panel . On Amazon, $20. Ignore the star-ratings. It gets bad reviews because it promises 10W and delivers 2W, but 2W is plenty. Also, the USB connector is hot-glued to the panel and needs a line of super-glue run around it, lest it separate during a hike.
Don't get the bigger one, it doesn't work. (technically, the bigger Lixada appears to be missing a reverse diode, which drains devices instead of charging them).
@@tomnoyb8301 Thank you!!
for my bike and packrafting tours (off grid and tent camping) i take the BioLite SolarPanel 5+ with me. It has only one panel, but this is easier to face towards the sun than a double panel with a loose hinge inbetween. It comes with an integrated battery, from which it charges the connected gear (simultaniously charging itself and gear). Facing is crucial, but hey, you are out all day long, so this is a 6-7h exposure (in perfect alignment this would be a 3x full charge of a iPhone. Western Europe is about 45° north). When i m not on the boat the panel is always connected to a powerbank and during the night i charge all my gear with the panel-battery and the powerbank.
Especially on a more-than-two-days trip i would really recommend a peace of gear like that!
@@rotmarder thanks for watching - great input!
Good to know. I’ve dabbled with a solar panel on hikes here in Texas with mixed results. Mostly positive.
Very interesting video. I’ve read pros and cons and I know you’ll call it like you see it.
The thing about solar power on hikes is that it's not a universal binary decision that can be applied to every hike. It's not always great. Sometimes it is. On this hike it was the perfect setup. Appreciate your comment- thanks for watching!
@@DavidonEarth that was the take away, and you made it very clear that it worked great for this type of hike. That’s why I enjoy your videos!