I'm really late to this one but thanks so much for the recommendation. You actually use the stuff you recommend and that's getting more and more rare these days. I appreciate it.
I actually own 2 of these now and just used one yesterday. One I keep in storage and am still using the original and battery packs. I keep my eyes out for them on sale too.
Really good, genuine ("non-sponsored") review - these are hard to come by nowadays. Ordered one myself and it's working great to charge my phones and power banks. Very durable and feels incredibly well made. Fits nicely in my backpack and doesn't weight much at all. Appreciate the detailed video.
I do own 2 of them now. so far they are lasting very well. I have one with me in Mexico (I live here for 4 months a year) and its taken a lot of beatings, sand, dirt and more. Very happy with it. YOu must be a strong backpacker...I try to be light (not ultralight) so i'd bring one power bank but the whole thing is too much for me. Luxury item for sure!
Great review. I’ve looked at these and wondered. Now I know. Might get one when my cash rebuilds. The two small BioLite ones I have are very useful. People overlook small panels but very transportable and recharge lights easily when travelling
Right on, I do like the Biolite for sure...you can always make power. Question...can you put your BL ontop of your woodstove *while it's lit of course) and will it generate power?
I had a small goal zero and a small stiff solar panel that had USB, I gave it to my aunt for emergencies, I prefer stiff solar panels, they will work long term, I know from experience.
Sunjack I hadn't seen before, I have gotten away from the smaller power banks mostly... just got a new Sherpa 100AC from Goal Zero for portable charging and emergency lighting power... using AC plug in lights (LED) ... I do get curious about how well panels stand up to heat and moisture stress on the panel framing materials, I have a Goal Zero 28 watt discontinued... that I should try glueing back together again, electrically okay... but dash board of truck was rough on glue without stitching...
i would definetly try and glue it back together...Goal Zero is a great brand. My older GZ's won't daisy Chain Together simply because they don't have the connects (the plugs) to do it...One does the 2nd older one doesn't.boo!
perhaps you'll find a use for each of the small panels. Like my smallest I really only use to recharge batteries, it's too small for anything else...maybe an Ipod but you get what I mean. Let me know if you make any awesome discoveries.
@@OldSchoolPrepper I have started regluing the 28 watt Goal Zero with a water resistant super glue on the advice of the Goal Zero support people... I liked the Sherpa 100AC power bank enough to get a new version of the Sherpa 100AC which was about $100 more... which has some improved features that I found worth the difference... like control of USB C power flow direction... I recently hooked it up to a Goal Zero Nomad 50 to the Sherpa 100AC via the 8 mm port... The Nomad 50s I can daisy chain or use a the 4 to1 8 mm adapter ... the adapters can mix the Nomad 50 watt panel with 100 watt panels... this last winter we had a 3 day power outage... my truck has a Goal Zero Yeti 1000x power station in it that I recover with a Nomad 100 most of the time...I used a NuWave Flex induction cooker on the 1000x and cooked meals... I had experimented with the combination before the power outage... so I knew it would work well... the recovery took a couple days due to overcast Puget Sound region of Washington state... My Goal Zero 1500x has been promoted to running a patio fridge, with a 300 watt Ranger panel... I also used the microwave plugged into it a couple times today...I have seen the Ranger 300 watt panel supply over 200 watts solar input. I have done a test using a reflector to get a 50 watt Nomad to supply a full 50 watts... a tilted reflector can double the light hitting a panel. I have a bunch more to test with solar PV cooking.... the limited wattage demand of some cooking methods might allow smaller power stations to cook also.
I have Goal Zero and GoSun panels... part of my issues I have found with panels are the connection compatibility and in one case the wear in heat and water... the Goal Zero 28 watt Nomad was discontinued I think because of glue that held is together didn't hold up as well as the Nomad 20 and Nomad 50 and 100 watt panels, I have the connection adapters for for Goal Zero 8mm and Anderson systems because I charge larger power stations more then power banks... I have the Goal Zero Yeti 1000x and 1500x power stations which I have used to cook meals with... my 1500x is currently supporting a patio fridge with a Goal Zero Ranger 300 watt panel... I have found the Ranger panel and the Yeti 1500x power station a little too heavy for wrestling around much, so they are more or less in place long term, the Ranger in the weather and the Yeti 1500x under cover, but outside on top of the fridge with a way to warm it in sub freezing temperatures... my larger power banks get charged via the power stations... the Yeti 1000x I just reinstalled in my old truck again... it is hooked to 3 Nomad 100 watt panels that are hung off the truck and networked together... I live in Puget Sound Region of Washington state, so weather is a bit overcast... those panels get hung off the truck in whatever weather and have weathered well.... used to use the 50 watt Nomads the same way they also preformed well but they are now in my library window supporting a Yeti 500x power station... for car camping I find the Nomad 100 panels a better size than the Nomad 50 panels, but since the MPPT controller in the Yeti 1500x and 1000x will allow up to 600 watts input I have arrayed the panels together in combinations of a couple hundred watts... I trust the MPPT controllers to not overcharge the power stations...
One reason I share a lot of the detail is the cooking method research I have done with power stations and power banks... the output for cooking can be a bit high in comparison.... the GoSun Fusion solar cooker on power bank power requires a high output DC 12 volt power source that is higher amperage than some of the Goal Zero power stations can output, so converting with an AC power supply to the GoSun 144 or 266 GoSun DC output for the Fusion became necessary to run from the Goal Zero power station with the 10 amp DC output limit... a little complex work around to use the Fusion, which most of the time works good without and electric power... just getting into dark hours is electric power needed... I also have a GoSun electric icebox that ran at fridge temperatures for a year on just the 90 watt solar panel table... the power banks stored the sun to power the ice box set to fridge temperatures... okay... I have a couple of the GoSun 30 watt panels, that with an adaptor can be arrayed to the 8mm Goal Zero panels, but the Goal Zero to GoSun power transfers need to be AC or 60 watt USB C connections... I have used USB C to transfer power my new Goal Zero Sherpa 100AC power banks that are more my tablet/Phone emergency outage lighting power size for less than 100 watts power or even small fans... or my medical tracking watch that needs a charge ever few days. The Sherpa USB is fast charging... the GoSun power banks are okay for their uses... the Goal Zero stuff has it's ranges of usage... found a 7 watt LED AC light that could run for days on the Goal Zero AC power banks, but they wouldn't support cooking wattages...
On power station PV cooking research... we had a 3 day storm power outage... I used Goal Zero Yeti 1000x power station in my truck to cook a meal on hood of my truck with a NuWave Flex induction cooker plugged into the AC port... 600watts and a bit less on the adjustable power setting, mostly battery power that was replaced by the panel array quickly even with some overcast going on... very compatible for the emergency... the patio fridge lasted the full 3 days on solar only... I have done some experiments with Itaki lunch box cookers... they are for cooking single meals... but the wattage levels were under 200 and 300 watts, I could run two of them under 500 watts... not low enough wattage for the AC power banks but good enough for many meals with the power stations... if I wanted to recover a Goal Zero power station like the 1000x in a couple hours I could array 600 watts of solar input... there are tricks to get 50 watts of solar input out of a 50 watt Nomad panel with some overcast with reflectors... tested that because I tend to live under the clouds here.
i'm in Oregon, we had a 10 day outtage in 2021...alas it was grey grey grey and out (home made) solar "gerator e.g. batteries" didn't charge up enough. Initally they worked but then it stopped so we had to get an old geni...now we have one which is wired in the garage to certain breakers. In Oregon we can't count on the sun which is a huge bummer
@@lethaleefox6017 Lethalee, are you an Engineer? or Electrition? you know your shite, you really may want to consider starting to do some filming for your channel (maybe you already do under a different name?) just the info you've shown here could be 20 video's! and I bet this is only one of many topics you know about
Don't you mean you took it to Mexico and really put it through its pesos? Good deal, I still haven't invested in one of these. I don't know what I'm waiting on. You figure all the sun I get I'd of been invested in one of these for a while but nay. If only they made a power bank that runs off humidity. I'd never run out of juice
ha ha ha...I had someone mention that their old Goal Zero delam'd due to heat and (I suspect) humidity...that is something for you to worry about. Keep in mind this will charge a ton of things any USB A or C smaller than a laptop but it easily charges Stan's IPad...actually each power bank will fully charge any of our devices 3 x (so far at least) but not a laptop. I'm not sure what you use for your YT channel. We have a homemade solar "geni" e.g. battery bank and it will easily charge all of our large computers and run some machinery. But Oregon is so grey and all we have our Honda 3,000 in case :) ... I'd buy one tho Anthony or somethign similar...quiet, easy to move and the price is reasonable
Allstar ALL78200 Plexus Plastic Cleaner and Protectant - 13 Oz Hay how yall been how WAS mexico. Glad to see ya. This is what I use on glass & plastic even on my solar charger panels STUFF works great. I. 4. 1 miss yall it's just not the same when you just DON'T A video 4 us it's ok. Could you if you have time 2 show us URE RAISED beds I would like 2 build those & how are they holding up. Thank you have a BEAUTIFUL day. Btw can you link another panel wit that 1.?🙂
hey Keith, both of the small panels (Goal Zero) are so old they are discontinued and out of production...I bought them both used off FB or CL....BUT here is a link to their site: www.goalzero.com/ if you find something that you like I HIGHLY recommend looking at used because so many people started camping during Covid and bought a ton of shite which they are now dumping...lots of stuff used once! BTW I will totally do a raised bed video...it's time for an update. Look for it in the next couple weeks.
Keith this is a boring video (I was just getting my feet on the ground) but here is how we filled up the raised beds, using Hugelkulture method....fancy word for saying that i'm cheap and didn't want to fill the whole raised bed with dirt so we started with anything that will rot...logs, limbs, lumber, leaves, compost, stumps. Then I topped it with humanure (from the water treatment department) and then topped that off with good soil..still took a lot but not near as much as it would have...my beds are huge. ua-cam.com/video/4EMyQx3_I5U/v-deo.html
hi Marie, did you plug your phone into the power bank? or directly into the solar panelr? Either way I think it might be the cord you used to plug into the solar bank and phone (or solar panel and phone)...if the cord is broken or wasn't seated correctly, then that would = no charge. Additionally if you plugged directly into the solar panel was the panel open and in full sun ? If you plugged into the power bank, was the bank fully (or partically charged?). The phone I have always charged via the solar panels was a Samsung Galaxy 7 (Edge) and it worked great. I recently upgraded to the Samsung S22 and it works well too.
I don't bother with those small panels anymore, I can get solar panels for cheap, I can get a 250w solar panel for $150, ....how would I transport a stiff solar panel?...I built a rack on my car that I can adapt to anything including a solar panel, I keep spare unirac rails for this purpose...250w can power a 12v pump, I will be testing a similar system on my coop, it will power a pump, lights, fan and USB just incase the chicken menace wants to change a phone lol
I"m so jealous of you! our solar only works for part of the year anyway. Our 5thwheel trailer has large panels and is fully self supporting (except AC and microwave) and we have a large panel solar "generator" e.g. battery bank. BUT Hauling that around with me, on foot, is simply not possible. What will you do if you are on foot? camping? fishing? etc?
@@OldSchoolPrepper I would take my Dewalt power station, but in a SHTF on foot I wouldn't use any power because it would be unsustainable, now if I'm in my car, I would rig up a solar panel on top of my car, I could rig up a small 24v system that could run a small microwave.
I bought this thing and it sucks. It's heavy and does not support any kind of fast charging (tested with a protocol listener). I fully regret my purchase
well, uhhh the weight is posted on the website (Amazon, the company site, whever you purchased it) as well as the description ...so just return it if you dont like it. was that so hard?
Someone sounds like they had a bad day. Disagree completely with this guy, and I've owned several of these compact style solar panels. My phone indicates fast charging when connected to this panel. It's not heavy at all either. The sunjack panel is slightly heavier than some other solar panel's i've owned (by heavier i mean maybe a couple of ounces heavier), but those other panels are no where near as durable or well made.
I'm really late to this one but thanks so much for the recommendation. You actually use the stuff you recommend and that's getting more and more rare these days. I appreciate it.
I actually own 2 of these now and just used one yesterday. One I keep in storage and am still using the original and battery packs. I keep my eyes out for them on sale too.
Really good, genuine ("non-sponsored") review - these are hard to come by nowadays. Ordered one myself and it's working great to charge my phones and power banks. Very durable and feels incredibly well made. Fits nicely in my backpack and doesn't weight much at all. Appreciate the detailed video.
I do own 2 of them now. so far they are lasting very well. I have one with me in Mexico (I live here for 4 months a year) and its taken a lot of beatings, sand, dirt and more. Very happy with it. YOu must be a strong backpacker...I try to be light (not ultralight) so i'd bring one power bank but the whole thing is too much for me. Luxury item for sure!
Great review. I've learned about SunJack recently, they make very durable panels, which is great for longevity.
my power went out yesterday and I charged up a flashlight with the battery bank. Glad to have it on hand
Great review. I’ve looked at these and wondered. Now I know. Might get one when my cash rebuilds. The two small BioLite ones I have are very useful. People overlook small panels but very transportable and recharge lights easily when travelling
Right on, I do like the Biolite for sure...you can always make power. Question...can you put your BL ontop of your woodstove *while it's lit of course) and will it generate power?
I had a small goal zero and a small stiff solar panel that had USB, I gave it to my aunt for emergencies, I prefer stiff solar panels, they will work long term, I know from experience.
@@OldSchoolPrepper not done that. Not sure it wouldn’t melt the casing but in theory it would work
Sunjack I hadn't seen before, I have gotten away from the smaller power banks mostly... just got a new Sherpa 100AC from Goal Zero for portable charging and emergency lighting power... using AC plug in lights (LED) ... I do get curious about how well panels stand up to heat and moisture stress on the panel framing materials, I have a Goal Zero 28 watt discontinued... that I should try glueing back together again, electrically okay... but dash board of truck was rough on glue without stitching...
I do have a couple other small panels of different brands, but they don't mix with my Goal Zero panels... so they get forgotten mostly.
i would definetly try and glue it back together...Goal Zero is a great brand. My older GZ's won't daisy Chain Together simply because they don't have the connects (the plugs) to do it...One does the 2nd older one doesn't.boo!
perhaps you'll find a use for each of the small panels. Like my smallest I really only use to recharge batteries, it's too small for anything else...maybe an Ipod but you get what I mean. Let me know if you make any awesome discoveries.
@@OldSchoolPrepper I have started regluing the 28 watt Goal Zero with a water resistant super glue on the advice of the Goal Zero support people... I liked the Sherpa 100AC power bank enough to get a new version of the Sherpa 100AC which was about $100 more... which has some improved features that I found worth the difference... like control of USB C power flow direction... I recently hooked it up to a Goal Zero Nomad 50 to the Sherpa 100AC via the 8 mm port...
The Nomad 50s I can daisy chain or use a the 4 to1 8 mm adapter ... the adapters can mix the Nomad 50 watt panel with 100 watt panels... this last winter we had a 3 day power outage... my truck has a Goal Zero Yeti 1000x power station in it that I recover with a Nomad 100 most of the time...I used a NuWave Flex induction cooker on the 1000x and cooked meals... I had experimented with the combination before the power outage... so I knew it would work well... the recovery took a couple days due to overcast Puget Sound region of Washington state...
My Goal Zero 1500x has been promoted to running a patio fridge, with a 300 watt Ranger panel... I also used the microwave plugged into it a couple times today...I have seen the Ranger 300 watt panel supply over 200 watts solar input.
I have done a test using a reflector to get a 50 watt Nomad to supply a full 50 watts... a tilted reflector can double the light hitting a panel.
I have a bunch more to test with solar PV cooking.... the limited wattage demand of some cooking methods might allow smaller power stations to cook also.
I have Goal Zero and GoSun panels... part of my issues I have found with panels are the connection compatibility and in one case the wear in heat and water... the Goal Zero 28 watt Nomad was discontinued I think because of glue that held is together didn't hold up as well as the Nomad 20 and Nomad 50 and 100 watt panels, I have the connection adapters for for Goal Zero 8mm and Anderson systems because I charge larger power stations more then power banks... I have the Goal Zero Yeti 1000x and 1500x power stations which I have used to cook meals with... my 1500x is currently supporting a patio fridge with a Goal Zero Ranger 300 watt panel... I have found the Ranger panel and the Yeti 1500x power station a little too heavy for wrestling around much, so they are more or less in place long term, the Ranger in the weather and the Yeti 1500x under cover, but outside on top of the fridge with a way to warm it in sub freezing temperatures... my larger power banks get charged via the power stations... the Yeti 1000x I just reinstalled in my old truck again... it is hooked to 3 Nomad 100 watt panels that are hung off the truck and networked together... I live in Puget Sound Region of Washington state, so weather is a bit overcast... those panels get hung off the truck in whatever weather and have weathered well.... used to use the 50 watt Nomads the same way they also preformed well but they are now in my library window supporting a Yeti 500x power station... for car camping I find the Nomad 100 panels a better size than the Nomad 50 panels, but since the MPPT controller in the Yeti 1500x and 1000x will allow up to 600 watts input I have arrayed the panels together in combinations of a couple hundred watts... I trust the MPPT controllers to not overcharge the power stations...
One reason I share a lot of the detail is the cooking method research I have done with power stations and power banks... the output for cooking can be a bit high in comparison.... the GoSun Fusion solar cooker on power bank power requires a high output DC 12 volt power source that is higher amperage than some of the Goal Zero power stations can output, so converting with an AC power supply to the GoSun 144 or 266 GoSun DC output for the Fusion became necessary to run from the Goal Zero power station with the 10 amp DC output limit... a little complex work around to use the Fusion, which most of the time works good without and electric power... just getting into dark hours is electric power needed... I also have a GoSun electric icebox that ran at fridge temperatures for a year on just the 90 watt solar panel table... the power banks stored the sun to power the ice box set to fridge temperatures... okay... I have a couple of the GoSun 30 watt panels, that with an adaptor can be arrayed to the 8mm Goal Zero panels, but the Goal Zero to GoSun power transfers need to be AC or 60 watt USB C connections... I have used USB C to transfer power my new Goal Zero Sherpa 100AC power banks that are more my tablet/Phone emergency outage lighting power size for less than 100 watts power or even small fans... or my medical tracking watch that needs a charge ever few days. The Sherpa USB is fast charging... the GoSun power banks are okay for their uses... the Goal Zero stuff has it's ranges of usage... found a 7 watt LED AC light that could run for days on the Goal Zero AC power banks, but they wouldn't support cooking wattages...
On power station PV cooking research... we had a 3 day storm power outage... I used Goal Zero Yeti 1000x power station in my truck to cook a meal on hood of my truck with a NuWave Flex induction cooker plugged into the AC port... 600watts and a bit less on the adjustable power setting, mostly battery power that was replaced by the panel array quickly even with some overcast going on... very compatible for the emergency... the patio fridge lasted the full 3 days on solar only... I have done some experiments with Itaki lunch box cookers... they are for cooking single meals... but the wattage levels were under 200 and 300 watts, I could run two of them under 500 watts... not low enough wattage for the AC power banks but good enough for many meals with the power stations... if I wanted to recover a Goal Zero power station like the 1000x in a couple hours I could array 600 watts of solar input... there are tricks to get 50 watts of solar input out of a 50 watt Nomad panel with some overcast with reflectors... tested that because I tend to live under the clouds here.
YOU NEED to start doing some solar video's....like now...you are a wealth of info!
i'm in Oregon, we had a 10 day outtage in 2021...alas it was grey grey grey and out (home made) solar "gerator e.g. batteries" didn't charge up enough. Initally they worked but then it stopped so we had to get an old geni...now we have one which is wired in the garage to certain breakers. In Oregon we can't count on the sun which is a huge bummer
@@lethaleefox6017 Lethalee, are you an Engineer? or Electrition? you know your shite, you really may want to consider starting to do some filming for your channel (maybe you already do under a different name?) just the info you've shown here could be 20 video's! and I bet this is only one of many topics you know about
Thanks for the review now I want to buy one I’ve been looking for good brand for while
I just used it this weekend and still working great.
Good video , thanks for sharing , God bless !
Thanks for watching!
Don't you mean you took it to Mexico and really put it through its pesos?
Good deal, I still haven't invested in one of these. I don't know what I'm waiting on. You figure all the sun I get I'd of been invested in one of these for a while but nay. If only they made a power bank that runs off humidity. I'd never run out of juice
ha ha ha...I had someone mention that their old Goal Zero delam'd due to heat and (I suspect) humidity...that is something for you to worry about. Keep in mind this will charge a ton of things any USB A or C smaller than a laptop but it easily charges Stan's IPad...actually each power bank will fully charge any of our devices 3 x (so far at least) but not a laptop. I'm not sure what you use for your YT channel. We have a homemade solar "geni" e.g. battery bank and it will easily charge all of our large computers and run some machinery. But Oregon is so grey and all we have our Honda 3,000 in case :) ... I'd buy one tho Anthony or somethign similar...quiet, easy to move and the price is reasonable
Very nice unit.
I think so too! I have larger but like this for portability
Allstar ALL78200 Plexus Plastic Cleaner and Protectant - 13 Oz
Hay how yall been how WAS mexico. Glad to see ya. This is what I use on glass & plastic even on my solar charger panels STUFF works great. I. 4. 1 miss yall it's just not the same when you just DON'T A video 4 us it's ok.
Could you if you have time 2 show us URE RAISED beds I would like 2 build those & how are they holding up. Thank you have a BEAUTIFUL day.
Btw can you link another panel wit that 1.?🙂
hey Keith, both of the small panels (Goal Zero) are so old they are discontinued and out of production...I bought them both used off FB or CL....BUT here is a link to their site: www.goalzero.com/
if you find something that you like I HIGHLY recommend looking at used because so many people started camping during Covid and bought a ton of shite which they are now dumping...lots of stuff used once! BTW I will totally do a raised bed video...it's time for an update. Look for it in the next couple weeks.
Keith this is a boring video (I was just getting my feet on the ground) but here is how we filled up the raised beds, using Hugelkulture method....fancy word for saying that i'm cheap and didn't want to fill the whole raised bed with dirt so we started with anything that will rot...logs, limbs, lumber, leaves, compost, stumps. Then I topped it with humanure (from the water treatment department) and then topped that off with good soil..still took a lot but not near as much as it would have...my beds are huge. ua-cam.com/video/4EMyQx3_I5U/v-deo.html
Sunjack 15 watt might be better for the backpackers.
less weight is better for sure.
I plugged my Samsung 9 phone. It was 30%. Came back an hr later. it was 0%. I was wondering if I have to buy a small controller for it. I am in FL.
hi Marie, did you plug your phone into the power bank? or directly into the solar panelr? Either way I think it might be the cord you used to plug into the solar bank and phone (or solar panel and phone)...if the cord is broken or wasn't seated correctly, then that would = no charge. Additionally if you plugged directly into the solar panel was the panel open and in full sun ? If you plugged into the power bank, was the bank fully (or partically charged?). The phone I have always charged via the solar panels was a Samsung Galaxy 7 (Edge) and it worked great. I recently upgraded to the Samsung S22 and it works well too.
I am definitely checking those out
you won't be sorry...I use mine all the time. They are awesome
I don't bother with those small panels anymore, I can get solar panels for cheap, I can get a 250w solar panel for $150, ....how would I transport a stiff solar panel?...I built a rack on my car that I can adapt to anything including a solar panel, I keep spare unirac rails for this purpose...250w can power a 12v pump, I will be testing a similar system on my coop, it will power a pump, lights, fan and USB just incase the chicken menace wants to change a phone lol
I"m so jealous of you! our solar only works for part of the year anyway. Our 5thwheel trailer has large panels and is fully self supporting (except AC and microwave) and we have a large panel solar "generator" e.g. battery bank. BUT Hauling that around with me, on foot, is simply not possible. What will you do if you are on foot? camping? fishing? etc?
@@OldSchoolPrepper I would take my Dewalt power station, but in a SHTF on foot I wouldn't use any power because it would be unsustainable, now if I'm in my car, I would rig up a solar panel on top of my car, I could rig up a small 24v system that could run a small microwave.
I bought this thing and it sucks. It's heavy and does not support any kind of fast charging (tested with a protocol listener). I fully regret my purchase
well, uhhh the weight is posted on the website (Amazon, the company site, whever you purchased it) as well as the description ...so just return it if you dont like it. was that so hard?
Someone sounds like they had a bad day. Disagree completely with this guy, and I've owned several of these compact style solar panels. My phone indicates fast charging when connected to this panel. It's not heavy at all either. The sunjack panel is slightly heavier than some other solar panel's i've owned (by heavier i mean maybe a couple of ounces heavier), but those other panels are no where near as durable or well made.