Portable Battery Pack With a Solar Panel Small Enough to Hang on a Backpack

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4FuckSnakes@reddit

Solar sucks. I’d look into a portable waterwheel if possible.

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Abbeykats@reddit

A human sized hampster wheel would be equally as effective.

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For backpacks and vehicles, I like multipurpose things. I have the Luci Pro (I prefer the matte/soft light) and the Luci Base Camp (which is bigger) that are both solar lights, have a (small) built-in solar panel so can be strung on the outside of a backpack, and have a USB port to charge other devices as well as as a backup way to charge the Luci light. The solar panel on the Luci is small, so it's nowhere near the efficiency/watts of a dedicated solar panel, but for the weight/space this is perfectly sufficient for us for emergency use.

The string light Luci devices can do the same, but because they have a plastic housing, they are heavier than the inflatable lights.

I will admit that I only ever bought Lucis when they were running a 40-50% off sale. Another similar option is Luminaid - I've never used them, and they seem more expensive, but they may be worth considering/comparing.

We keep some Luci lights in each car, and have many more in the home. Since they can be set upside down and throw light like a lamp, we've had very comfy lighting during power outages.

This year, I bought each of my small children one of the Luci Color Essence devices, which do not have a USB ports. The kids won't be able to get the ports wet accidentally and these ones rotate through different colors. During our last power outage the kids kept playing with the Luci lights anyway, might as well lean in and let them have their own as toys.

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Heck_Spawn@reddit

Like a backpack with a solar panel?
https://www.google.com/search?q=solar+panel+backpack&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8

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RudyGreene@reddit

I just received an EcoFlow hat with built-in solar panels today. It's raining so I haven't had a chance to test it yet, but it should theoretically should get better performance because there are small panels facing in all directions.

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TheCarcissist@reddit

I wouldn't waste your time if you're planning on hiking and charging. You'll never get consistent enough sun to make it worth your while.

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Fit_Acanthisitta_475@reddit

There are a lot small portable panels. 20w foldable panel with powerbank is enough for phones.

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KeyboardSwordsman@reddit (OP)

So I have 2 Baofeng UV5R's, and 4 3.2 volt SureFire 123a batteries that are my main concern for recharging.

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certifiedintelligent@reddit

The 123A batteries will always complicate your preps. I got rid of all my devices requiring them a few years ago.

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KeyboardSwordsman@reddit (OP)

Are you saying this about 123a batteries, or batteries in general

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certifiedintelligent@reddit

The 123A batteries specifically.

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KeyboardSwordsman@reddit (OP)

Can I ask why

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certifiedintelligent@reddit

It's an uncommon format and one more thing that I have to track separately. I've switched to all AAA/AA lights to simplify my battery needs.

Unless it's something really niche, it can probably be done with AA/AAA.

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Fit_Acanthisitta_475@reddit

Something like this will be fine. And always test your equipments with usb power monitor.

https://www.amazon.com/Foxtheon-Sunpower-Portable-Waterproof-Compatible/dp/B0B8FX15KD/ref=mp_s_a_1_30?crid=33M5FY9ZWC65T&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9._YVRLboE6Xag4jz1Sn3NRQBZxYE8PkGtfwvMAjgdJ9dGMbJabt5Cs6PJs4eO4b4t-od5MOp8dOHjCVORAWOpJZSBnZRMwzTIZjfk5xD7CZc6AOwGMkU-ZHGj7qKkt_LjVfEyLikpZD6OFdhD_zCfnl35kLxYgifX4d3kr1rEg1dRBJPylP8MrIyHOhNUuUG-4XoeoU3ymsSXIf0uCZPm5A.oQgrdbhZw564A7difuRmgi_ZFhq84n8ZBNRCBRqgzwM&dib_tag=se&keywords=20w+foldable+solar+panel&qid=1726811766&refinements=p_36%3A-2700%2Cp_72%3A2661618011&rnid=2661617011&sprefix=20w+fold%2Caps%2C182&sr=8-30

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Hot-Profession4091@reddit

Find the guys at your local club doing POTA. They know about portable solar panels/battery banks.

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MrBoondoggles@reddit

Just FYI you really need good sun exposure that will directly hit the solar panel surface at the right angle to get a decent charge. This can be workable depending on your location, the forecast, tree coverage, angle of the solar panel to the sun, time of year, etc. If any of these factors isn’t great, you won’t get much charge. So it reality depends on the scenario. If you’re in a shaded area, out on cloudy day, walking in winter, walking with your backpack facing away from the sun, etc the solar panel won’t do you much good.

Then there is the trade off factor of redundancy vs power. A lot of small panels weigh close to a pound. For that sort of weight, you could instead carry an extra 30000 mAh of Powerbank capacity, which is quite of bit of reserve power.

A good minimalist combo that balances battery capacity and recharge capacity with added weight and bulk would be 2 separate 10000 mAh power banks (under 12 oz for both preferably) plus a small 10 watt solar panel (which can be as minimal as 3 ounces).

20000 mah is decent capacity for more than a week of minimal electronics use (phone, headlamp and flashlight - making sure power is as concerned as possible). The solar panel can provide a small capacity of recharge whenever possible as needed.

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KeyboardSwordsman@reddit (OP)

So I have 2 Baofeng UV5R's and 4 to 6 SureFire 123a rechargeable batteries that I want to be online for as long as humanly possible in very bad situations. So my thought process is to get a good amount of mah and have the solar just as a backup to trickle in power when needed. Now that panel won't last forever but it would be better than being up shit creek without a paddle.

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IGetNakedAtParties@reddit

Not the top comment, but he said everything I was going to say.

A solar panel must be angled at the sun to get decent power, the idea of strapping it to your back and having free juice is just breaking the laws of physics. They advertise them being used like this, but remember the point of the advertising isn't to instruct you about the real properties of the product, it's to make your hand over cash.

UV5R have a 1800mAh @ 7.4V battery good for a day of monitoring a channel with squelch activated. That's 27Wh per day for the pair. Much more power is used when broadcasting or receiving transmissions constantly.

An LED light uses about 1W for 100 lumens, so depending on the brightness and season/latitude one might need about 5 to 10Wh per day for illumination.

A 10,000mAh powerbank at about 200g holds 37Wh so your radios and lights will empty one of these per day.

A 10W solar panel (backpack size) comes in at about 400g, you'll need to be static for the whole day to charge that powerbank back up.

Basically the radios are very hungry. If you want 72h of power then you need 400g of batteries (plus the internal batteries) and no solar. To ride out a weather front make this 800g of batteries. To recharge after 4 cloudy days within 4 sunny days you'll need 800g of solar, now you have juice forever but can only move when it's cloudy and must stop when it is sunny. Plus your hauling 1.6kg or 3½ lbs of fragile tech. For the same weight you can have 8 day's worth of batteries and not need to stop.

At this point it becomes valid to ask how much food you have, if it is less than 8 day's supply then solar makes zero sense.

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KeyboardSwordsman@reddit (OP)

So all this is extremely valid, this isn't something I plan on trying to rely on. I do have a good amount of batteries in my vault that I would use first. This is a, I have no batteries and can't scrounge any how long can I keep these live for. The Eotech and SureFire is less of a hassle than the ham radio's 123a batteries are small and light.

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IGetNakedAtParties@reddit

I don't see the logic. Either have enough Wh of batteries for cloudy days + enough solar Watts to charge in good time, or just forget solar and scale your Wh along with food and consumables for scale. The choice should be dictated by your plans.

If it "isn't something I plan on trying to rely on" then don't pack solar at all. If you want any help deciding how many batteries are enough for X days let me know what specific cells your devices use / charging connections.

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vlad1492@reddit

Don't know if you are using the stock radio batteries.

There are USB-C compatible versions available for the Baofeng radios.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07QXT5Z2R

Might save you carrying a charger and possibly eliminate a loss from DC-DC conversion.

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xmodemlol@reddit

It's all too substantial for a bug-out bag. Maybe a small combo solar phone charger makes more sense.

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GeforcerFX@reddit

I have two Flexsolar 10w panels they are designed to be hooked to a backpack or you can mount them into the sun by handing them. I have them setup to charge my USB AA and AAA battery chargers.

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freddit_foobar@reddit

Really would depend on the amount of gear you're bringing.

Just for a phone over a 3 day weekend, I normally just bring an Anker 10,000mah battery bank.

I recently picked up a 21W folding solar panel and 20000mah battery bank and hope to give them a try within the next month or so during a week-long stint. Would bring cell phone, Baofeng 5RM w/3800mah battery, and a DJI Mini Pro 3 with three batteries.

The folding polar panel is a Marbero 21w that's normally $39.99, but after coupon/discounts was about $19. https://www.amazon.com/s?k=B0CY52JQNL

The battery bank I picked up was an Anker Zolo 20,000mah that's normally $35, but was aa Amazon lightning deal for like $25. https://www.amazon.com/s?k=B0CZ9LH53B

They look good on paper, but hopefully someone more experienced and knowledgeable and give pros and cons of my choice. I was looking for folding solar with enough ooomph to feed a 20,000mah battery bank while feeding drones, handhelds, cell phone, and other power hungry devices all while keep the solar/battery bundle under $100.

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TheSensiblePrepper@reddit

The best option, for what you're asking for, that I have found is Solar Panel and this power bank.

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KeyboardSwordsman@reddit (OP)

This is perfect, thank you for taking the time my friend

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TheSensiblePrepper@reddit

Happy to help.

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silasmoeckel@reddit

Their are slews of backpacking solar panels with built in batteries.

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maimauw867@reddit

Your option will never work, a power bank big enough to have working external solar cells on its surface cannot be carried. There a however are lot of such sold. You need to hang “big” solar panels on the outside of your backpack and connect those with a smaller power bank by usb-c cable.

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KeyboardSwordsman@reddit (OP)

Yeah so that's what I'm looking for, sorry if the wording was taken differently. Essentially a power bank inside the backpack with a cord from the solar panel hanging on my backpack snaking into the bag powering and charging the portable battery bank.

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For $110 now, it was $100 when I bought it. Any portable solar panel will work with it. It charges an iPhone 7 times-ish.

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KeyboardSwordsman@reddit (OP)

That's a crazy amount of mAh's! How large is it?

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MrTreasureHunter@reddit

Maybe 10 inches by 6 inches? It’s small.

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KeyboardSwordsman@reddit (OP)

This is a really great option, I'll highly consider this

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MrTreasureHunter@reddit

I’d probably get this if I wanted solar panels and a battery - but it’s less portable

https://a.co/d/47GSbnP