Gear testing the Solio Classic

Last Christmas I received $100 cash as a gift, so I ran right out to see what new piece of gear I could apply it to. After shopping around for a bit I discovered the Solio Classic USB solar charging system for $50. Even better, it seems the store was clearing them out to make room for the Solio Classic 2 models, reducing them even further to $39.93, that's good enough for me so I grabbed it. But the awesome deal didn't stop there! By the time I was checked out it rang up at $29.99!

Since then it has sat, un-seen & un-used. None of our trips, hiking or camping have been long enough or even far enough to justify carrying the weight of a solar charger..........We would either have plenty of power on our cells for the trip or the car charger was close by.

It's not incredibly heavy to carry at 5.6 oz but it's all relative to what you want to use it for. My hope was for it to be a back-up charge for my cellphone in case of an emergency in a back-country location where help may not be so close, or to peruse social media and post updates. I've heard of the Spot locator, but no social media and I wasn't yet ready to pay a subscription fee, so the Classic was a great option.

Finally we took a camping trip to Bumpkin Island in Boston Harbor, now this will be primitive camping! No water. No electricity. No problem! The Solio Classic contains a battery which can be charged by PC or wall jack. I fully charged it before leaving home so when we needed it, it would be ready. Once we arrived on the island I promptly set it up in the full sun as directed and kept re-adjusting it as the sun moved across the sky.

(Note: clouds, haze, fog, shadows etc. effect its charging ability)

Today was a full, bright & hot sun, perfect for a gear test. The next morning after our first day on the island, our phones began running low. Cai was first in line to charge her cell, she got the best charge. I allowed her to charge from the battery until 10am because the sun is best from 10 am -2 pm and I wanted to start re-charging the battery again. The first charge brought her phone from 30% back up to 80% and that was without the battery fully draining due to my interruption. I repeated the process of charging the battery again but the 2nd day skies were not as clear or bright, none the less, the solio re-charged and was able to bring my cell back from 20% to 80% completely emptying the Solio. 

I was happy! It did exactly what I was hoping for! The next time I head out into the back-country where power is a problem I'll definitely take the Solio along.

What do you think?