Cool, Portable, Solar iPhone Charger for Your Hiking, Backpacking, Outdoor Adventure! Product Review: StrongVolt 7W Solar Charger

Charging my phone during PB&J lunch break...

Ok, so let’s face the facts that we all – well, most of us – are packing our screens, our phones which are also our still and video cameras, with us on our adventures these days. The occasional, healthy: I’M LEAVING IT AT HOME happens sometimes. But, really, the phones are coming with us.

So here’s a cool, portable way to get a re-charge for our phones courtesy of the sun rays of Mother Nature as we’re eating our bologna or PB&J sandwich from the top of the peak we’ve climbed that morning. 

A 11.5 ounce solar charger complete with grommet holes so we can hang it from any willing backpack or tent or tree to get to that sun and re-charge the batteries so we can have enough power to catch the video of the giant bear chasing us down the hill to be posted on YouTube and get a million hits the next day…

So I took my charger for a test-spin yesterday with a completely de-charged iPhone and it took @ 4.5 hours to charge fully with me needing to re-plug it in a few times to get the charge going again as it stopped a few times. This was with the new iOS 7 software. I tested it again again with my son’s iTouch and it also took @ 4.5 hours with a few re-plugs in with the old Apple software. Their site say it should take @ 2.5 hours, and no doubt they've done more exact testing as it's important to note i was definitely not noticing right-away that the charge had stopped -- i am a busy mama! -- so very likely 10s and 10s of minutes were added to the actual charge time that i got. But, note, if you're not sitting next to it, it can stop charging and needs a re-plug.

I did notice that the charging starts immediately, as soon as i even just walked into sunlight i got a "bweep!" from my phone, so even a quick lunch break in the sun will give us more juice.

Overall, I am impressed and LOVE that Ma Nature is powering this thing. And i LOVE that I can get a re-charge in the middle of a canoe trip down the Colorado river, on a camel’s back on the Sahara, or from the top of Everest if I ever get there. (Ok, slight exaggeration maybe on the last two, but are they???)

They’re $59.99 at StrongVolt. Easy to use. Relatively light and compact - the 4 solar panels fold up like a long wallet. Check it out, do your homework, avid adventurers, & think green!

Nope, I was not paid for this post but I was provided the product by the retailer free of cost for the purpose of review & product testing. Any opinions expressed are my own & follow the taste and spirit of Outdoorsy Mama completely. Cheers!

Namaste & Three Cheers! – OM

For more info, check out:

StrongVolt for more detailed info on the product

What it's like to ride camels through the Sahara

StrongVolt Facebook for more chatty info

How to survive a wild animal attack (like a bear running down a hill in Yosemite)