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  • Solar power products

    Anyone use any goal zero products while camping?

  • #2
    Re: Solar power products

    I have been curious about these as well.

    Comment


    • #3
      Re: Solar power products

      Nah, I don't need that fancy stuff.
      2018: Any way the wind blows; doesn't really matter to me....Too Meee....

      Comment


      • #4
        Re: Solar power products

        I'm big on solar power, so I think it's natural that I've seen their products in browsing online. They obviously have their fans, so they must be selling well. All I see are overpriced components in slick looking enclosures. Their solar generators are pretty much nothing more than smallish AGM batteries* and an inverter in an enclosure with a bunch of buttons and jacks. Take the Yeti 400 as an example. It sells for around $450. It has a 33 amp/hour battery that can be bought for around $75. A Wagan 400 watt Pure sine inverter sells for around $130. Add maybe $20-30 for jacks and cables and you're set - all at well under the GZ price. The same goes for their solar panels - there are better and cheaper options out there.

        Then again, and after having said all that, if you like things neat and tidy (I don't care about such things too much as long as it works), AND you have the money, I'd say go for it. They are compact and nice looking!

        *They have jumped into the world of lithium batteries in some of their larger models, but lithium deep cycle prices haven't dropped in years and are insanely priced!
        Last edited by MacGyver; 01-22-2018, 11:33 PM.

        Comment


        • #5
          Re: Solar power products

          I agree with MacG; I think my 35 AH batter with 80 watt inverter cost less than $100...For the price of the GZ yeti 400 you could get this, and 100 wats of Renogy panels although I wouldn't consider them back packable... DIY and save!



          Enjoy!
          Last edited by Happy Joe; 01-23-2018, 09:52 AM.
          2006 Jeep Rubicon, TJ; 4.11 gears, 31" tires, 4:1 transfer case, lockers in both axles
          For DD & "civilized" camping; 2003 Ford explorer sport, 4wd; ARB & torsen diffs, 4.10 gears, 32" MTs.
          Ground tents work best for me, so far.
          Experience along with properly set up 4WD will get you to & through places (on existing, approved 4WD trails) that 4WD, alone, can't get to.

          Comment


          • #6
            Re: Solar power products

            You all are right. With Goal zero you are paying for the convenience. That being said, I bought a goal zero(yeti 400) a couple of years ago on amazon as a gold box deal. I take it along on camping trips to recharge my phone and since i like to listen to music while at the campsite, it keeps my bose bluetooth charged. had a reservation last summer at janes island state park in southern Maryland on the eastern shore during a heat wave. No air movement. Took a fan that i plugged in the yeti 400. only saving grace. i also have a goal zero mini lighthouse lantern. very well thought out. the mini lantern has almost replaced my coleman propane lantern.Their site has a lot of cool things for off grid use.I get it. Its not for everyone. I love the simplicity of camping, but i also like things that can enhance the experience

            Comment


            • #7
              Re: Solar power products

              However you do it; I highly recommend a source of electricity and LED lighting (with tunes) while camping!
              (Anxiously waiting for this $70 battery to need replacement (going on 5 years old) and for Lithium technology to become better developed/more widespread so I can get more power in a smaller, lighter package.. at a semi reasonable cost).
              https://www.harborfreight.com/12-vol...ery-68680.html

              Enjoy!

              Click image for larger version

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              Last edited by Happy Joe; 01-26-2018, 09:09 AM.
              2006 Jeep Rubicon, TJ; 4.11 gears, 31" tires, 4:1 transfer case, lockers in both axles
              For DD & "civilized" camping; 2003 Ford explorer sport, 4wd; ARB & torsen diffs, 4.10 gears, 32" MTs.
              Ground tents work best for me, so far.
              Experience along with properly set up 4WD will get you to & through places (on existing, approved 4WD trails) that 4WD, alone, can't get to.

              Comment


              • #8
                Re: Solar power products

                Originally posted by Happy Joe View Post
                Anxiously waiting for this $70 battery to need replacement (going on 5 years old) and for Lithium technology to become better developed/more widespread so I can get more power in a smaller, lighter package.. at a semi reasonable cost
                Don't hold your breath. I would love to get a hold of a few deep cycles - both for camping and my canoe. 28 pounds vs 70 pounds? It'd be great! But I've been checking lithium battery sites for a few years now, waiting for the prices to drop and they haven't moved much at all. I would have thought by now, with the car industry battery prices dropping some that it would have affected the deep cycle prices. Nope! I'm still seeing 100 amp deep cycles sitting around the $1000-1200 range just like they were three plus years ago. When I hit the lottery, I'll be all over 'em.

                Comment


                • #9
                  Re: Solar power products

                  Yeah... 'Though I am seeing used/scrapyard Toyota Prius batteries going for $600 to $800 (very slowly coming down)... so far the recharger and inverter options are small (and pricy, also).
                  Have to wait until folks start wrecking Teslas, I guess.

                  Enjoy!
                  Last edited by Happy Joe; 01-27-2018, 08:46 AM.
                  2006 Jeep Rubicon, TJ; 4.11 gears, 31" tires, 4:1 transfer case, lockers in both axles
                  For DD & "civilized" camping; 2003 Ford explorer sport, 4wd; ARB & torsen diffs, 4.10 gears, 32" MTs.
                  Ground tents work best for me, so far.
                  Experience along with properly set up 4WD will get you to & through places (on existing, approved 4WD trails) that 4WD, alone, can't get to.

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    Re: Solar power products

                    The problem with electric car batteries is that they're somewhere in the neighborhood of 300 volts. So, you'd either have to be able to tear the cells apart to reconfigure them into 12 or 24 volts, or have some way to knock the voltage down for use with inverters and other 12 and 24 volt gizmos.

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      Re: Solar power products

                      Yep!... some are semi modular, however and the cells/cell subassemblies, can be taken out/disassembled, and used to build different voltage/AH batteries... One of the biggest concerns, apparently, is to make sure that they are individually fused and have a diode for each cell.. and to find a battery management system(s) BMS, (some have a BMS for each cell/cell sub system, often with a LED indicator) that will work acceptably... not as cut and dried as a lead-acid 12 volt battery (also care needs to be exercised to assemble the battery system with each cell/cell sub assembly, individually fully charged).... from what I gather... After they get common enough that I can accumulate the parts for a battery that approximates 12 or 24 volts, at a reasonable price; I will learn more/experiment.

                      Enjoy!
                      Last edited by Happy Joe; 01-28-2018, 10:21 AM.
                      2006 Jeep Rubicon, TJ; 4.11 gears, 31" tires, 4:1 transfer case, lockers in both axles
                      For DD & "civilized" camping; 2003 Ford explorer sport, 4wd; ARB & torsen diffs, 4.10 gears, 32" MTs.
                      Ground tents work best for me, so far.
                      Experience along with properly set up 4WD will get you to & through places (on existing, approved 4WD trails) that 4WD, alone, can't get to.

                      Comment


                      • #12
                        Re: Solar power products

                        I'll be the first to admit that I've gotten into projects that are beyond my abilities, but that's how you learn new things. Or least that's how I've done it. But I don't see me breaking down a lithium array any time soon. Even when I consider buying batteries for my trolling motors, I wonder about the ability of the companies making them to make them safe. I've heard the horror stories about short circuits and explosions due to defective battery management systems. Supposedly, when lithium ignites, it's next to impossible to put out. NOT exactly what you want to deal with at all, much less on a boat. What I still can't understand though, is why the prices for commercially made batteries haven't dropped much at all in the last five or so years. A few new companies have popped up recently, but their prices are all withing a few dollars of each other.

                        Comment


                        • #13
                          Re: Solar power products

                          I understand your concerns. Indeed, I try to avoid lithium batteries as far as possible, however I figure that a BMS and a fuse at each cell/subassembly is probably enough to keep it relatively safe.
                          I've dealt with the possibly of lead acid battery explosions for most of my life (in snow country, and especially field welding with batteries) so I/m not al that worried.
                          As far as fire I figure that the fear of lawsuits at Toyota or other major companies that I may locate batteries from will keep the engineering on the semi paranoid side; as long as I use good engineering & assembly practices the finished item should be safe enough....
                          As you likely know lithium is not all that common so we may be up against supply controlled or intentional shortage pricing, especially with Tesla ramping up vehicle production. I figure that prices will probably stay relatively high until the market is close to saturated with eclectic vehicles or 5 years after a better battery design becomes common.

                          Enjoy!
                          Last edited by Happy Joe; 01-29-2018, 08:03 AM.
                          2006 Jeep Rubicon, TJ; 4.11 gears, 31" tires, 4:1 transfer case, lockers in both axles
                          For DD & "civilized" camping; 2003 Ford explorer sport, 4wd; ARB & torsen diffs, 4.10 gears, 32" MTs.
                          Ground tents work best for me, so far.
                          Experience along with properly set up 4WD will get you to & through places (on existing, approved 4WD trails) that 4WD, alone, can't get to.

                          Comment


                          • #14
                            Re: Solar power products

                            It's funny you mention better designs. I'm already seeing different lithium chemistries here and there. Lithium-ion, Lithium Cobalt Oxide, Lithium Manganese Oxide to name a few. Makes me wonder even more why the older mixes aren't dropping in price.

                            Comment


                            • #15
                              Re: Solar power products

                              I really couldn't say, one reason is that there might me too much going on too quickly right now with so many "new" manufacturers trying to get into electric vehicles, wile trying to minimize risk by using semi-mature technologies.

                              Enjoy!
                              2006 Jeep Rubicon, TJ; 4.11 gears, 31" tires, 4:1 transfer case, lockers in both axles
                              For DD & "civilized" camping; 2003 Ford explorer sport, 4wd; ARB & torsen diffs, 4.10 gears, 32" MTs.
                              Ground tents work best for me, so far.
                              Experience along with properly set up 4WD will get you to & through places (on existing, approved 4WD trails) that 4WD, alone, can't get to.

                              Comment

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