I would recommend not relying on folding panels for the weight and cost they produce very little power. That being said, my daughter has successfully used folding solar panels for multi week tours (last summer it was New Orleans, up the Mississippi, then turn to Pennsylvania and her destination [well, about 100 miles from her destination, the Rohloff hub fell apart near the end of the tour]). Her primary use of the folding panel was to keep her phone, camera, and ipad charged.

I would recommend putting a conventional, flexible (remember flexible means 'flex once') on a trailer. As long as you aren't trying to run a motor, or an electric heater, a single panel will give you all the power you need.

In my daughters case, mentioned above, her needs did not allow a panel on trailer solution as she had to fly with the bike on both ends of the trip. That is why we went with a folding panel opened across her panniers and rack.

Most stupid phones have removable batteries. I'd suggest purchasing a spare so you won't have to go through a battery bank or leave your phone connected to your panel while it is charging.

I'll assume a 2000 mAh capacity. That translates into roughly 10 Wh. You can find small folding panels for under 50$. Expect no more than 50% efficiency. In ideal conditions, you could get a full charge in a little more than two hours.

In my personal experience, conditions are rarely ideal. I was never able to get enough energy to keep my phone running all day using solar power only.

[QUOTE=gauvins;19979691]Most stupid phones have removable batteries. I'd suggest purchasing a spare so you won't have to go through a battery bank or leave your phone connected to your panel while it is charging.

I'll assume a 2000 mAh capacity. That translates into roughly 10 Wh. You can find small folding panels for under 50$. Expect no more than 50% efficiency. In ideal conditions, you could get a full charge in a little more than two hours.

In my personal experience, conditions are rarely ideal. I was never able to get enough energy to keep my phone running all day using solar power only.[/QUOTE]

And there IS my point... Trying to be, anyways. Airplane mode/or turn it off F'k the solar panel, That IS THE "best WAY" TO MAKE YOUR PHONE, Last a week,,. ;) Yes, turn it off... Other than a battery pack, then you "can, maybe", use your phone as much as you want. :thumb: OR.. $$$ big bucks for a solar panel that does actually "put out", enough for you to use your phone as much as you would want/like... ;)

You really do seem to have a burr in your saddle about moderately priced solar panels with this insistence on either frugal power use or expensive technology.

I used a <$100 panel, the battery it came with and sensible power consumption to tour successfully.

I turn my phone off when not using it because it saves power and I don't need it on for nothing but I like to talk to my wife sometimes, check social media and look up route info and stuff. I use a usb bike light on and off the bike and listen to my ipod about 2 hours a night.

I charge the battery during the day and my devices in the evening and could maintain that regime all summer I think if I wanted to.

That doesn't mean I wouldn't use a grid source if it were available but it does eliminate my dependence on it and allows me the freedom not to worry about hooking up to it as part of my planning.

So for <$100 I have power independence on tour in the summer, as well as with other activities I also do. The same could be acheived with a dyno hub as well but would be limited to bicycle specific use.

There's lots of wiggle room in there before expensive solar units are needed.

and.. THAT is precisely my point. :thumb: You chose to do what it took to make it work. ;)

or.. you could have done the same thing and only used the phone a more sensible 5 minutes three times a day and it would last a week without any additional power. :thumb:

or... you can have as much power as you want, but it's going to cost you,$$$, :thumb:

I believe I have said all that more than a few times... ;) So, NO, you don't need a lot of $$$, you need to pick one of those ways of doing it (or anything in between) and it will work, but like you said, for you it's a "sensible" power consumption, for others it would be a "minimal" power consumption, and others it would be a "fail" because they want more use of their devises, so they get extra batteries... or, plug into a wall more often than they want, or a better solar panel for more, $$$ IMO. :innocent:

So.. you have been trying to say that, depending on your power needs, everything from no power generation source to expensive solar arrays, will work.

I'm not sure anyone has disagreed with this idea. We have just been describing how we personally make it happen.

[QUOTE=Happy Feet;19982771]So.. you have been trying to say that, depending on your power needs, everything from no power generation source to expensive solar arrays, will work.

I'm not sure anyone has disagreed with this idea. We have just been describing how we personally make it happen.[/QUOTE]

Just like me saying a more powerful solar panel works for me, and others who said they needed another battery for the next trip would work for them, and you saying everything can be done with a $100 setup... :thumb: So the OP and anyone wanting to get off the grid needs to pick how to accomplish it...:thumb:

Thus my 1 to 5 "choice's". :foo:

Thanks for your honest apraisel of folding solar panels (they may not work good enough, for several reasons) ... :thumb:

and... I suspect she "cut back" her power "demands" to actually make her "folding solar" panel work good enough for her situation... JMO ;)

Thus, my #1 solution would also work for almost anyone, (post 35)... :foo:

[QUOTE=350htrr;19982887]I did not say everything can be done with a $100 set up so please don't put words in my (digital) mouth. What I said was that I have employed an inexpensive multi faceted approach that worked.

What you seem to be implying is that folding solar panels don't work based on your personal power needs. Fair enough. Why not describe the particular panel set up do you use and why.

Suggesting that people limit their electronic use to a few minutes a couple of times a day or invest in an expensive solar array just to avoid a workable solution that others use is ludicrous.

And the excessive emoji thing is distracting. It doesn't add weight to your argument.

[QUOTE=Happy Feet;19984754]Really,? Is that what I am suggesting...? :p

Not at all, what I am saying is be careful about your "expectations" of what folding solar panels can actually provide... Some, maybe even most peoples use, and expectations of lower cost solar panel output probably would not match... In real world use. JMO ;) Thus recommendations like, it sure does work, and work well and did everything I required of it... I "just" had to cut back a bit and use a battery and sensible power consumption to tour successfully... :innocent:

Yes.

But at this point I think you don't even remember what the original question of the thread was or what you are even saying. Someone asks about how to power a phone on a trip and you say turn it off.

And then I reread this:

You are arguing in thread where a guy wants to power a phone and relating the power requirements for an E bike. Yeah, I guess in your special case a folding solar panel might not work. Un f'n believable.

I used to argue that E bike touring discussion should be allowed in the bicycle touring forum but this and several other threads have convinced me that the discussion points really are not the same between the two genres. Whether it's packing way more gear than traditional cyclists by relying on E assist or needing specialized power requirements to basically do what others do manually the perspectives just seem to lead to too wide a gap to cross mutually.

You're power needs are not those of a traditional cycle tourist and should be discussed in a different forum.

WOW, Dude... I am on my third beer, :beer: I suggest you have one two, maybe three to get on the same page... :beer:


The whole reason I made up a 1 to 5 list of what one must/should do/consider to do, is to cover ALL the bases...

Again, I am NOT saying one MUST have a big assed $$$ solar panel to make things work... What I am saying/trying to say is, there is a "price to pay". Either monetarily, or cutting back the use of power... Take your pick, There is no free lunch... :beer:

Yeah.. maybe it was too much to assume that we were discussing power generation needs other than operating E bikes on tour. The OP should have specified that in his initial post.

by "stupid phone" do you mean just a basic chocolate bar phone?
no camera or games or internet or gps etc?
shouldn't require much power, no need to bother with special gear.

buy a couple cheap powerbanks on ebay, charge up once a week
while at library or internet bar or mcdonalds or laundrymat.

search the bay, can also get power banks with solar recharge,
strap to trailer or rack while riding.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/20000mAh-Du...0hzN7EHlF7bg-A

if (electro-)mechanically inclined, they got DIY kits with cases,
you can add internal batteries yourself.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/10000mAh-Po...VJA7YLWLpc9MRA

https://solsolhat.com/products/the-p...ar-charger-hat

https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/10...g?v=1491508575

Ha, Ha,... You know what I would expect from that...? about 1 minute extra time on my phone per day... "if" I was feeling "lucky"... :foo: :thumb: Ha, Ha, Ha... Funny...

WOW, Dude, I guess you don't drink beer... :innocent: What is it that you do NOT seem to understand about the 5 choices I have outlined to provide ALL the OP answers to ALL his questions, and hopefully others... ;)

Done with the troll.

OK, :rolleyes: Troll, :rolleyes: Well now. The only reason I am in this thread is to help people, well, "to try and help" people with questions like this... ;) With their "choices"... What would work, Well now, that would depend on... How much power you "need", How much power you can collect. and how much power you can do without,.. Yes, a $100 solar "folding" panel with a battery, "can actually work", and even work well, :thumb: but, that depends on how much power you "need/want to use/or are willing to go without", and,... how much power you can collect... Two, And I mean two, totally different measurement's/needs... IN the south, In the middle, In the north of the world... :innocent: After all, we don't all live, and ride, in, lets say... Hawaii... or some place like that ?

Nomad 7 Plus Solar Panel | | Goal Zero
I use a small folding solar panel. More than enough to charge my dumb phone and lights, (little night riding.) The new version is lighter.



We all suffer through the alcoholism of another.
When ,no if you sober up, tell us how to keep an e bike charged on tour. We are all getting older and may need one sooner than later.

drinking with a computer is drinking alone

This is uncalled for. There's no need to suggest someone is an alcoholic and tell them to sober up before posting.

Thank you... I will now leave this thread... Others can post their experience and the more varied the better. JMO.

This is my approach. You can leave a powerbank plugged in a lot of places without anyone noticing or taking interest in it. I had a solar panel too - but didn't use it as the powerbank approach did great for my phone and GPS.

What did they think of your power bank at the airport?