sCharger-5 Solar Charger

I bought this item specifically for charging USB items from an airplane window. Suntactics does state that you may have less charging ability through a window. This may be due to UV light blockage. So far I have found this true. A window that has strong UV protection does not charge the panel well. However, unprotected windows as many aircraft windows are, let the panels absorb lots of light and thus a strong charge to the USB device. I've used the item to charge a Kindle, palm pilot, and HTC EVO. Charging the EVO worked really well. It charged from red to full green in about 2 hours in an airplane window. I am very pleased with this result. If you have a plug in your airplane seat, then I would use that. Then again, how often do you have one of those?Another good thing, is using this while waiting for a flight. Several Aiports have charging stations, but those can be hard to come by and are normally monopolized by some other passengers. So instead of plug hunting, you can just find a seat near one of those large windows and set up your panel.The item appears pretty durable. I like that it charges directly to the device and not to a cumbersome battery. The Panel folds flat and is lightweight and does not take up much room in my bag.I purchased this on Amazon and it shipped quickly. The panel is a little pricey and will come down eventually if this type of charging becomes more popular. Overall I consider this a good purchase and recommend it for anyone with extra cash and no outlet while on the road, in the air, or outside.

This is a good item, but it really needs CONSTANT and DIRECT sunshine to get that "quick" charge it advertises. It also doesn't seem to like dust. I was attempting to use this on the back of my horse's saddle to charge as we traveled during the trail ride, (it sure looked cool tied to the back of my saddle-everyone commented on my solar powered horse!) but the in and out of tree cover and the kick up of trail dust that settled on the device made this a terrible idea. I was constantly wiping it clean and trying to reposition it on my thigh or wherever I could ensure constant sun. Finally gave up on that idea and tried to do the charging during lunch stops (it didn't do anywhere near a full charge during that 1/2 to 1 hour of direct sun.) I really just wanted enough power in my phone to be able to take some photos on my week long trail ride-I got it, but it was a lot of work to always be on the look out for that perfect patch of direct sunlight and to keep it clean (even a light layer of dust seemed to diminish its ability to take up a charge.)I think if the charge really was "quick" as it advertises, it wouldn't have been such a pain. I am betting technology will be improving quickly as it usually does and some of these problems will resolve. Just not there yet.2/10/14 i took this charger with me to Hawaii and WOW, what a difference! It worked even better than I was told to expect, completely charging my iphone (which was down to less than 20% battery life) in about 45 minutes, and this was about 5pm, so the sunlight wasn't directly overhead. I just propped the panels up at an angle to better collect those rays, and it did a fabulous job! Now, I was at the beach this trip, the panels stayed in one place, and there was no trail dust. I am really happy with the performance...didn't have to go back to the hotelmid day just to charge my phone. Upgraded my rating to 4 stars.

This seems to be a very rugged, simple and efficient little solar charger. It doesn't include a built-in battery--just a regular USB port, an LED that glows when it's producing power, and a printed circuit to regulate the voltage output. The PV panels are not the flexible thin film type that are fairly common in other brands of "backpacker-type" chargers, but the presumably more powerful and efficient rigid wafer-type you might see in residential or commercial applications, or on sailboats or RVs. These wafers are bonded to stiff plastic or fiberglass panels sandwiched in a tough plastic sheet on both sides, which appears to make the whole works pretty much waterproof, with the possible exception of the printed circuit part, although the included brief documentation implies that water will not damage the circuitry--it just tells you to remove the water from the circuitry and dry it out.I put mine in a small drawstring velour cloth bag, along with a small two cell USB AA/AAA battery charger I picked up at WalMart and a selection of USB cables, and threw it in my daypack. Now I'm ready to charge any of my small daily electronic toys, from GPS units to digital cameras to smartphones or MP3 players to MiFi units and mini-tablets like my Samsung Galaxy Player 5.0--basically any small electronic device that charges via regular/mini/micro USB cable. It seems like it would be much more durable than the kind of solar chargers that roll up for storage and transport, and actually weighs less for similar voltage output. It's a bit pricey, and I haven't done a close comparison or analysis of weight/output/durability to cost, but I do feel good about the purchase. Feel like I'm ready for Armageddon, now...or at least a power outtage.