solar charger

[Vett]

After not being able to charge my phone after the blackout from the hurricane I am thinking of getting a solar charger for my iPhone and iPad any recommendations not to expensive

 

[giradman]

After not being able to charge my phone after the blackout from the hurricane I am thinking of getting a solar charger for my iPhone and iPad any recommendations not to expensive

Hi Vett - in Piedmont, NC we get occasional power outages that will last from minutes to many hours, rarely going into a day or so. To keep my modem/router going, I have an APC UPS w/ an acid-lead battery and several other acid-lead battery backups which will keep us going for at least 6-8 hrs, and provide a means of charging our iDevices; also, have a bunch of Li-Ion tool batteries which provide charging. However, if the outage is more that 8 hrs or so, I'm 'done for'!

We have natural gas and I almost invested in a gas generator but the cost was $10,000+ to power most of the house (could go for a lesser powered generator but then no HVAC and limited lighting) - so some more options to consider. As to 'solar power', I've not looked into the options (especially during a storm when the sun is not shining) - but out of curiosity, I did a little googling - this LINK looked promising, but not sure of the efficacy of these 'small' solar chargers vs. just buying some acid-lead battery backups?

Will be interested in the responses - Dave