Green Planet Living

While reading a recent article about some hikers that became lost in Alaska’s Denali National Park, I was amazed that a fading cell phone saved their life. Rescuers were able to locate them based on their weak cell phone signal.

In their case, they were lucky that the battery held out. I bet they were wishing that they had included a portable solar charger in their gear that day. With today’s vast array of electronic gadgets on our body at all times, more people are finding it helpful (and lifesaving) to add a tiny solar charger to their bag for just such occasions.

I remember many years ago thinking how cool portable solar chargers were and wanted to add one to my outdoor gear, in case my car battery died or I wanted to write an article on my laptop in the middle of nowhere (like a beach!). The were expensive, rigid and too bulky and heavy to add to my gear list.

Portable Solar Chargers are Inexpensive and Essential

Today, the major manufacturers of portable solar chargers have re-designed them into small, stylish and folding power centers that you can take anywhere. Because the price of solar cells has dropped, you can have a portable solar charger for a minimal price (for the small ones).

Backcountry adventures are not the only place that a portable solar charger can be essential. It is easy to run your cell phone or iPod batteries down during an afternoon at the ball park. If you can’t get to an electrical outlet or your car charger, your portable solar charger will keep your devices going all day.

Being Prepared in the Outdoors Can Save Your Life

Being an outdoor enthuisast, I am looking forward to buying a larger portable solar charger and keeping it in my emergency kit for those unexpected times when my battery runs out and there is no one around for a jump start. This is a case of convenience.

In the case of life-threatening scenerios, I think that a portable solar charger can make the difference. As with the Alaskan hikers, I have now come to depend on my cell phone as a critical piece of outdoor essential gear. The one weak point is the battery - so having a portable solar charger in my pack gives me peace of mind that I always have my number one mode of communication working for emergencies.

If you like to be prepared, like I do - a portable solar charger is the new essential accessory to add to your purse, pack or car.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, June 25th, 2008 at 12:37 pm and is filed under Solar Accessories, Solar Chargers. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.