Goal Zero Solar Charging Kits at Outdoor Retailer

Heading out into the mountains today means you likely have more gear than ever before and a good portion of that gear probably depends upon electricity in order to function. iPhone, iPod, GPS, DSLR Camera, Headlamp, Video Camera, POW Camera, Water filter,… the list goes on and on these days. Essential gear, some of it. Gear that makes a trip better, all of it. So as Goal Zero say “ Why Ration Passion?”

While we have not yet got our hands on some Goal Zero goodness to test and review we did get a first hand look at their products at the Winter Outdoor Retailer Show in Salt Lake City last January and it looks like they have you covered when it comes to portable power.

(click images for a larger view)

Two Goal Zero products looked best suited to weekend warrior backcountry ski or camping trips (and more) are the Goal Zero Guide 10 Plus Solar Charging Kit and my personal favourite, the Goal Zero Switch 8 Solar Charging Kit.

Each of Goal Zero’s kits come with two products, the solar charger and the recharger. The Goal Zero Guide 10 Plus Solar Charging Kit consists of the Goal Zero Guide 10 Plus Recharger (essentially the rechargeable battery pack) and the Goal Zero Nomad 7 Solar Panel. This combined offering charges a series of AA’s from the sun or any USB port and is able to power up your phone, MP3 player, GPS or give your tablet a 25% boost. In a matter of about 3-6 hours the sun can power 4 AA batteries which you can then charge your gadgets. The Kit retails for $119.95 US and weighs in at 181 grams for the charger and 363 grams for the solar panel.

The slightly less powerful but much lighter and more compact Switch 8 Solar Charging Kit is designed to power all the same gadgets but has a 3.5 Watt output rather than the 7 Watts of the Goal Zero Nomad 7 Solar Panel. The Switch 8 Solar Recharging Kit is designed for those with less power requirements or who simply need to travel fast and light. You can juice up the Switch 8 Recharger in 4 hours via USB or 5-10 hours via the Solar Panel. The retail price for the unit is $99.95 and the Switch 8 charger weighs in at 91 grams while the Nomad 3.5 Solar Panel weighs 227 grams.

Were hoping to get out hands on some of the Goal Zero products in the future so we can put them through some real world testing and report back to you, stay tuned.