Surviving in the outdoors with Solar power
Surviving in the outdoors with Solar power
People who enjoy heading into the woods for a weekend or few days of camping tend to be the type to look for the most “natural” resources while on their trip. These people usually won’t want a lot of day to day things along for the adventure, but quite often some modern conveniences can come in very handy, and can often prove life saving.
Of course most campers will bring a high-quality tent and sleeping gear, they’ll want some cooking supplies and food stores, but they’ll probably be leaving their PDAs or MP3 players at home. This is a good idea because not only can they distract someone from enjoying the scenery and world around them, but they can become excess weight once their batteries have died. Not all electrical gadgets are useless when camping or hiking however, but there are no solutions for keeping such handy items as GPS units or cellular phones fully charged while out in the woods, right? Thanks to solar technology that is no longer the case.
With a lightweight, foldable solar charger a backpacker or camper can supply their smaller electronic devices with an ample amount of power. This can be great for hikers who want to be sure they are headed the right way (using their GPS) or campers who have run into an emergency situation and use their cellular phones to call for help.
The waterproof and flexible solar panels can even be draped across a backpack where the hiker simply totes their own personal power station on their back as they trek through the woods, fields or paths.
Of course solar electricity is not used just for high-tech equipment, and there are other niceties that solar power supplies to a camper or hiker. There are camp lamps and solar powered lights that can serve for up to twelve hours with one single charge. This eliminates the need to tote the significantly heavier battery powered units and also reduces the chance of being “left in the dark” should batteries die during a hiking or camping trip.
So, emergency communications and accurate mapping and lighting can be supplied through solar electricity. Is there anything else? Actually, one of the most popular items toted around by campers and hikers heading into the woods are solar showers. These are lightweight sacks that can be filled with frigid stream or lake water. The bags are then hung in the sun, and thanks to their special solar properties, can heat up the three or more gallons to an incredibly comfortable temperature. The camper simply opens the nozzle and enjoys their super hot solar shower!
Surviving in the outdoors with Solar power / The Outdoor Guy
Occupation: Eco-Friendly Products Expert
Jonathan Gal is a solar lighting expert and owner of YCA Solar Lights, an organization dedicated to promoting clean, energy efficient outdoor solar lights usage. To find out more about how solar technology is changing the way we live, especially with respect to lighting, you are invited to visit Jonathan’s Solar Lighting site.
http://www.ycasolarlightstore.com