And the Gear Review Winter Rap Up number 3 is…
Goal Zero Adventure 10 Kit
There is one clear reason why I am able to be in and work in the mountains 300+ days a year, without stress, – the Smartphone. In Switzerland and the Alps, there is high speed 3G most everywhere, the Alps are an extension of my office. But, I need power. As a result of all this, technology is part of our gear quiver.
Over the winter we had an assignment in Kosovo for one week of backcountry skiing. I decided to finally get a little solar set up to keep us up and running. Goal Zero is the brand I kept hearing about and a friend’s PR Firm here in Switzerland works with them. I mentioned my needs and an Adventure 10 showed up on my doorstep.
A solar kit provides the obvious, but the Goal Zero system offers me something I never knew I needed, yet use more than anything. A rechargeable battery I can carry with me to recharge my phone or iPad. It isn’t just the solar system I use, but so too the battery all by itself. It can be charged either through the solar panel or a USB wall charger – then taken along to top off my phone should I need it, which for a two day mountain trip I often do. And, being regular rechargeable AA’s, I can carry additional AA’s to charge all sorts of things, or feed charged AA’s into the USB power pack.
The Goal Zero Adventure 10 battery in relation to an iPhone 5
The solar panel itself charges the battery to 100% in a few hours, and we found it isn’t much slower in cloudy conditions as long as some sun is getting through. The whole set up is super compact and light enough to carry. On a full charge, the battery will power up my iPhone about two full times, an iPad much less, to about 50% from dead. The AA’s can be pulled from the power pack for use in a Bluetooth keyboard, a flash, a GPS or any other AA powered unit. All this is ideal for the traveling photographer, writer, or anyone needing their devices while off the grid.
Goal Zero’s products are superb, the company is almost Apple-esque when you look at what is offered, from modular accessories to massive power units. Simple, efficient, high quality and extremely well thought out designs for a huge range of needs. This fall when we head back to Nepal on a climbing expedition, without a doubt a larger Goal Zero unit will be along for power.
Visit Goal Zero for complete info.
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