I've been using my homemade solar battery chargers on backpacking trips for 5 or 6 years. This year's solar panel (bottom left) is flexible, lighter, and more efficient. It's working with Beth's lithium camera batteries (for her Canon SLR), and there's also a USB port for, well, for, umm, say, an iPod.
The $35 panel is rated to deliver 200mA at 7.2V. In the backyard it pumps 60-90mA into the battery, which has a capacity of 1400 mAh. The sun's intensity at altitude is significantly higher. We'll carry 2 batteries--One in the camera and the other in the charger while we hike, then switch the next day. Since camera memory is cheap (we'll have 10 GBytes), and since we'll have unlimited solar power, we'll be able to take photos like crazy. And if it's cloudy and rainy the whole trip, who wants to take pictures anyway?
The panel is secured to that part of my pack which fits on top of the main pack. Tuck the battery in the pack, flip the switch, and let the chemical reactions begin.
This blog has been really interesting. Thanks for sharing all the details!
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