The Opteka SP-14W is a useful item to have on an extended camping or hiking excursion. It allows you to charge many USB chargeable devices and is able to provide 5V and up to 2.2A under ideal conditions.
The solar charger measures 9.5 x 7" and is about 1" thick. It weighs 1lb 9oz and is constructed of what seems to be a nylon fabric. It's pretty handy to have when in the backcountry. Although it weights well over a pound, carrying that weight can be justified because of the usefulness of the solar charger. Instead of carrying heavy battery packs to recharge your USB powered devices, this solar charger may be all you need. As long as you've got sun, you've got power!
When unfolder, it measures 34" in length. The combined output of the 4 panels produces up to 2.2A at 5V... this is equivalent to battery packs and AC USB chargers and in my testing the charging times, in ideal sun conditions, are as good as either a battery pack or AC charger.
When the solar charger is unfolded, you'll see a pocket at one end that contains a permanently attached short cable with a female USB port at the end. There is also a coiled USB cable that extends to a maximum of about 28" and has a receiver on the end to accept either a MicroUSB tip or Apple 30-pin connector tip (both of which are included.) You can also use your own USB cable if need be.
Under very overcast skies, no charging may occur. And if you are under heavy tree cover, little or no charging is likely as well. You really need unobstructed sun for optimal performance and anything less than optimal will impact the amount of power that can be output by the solar panels.
The loops around the edge of the case are designed to let you drape this around your backpack so that you can get some charging done while hiking. They can also just be used to hand the charger in whatever position you need to hang it in order to captuer as much sunlight as possible. I think I would like to see some sort of retractable stand on the back of one of the solar panels to more easily allow you to have the panels tipped towards the sun when on a solid surface.
This really works and quite will in ideal conditions. Obviously if there is no sun, you'll get no power. So you may want to bring along a battery pack as well... that way you've got some reserve power in case there is no sun and if you use up your battery pack, you can recharge it with the solar charger when the sun eventually shows up.
I was provided a sample for review.
Review from Mr Erb.Thanks for watching.
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