Sunlinq solar charger

The backpacking trip is 4 days away. It will be the most I’ve walked since breaking my foot in June.  The going will be slower than my usual 4-5 miles an hour but perhaps there is a more divine reason I have found myself in this predicament.  There were 5 one week trips scheduled for this summer, all solo, and had to give up all journeys but this one.  Ironically,  this one is on the least traveled trail per SEKI (Sequoia Kings Canyon) personnel and that this is the one my friend, Jamie planned to  trek with me.   My hope was to write a specialized book this summer however will have to now wait to complete it until next year. 

As usual, my backpack has been repacked several times and each time more is eliminated..  Food is now on the radar.  Is it all really necessary?  Experience has shown me that less is consumed than expected.  The first 24-48 hours is normal however after that consumption seems to decline.  To quote my mother, “my eyes are bigger than my stomach”.  I have reduced my pack to a weight of 28 pounds including food one week of food.  My luxury items are my iPod, loaded with audiobooks, folding solar panel and my digital dictation machine.  The dictation device is necessary to my completing a novel that has been spinning around my head for two years and is now half drafted.

To charge up my headlamp and IPod, the Sunlinq 6.5 watt folding solar charger has been my close companion for the last five years and has performed excellent each year.  I can’t say enough about this unit. The unit I have been hauling around has probably charged items for over 1000 hours and  has taken abuse both in and out of the pack and is only beginning to show some signs of damage to some of the panels. It weighs 10.5oz and can be purchased for about $80.00.  For that you get a 12V vehicle power plug, 12V power outlet, 18" battery clamps, 4" barrel connector and an 8' extension cable.   Items can be powered items directly off the device or to a power pack, usually only taking a few hours to do so. For the weight this is a must have if you have items that need recharging.

Gotta love the power of the sun