User Review: Goal Zero Guide 10 Plus Mobile Kit

When out on the trail and attached to your pack, don't expect the system to catch any sun rays. For the most part, at best, your back, with the system attached to your pack, will only be directly in the sun, at best, 50% of the time... simple probability... changing direction, trees, canyons, etc. The system requires direct sunlight and will not charge well with intermittent sun. Also, my camera cord was attached to the battery pack system on a particular hike, ideally charging the camera battery as I hiked... not only did it not charge the battery at all but by the end of the hike the cord became permanently damaged due to the constant movement of the cord end attached to the Guide 10 system. The first time I used the system was a day long hike in southern AZ where, as you may know, has very little obstruction, for example, no trees. The system, attached to the top/back of my back didn't come in direct contact with the sun to really catch a charge. I used the system twice more, both on a backpacking trip in the Grand Canyon. Again, no obstructions between the system and the sun but the system did not function well until the system was removed from the pack and allowed to sit in direct, uninterrupted sunlight for several hours. My advice... pack it away until you get to base camp and unfold the unit in direct sunlight for several hours to charge the battery pack. Or... As I do now, due to the weight of the Goal Zero, carry several extra camera/gps/phone/etc. batteries which will all probably weigh less and require less space than the Goal Zero. Don't get me wrong, it's a fantastic piece of gear for base camp that really does work but it is heavy and requires attention. If your trip is a week or less, consider carrying additional batteries proprietary to your particular electronic equipment. It's not the greenest way to go but there is a weight and space savings... hope this helps.

I agree with most of what you are saying. I would also like to see additional improvements to the system. (mostly weight related) They use mono-crystalline panels so that is about the best you can get - I do not think it is fair to blame GoalZero for panels working far from optimally while hiking. (I find best results are to lay out the panel in unobstructed sun during breaks, but I believe you CAN charge the Guide 10 power pack while hiking at sub-optimal rate and then use the power pack to "jump start" other devices at night. I consider it a "luxury" item and not part of "ultra-light" approach. But I have multiple electronic gizmos I plan to actively use. MP3 player, android tablet as GPS, external speakers, headlamps, etc.

Hi, Roadkill, I'm curious. How long/far have you actually hiked with this system attached to your pack to believe that it can work? I'm a great believe in being candid and, in my experience, it does not perform as some may expect, I expected. Once Goal Zero make those changes to the system you're expecting then maybe it will work. I do not think people should be led astray. The system works fine at base camp while in direct sunlight. While hiking, it did not absorb enough sunlight to even minimally charge the uncharged battery pack. I wish the facts were different.

I have so far had good results with laying the panel out to charge up the Guide 10 power pack. I have had POOR results trying to charge DIRECTLY from solar panel to device needing to be charged without the battery pack to function as a buffer. I hope to be able to give better feedback after an extended backpacking trip with limited ability to lay panel out for several hrs.

This review is not quite correct in a few respects: First the GZ panel used in the Guide10+ "Mobile" kit is the smaller Nomad 3.5, not the Nomad 7. Reading the specs for the "Guide10+ Mobile Kit", we see for the Nomad 3.5 panel a max of 3Watts when using the special solar cable, and 2.5Watts using the USB port. By the numbers, this will take the system approx 6 'peak-sun-hours' to fully charge a depleted set of AA batteries (which in real terms means at best 2 days). If you read the specs on the nomad 7 panel used in the "Guide10+ Adventure Kit", it is actually only able to output max 6 Watts when using the special solar cable for the Guide10+, and a max of 3Wats via the 12V socket, and 2.5Watts via the USB port. The comment made above in regards to solar efficiency while hiking (tree cover, orientation towards the sun, etc) is exactly right. The Goal Zero product line was designed around crystalline solar cells and is best suited to direct sunlight & the locations that provide it (Africa, southwest USA, etc). If you are mountain trekking, or think direct sunlight exposure for any reasonable length of time each day is going to be a challenge, then you are better off with a thin-film solar panel like Powerfilm or Global Solar/Brunton. Plus these weigh a lot less than the Goal Zero panels. Hope that helps... I do portable power system consulting if anyone needs assistance.