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Solar charger: Game changer or wasted space?

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Kbierstube

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Time of past OR future Camino
Aug 29 (2017)
I hear that charging electronics can be challenging since there are not enough outlets and because you have to babysit your device to prevent theft.

Has anyone used a solar charger hooked to their pack during the day? If so, how did it work? What solar charging device might you recommend?

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You likely don't need it. I did carry a small battery pack charging thing, never used it in 60 days of travel. That said, I did some sharing of time using an outlet, the phones don't need all night to charge. I had an android and an iPhone with me, neither ever hit the red zone.
 
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Waste of space and weight. I never had trouble finding a place to charge my phone. I also carried a portable battery pack. And if I couldn't be near my phone while it was charging I charged up the portable battery, then charged the phone with that.
 
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Unless your device is actively in use for hours each day, I don't think you need to worry. Truly don't recall any accommodation where electrical outlets aren't available. Pilgrims very willing to share outlets if they are limited. Win Pilgrim of the Day accolades by bringing along a small outlet splitter. I was fairly careless/unconcerned about theft in the smaller places where you might be sharing a room with 8 or 10. Unless someone seemed a bit shifty ( rare because shifty people are too lazy to do things like the Camino) I plugged in then enjoyed my day without guarding it. Call me lucky, call me stupid - never had a problem. If you find yourself in a jam, many cafes have plug ins. Leave your charger at home and carry a fresh bread and a brick of cheese instead
 
On the CF in 2015, I sent my solar charger home - total waste of weight nd space. As others have mentioned, if you are concerned about leaving your phone unattended, bring along a small portable USB battery pack (like 2500 mAh) to charge. Then you charge your phone from it, while in your pocket or under your pillow at night.
 
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Mophie sells a small one (some call them lipstick chargers because of the size) that's only about 65 grams and will fully charge an iPhone.
 
I took a small rechargable power pack with me and used it nearly every day. I had no trouble finding outlets in the hotels/albergues at night, but I used my phone to take all my photos... and to take notes about places... and to check maps... and to look up historical stuff on the internet as I walked, so I'd always run out of juice while I was walking. No plugs there. The type of charger I had could plug into the wall AND my phone at the same time, so I'd charge both at the same time, once I got into the hotel/albergue for the night.

So I'd say, depends how you use your phone. My walking companion didn't use hers while walking, so she charged up every couple of days. BUT, that said, having a (separate) two-pronged usb wall charger WAS very useful, because sometimes we both needed to charge up, and sometimes only one outlet in the hotel room would function, or we needed the other outlet for the room light.
 
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