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Meet your new ally in the fight against British weather. On sale now, the Super Charger is a large weather-resistant solar panel that's designed to power up the Freeloader solar charger in double time.
Since it's "weather resistant", the new 210 x 159mm panel can happily be left outside without being damaged in the sort of rubbish weather we're enjoying today. It also has considerably more powerful solar photovoltaic cells than your average pocket solar charger. It's rated at 1.5 watts to the Solio Magnesium's 0.85, which you'd expect considering the bigger surface area and heft (it weighs 200g).
The extra generating power should top up the Freeloader's battery to full in just four hours, which is twice as fast as the Freeloader can manage on its own. The real bonus here, though, is the fact that you can leave the Super Charger outside. Most solar chargers are not weather proof, and yet putting them behind glass windows slows down the charging speed.
For added practical points, the new solar panel also comes with two buckles and a Velcro strap so you can attach it -- so makers Solar Technology say -- to tents, backpacks and even bicycle panniers. We're expecting to play with a Super Charger later this week, so we'll test it out on the cycle commute to work and let you know the verdict. One thing that'll be interesting to see is how easy it is to run the USB cable from the (water-friendly) solar panel to the (water-hating) battery hub for charging.
This new accessory for the Freeloader comes in fetching pink and shocking green and will set you back £20. It's also available as part of a new bundle called the Globe Trotter (on sale here), which nets you a Freeloader, Freeloader carry case and the Super Charger for a reasonable £50.
The Super Charger attached to a normal satchel bag
On a bicycle pannier rack
... And on a traveller's backpack
04 April 2008 06:26pm
This is great, unless you aren't in the UK and then this is completely useless. Why? They don't deliver outside of the British Isles. Dominion over palm and pine is great, but why does the sun have to set on their delivery trucks?
08 April 2008 05:17pm
Agreed, bummer that Solar Tech won't ship outside UK. You could, however, buy it the Globe Trotter pack from Ethical Superstore (http://www.ethicalsuperstore.com/products/solar-technology/freeloader-globetrotter/) who DO ship outside of the UK.
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