New Goal Zero Power Pack for Overlanding

[Butch1979]

Nice! Thanks for the update. So for 24hrs (or indefinite) you would need 2 batteries and the solar panel.

[mmcan]

I have and highly recommend this set-up,...

http://www.goalzero.com/shop/p/66/Ex...-Camp-Kit/1:3/

Got it at a very good price through BlueKangaroos.com
GREAT customer service from Justin, and the system is sweet. Not the cheapest, but it's a nice clean functional package that works. Open the box. Plug in to charge. Run items off the battery and relax.

I will definitely get the Yeti once it's available. According to GZ as of today, the Yeti will be here late spring/early summer.

[mattm01]

Nice! Thanks for the update. So for 24hrs (or indefinite) you would need 2 batteries and the solar panel.

Sorry, that post was from my phone so it was a bit incomplete. That was running JUST off the battery. No Solar anything. At that rate (~ 80 W Hrs / 12 hrs) you'd burn up 160 Whrs in a 24 hr period with NO SOLAR. The Extreme 350 is rated at 350 Whrs so you're just about at 50% (which is about as far as you want to go to preserve battery life. You can go lower, but the lifespan of the battery will suffer). You'll want some sort of solar to replenish.

[Ghostship]

I love GoalZero products, I use the Guide 10 Adventure Kit for kayak expeditions/backpacking. Be aware that their large kits are rated in Watt-hours, as opposed to Amp-hours. So the Extreme Basecamp 350 at 700 WHrs is equivalent to 58 AHrs, which is a little more that half the capacity of a Sears Diehard Platinum Marine Group-31 AGM battery (on sale right now for $252). In addition to a total 58AHrs of battery, you get 120 total Watts of solar panels, a 400W modified (not pure) sinewave inverter, and 4 3-Watt lights...for a retail price of $2120.

You could put together two Group-31's, a ~150W solar panel, a charge controller, a 2000W modified sinewave inverter, some lights and necessary wiring for $2400. This will give you 2400 Watt hours battery storage compared to 700, 20 more Watts per hour of solar charging, and an inverter that will allow the use of power tools and cappuccino machines. Even just one Group-31, a 120W panel, charge controller and ~400Watt inverter will give you more capacity for about a grand.

Then again, I have over $4000 invested in 4 Group-31's, a 175W panel, 400W wind turbine, 2000W Magnum pure sinewave inverter, charge controller, and enough copper wire to make crackheads drool. So whatever works for you.

[Butch1979]

I think I'm going to grab a Group 31 and give this a shot... I already have a 60W solar panel ordered, so I'm going to attempt to build one.

[Ghostship]

I think I'm going to grab a Group 31 and give this a shot... I already have a 60W solar panel ordered, so I'm going to attempt to build one.

Don't forget the charge controller. I recommend this one:
http://www.altestore.com/store/Charg...ntroller/p239/
I bought all my stuff from AltE, highly recommend them too.

[Fireman78]

I recently had a power outage at my house overnight. We plugged in my Extreme 350 and ran the 50qt ARB all night long. Also ran a light for a while too. Only one bar was gone on the charge indicator in the morning. (The 350 would NOT power my full size fridge.) I am pretty impressed how fast we were able recharge the pack with one Boulder 30 panel the next day.

[Xterabl]

Until the next Chinese revolution, everything solar will continue to get cheaper and cheaper (probably have 2-3 years to go; which means 20-30% price reductions from current). Goal-0-$-Left-In-Your-Pocket is pretty much highway robbery for their basic lower end products. Probably 20-50 $ / watt, I guess when going rate for THE SAME CHINES MANUFACTURED CELLS is 5 -10 $/W. Anything connection related can be fixed with basic grade school cutter-stripper-wire nuts knowledge (unless you were never allowed in dad's garage, I guess). Seriously, how can you talk about compatibility issues when you're dealing with a plus and a minus wire (anyone ever done a smidgeon of home AC wiring? Installed a fancy chandelier for the wife??? I mean, wow!, there's even a 3rd wire for that crazy stuff!!!). Seriously, if you're into solar, go buy yourself a $10 DC wiring book and spend 2 hours reading it. Then go browse Ebay and your local hardware store and you can save yourself a half grand or more by making your own. But then, is it worth puking every time you see a Goal-0-Value-Added scam product at your local Lowe's home improvement center???
No offense intended to the folk at Goal 0...but until they explain somewhere why their prices are so high I have to call out this kind of fraud.
JMHO, dudes.

[bluekangaroos]

Save up to 10% for all your Goal Zero gear, check us out at www.bluekangaroos.com and enter the promo code: goal2012

[huskyfargo]

I had a problem running a small lasko fan on my extreme 350. Any suggestions?