[JHUrbina]

I realize I am pasting on some construction paper wings with wax and flying a bit close to the sun myself, but is anybody using any of these solutions on anything white watery? I sense there is a way to do it without impaling myself or shattering it. Bimini and Solar Panel Mounts by Better Mounts

 

[upacreek]

I'd skip that Ica-risk entirely and go with these flexible new PERC solar panels from Renogy. They got a pretty rocking BF sale right now on 50AH 12V lithium batteries as well.

 

[MT4Runner]

Tough thing about solar is that you can’t have any small shadows on the panel from other gear or a strap, without losing a lot of efficiency. So they would need to be mounted up high which brings some of its own risks.

And quite often we are on the river during peak solar, otherwise charging it in camp might be a good option.


And I’m not sure I would want to be on a river where I could consistently generate wind power.

IMHO your money would be best spent buying a power dense battery

 

[BenSlaughter]

What is your goal for power production?

I've got a fold up solar panel and battery packs that can keep me in(excessive) cell phone use pretty non stop when I'm in the mountains.
Charge the batteries with solar during the day, plenty to spare thru the night(even in the winter) with several stormy days in a row, things start to get iffy.
My panels are several years old. Not water proof.
I know there are far better ones available, now.

 

[Electric-Mayhem]

There are probably better and more reliable options now... but 3 or 4 years ago I spent a lot of time looking for a electrical production system that was worthwhile and always come back to it being better to just bring another battery bank with you rather then spend time and money on a solar or wind or whatever solution. I've had a few different solar systems and they are always finicky and unreliable. I think a wind or water based solution would be too variable and finicky as well.

Honestly....just bring a car battery or one of the Renogy, Jackery, or other "battery generators" and call it good. So far, I've been pretty good with 3-4 large USB battery banks. Anything I need to charge on a trip uses USB... and those are easy to carry and last through even a 23 day Grand Canyon trip. I haven't throw down on one of the big "generators" yet...but may in the future. A few seem to be able to handle even high amperage duty.

I guess my main goal with this stuff is not be having mess around with it all the time. I'd rather focus my attention on enjoying the trip and the people I am with.

p.s.

IMHO.... stay away from anything Goal Zero sells. There are cheaper better options out there. I've had nothing but bad experiences with their stuff.

 

[BenSlaughter]

Another option to consider, if you have cordless tools...

14-18V ADP05 Power Source 2 USB Ports Charger with 3-in-1 USB Cable for Makita LXT Series Rechargeable Lithium ion Battery Adapter - - Amazon.com

14-18V ADP05 Power Source 2 USB Ports Charger with 3-in-1 USB Cable for Makita LXT Series Rechargeable Lithium ion Battery Adapter - - Amazon.com

www.amazon.com

I's have to think DeFault, Milwaukee, Rigid have similar...

 

[Roseldo]

I’ve had really good success with Anker battery packs. My wife is an ultra endurance bike racer and uses them to keep lights and navigation stuff charged for riding through the night. She tends to be really hard on gear, and they’ve held up great.

 

[JHUrbina]

Currently (not amping it up), I have Rockpals 2 ea 100 W monocrystalline foldable panels, an Epever Triron 20 A MPPT controller able to manage multiple different battery types, and ability to charge the 500 W Rockpals Power Station, to hook up the panels to make a 200 W array. I see a variety of trickle chargers out there, Missouri Wind and Solar US made turbines, and sense I need to stop shitting my pants and just get a few AGM batteries to manage my electricity needs. CPAP of course and I now have the ResMed Air Mini (3A). I would like to be able to charge a Røde microphone, a small gimbal, more than one GoPro and multiple iPhones as well as an iPad and a laptop to facilitate video editing capability in the field, and if possible, power an Engel portable fridge. Yes I would like to run some small kitchen appliances but not many, but I think that is over the top (sparrow tongue in beef cheek). I do have 8 USB A ports with this set up. I sense adding two more panels to the mix is one answer, although while looking at small (ocean worthy) sailing set ups, wind in camp is a viable consideration just haven’t engineered it. I agree solar fails, battery arrays more solid (70% of predicted Ah capacity).

 

[tcook]

I realize I am pasting on some construction paper wings with wax and flying a bit close to the sun myself, but is anybody using any of these solutions on anything white watery? I sense there is a way to do it without impaling myself or shattering it. Bimini and Solar Panel Mounts by Better Mounts

To be clear, I just have wide interests. The solar panel mounts are definitely NOT intended to be used with bimini mounts on whitewater rafts. I use and recommend the solar mounts for flat or gently curved surfaces like vans, RVs, shipping containers, etc. I would also suggest that having a permanent bimini with solar on it is a safety hazard on many more exciting river trips.

I have spent most of my career in the battery industry however, creating lithium batteries for ships, formula 1, satellites, and many things in-between. I have also done significant solar work, and can say with some certainty that most river rafters will be far better off with a lithium power bank than any kind of energy generating equipment. The exception would be for heavy use on very long trips. If you were to make a solar bimini, I can recommend the better mounts bimini mounts as being up to the task.

Cheers,

-Thomas

 

[Electric-Mayhem]

Someone brought a huge car battery and, I believe, a 60w solar charger on my 2021 Grand trip to power his CPAP. Turns out, it only lasted 8-10 days out of 18 and the two hours of decent sun we had while we were at camp each day wasn't enough to make any kind of serious dent charging that battery. Maybe if you could have it set up all day, had reliable sun, and baby sat the panels all day making sure they were pointed the right way it would have added a bit of charge, but that isn't realisitcly possilbe and just is not a reliable way to do things on a river trip. So far I haven't found anything that is beyond bringing a gas generator output along which isn't even allowed on most river trips. Maybe a outboard motor with an alternator and a 12v output if its allowed. Even then, you are gonna have to run it a while to charge the battery.... probably overnight.

A big battery works great for a shorter trip...but getting a CPAP to keep working on a longer trip sounds like a chore and maybe impossible. Probably worth it, but still a chore. For those "I'm gonna die if I don't have it" items... you really have to plan ahead and bring a lot of capacity. Maybe talk to Thomas here and have him or someone like him make you a big ole battery pack just for that purpose.

 

[JHUrbina]

A big battery works great for a shorter trip...but getting a CPAP to keep working on a longer trip sounds like a chore and maybe impossible. Probably worth it, but still a chore. For those "I'm gonna die if I don't have it" items... you really have to plan ahead and bring a lot of capacity. Maybe talk to Thomas here and have him or someone like him make you a big ole battery pack just for that purpose.

I have yet to be successful on three attempts so far. You are correct on all your points.

Although the likelihood of dying is low for me, the problem is choking while you sleep and not getting enough oxygen to your brain and heart intermittently. There is an implanted system that would be better suited for this purpose, although I don’t really want an indwelling device in my body or an elective procedure.

The Water Lily is a novelty item, although I have looked at other designs used on small farms for the same purpose. Silt there as well as tether lengths and changes with tides in camp or deeper rocks on the water make this foolish. A trickle charger is good to keep a battery topped up while not in use, but not more than that. The 200 W array did charge gs rapidly 1 hour) and shows promise to top things off. A low budget grade B LiFePO4 low budget battery with battery management system, all calibrated is something I have considered, although I know that the cost remains prohibitive. I still sense that marine solutions remain viable, and in my heart know it is to buy a couple of AGM car batteries and ride with my current set up to see how it goes next time.

 

[Montet202]

Another option to consider, if you have cordless tools...

14-18V ADP05 Power Source 2 USB Ports Charger with 3-in-1 USB Cable for Makita LXT Series Rechargeable Lithium ion Battery Adapter - - Amazon.com

14-18V ADP05 Power Source 2 USB Ports Charger with 3-in-1 USB Cable for Makita LXT Series Rechargeable Lithium ion Battery Adapter - - Amazon.com

www.amazon.com

I's have to think DeFault, Milwaukee, Rigid have similar...

I’d love this option, but haven’t figured out how to charge them off my solar panel. Anyone figure this out, yet?

 

[BenSlaughter]

I’d love this option, but haven’t figured out how to charge them off my solar panel. Anyone figure this out, yet?

I haven't looked lately, but if memory serves, Makita didn't offer a 12v charger option for their batteries. I thiiink DeFault does.

 

[JHUrbina]

I’d love this option, but haven’t figured out how to charge them off my solar panel. Anyone figure this out, yet?

Seems like you are taking a DC battery in the form of a power station, using a sine inverter to make an AC 120 V outlet, to charge the 18 V battery this sits on. Seems like the power station itself would make this obsolete unless you had a lot of 18 V Makita batteries fully charged and they held their charge

From the issue of your panel. All panels need a charge controller. Goal Zero embeds this in their product so you can’t just use any setup. PWM power controllers are cheaper and use less energy in the system than MPPT controllers which have more flexibility with charging other batteries. My MPPT controller has two USB A ports to charge from

 

[MT4Runner]

Currently (not amping it up), I have Rockpals 2 ea 100 W monocrystalline foldable panels, an Epever Triron 20 A MPPT controller able to manage multiple different battery types, and ability to charge the 500 W Rockpals Power Station, to hook up the panels to make a 200 W array. I see a variety of trickle chargers out there, Missouri Wind and Solar US made turbines, and sense I need to stop shitting my pants and just get a few AGM batteries to manage my electricity needs. CPAP of course and I now have the ResMed Air Mini (3A). I would like to be able to charge a Røde microphone, a small gimbal, more than one GoPro and multiple iPhones as well as an iPad and a laptop to facilitate video editing capability in the field, and if possible, power an Engel portable fridge. Yes I would like to run some small kitchen appliances but not many, but I think that is over the top (sparrow tongue in beef cheek). I do have 8 USB A ports with this set up. I sense adding two more panels to the mix is one answer, although while looking at small (ocean worthy) sailing set ups, wind in camp is a viable consideration just haven’t engineered it. I agree solar fails, battery arrays more solid (70% of predicted Ah capacity).

You need a snout with an alternator on the motor

 

[JHUrbina]

You need a snout with an alternator on the motor

Designing a JPW El Tigre snout riff. Agree with this assessment. Other option if all boaters agree is to use a low decibel generator to blow up rigs in the morning. Doubt this is a viable option. A curved piece of fiberglass with a thin plastic core, might hold some Sunpower/Renogy type flexible panels and fit over the top of whatever gear is underneath and wouldn’t shatter. This is today’s idea

 

[Electric-Mayhem]

I personally wouldn't want even the quietest gas generator to be going for very long, if at all, at camp. They aren't allowed on most of the rivers you'd need them on either. I think the only real option for a gas powered charger would be to do a motorized trip with a outboard that has an alternator and just hook it up to that every couple days while you are running down the river.

I get apnea if I sleep on my back but don't think I do if I sleep on my side or belly so I don't know a ton about devices to subvert apnea. So, I looked up alternatives to CPAP last night. Sounds like there are a few passive devices that are available and might be worth giving a try. One option is an EPAP and is a passive device that basically goes in your nose and has little valves that maintain pressure to reduce apnea... here is one of I'm sure several options for EPAPs ... New CPAP Alternative for Sleep Apnea Sufferers - EPAP Therapy

There are oral fixtures that keep your tongue in place and other passive options too. I know a CPAP has really helped my dad, so totally understand relying on them and really wanting something that can work for you on wilderness trips.

 

[JHUrbina]

I personally wouldn't want even the quietest gas generator to be going for very long, if at all, at camp. They aren't allowed on most of the rivers you'd need them on either. I think the only real option for a gas powered charger would be to do a motorized trip with a outboard that has an alternator and just hook it up to that every couple days while you are running down the river.

I get apnea if I sleep on my back but don't think I do if I sleep on my side or belly so I don't know a ton about devices to subvert apnea. So, I looked up alternatives to CPAP last night. Sounds like there are a few passive devices that are available and might be worth giving a try. One option is an EPAP and is a passive device that basically goes in your nose and has little valves that maintain pressure to reduce apnea... here is one of I'm sure several options for EPAPs ... New CPAP Alternative for Sleep Apnea Sufferers - EPAP Therapy

This is what I offer my patients, and can be seen advertised on TV. Inspire Sleep Apnea Innovation - Obstructive Sleep Apnea Treatment . For sure it works. Upper-Airway Stimulation for Obstructive Sleep Apnea | NEJM. I don't want to make noise, and want to tread lightly on others with my electronics/energy such that it doesn't intrude into their escape from the modern world. Just want to film a movie, and have a good night's sleep more than that and keep my current weather and low stress communication solution (Garmin InReach/Zoleo solution...Somewear Designs) charged as well as my camera. I don't usually do music.

 

[Endopotential]

That Inspire device is intriguing. An implantable tongue stimulator? I'd hate to see what a patient would look like if that battery goes into fibrillation mode

Not sure about overall applicability as median BMI 28 in that study (healthy is under 26). A lot of sleep apnea sufferers are unfortunately more gravitationally gifted than that.
I could also imagine that getting electrical shocks throughout the night can't be that comfortable. AHI reduction doesn't necessarily translate to restful slumber. If you can't sleep, you don't get sleep apnea.

There used to be an implantable diaphragm stimulator for the much rarer cases of central sleep apnea.
For you river rats out there interested in geeking out on water-related Greek mythology, look up Ondine's Curse.

 

[JHUrbina]

That Inspire device is intriguing. An implantable tongue stimulator? I'd hate to see what a patient would look like if that battery goes into fibrillation mode

Not sure about overall applicability as median BMI 28 in that study (healthy is under 26). A lot of sleep apnea sufferers are unfortunately more gravitationally gifted than that.
I could also imagine that getting electrical shocks throughout the night can't be that comfortable. AHI reduction doesn't necessarily translate to restful slumber. If you can't sleep, you don't get sleep apnea.

There used to be an implantable diaphragm stimulator for the much rarer cases of central sleep apnea.
For you river rats out there interested in geeking out on water-related Greek mythology, look up Ondine's Curse.

The Inspire website does say you can get it if "you are not significantly obese," and per your eagle eye, it appears the upper limits of the BMI studied was about 31 kg/m2. I still believe I can get more than 5-6 nights of solid sack time, especially since I got the lower amperage draw travel CPAP as the many on the other FB pages I haunt said I had to do. I have been beta testing and improving this for almost a decade