So I purchased the Outdoor model about 3 months ago. Specifications: Battery: 3.7V LiPo Internal Battery (non-replaceable) Power: 2 Small Solar Panels Weight: 3.75oz Size: 5" round x 3/4" tall (compressed) Size: 5" round x 4.5" tall (inflated) Lumens: 65 peak Waterproof: Yes (even floats) Advertised Battery Life: 12 hours on bright (lowest setting). 7 hours on super bright (highest setting). Price (MSRP): $14.95 Outdoor Model $24.95 Aura Model. (They do make a couple other models which I haven't used yet). When I first saw this inflatable (yes you blow it up like a beach ball), I was quite curious. I've used several other camp lanterns, but nothing like this. The lantern body is made of a thick PVC rubber material which gives it a good quality feel and doesn't make you think it could pop at any second. The Outdoor model is a clear PVC the Aura is a "frosted" coated PVC. It packs up very flat and weighs in at 3.75oz (slightly less than the 4oz as advertised by MPowerd). It can be blown up with one breath so time and effort is very minimal. It charges to 100% from a dead battery in 8 hours in good sunlight, which is pretty awesome considering the size. I tested the battery life on the brightest setting and it got a little over 7 hours so I figured it was unnecessary to test the lower setting battery life. The lighting area the lanterns offer is pretty decent. They advertise a "10ft² (1m²) lighting area" which is conservative as I could easily get more especially if you are able to hang it up from a tree or stand. The Luci Outdoor Lantern has 3 settings: Bright, Super Bright & Beacon. The Lantern also has two handles, one on each end which makes it easy to hang from your pack to charge or string up for better lighting. The lights worked perfectly fine after spending a night in the rain. I let them sit out the rest of the day and fully charge. Zero issues afterwards.
In my opinion these are honestly great little lights! Great for car camping, backpacking, emergency use, fishing, hunting, anywhere you need extra light! I even bought the Luci Aura model for my kids (the Aura model had 7 different colored lights) and they love it! One thing I would like to mention is that the company MPowerd has a program which gets discounted lanterns to those in poverty struck nations, especially those with no power grid. This gives those families more usable work hours in a day and gives them a safer feeling at night. Link to light: https://www.mpowerd.com/products
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I've had several of the smaller/compact solar setups over the years including the Powertraveller Powermonkey and Brunton Freedom charger. I typically keep the smaller size kits in my day pack / get home bag and will sometimes get packed for a backpacking trip if I'm trying to keep the weight minimal. This kit typically gets used for charging my phone, flashlight or camera in normal use. You can use the panel to directly charge any USB powered device as long as you have sunlight. The Goal Zero Switch 8 kit is very basic and simple to use. It comes with their Nomad 3.5 solar panel (which is only available in this kit and not sold separately), Switch 8 power pack and a USB cable. The whole kit weighs is at 12.25oz / 350grams. The Nomad 3.5 is durable and weather resistant (mist is okay but wouldn't leave it in the rain). Like most of the other Goal Zero panels, they are chainable which means you can connect up to 4 of their panels together for more power. The panel opens up for easy free standing use or has several quality loops for hanging from a pack to allow you to charge stuff on the move. The panel has a built in storage pouch on the back where you can keep the Switch 8 or a phone you are charging. The Switch 8 power pack is a round aluminum/plastic cylinder (fancy battery) with built in USB 2.0 Male (for charging it) and a USB 2.0 female (for charging from it). It has 4 blue LED lights to indicate power capacity (1LED = 25%, 2LED 50%, 3LED 75%, 4LED 100% Power). It holds 8Wh/2200mah worth of power, which isn't a ton of power, about enough to charge my cell phone. All in all, its a great kit. It's not the cheapest system around by far (expect to pay $90-$100 new), but it is absolutely above average in quality, usability and features. I'm happy I picked it up and replaced my other panels with this model.
Please let me know if you have any questions and thanks for checking it out! First off I would like to say I've never been a huge "watch guy" - By this I mean I've worn watches since I was 10 or so but mostly just cheap Timex or Casio models. I always thought it was crazy to spend more than $25 on a watch.
Having said that, I love gadgets and cool stuff so I wanted to try a new watch... I've had the Suunto Core Military ABC (Altimeter, Barometer, Compass) Watch for over 16 months now. This watch has served me very well and proven to take a decent beating. I wear it as an every day item and not just for being outdoors. The user interface is very easy to learn on. I spend several nights in bed just messing with the settings and learned how to use all the features quickly. The Suunto Core has a great list of functions including: Basic watch, altimeter, barometer, digital compass, dual time, sunrise & sunset, temperature, logging altitude, stop watch, alarm, storm alarm, depth meter, back-light. Everything on my Core functioned as it was supposed to. I occasionally had to reset the altitude manually but not in excess. The depth meter was the one thing I didn't really use much. I played around with it in the pool and it functioned for the few feet I used it for. It's very easy to use tho. All you have to do is go into the "elevation & barometer" screen and the "sub screen" on the bottom and you can select the depth meter. The screen display is clean and easy to read. The durability is very good (I managed to put a micro scratch in display face when I was working on a car)... I hit the face of this watch on everything from ammo cans, the ground, car parts, walls, etc. Held up very well over the 16 months. Pros: Comfortable, user friendly, very functional with many options, user replaceable battery, great customer support, rugged. Cons: Pricey for a watch (but you do get a lot in it), the rubber strap broke at about 10 months after getting it (Suunto replaced it free of charge tho), made in China... Yea that's about all I have against it. I would suggest this watch if you are looking for a good watch with extra functions. It's hard to beat the quality. Being from a law enforcement family, my dad was always using radios on and off duty. He sparked my interest in electronics and radios as a kid. Recently I've come across a variety of lower price point radios which offer some great features even compared to some of the nicer iCom and Motorola models at a significant discount. In the past couple years, I've used a few including the Puxing 888K, baofeng (pofung) UV5R, UV5RA, BF-F8+ and recently the newest BF-F8HP. After having used all of those models (based on function, price and user friendly-ness) I suggest the Baofeng BF-F8+ or BF-F8HP. Please, If you buy one of these radios, make sure to follow FCC rules and regulations. Get the licensing required for the frequencies you use when applicable. Having used these for awhile I highly suggest getting the program. Most are free and available for download, you just need to buy the cable to hook it up to your computer. Some programs are super easy to use and allow you to get your radio going how you want in very little time. What makes these radios appealing? - Cost starting around $35 - Dual Band. UHF (ultra high frequency) & VHF (very high frequency) - User programmable in field or via USB to computer (which is much easier) - Power. 4watt output on most models. The newest BF8-HP offers a whopping 8watt output. - Size and weight. These are compact (shorter than most phones but several times thicker) and weight around 8ozs. What are they good for? - Group or family outings. You can use them like your typical FRS or GMRS radio but with much better results and range. Keep in mind, GMRS is regulated by the FCC and you are required to obtain a license to use those frequencies. Also most channels including the FRS frequencies are regulated by the FCC and will have power (wattage) restrictions. - Emergencies. Have friends or family near by but need a way to talk when power or phone lines are down? These will work great. - Backpacking. Some areas will have GMRS repeaters for CERT (Community Emergency Response Team), SAR (Search And Rescue), REACT (Radio Emergency Associated Communication Teams). These repeaters can offer some great range/coverage and are often in areas where cell phones do not work. - Off duty LEOs. Some departments allow you to take your radio home, others don't. Figure if you don't have one with you or atleast available, for the $35 being able to get ahold of dispatch (and other officers) on the radio is quicker than on you phone. - Great radio to start with for someone looking to getting your HAM Radio License. Specifications (BF-F8+ specs shown):
65-108MHz (FM Receive only) 136-174MHZ 400-520MHZ Channels: 128 Stability: ±2.5ppm Antenna: High Gain, Dual Band Antenna Impedance: 50Ω Operating Voltage: DC 7.4V Modes: Simplex or semi-duplex Antenna: SMA-Female Accessory Plug: Kenwood Weight: 250g (including battery, antenna) Power adapter: Input: AC100V, 50-60Hz; Output: DC10V/500mA; Plug Type: US Output power: 5W / 1W (Max 5W) Modulation Mode: 16kΦF3E / 11kΦF3E Maximum deviation: 5kHz(Wide) / 2.5kHz(Narrow) Spurious Radiation: 7μW Current: ≤1.6A(5W) CTCSS/DCS deviation: 0.5±0.1kHz(Wide) 0.3±0.1kHz(Narrow) Intermediation sensitivity: 8-12mv Intermediation distortion: ≤10% [BELOW] Here is a quick comparison of several of the models. LEFT: Baofeng BF-F8+ with standard antenna MIDDLE: Baofeng BF-F8+ with Nagoya NA-771 antenna RIGHT: Baofeng BF-F8HP with standard antanna |
Tactical-BushcrafterI'm an avid outdoorsman who enjoys a good mix of primitive bushcrafting skills and modern tactical gear and survival equipment. Archives
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