Reviews > Electronic Devices > Solar Chargers > Exponent Flex 5 System with Batt Pak > Stephanie Martin > Long Term Report

Long Term  Report: ICP Solar Exponent Flex 5 and Batt Pak

Details in this Long Term Report are intended to be taken in addition to findings as listed in my Initial Report and Field Report.

Contents
- Long Term Product Use and Performance
    - Exponent Flex 5
    - Batt Pak
- Summary

Long Term Product Use and Performance
As I mention in my Field Report, the best application for this pair of products, for me anyway, is to charge batteries by combining the solar power provided by the Flex 5 along with another power source.  I personally don't use any electronic devices while hiking that use batteries other than AA or AAA variety.  In addition, I don't carry enough electronic devices with me to justify the weight of the setup - it's a lighter solution for me to just carry spare batteries while I'm out in the field.

Coleman Exponent Flex 5:
During the Long Term test period, I've primarily used the Exponent Flex 5 both in my vehicles and while on extended trips and day hikes.  I did continue to try to attach it to my various packs and shelters with limited success - with many of the same issues as noted in my Field Report - the largest of which is that I found it challenging to satisfactorily attach the Flex 5 to my pack or shelter while ensuring that it was constantly receiving the amount of sunlight required to function.  While I have taken good care of the Flex 5, I haven't been overly protective of it, and I am pleased to report that after six months, it still shows no wear, and appears as good as new. 

With the large amounts of rain that hit the desert southwest this past year, I was able to observe the Flex 5 in inclement conditions by placing the Flex 5 outside to see how it would handle the weather.  With the Flex 5 folded and sitting out all by its lonesome self, the rain quickly wet the material, but did not seem to seep inside the folded Flex 5 unit at all.  When opened, the Flex 5 solar panels shed water, but all fabric areas quickly wet through.  During this weather test, I was sure to close the connector cap on the Flex 5 unit, and it passed the test nicely and appeared to be watertight.  I should comment that leaving the Flex 5 open and only secured by two points in moderate to high winds is not such a good idea as it tends to catch the wind and flap about annoyingly. 

Due to my continued difficulties in satisfactorily affixing the Exponent Flex 5 panels to my various packs (or shelters, not to mention that I rarely have my shelter set up for much time during the daylight hours) combined with my discoveries in my Field Testing (regarding the importance of full sun exposure on the panels in order to be effective) along with the 5W max power output of the Flex 5 panels, the majority of my continued testing has been limited to recharging my AA and AAA size NiMH batteries in my car while I'm off perusing other activities.  In this application, I find the Exponent Flex 5 to be a handy asset indeed, and it minimized the number of spare batteries I had to pack for my hiking road trips.  Luckily, I was blessed with good weather during my various trips when I used the Flex 5 - if I had been hit with a streak of overcast or rainy days, I would have potentially run into a battery shortage if I had to rely solely on power provided by the Flex 5 to recharge them. 

A kind reader contacted me regarding my Field Test findings asking me why I would bother using solar panels to recharge batteries when I can just connect the Batt Pak to my car's 12V source.  A very good question indeed.  I don't know about other vehicles, but neither of my automobiles allow for power to be drawn from the 12V source unless the key is inserted and the car is left "on" in the accessory position (or while the engine is actually running).  I don't know about the rest of you, but I am not comfortable leaving my car unattended with the keys sitting in the ignition, nor am I comfortable letting the car's battery be drained for long periods of time without the engine running - I figure if I can kill my car's battery by leaving the trunk open (and therefore the trunk light on), then I'd be better off not trying to charge a bunch of batteries in the Batt Pak off my car without the engine running.
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iSun Batt Pak:
During the long term test period, I've continued to use the Batt Pak to recharge various AA NiMH batteries.  I've used it in conjunction with the Exponent Flex 5 solar panels, as well as with the AC wall adapter and also with the DC adapter plugged into my car.  While I verified that I could indeed use the Batt Pak as a power source by plugging in my car lighter adapter for my portable CD player, I continue to struggle with the Batt Pak's use in this manner.  The reason I struggle with the use of the Batt Pak as a power source is because I simply don't have any portable electronics in the power range provided by a fully loaded Batt Pak that don't accept AA or AAA batteries - so for me, it makes more sense to just change out the batteries in these devices rather than hook them up to the Batt Pak via the Car Lighter Adapter attachment.

The Batt Pak, like the Flex 5, has also continued to hold up well during the long term test period, and only sports a few scuff marks on the translucent lid.  The hinge and latch still function fine, as do all of the individual battery slots.  While the Batt Pak does work, I still find it takes a long time to charge batteries, though the convenience it provides in charging batteries while on a road trip is very much appreciated.  In order to charge batteries while I'm on a long road trip, I use a combination of solar power from the Flex 5 and power drawn from my vehicle while traveling between stopping points.  At home, I find it faster to use my four-battery rapid charger to recharge my batteries.
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Summary: Woo Hoo's and Boo Hoo's  
I really am glad to have had the opportunity to test out a portable (and environmentally clean!) power source.  While it does not make sense to me to carry it along on backpacking and hiking trips, it has proven to be quite useful to have in my car to charge batteries while I'm off exploring.  I'm glad to see the progress that portable green power has made, and look forward to seeing the technology continue to improve.  With that said, here are my "Woo Hoo's" (likes) and my "Boo Hoo's" (some room for improvement).

- Woo Hoo: I like the idea of having a clean and renewable power source at my fingertips
- Woo Hoo: I like the fact that the Batt Pak remains cool during charging
- General Comment: Five Watts really isn't that much power, however ICP does make other portable solar panels that have higher power output available.
- General Comment: It takes quite a long time to charge batteries using the Batt Pak regardless of quantity of batteries or power source used.  This is especially the case when charging higher capacity batteries, as I was (1650 mAh or 1800 mAh depending on brand).  
- General Comment: Personally, I found attaching the Flex 5 to my packs and shelters can sometimes be difficult due to the length of the panels and the lack of places on my packs or shelters to hold it in place.
- Boo Hoo: the weight to power ratio of the combined Flex 5 and Batt Pak system just doesn't make sense for short backpacking trips - it's the equivalent of carrying 21 AA batteries!
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My thanks to BackpackGearTest.org and ICP Solar Technologies for this opportunity to test out a renewable energy technology.

Reviews > Electronic Devices > Solar Chargers > Exponent Flex 5 System with Batt Pak > Stephanie Martin > Long Term Report