The Solar Panel: Goal Zero 42005 Sherpa 50 Silver/Black Solar Recharging Kit with Inverter
There are many solar devices out there and that we’ve reviewed on this site. You may find two types of devices so far that recharge your electronics: smaller solar panels that charge smaller devices or big panels that can run basecamps. The Goal Zero 42005 Sherpa 50 Silver/Black Solar Recharging Kit with Inverter is the perfect in between!
Best Uses
The Goal Zero 42005 Sherpa 50 Silver/Black Solar Recharging Kit with Inverter is designed as a complete kit that will allow you to charge anything from a phone to a laptop. Some of the smaller solar panels that I’ve reviewed are only capable of charging USB charged devices like phones, cameras and mp3 players. The Goal Zero 42005 Sherpa 50 Silver/Black Solar Recharging Kit with Inverter takes it to the next level and is capable of charging laptops, tablets and eReaders like Kindles.
It really does come with everything that you’re going to need to get going and, unlike some other devices that I’ve reviewed, it also has the ability to charge from the wall, not just the sun.
Specifications
Features:
The fully charged Sherpa 50 recharger will give you:
- 15+ recharges of an MP3 player
- 7 recharges of a smartphone
- 2 recharges for tablets
- 1 recharge for laptops
Other Details:
- 10.5”x9.2”x2.8”
- 3 pounds
- Charge the Sherpa 50 in 2-3 hours from wall, or 4-6 hours from car, or 5-10 hours from the included
- Nomad 13 solar panel
- Sample run times: laptops 1-3 hours, tablets 15 plus hours
- Included bolt-on inverter converts Sherpa 50 into a wall plug
- Compact, lightweight and rugged design
- Includes Sherpa 50, Nomad 13, 110 Volt bolt-on inverter, and wall charger
Price
Are you ready for some sticker shock? The Goal Zero 42005 Sherpa 50 Silver/Black Solar Recharging Kit with Inverter is probably a sizable investment depending on what else you’ve been looking at. It lists for $509.99 but I found it for as low as $397.97 on Amazon.com
Goal Zero 42005 Sherpa 50 Silver/Black Solar Recharging Kit with Inverter Reviews
The Good
There is a lot of great buzz about The Goal Zero 42005 Sherpa 50 Silver/Black Solar Recharging Kit with Inverter. Most people really seem to love this kit and one reviewer who biked across the country used it as his sole source of energy except for a few times when there was bad weather for days in a row.
Most people love how compact and well designed the kit is. The solar panel and the battery are both decently sized and make for great items to bring along on camping trips and outdoor excursions (note that it isn’t water/weatherproof though, but a plastic bag will solve that).
People even report that it is capable of charging on cloudy days (rainy days are different, but on somewhat cloudy days you should get something out of it if not a total charge). If you need to rely on the sun, you’ll be fine, but if you want to charge out of a wall, or even your car, before you set out for the trip, you can do that too.
Others also note how easy The Goal Zero 42005 Sherpa 50 Silver/Black Solar Recharging Kit with Inverter is to use and anyone can figure it out very quickly.
Bad
Not too much out there in the “cons” department. There does seem to be some question of specific devices charging differently (i.e. one reviewer noted his Samsung devices were having a hard time), but that seems to be pretty isolated.
One reviewer reported that the battery melted, but after some more time and research realized that it was the generation 1 battery. This is at least the generation 2 and Goal Zero has fixed that issue.
Other reviewers have noted that their The Goal Zero 42005 Sherpa 50 Silver/Black Solar Recharging Kit with Inverter appears to be a repackaged/resell product. That’s definitely a bummer, but again, it seems like that is a limited experience.
Recommendation
The Goal Zero 42005 Sherpa 50 Silver/Black Solar Recharging Kit with Inverter is definitely a bit pricier than other devices out there, but you’re paying for something that can charge bigger devices like laptops. If that’s what you need, go for The Goal Zero 42005 Sherpa 50 Silver/Black Solar Recharging Kit with Inverter and don’t try your luck with smaller kits/solar panels that only claim to be able to charge cellphones and the like.