Three Solar Chargers on a Mountain

The Tishman family does Christmas vacation right—this year it was a trip to climb Mt. Kilimanjaro. And because they're a modern family, they brought the boys, who in turn brought their iPods, cellphones, and BlackBerries. The Times hooked them up with three solar chargers—the Solio Hybrid 1000, the Soldius1, and the Brunton Solo 3.4 panel—and sent them on their way.

They really don't get into a lot of detail, but the Solio Hybrid 1000 was the family's favorite, despite its small panel, because its ability to charge during the day and dispense power at night made it the "most convenient."

With a Little Help From the Sun [NYTimes]

[#1 posted by gabrielm , February 7, 2008 10:17 AM]

If you have the money, go for the Brunton Solar Roll. We carried one on our 2650mi thru hike of the pacific crest trail.

It is lightweight, flexible and pumps out power even with cloud cover. The 4.5 fit perfectly on the back of large pack.

[#2 posted by Frank_in_Virginia , February 7, 2008 12:25 PM]

Great, the kids can't "live" without their music and their parents don't have enough sense to tell them to leave them at home. Of course I want to get back to nature and hike along side of someone more interested in Hannah Montana then learning to appreciate the environment they will soon be guardians of.

[#3 posted by winkybb , February 7, 2008 4:11 PM]

Could not agree more with #2. What is it with constantly having to be "connected" and "entertained"? Isn't the majesty of the African landscape and the physical challenge of the trek enough?

I see the dad is into real estate development and construction as well as being chairman of the "Natural Resources Defense Council". Does anyone alse see a conflict there? Or is the NRDC ironically named in the same way as a neighbourhood/community "Progress Association".