Need Goal Zero Extreme 350 Adventure Kit real user review

[kellymoe]

Oh, I also have the Nomad 7 panel and speaker kit combo that I bought over a year ago. Works great with the exception of charging an Iphone. It will charge an iphone or other Apple gadgets but, you need to set the panel out in the panel in the sun for 30 seconds or so before plugging your phone in and if you walk in front of the panel or a cloud goes by your iphone will stop charging and will not resume charging unless you unplug the phone and plug it back in again. It's really not that big an issue for me but it would be nice to be able to strap the panel on my pack and have it charge on the go. I guess you these problems are solved with the panel/small battery pack system they sell now.

 

[kramme]

I have the 350 Adventure Kit with 4 of the 30 watt panels and the Tripod. I also have most of the lighting options (2 Light of Life, Estaella Light, Luna Light) I recommend a 30ft extension for the Battery Powerpack. The speakers are indeed awesome, I have 2 of them and they last a long time on a charge. I bought these panels for my 50 qt ARB fridge, lights, computer, fan and extra to share. Perhaps to use for some HAM related activities when off the grid.

I went to their offices/retail sales in Salt Lake City area and they were very knowledgeable and helpful. I tend to think they have had some growing pains but realize they need to get better at customer service.

So far I have just used it over a weekend. I will be at the Expo if anyone wants to take a look at any of their products that I have, I will be camping for a week (in the main camping area) before to get some mileage on the setup.

Mike at Mudrack in Sonoma is going to do a angle iron holder for the solar panels on my Thule rack to fit underneath my Airtop. I want to be able to set it up fast so I am attaching the 4 panels together and sliding it under the Airtop.

A tip, I was carrying the panels in a Trasharoo (all 4 fit in there perfect) and room to spare

A possible vendor "Get Prepared Stuff" http://getpreparedstuff.ecrater.com/c/1026281/portable-power-solar-lighthas very good prices and after placing a order he gave me a price break on my future purchases. Grant has excellent service, one time I needed something in 3 days and he did not have it in stock so he drove to Goal Zero (same city) and picked it up to send to me. Now that is true customer service. He is a small vendor and uses the product himself, same set up as mine. On top of that he gives free advice and has free shipping. If you do not see what you need ask him.

 

[mattm01]

I have the 350 Pack. It's worked well for my purposes. Can't say I've ever been thrilled with CS but as you said they might be on the upswing. I would highly recommend skipping the Nomad 27 panels and sticking with another source. I've found the N27s are grossly overrated in their power output so not only are you paying WAY MORE per WATT than other options, but real world cost is even MORE per WATT.

The Solar BLVD sale is still available and the 40W panel is CHEAP to rig into the system and puts out MORE than rated power.

 

[Honu]

Link to the 40 panels please

Also how what does one need to hook them up and charge the 350 ?
And say hook up to 4 of them together ?
And also be able to use them for the truck ?

Thanks

I have the 350 Pack. It's worked well for my purposes. Can't say I've ever been thrilled with CS but as you said they might be on the upswing. I would highly recommend skipping the Nomad 27 panels and sticking with another source. I've found the N27s are grossly overrated in their power output so not only are you paying WAY MORE per WATT than other options, but real world cost is even MORE per WATT.

The Solar BLVD sale is still available and the 40W panel is CHEAP to rig into the system and puts out MORE than rated power.

 

[mattm01]

http://www.solarblvd.com/Solar-Panels-&-Systems-Individual-Solar-Panels-20---50-Watt-(6)/c1_25_40/p1401/Solar-Cynergy-40-Watt-12-Volt-Solar-Panel/product_info.html

If you're planning on chaining multiple 350s together I'd suggest looking into a larger panel on the same site. They have larger sizes at prices that are still a STEAL. Also consider the upcoming Yeti 1250 which might provide more "bang" for your buck in a smaller and less complicated footprint.

To charge the 350 via the above Solar Panel I did this:
1) Chop off the MC4 connectors on the panel (probably voids warranty so you can go a different route using separate MC4 cables). Add 45amp ANDERSON POWER POLE Connectors.
2) Buy extra Goal Zero 8mm MALE cable (usually a "adapter" cable like a 4.7mm to 8mm - see their website) $5ish
3) Chop the GoalZero 8mm MALE cable and splice on a 15AMP ANDERSON POWER POLE connector.
4) I made a 20 ft "Extension" cord with 12gauge boat wire and 2 sets of ANDERSON POWER POLES. This lets me place the panel in much better locations.
5) Connect all components together. I'll post up some pictures soon but there's another thread on the Solar BLVD sale where I've posted pics of some of the setup.

To hook multiple 350s together you can buy the Goal Zero "chaining cable" or make your own. They're just short cables with Andeson Power Poles on either end.

Use them in the Truck I think you mean charge while driving? Goal Zero sells a 12v Cig charger for not too much $$.

Link to the 40 panels please

Also how what does one need to hook them up and charge the 350 ?
And say hook up to 4 of them together ?
And also be able to use them for the truck ?

Thanks

 

[mattm01]

pictures of the setup below


The 350 with hacked cables. I have two watt meters attached to run some power tests. See below for that


The 40W Panel with extension cable.


Power Reading from the 40W Panel - It's putting out more than it's rated for! Score. Over the morning, I've gathered 160 Whrs in 275 minutes.


Power Usage from my WAECO CF50 over 24hrs. Pretty empty, in the shade with ave temp around 75 deg I'd guess


Contents of the WAECO CF50

 

[kramme]

Honu, I emailed Grant that has the website I mentioned. He said that Goal Zero has sold a ton of them and they are out of stock. Here is a paste of his email.

"Goal Zero has had a large demand for the panels recently and ran out of them. The expected restock date isn't until the first part of May with a full restock coming in at the end of May. At this point I don't have any available to ship out but if interested I can get the order in the cue for when they do come in which would be the first week in May"

His price is $239.99 each but he said "order 3 or more I'll be happy to give them a 15% discount off that price". If anyone is interested or wants more info talk to Grant directly at the "getpreparedstuff" web site.

As to how they attach with the panels you get "quick lock cam's" that make it easy (comes with the panels). I will be bolting mine together as I want to have it ready to set up since it will be stored on my roof between the Thule bars.
http://http://www.goalzero.com/shop/p/23/Boulder%20Panel%20Quick%20Clip/

There are charging ports on the back and they attach to a Power cable (you get the power cable with the 350 unit). You can buy longer power cables. I got one that is 30 ft in case I need to have the panels far from where power pack.


The setup is simple. I did not need to buy anything extra when I bought the panels and the Power pack 350

 

[Honu]

Use them in the Truck I think you mean charge while driving? Goal Zero sells a 12v Cig charger for not too much $$.

thanks

in the truck I guess I mean if I use a anderson plug to the rig do I need a controller etc.. any thoughts etc.. not to knowledgeable on all the solar stuff yet YET!! is the key trying to learn

my thought was solar panels and a way to plug in my truck via anderson plug and the 350 at the same time

 

[Honu]

pictures of the setup below

View attachment 97510
Power Reading from the 40W Panel - It's putting out more than it's rated for! Score. Over the morning, I've gathered 160 Whrs in 275 minutes.

View attachment 97509
Power Usage from my WAECO CF50 over 24hrs. Pretty empty, in the shade with ave temp around 75 deg I'd guess



so are those items in the pics needed ? or more just to monitor things ?
I know having a charge controller and reading up on them is a key thing it seems ?
I know goal zero has one with aligator clips for $50 could put a anderson plug on that I guess ? any thoughts on that ?

I know the one good company arizona solar I got my batteries from supposed has a great rep ? maybe they can help me hook things up ? thanks again

also did a quick search here with solarblvd found 8 threads so going to read those through a few times ! again thanks trying to learn this stuff is kinda fun

 

[Honu]

thanks
pretty familiar with the goal stuff since I have some of it for my hard panels I wanted to save some money I got two of their nomads
wanted to end up with two kits a longer stay with more power and hard panels would be OK for that setup and my smaller nomads for shorter stays just to boost up my 350s a bit


I got some great deals off amazon with my stuff my nomad panels were only $202 again from what I researched they are a good folding panel wish they still had that price ?

Honu, I emailed Grant that has the website I mentioned. He said that Goal Zero has sold a ton of them and they are out of stock. Here is a paste of his email.

"Goal Zero has had a large demand for the panels recently and ran out of them. The expected restock date isn't until the first part of May with a full restock coming in at the end of May. At this point I don't have any available to ship out but if interested I can get the order in the cue for when they do come in which would be the first week in May"

His price is $239.99 each but he said "order 3 or more I'll be happy to give them a 15% discount off that price". If anyone is interested or wants more info talk to Grant directly at the "getpreparedstuff" web site.

As to how they attach with the panels you get "quick lock cam's" that make it easy (comes with the panels). I will be bolting mine together as I want to have it ready to set up since it will be stored on my roof between the Thule bars.
http://http://www.goalzero.com/shop/p/23/Boulder%20Panel%20Quick%20Clip/

There are charging ports on the back and they attach to a Power cable (you get the power cable with the 350 unit). You can buy longer power cables. I got one that is 30 ft in case I need to have the panels far from where power pack.
View attachment 97505

The setup is simple. I did not need to buy anything extra when I bought the panels and the Power pack 350

 

[mattm01]

The meters pictured are purely for my fun/info and not needed at all. It's just nice to see what's really going and going out of my power pack.

The GZ 350 has a built in Charge Controller. You just plug in solar and go. To charge your truck you'll need a separate charge controller or some other setup that's beyond by knowledge base. (I do know there are dual charge options out there, just not up to speed on that setup) DO NOT spend your money on the goal zero charge controller. They're just using an aftermarket one and adding their plugs onto it. You can get a better quality one ( Morningstar) and add GZ plugs if you wanted. I'd also skip on the Goal Zero Boulder 30. That's still an awful lot of money per watt for a hard panel with their 8mm plug on it. You can get 2 Solar Blvd 40W Cynergy Panels, a 4.5AMP solar charge controller (for your truck battery) and all the cabling etc for the price of ONE GZ 30W.

I like GZ and find their power packs to be "worth" the premium to some degree because of their integrated nature and ease of use. I think the Goal Zero Solar Panels (both hard and soft) are GROSSLY overpriced, even at amazon prices (which I paid for mine before selling them).

I'd say get 2 panels, one for your 350 pack and one for your truck and a small charge controller for the truck. You'll have two independent charging systems which isn't the most elegant but it's certainly cost effective. Others with vastly more over landing rig setup experience can chime in on better ways to to the dual setup way. It will probably cost you though...

 

[Honu]

thanks again

did some reading seems the nomad 27 from some solar sites said they are decent for the money but no soft is as good as a hard ? again for my thoughts two of the soft and a 350 packs smaller than a hard panel with family of 4 and dog in the FJ things are tight so wanted that option of small package for shorter trips but maybe the dedicated for the truck is the way to go

 

[mattm01]

In my testing the Nomad 27s struggled to get much above 10W output. I never saw anything close to their namesake 27 watts. They're a nice form factor for sure ( I bought them for similar reasons to yours) but the price per watt was just silly. It ended up being close to $20 per watt. Crazy! If you still want the folding setup, check out PowerFilm products. More expensive than goal zero but they probably are meeting spec.

Also note that a 40W hard panel isn't that big. Easily fit in the back of the car.

 

[enzo]

What would be the best setup to run my ARB fridge?

 

[kramme]

I like using just Goal Zero since I wanted to have something simple (plug and play). I use a Goal zero extreme, 2 30 Watt panels. I can count on 2 days (usually close to 3 days) using my ARB without using the solar panel (if there is no sun).