Bonus gear deal: Goal Zero Nomad 7 solar panel + free speaker kit for $99

Looking to recharge your gadgetry on the road, without having to rely on the power grid? The Goal Zero Nomad 7 is a very compact dual-panel solar charger that delivers 7 watts of charging power. This means your phone will charge just as efficiently as when it is plugged in to AC power. With a decent amount of sun, you’ll get your Blackberry from 0 to 100% in just one hour.

The charger delivers power from a 12 volt plug and a USB plug and features a device pocket, keeping your phone, PDA, camera or other gadget out of the sun. I recently tested this in the winter sun, and it charged my phone in under an hour.

Normally, this impressive solar charger retails for $99 – but Goal Zero is taking advantage of the holiday shopping season by throwing in a $40 Rock-Out rechargeable and rugged speaker for free.

We’ll have a full review of this product tomorrow – along with a chance to win yourself a Nomad 7 with a Rock-Out speaker of your own!

To order, or to learn more about other Goal Zero products, head on over to their web site. The free speaker promotion last till the end of December, but keep shipping deadlines in mind if you are shopping for a gift.

Ridata SP 1300 Solar Charger

Two years ago, I was
on a camping trip with some friends and it was dark and late. The fire had burned itself out and everyone slipped away
into their tents to sleep. I decided to stay up just a wee bit later and get some reading done around the smoldering
fire. I was very excited about doing this, because there’s nothing quite as pleasurable as being in the wilderness,
beneath a canopy of stars, and enjoying a good book. But to do this, of course, I needed a headlamp. And fortunately I
had one. So I put it on, sat down, readied myself for a solid hour or two of bliss. Then the batteries went out.

I was furious. Yes, I could have hauled in a bunch of fresh batteries, but then again, what if there was such a
thing as a solar-powere4 charger? Wouldn’t that be a great, and more environmentally-safe way of keeping my batteries
working? Of course.

Well, a solution soon on the market is the Ridata SP 1300 charger, a $40 solar charger that the
company says can fully charge two AAA cells in five hours and two AA’s in 10 hours, even on cloudy days. It will be
available shortly through online retailers and at some retail stores.  The SP 1300 it relatively light, about 23
ounces, which means you probably won’t notice it too much if you put it in a pack. But it’s a no brainer for car
camping.