Over the almost 5 years I have been biking I have used different ways to keep my electronics going while Bicycle Touring, Bikepacking, Hiking or Packrafting. Here is little overview of the three ways from my experience and what situations I think each is best for.
POWER BANKS
the cheapest and easiest and most reliable of all chargers. Even with a dynamo or solar, you will still be using a powerbank to store charge. A powerbank is normally up to 26000mAh (which is actually the limit for taking one on the plane) and that is a lot of power. Depending on your power usage and in my opinion for 90% of travelers this is the best option. I rode through North America and most of South America using powerbanks only. During the Canol Trail (18 days w/o electricity) two 20000mAh powerbanks kept my cameras charged, the tablet (GPS when needed and writing journal/movies).
recharging on the go: you can recharge fully when staying overnight at campground/hostel/hotel/etc. More importantly when you stop for lunch, or if you buy food and eat infront of a store, you can always plug in for a short time. Always prioritize charging your cameras/phone directly in such cases as charging powerbank > phone always has some energy loss.
Powerbank brands:
Anker - I used these for about 4 years. Great performance and excellent warranty should something go wrong.
XTpower - after switching to Solar I wanted a powerbank that can both be charged faster and be able to charge my drone batteries. So far it is working great and has meters for input/output charge and %capacity, allowing me to find various problems with cables or even my solar.
my story with a Shutter Precision hub. After 8 months of riding it went into storage for 6months. When I returned to the bike hub was siezed. Warranty required $50 shipping on my side to china and could not “guarantee” repair. With the hassle of rebuilding a wheel and waiting a month… I just swapped to a regular hub and never looked at Dynamos again
DYNAMO
I want to say that dynamos are the most reliable method but it isn’t. I ran a dynamo for about 8 months during that time I constantly had issues with breaking the little cable at the connection (near the hub) which is easy to forget about when removing wheels, pushing through overgrown trails and so on. Power generation is constant but it would not be good enough for a drone or a small notebook (don’t quote me on this but a friend was getting about 5000mAh per ~8hour day). If you are doing a lot of hike-a-bike you simply won’t get any charge. My friend Sylvain had to borrow some charge from me since we had multiple days of either slow, difficult riding or walking our bikes. To top it off, you are building a wheel around the hub, so if you are just building your bike it’s ok but to get it on an existing wheel it will cost even more $ and time.
With that being said, what is Dynamo good for? It’s certainly a great way to generate power if you are riding on Paved or unpaved roads (keyword being riding!) and not doing too many trails or many off-the bike activities. It will work in the rain and cloudy days. Dynamo would be good for a light as well but you can also get very powerful rechargeable lights with enough lumens to be illegal in the united states.
Dynamo brands: Shutter Precision - see image to the right. customer service told me “they didnt consider the infinity 8 their hub” and offered to repair it. I don’t know what the deal was but when it comes to vital bike components, that is not good enough. I would avoid Supernova
SON - never used it myself, but have heard good things about it.
another weak point is the charging output. My friend broke two of these cables during our 15 day ride.
a friend’s great solution to making sure the cable doesnt spin and break on its own. You can see the thick tape around the cable which also helps from it being broken. He also had to open it and clean the connections after all the river crossings to get the hub working again.
SOLAR
Solar has become more and more accessible with many brands popping up and competition means good prices and more features. You can choose different sizes for different power, a 10-15W panel is more packable and will keep most users well charged. A 20W would recharge a 20000mAh powerbank 2-3 times per sunny day.
stopped vs moving: clearly it is best for the panel to be stationary and to aim it perfectly during riding is simply not worth the hassle. I have it either on the back of the bike (top of my backpack) or on the front (if i am riding toward the sun). During breaks, I would take it off and put it on the ground facing the sun. The best part is that it provides power when not moving as opposed to the dynamo.
durability: In about a month and a half, my Goal Zero Nomad 20 had it’s 3rd panel connection break and in the next month my output (should be 14W with 2 panels) was barely reaching 9W. I think I am a little tougher on gear than the average cyclist though…
power output: this is where solar shines. I was able to have more than enough battery to fly my drone, keep cameras charged and often had to pack up the panel during the day since everything was full.
rain/clouds: I had about a month in the rain season in Bolivia and the panel was used as a $100 mudguard and a glorified wind screen for cooking. From my personal experience, although solar manufacturers say you can get power during cloudy weather, it is really insignificant and not worth keeping your battery out when cloudy/raining.
brands:
Goal Zero - as mentioned earlier, after two months connection between panels broke, by the 3rd efficiency was way down and borderline not worth carrying. Customer service was great though and replacement is on the way (assuming it can pass chilean customs). The one thing that is keeping me with Goal Zero is that I can get a 20V output to charge my powerbank much faster as opposed to other brands with USB outputs ONLY. (usb cables are delicate and not good to have on a bike while riding bumpy roads)
Anker - this would be my second choice if it’s ok to recharge via USB. I never used them but I expect them to be as good as their powerbanks.
MY SETUP (Solar +1 power bank):
since I love to keep my cameras running and flying a drone, I have been using solar since October 2018 and will continue to do so. With more remote routes such as southwest Bolivia and the Six Thousanders (Los Seis Miles Norte and Sur) where power outlets are few and far inbetween, the extra weight of solar is worth over carrying two powerbanks. It could be tough if its cloudy for several days in a row, but a 20W panel means that even if you get an hour or two of sun, you can get a good amount of charge. I carry a 20000mAh powerbank (XTpower) with %screen and input/output meter.
if I didn’t have a drone - I would just use powerbanks. One 20000mAh will keep you charged for a week if conservative and there is no need to carry more. Charging during lunch or breaks when available is very efficient and there is little need for solar or dynamo unless you go somewhere very remote.
the solar panel also works as a great rain cover!!!
did I miss something? add it in the comments!
this article is my opinion from traveling what I think is best!