My Sherpa gear

Recently, Mike published an article introducing a local company named Goal0 (article link). They develop solar products to fit a wider variety of needs than your average solar pack, and so we were very intrigued as to their application to a prepper mindset.

Elite/Sherpa Products

In reviewing the different models, I decided to purchase some of the Sherpa series of products to try out.  One of the ideal solutions when buying gear is to get one of the pre-defined kits, in my case I specifically picked up the Sherpa 120 kit.  This kit is made up of the following items, which in the bundle came at a good discount:

• Sherpa 120 Power Pack
• Nomad 27M Solar Panel
• Sherpa Universal Inverter

This set differentiates itself from the Escape and Extreme kits by targeting a much more mobile user.  The power pack is a Li-Ion battery kit like a laptop, so compared to other devices it is extremely lightweight.  The pack’s themselves are very ruggedly built, obviously for mobility.  The cases are also designed in such a way that they can be stacked together, and fit much like a lego tower, which you can then strap together to fully secure.  Now why would you want to stack these? Because they are designed to daisy chain together to provide more power if you need it. With normal solar kits and batteries, chaining batteries for usage can always be a pain, trying to remember how to wire it for parallel, or serial usage which will determine how much voltage your batteries are putting out. Do it wrong and you can fry your equipment. With the Goal0 packs, this isn’t’ a problem, you just have one wire that comes out the back, and plugs into the next device. This was a nice feature for me, as I could only afford one power pack for now, but I know I’d like to expand things later on.

Usage

Elite pack powering a Light-a-Life

For me, I already owned a Sunforce Solar Kit that I could use to give a charge to a car battery, then power other devices from there.  For this product I wanted something a little bit different.  I was really looking for something that I could easily move around with me. If I wanted to, I needed to be able to add this to a backpack to power my laptop and camera, or other mobile devices.  Obviously that’s not something I want to be doing with a car battery. The alternative option available is the Escape 150 product, which is “portable” in that it has a handle, and provides a bit more power. However the escape series uses a lead-acid battery, and is quite heavy. Not the ideal for my usage.

In the promotional videos for the Sherpa series (embedded below) you can see the design of the Sherpa products lends itself well to a bug-out, or mobile situation.  Note they are carrying these batteries in a situation where space and weight are major concerns, using them to recharge multiple types of electronics in the night.

Click here to view the embedded video.

If I’m simply camping to camp, I’m not going to bring this along, it still does have a bit of weight, and bulk that I don’t’ need. But If I was in a situation that I needed to power multiple devices, say during a CERT exercise, or with a search and rescue group, then this is an ideal setup. In a non-emergency type of situation, they are excellent for photography (as shown), as well as powering of recharging laptops and for powering their available Light-a-Life LED lights. After trying those out I’m sold, they are amazing; bright and very efficient.

Charging

I really like that the power pack allows you to easily charge from your AC wall connection, quite rapidly at that, before heading out.  It allows you to have a no-fuss charge when going somewhere, and not wanting to deal with the solar kit. Once out though, the 27-watt Nomad panel is great. It folds down into a bundle only slightly larger than the size of the battery pack itself. Unfolded you can actually wear it over your backpack to charge while hiking. With a peak of 27-watts you could theoretically charge one Sherpa-120 in a few hours, but Goal0 is honest in their advertising, and tell you to expect 8 hours due to always changing conditions. They’ve paired the panels with packs in a manner as to always completely charge the battery in an average day, under sub-ideal conditions. That’s great forethought when comparing to other solar kits which tend to advertise based on ideal situations, which never really happen.

Powering Devices

What good is a battery if you can’t use it? The Sherpa series makes this extremely easy to do.  First of all, most small devices nowadays have the ability, and often the preference of charging via USB cable. The packs include a USB because of this, and so I can take my iPhone and plug it straight into the pack and turn it on, no problems. Goal0 devices such as the Light-a-Life can plug straight into the battery and run via DC power causing much less loss to AC conversion. To make this simple, the Goal0 products all use a round plug interface, so you dont’ have to worry about any wiring. If you have a vehicle DC adaptor (Cigarette lighter type), the battery’s include a cable taking their standard interface to a 12v receiver, so any devices can run this way.

You can run any inverter in this manner, if you already have one. However the Sherpa kit comes with their Sherpa UI device. It is a standard inverter handling up to 100w in usage. But what makes this device shine is how it is designed to work with the rest of the Elite tools. You can attach it to your batteries using their built-in chaining cable, just attach it like another battery at the end of the chain (if you have more than one). The UI is also designed with a universal plug interface, so it can accept all forms of international cables, in case you travel a lot or have international devices. It also connects and can be strapped together with the batteries for a secure bundle.

Summary

The Elite/Sherpa series from Goal0 was by far the best product in its class that I could find. No other company had a product that provided as much power, in a rugged form, that was so mobile. Everything else was way underpowered, or just a car-battery kit, that required lots of extra work. Goal0 has taken care of all the hard work to create a very elegant solution for the backpacker. This is not, however, the single solution for everybody.  If you want an emergency power source that you can just always leave plugged in, ready to go or if you want something that only has to be portable enough to toss in the car for some car camping then you’ll probably be better served by the less expensive Escape series.  If you are trying to run quite a few laptops, or maybe mobile flash equipment for photography, then these won’t have enough juice for your higher end needs. Look at the Extreme line possibly.  But if you want enough power for several smaller devices, or a medium device such as a more power hungry laptop this is your gear.

Buying

While obviously you can go online to places like Amazon to buy the Goal0 gear, we love to support local stores. GetPreparedStuff, Emergency Essentials, and The Ready Store all keep some products in stock. As an added bonus, the owner of Get Prepared Stuff approached us and said he was more than willing to work out local pick up discounts, cash discounts, and especially group buys for notable discounts (varies per product). If you are interested in getting a better deal, contact him directly by email groupbuy ‘@’ getpreparedstuff.com.

Goal 0 has been showcasing some of their portable solar products at Northern Utah Costco locations which is how we initially found out about their company. After talking with them about their products, company goals and outlook we quickly determined that this company produces products that fill a distinct gap in most of our current prepping equipment. Goal 0 currently has three distinct product lines of solar collecting and storage products, plus a catalog of accessories that will work with whichever product line you choose.

We’ve covered solar power a bit in the past. See Connor’s excellent article here. Generally though, we’ve found that determining what you need and what components are required to support your needs can be difficult. Most emergency power solutions provide their power capacity in Amp Hours while most devices we want to power use Watts. Determining how many Amps a device uses can be tricky as you need to determine both Peak Amps and the number of Amps to just keep running. A device like a Kill A Watt can help, but again this can still require some research and math.

Goal 0 solves this by using watt hour ratings on their devices. This makes your calculations as simple as saying a 60 Watt like bulb can be powered by a 180 Watt Hour device for 3 hours. No other complicated calculations are needed. Another benefit to this is that their power ratings are real world power ratings rather than “Peak” or “Theoretical” ratings. Often times manufacturers will display a peak rating as the power output for a unit. In practice however, the sustained output is much lower so with peak ratings you can sometimes end up buying something unsuited to your actual needs. This is particularly useful on their solar panels as their listed watt outputs and charge times are based on real world experience. Many other solar panels are rated at theoretical output or output before the final glass is attached. Neither provide an indication of what you might expect in everyday usage.

One consideration with Goal 0’s products that needs to be mentioned is that they are not generally meant to be whole home or large appliance power backups. Rather, they are meant to do things like provide emergency lighting, power laptops, cell phones, portable DVD players and other smaller but often essential electronic devices. Their current product offerings wont keep your freezer running, but they will allow you to see in the dark and use those electronic devices we have all become addicted to.

One of the key benefits to the Goal 0 products is that they are entirely Plug and Play. Everything “just works” since the components are designed with the system in mind. With other products I’ve found that determining what product to purchase to complete the system or how to attach it to the system has taken some research. Goal 0 has solved this issue. Each of their product lines provides power in the following formats: USB, 12 volt and 110/220 volt AC via inverter for powering plug in devices.

While all Goal 0 products are generally interchangeable with other Goal 0 products, there are some exceptions. Here is a quick summary of the three basic product lines that Goal 0 offers.

Elite

These are all in one light weight backpackable power sources that use lithium ion batteries for power. Per the Goal 0 web site, these are some of the uses: Day Use, Backpacking, Camping, Outdoor Outings, Hunting & Fishing, Photography, Expeditions, Extreme Activities

The power packs come in 50 watt hour and 120 watt hour portable power packs. Foldable flexible solar panels in 7 watt, 13.5 and 27 watts and a new product is a 4 AA or AAA battery pack that can be charged from a solar panel or one of the Sherpa power packs. Plus, the charger can be used to power a 12 volt or USB device using the AA or AAA batteries in it. AC power can be provided by a Elite specific add on inverter.

Escape

The Escape products are centered around an cylindrical power pack that provides 150 watt hours of power using a more traditional non LiOn battery. Hence, it is much heavier than the Elite kits. It features built in 12 volt, USB and AC outputs which provides for a one stop power source. For emergency purposes, this unit is typically meant to remain plugged into the wall where the charge controller keeps the battery at top performance. Should a power outage occur power is instantly available via the energy stored in the unit’s batter.
Per the Goal 0 web site, these are some of the uses: Day Use, Emergency Preparedness, Beach, Family Camping, Outdoor Outings

This range offers two different solar panel options, a 15 watt hard panel and a 30 watt foldable briefcase panel with built in stand.

Extreme

The Extreme range is built around large (and heavy) 350 watt hour battery packs that include Anderson Power Pole connectors which make them particularly handy for HAM radio power and for other devices that use these connections. The inverter for this system provides the USB, 12 volt and AC power outputs in this range. Per the Goal 0 web site, these are some of the uses: Emergency Preparedness, Cabin, RV, Photography, Expeditions, Hunting & Fishing, Base Camp, Field Hospital

The recommended solar panels for this series is a 30 watt solar panel.

**Note however that any Goal 0 solar panel can be used with any Goal 0 power pack. These seem to be only recommended panels based on the expected use for the unit. There is no reason you couldn’t use a foldable panel from the Elite range with a power pack from the Escape or Extreme range.

Accessories

The two main accessories I want to mention are the 12 volt Light-a-Life lights and the Estrella lights. Both are highly efficient 3 watt lights that put out an impressive amount of light and simply plug into the 12 volt output on any of the power units. Each light is also daisy chainable, meaning you can plug one light into the power source and then subsequent lights into the preceding light. Each light also features an independent power switch. This means you can turn off one light while the other lights remain on. This is a very nice feature as many other products are either all or nothing, or turning off one light means that all the other lights “downstream” from the power will also turn off. With this solution you have light where and when you need it.

The Light-a-Life lights are made to more or less replace a 45 watt light bulb. Each unit has a large number of white LED bulbs surrounded by a protective white plastic shroud that also serves to diffuse and distribute the light. An innovative sliding clip is attached to the power cord which allows you to hang each light and position it where you need it.

The Estrella light is also 3 watts, but uses a CREE LED bulb to produce a very powerful beam of light like a small spotlight. While the Light-a-Life lights are great for providing general lighting, around a camp for example, the Estrella would be perfect for areas where you need more direct light such as over a table or work area. These lights feature a flexible power cord that is meant to be used to help position the light and keep it in that position to put the light exactly where you want it. In practice however, I found that the light was heavier than the cord could support so it tended to droop.

We’ll use subsequent posts to allow our authors to describe what Goal 0 systems they purchased, why and what they think of them so far. As most of us purchased our systems before the New Year, we’ve had some time to use and get acquainted with both the good and the bad in each system.

For several months I’ve been exploring different options for generating electricity in a TEOTWAWKI scenario. My initial search revolved mainly around gasoline generators, and I decided that I would get a Honda EU2000i. This is a great unit that can also be converted to accept not only gasoline, but propane and natural gas as well. This makes it a versatile unit worth considering if you have a source for any of these three fuels.

However, the more I thought about it, the more I realized that this was not a good option for my needs. I ultimately decided not to buy the generator for a couple reasons. First, generators are loud. If you are in a crap-hit-the-fan scenario and are using your generator, then you are likely the only one in the area making that much noise. You will stand out and attract unwanted attention very easily. Second, the usefulness of this generator is directly dependent upon the source fuel. When your supply runs out, then the generator becomes a heavy paperweight. You could barter for additional fuel, sure—but in a dire emergency, the general supply of oil-based fuels will likely quickly deplete. Prompted by Wade’s post, I had been considering acquiring a propane tank for long-term emergency use. But even still, the usefulness of this item has a hard limit that acts as a barrier for utility.

Other options

For these reasons, I decided to divert my attention elsewhere. I briefly explored wind generators of various types, but ultimately felt that these weren’t a good option. Most of them are very bulky units made primarily to be affixed to your home or other unit (RV, boat, etc.). So, I began to look into solar power. I was lucky to have access to an acquaintance that answered all of my questions, and helped me determine what would be best for me. Along the way, I discovered a few important items that deserve consideration:

• We are very spoiled living on the grid. To produce the amount of electricity we consume on a daily basis would, if using alternative energy sources, require a significant investment.
• Many system solutions do not lend themselves to both integration in your home and portability. Meaning, you either set up solar panels (or a wind generator, or a propane tank, etc.) to feed directly into your home grid, or you instead build a portable system that will not be integrated. A “hybrid” system is possible, though not common. (Who wants to go up onto their roof every time they have to unmount a solar panel to take camping?)
• A modest investment in solar technology will not produce anywhere near the amount of electricity we regularly use. Thus, a smaller system would likely not be a wise option for integrating into your home, since it would not have much of an impact at all, and thus would not be worth spending the money on integrating.

My system

My decision was to get a portable system that would lend itself to bugging out, camping, or going mobile for whatever reason. Likewise, I could simply leave it in the backyard to be used at home as well. Here are the details on my configuration (recommended and built by an acquaintance of mine here in Utah valley; if interested, he can help you get a system you like as well):

Batteries

Obviously, the first need for any system is one or more batteries to store your generated electricity. The first battery in my system, and the base of the entire unit, is the Xantrex 1500
. This is a solid, durable package that contains a battery (well, three 17-amp batteries connected together in parallel) and inverter. Here’s part of the product description:

The XPower Powerpack 1500 is a portable power system that produces household electricity for products rated at 1500 watts or less. A clean and quiet alternative to a generator, the XPower Powerpack integrates a 60 Amp/hour AGM battery with a 1500-watt inverter and produces a 3000-watt surge. This system is built to run a range of appliances such as a standard size refrigerator and microwave oven, and office equipment such as a computer, monitor, and fax machine.

The XPower Powerpack 1500 consists of a battery pack that stores electrical energy, state-of-the-art electronics that convert 12 volts from the battery pack to household power, an AC power panel that contains two standard outlets, and a DC power panel that is used to run 12 volt products. These components are packaged into a rugged “cart” with a removable waist handle that allows XPower Powerpack 1500 to be wheeled from room-to-room or outdoors over rough terrain.

Xantrex battery (bottom unit) with cart attachment

For those who don’t know, AC outlets are the standard, three-prong type found in your home. An example of a DC outlet is your car cigarette lighter. So the unit comes with two AC outlets, and one DC outlet. Without needing any solar panels, you could simply plug this battery system into your home AC outlet and leave it connected—the trickle charger will ensure that the battery remains full at all times. If you needed to bug out, you could then grab the battery and go. However, once the battery runs out, and without a way to generate more juice, you’re out of luck. But for your basic weekend excursions where you need to charge camera batteries or power a lantern, it is a great option.

Xantrex AC outlets

Xantrex DC outlet

Note that the batteries in the Xantrex are AGM cells, so they don’t have the out-gassing problems that a wet car-type lead acid battery would have. This means that they can be safely kept inside your living area just fine, whether that’s a tent or a house.

In addition to the Xantrex, I got another battery to be able to store more juice. This one is a 55 Amp/hour AGM battery, which simply sits on top of the Xantrex unit and connects in parallel.

Second battery stored in battery box

An important lesson I’ve learned regarding lead acid batteries: in order to extend their life as long as possible, it is important that they not be depleted more than half their full capacity. If the batteries are used to their full capacity, the lead plates start to get eaten away, thereby reducing the lifespan of the battery itself. In some situations it might be necessary for you to use everything the battery can give, but where possible, it’s best to take care of your battery (by using it as sparingly as possible) so it can continue to take care of you.

Solar panels

Solar panels have dropped in price recently, so now is a good time to buy if you’re in the market for one (or more). I ended up purchasing two 64-watt US64 solar panels. These panels have no glass (unlike most) and are thus quite durable, have a “triple-junction” technology that allows for greater efficiency in generating electricity, and are connected in such a way (unlike many panels, oddly enough) such that if one cell group is shaded or blocked somehow, the rest of the cells are unaffected and continue to perform. Here’s a description:

The “triple-junction” technology used in the US64 uses three layers of semiconductor material so that the junctions are stacked on top of each other. The bottom cell absorbs the red light, the middle cell absorbs the green light and the top cell absorbs the blue light. This spectrum splitting capability is the key to higher efficiency in a smaller panel.

Under higher operating temperatures, solar panel performance changes. This depends on temperature, solar spectrum (light color) and related effects. The US-64 is less affected by temperature than monocrystalline or polycrystalline solar technologies. The result is up to 20% more delivered energy. The size will be slightly larger than a competitive panel of the same wattage but performance is much better in foggy or partially shaded conditions.

Eleven cells are connected in series to produce the required voltage for 12 volt battery charging. The cell assembly is laminated (sealed) in flexible and durable weather resistant polymers that provide long life and high reliability.

Two US64 solar panels attached to batteries

Another option I had previous considered was the Sunforce 60-Watt Solar panel assembly
. However, after reading reviews and upon the recommendation of my acquaintance, I decided that this (fairly popular) system would not be good for a few reasons: the panels are glass-covered and thus breakable; the panels only have a five year warranty (as opposed to the 20-year guarantee many other panels have); the included charge controller and electronics are not very weather-proof; and the panel’s chemistry is amorphous, which is often prone to breaking down after a number of years of continuous use.

So, US64 it was. Each of these (US64) 64-watt panels generates a maximum of 3.9 amps. With the two of them hooked together (128 watts, 7.8 amps), the system needs a charge controller to handle the higher load.

Charge controller

To handle the 7.8 amps (maximum) produced by my two panels, I got a Morningstar SS10 charge controller.

Charge controller attached to Xantrex cart

A charge controller is similar to the voltage regulator in your car. It regulates the voltage and current coming from the solar panels going into the battery. 12 volt solar panels can sometimes put out more than just 12 volts, so if there is no regulation the batteries will be damaged from overcharging.

If I were to add another 64-watt panel, then I would need a larger charge controller to handle the extra load, since my three 3.9 (max) amp panels would be putting out a maximum of 11.7 amps—more than the 10 amp controller would be able to handle.

Meter

Being the OC person that I am, I want to know that this system is working properly and efficiently. To that end, I also decided to purchase a Doc Wattson meter so that I can quickly see how well the system is doing both in terms of juice going from the panels to the battery, as well as how full the battery actually is.

Meter attached to measure generated electricity from panels

Cost

So, the obvious question for those still interested at this point is: “what did this system cost?” For the parts listed above, wires, connectors, and labor for this acquaintance of mine to build it all for me, the total came out to $1425. Here’s the breakdown:

• $400 – Xantrex 1500
• $150 – external 55 amp/hour AGM battery w/ cables
• $710 – Two US64 panels, wired and connected
• $65 – Morningstar SS10 charge controller
• $50 – cables/connectors
• $50 – labor

What’s it good for?

In order to know what you’ll be able to use on a similar system (or any system for that matter), it’s important to make a list of what items you’d be wanting to use (wheat grinder, portable heater, lights, refrigerator, well pump, battery charger, etc…) in a TEOTWAWKI scenario, and then measure how much power each device uses. The best method for obtaining this information is to purchase a Kill A Watt
. Using this compiled information, you would then have a much better idea of how many batteries and panels you would need to accommodate your electricity requirements.

My current setup is to be considered very minimal. Going to the halfway point for my batteries would give me around 50 amp/hours of juice. Running at 12 volts, this yields 600 watt/hours. So, on a single (halfway) battery charge, I could run a 100 watt light bulb for six hours, a 200 watt fan for three hours, or a 1200 watt space heater for half an hour. Here’s a calculator for making similar calculations. You can see how this system is optimal for light, intermittent use—any greater load requirements would necessitate a much larger system capacity. Also note that these calculations are not entirely accurate, because they do not take into account the loss of current through inversion (converting DC to AC). Also, the discharge of a battery is non-linear, so heavier loads will drain the battery’s amps much faster than a lighter and longer load would.

Conclusion

The thing I like about this system is that it’s rugged (solid battery pack cart system, no glass in panels) and portable. I don’t plan to use it very often, but I have it set aside for when I go car camping and if I were to ever need to bug out somewhere. I must admit, the geek in me gets a thrill out of watching the meter indicate that I’m using sunlight to power my gadgetry. Solar power FTW!

One of the related risks to a nuclear attack is an EMP blast. Rather than detonating the nuke at ground level and thus destroying infrastructure and human life, the bomb is deployed in the atmosphere, and an EMP blast results. In the former scenario you’d be dead immediately; in the latter, many would die slow deaths, widespread panic would result, and terror would take a drastic toll—all because people wouldn’t have access to their machinery and gadgets that enable them to do all of their basic, day-to-day activities.

Just think about all the things you do on a daily basis that require electricity: turn on the sink to brush your teeth; get in the car to get groceries; withdraw cash from the ATM; refrigerate your food; use the internet to follow the news; call your parents; turn on the lights at night. All of these simple, daily tasks require the electricity we enjoy in abundance today.

But an EMP blast would immediately change all of that.

What can you do to prepare for a possible EMP blast in the future? How can you shield your electronics to ensure that you can play with your iPod in a TEOTWAWKI scenario, or scan the radio for news updates? One option is to shield your gadgets with a Faraday cage.

A Faraday cage—named after its inventor Michal Faraday—is essentially nothing more than a simple electromagnetic shield. Basic versions are just metal containers or enclosures that block the penetration of electromagnetic radiation. For one example (that you can purchase), see here. If you’re really adventurous, you can build your own.

But me? I’m both a cheapskate and completely lacking in the DIY skill department. So I took the easy route. I bought a microwave.

Microwaves are a sort of reverse-faraday cage, in that they are constructed to keep the radiation inside the box. But it works both ways, meaning that the structure also prevents radiation from getting in. I found a cheap microwave on Craigslist, brought it home, and cut off the power cord (so that somebody couldn’t accidentally plug it in and turn it on, thus cooking my toys). Keep in mind that the microwave need not be functional to serve as a faraday cage—all it needs is its original structural integrity, but no electric bells and whistles.

Inside the microwave you would put whatever electronic gadgets you would want to have access to in a post-EMP environment. I’ve got a HAM radio, GMRS radio, AM/FM radio, and a few other electronic devices inside of mine. It’s important to realize, of course, that the use of electronic equipment implies having access to necessary batteries or generators, as well as any needed sister devices (i.e. a second radio with which to communicate). So you can store a couple of radios (to communicate with friends/family if somebody needs to leave), or have a HAM radio setup to communicate with remote parts of the country/world that were not affected by the localized EMP.

What’s the likelihood of an actual EMP attack? Well, that of course depends on where you live, and who you ask. :) But as in all things, general preparedness implies a broad “what if” mentality that tries to take in as many factors as possible. Having a cheap, old microwave is just one more item to check off the list!