Not that many years ago, preparing for an outdoor adventure consisted of stuffing a map, a flashlight, and a rain shell in a daypack, then hitting the trail. Now we download the latest map onto our GPS, check that our phone is updated with the current outdoor apps, and put fresh batteries in our high powered headlamp. So now, in addition to burning off a little personal energy, this hike of ours ends up consuming energy.

And we are not talking about just a few pennies of energy. With all of us using them, the bill for those power hungry gadgets starts to add up fast. A popular GPS on the market, with all the must have features; will only get between 18 to 22 hours of use on 3 new AA batteries. While 2 of the popular style headlamps get anywhere from 6 to 50 hours use on maximum brightness from 3 new AAA batteries. These disposable batteries will cost you between 50 to 75 cents each. Plus, we have to properly dispose of the used batteries.

That fancy phone, with its power hungry applications, has the highest power bill. While it is true that one of the most popular phones on the market only costs pennies to keep fully charged, there are over 170 million of those phones charging up each day. Add all that up and in a year that is enough power to light up a city of about 128,000 folks.

Since we are going to be outside anyway, let’s unplug from the grid for a little while and let the sun power our adventures. With one of the Solar Panels or Solar Chargers on the market today, you can turn the energy from the sun into electricity to power all your gadgets.

The amount of sunlight that reaches the earth every day, if converted into electricity, will power all of our planet's energy needs thousands of times over. With your own personal solar panel, you can grab your share of this free energy. You can then store that energy in a power pack to power or recharge all of your electronic gadgets. While the sun's energy is free, the solar kits are not. But, when you add up what you have been paying on disposable batteries and other power costs in the past, the solar kit price becomes more in line with your budget.

Let’s look at a few options starting with one from Better Energy Systems. They are the maker of the Solio Bolt a solar charger and battery backup system. This, almost pocket sized, device will fully charge from sunlight in about 8 to 10 hours. Plus it will hold that charge for up to a year. On cloudy days you have the option to use a USB cable to fully charge in less than 5 hours. From that point, the Solio Bolt will be able to charge most of today’s intelligent phones in under 3 hours. And the Solio Bolt will have enough stored power to charge that phone twice. The Solio Bolt will recharge your device in about the same amount of time, and at the same rate, as if you plugged your device into a wall socket.

The Solio Bolt weighs only 5.3 ounces, so you will not even notice that you have it in your backpack or book bag.

Next are a few products from Goal Zero, a solar panel and two power packs. The panel is the Goal Zero Nomad 7 Solar Panel. This solar panel weighs .8 pounds and fold to about the size of a paperback book. Unfolded, for use, it measures 17 by 9 inches or just the right size to hang from a backpack during a day’s hike. The Nomad 7 can directly charge most phones or other USB devices in 1 to 4 hours. Or a better idea is to use your Nomad 7 panel to charge a Goal Zero power pack, so you will be powered up anywhere and anytime.

The Goal Zero Guide 10 Plus Battery Pack can be fully charged from the Nomad 7 panel in 2 to 4 hours of full sun. It can also be charged from a USB power source in 8 to 10 hours. Once fully powered, the Guide 10, will hold a charge for 12 months. That full charge will recharge your USB powered device anywhere from 1 to 3 times. The < em>Guide 10 Plus Battery Pack can use and recharge any AA or AAA NiMH batteries. The pack with batteries weighs only .4 pounds and is about the size of a deck of cards.

The Goal Zero Switch 8 Portable Recharger weighs only .2 pounds and at 1 inch by 5 inches is about the size of a small flashlight. It will fully charge from your Nomad 7 Solar Panel in 3 to 6 hours or from a USB power source in about 4 hours. The Switch 8 will hold a charge for about 3 to 4 months. With a full charge this small power pack will get your dead phone working in about 1 hour.

Now you are wondering how much all this will hit your budget. But first think about this. The United States Environmental Protection Agency says that 35 percent of the total energy consumed in this country is used to generate electricity. And the majority of that energy comes from fossil fuels. Which, as you know, are not a good fit for the clean air that we all want to breathe. We also, as a country, dispose of over 150,000 tons of single use disposable batteries each year. Which, if improperly disposed of, will help to further contaminate the environment. So with that said, your purchase of a personal solar kit and power pack helps you do your part in protecting the environment.

The Goal Zero Switch 8 costs about $40.00 while the Guide 10 Plus Battery Pack costs about $50.00. The Solio Bolt comes in next at $70.00, while the Goal Zero Guide 10 Plus Adventure Kit, which includes the Nomad 7 Solar Panel, is around $120.00.

Visit your local outdoor outfitter for all the gear you need to power your next Take It Outside adventure.