Got a couple question about the goal 10 plus, forgive me if this sounds confusing.
When the goal 10 plus stores energy does it store the energy into the changeable rechargeable AAs or AAA or does it have it’s own independent storage?
Also is it possible to draw energy from your AAs and AAAs to power your USB devices?
Thanks for any help. Very interested in this product.
Sweet deal! In for 3.
@GoalZero, these will be used in Afghanistan, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, & Nepal as soon as I get them! Looking forward to resolving recharge issues!
Woot support…
I have stuff in my cart, but the proceed to checkout page will not load…
So can you process my cart contents and use payment method Number 3 please.
Seems like the Sherpa or Yeti would be more suitable for a Himalayas trek 
Surprised you packed so much on a tough trek. What devices did you bring along that needs to be charged?
Hey Goal Zero Guy/Gal,
Am I able to swap out the AA batteries in the charger unit with my Sanyo Eneloops if I want to charge them?
Thanks!
N.
My friend bought one of these from Costco. Great deal!!
How would I connect the solar panel to my van’s cigarette lighter to maintain the van’s battery when parked for extended periods? What sort of adapter cord would I need?
I own this, and paid $129 for it, so this is a very good deal.
Here is what I can tell you from my experience:
I use this for backpacking and travel, which are really the best uses for it. Although a tad heavy at a smidge over a pound, it works well, but needs full sun to charge to it’s full usage.
The battery pack works really well. It is best to not try to charge a device directly from the panel, but to plug the battery pack into the panel, and then plug the device into the battery pack.
How I use it, is to charge the battery pack during the day, and then charge my devices from the battery pack at night. This works very well, and I can get about 1 ¾ charges for my iPhone, on 1 battery pack charge, and approximately 30% charge on my iPad mini from 1 battery pack charge. In addition, my Nikon DSLR battery will charge 1 ½ times.
You can also use the batteries directly in devices. You can charge any NiMH rechargeable batteries, and don’t need to buy the GoalZero brand of batteries.
There are lots of handy hooks for hanging from a backpack, or in camp, but on my unit, one of the loops broke the first time I used it, so be careful.
This is not the correct unit for charging a van’s battery. Check their website for another unit that does this. This is a portable unit that is only appropriate for cell phones, tablets and other small electronics that are charged via usb.
Hi GoalZero,
I have the Switch 8 Kit sold through REI found at the following URL (http://www.rei.com/product/851177/goal-zero-switch-8-solar-recharging-kit). As I just received it for Christmas and have not yet opened it, could you tell me about the difference between the model I have and the model for sale in this woot?
Thank you so much in advance!
Not a big fan of NiMH batteries that are part of the Guide 10 Plus Recharger in this kit. Can this be used with my own AA Li-Ion batteries?
I own this kit and love it, it’s saved me charging my phone when I can’t use the car charger or don’t want to waste my car battery by powering on the car’s electrical system while sitting with the engine off (I have several amps running on the car’s starter battery that turn on).
It also conveniently will shade what you charge, and hold all the accessories in the pouch. I have also used the guide 10 to charge my phone using the nimh batteries, and the flashlight comes in handy when you’re fiddling with everything or need light in a tent, for example.
Good buy if you need portable power. Great if you have a cellphone that sucks juice and/or you need to turn on GPS or any battery-draining function that would otherwise leave you without a phone in under an hour.
What Nikon DSLR do you use, and how do you use the guide 10 to charge the battery? I’d like to know how to use this kit in a pinch but my chargers use AC power and I haven’t run into a DSLR charger that doesn’t.
NO. Never charge li-ion batteries with a Ni-mh charger, they probably will explode. this charger states on the back “use only nimh”
I have all of these products, bought separately, this is a really good price. I use the Nomad daily to charge my phone. The Nomad 7 sits in my office window and I plug in the phone. On the occasional stormy day when the sun is blocked, I use the Guide plus.
In for two of these. We have a lot of rechargeable batteries for a lot of devices, and our front room gets a LOT of early morning to early afternoon sunlight. A solar charger makes perfect sense.
Been looking for a new solar charger ever since my previous one died (put the wrong batteries in it, and they leaked and damaged the charger).
I don’t work for Goal Zero, and am only speaking from personal experience, (maybe they can weigh in here), but my understanding is the solar panel charges the battery pack (with the batteries). You can then either use the batteries in devices that take them, or use the battery pack (with the batteries in it) to power your devices that use a usb cable. Hope that helps.
I have a Nikon D3200, and it came with a usb charging cable, but if you google your camera model (or battery model) and “usb battery charger” you will see that there are a ton of inexpensive chargers that will charge your battery via usb.
I believe so, but check to make sure they are NiMH batteries. If they are, then yes.
I bought mine at REI as well. I actually went into the store and asked the clerk which one was better. They advised me that they themselves would purchase this one. I don’t work for GoalZero, but from my understanding, the switch 8 outputs power to usb only, while the Guide 10 outputs power to usb or AA and AAA batteries, so it is more versatile, particularly if any of your devices use batteries.
Another note - REI members, (and not sure if this applies to non-members) can return any product at any time…no questions asked.
I am thinking about this for my sailboat. How will it handle salty spray and general damp boat life?