The Sherpa 100AC from Goal Zero is a travel ready, airline approved versatile power source for those on the move with cameras and laptops, writes Mike Gormley.
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As I have said before, we all need power for many things when we are not able to plug into the grid – . like it or not, we do need to have it. We have grown to depend on our mobile devices for comms, navigation, light and so on. Oh yes. Some will need to have their games fix in those quiet moments, or even just have a read (and of course if WiFi is available you need to keep up-to-date with JOINT-FORCES.com, Ed.) but mobile devices have necessarily limited battery life.
When travelling, size is a real issue. So items such as this Sherpa Power Bank are great item to have in your inventory. It’s quite a chunk but, weighing less that one kilo and measuring just 190 x 144 x 25.4mm, still possible to carry with you if needs be; though perhaps one per small group rather than per individual unless travelling alone. It’s a good shape and robust – no easy to knock off fragile components. The great thing is the Sherpa 100AC can be re-powered by solar, by mains or even from a vehicle.
On the sides are stowed two sorts of connecting cables. At one end there are a selection of sockets to plug in to put power in and take power out. There is a small screen, a small interactive OLED display, with related switches so the user can know the status of the Sherpa and control it. It is also possible to have the Sherpa connected to a power source while it is re-powering other devices, so no downtime while recharging your power bank.
Full recharge time from mains is around three hours, from a 12V car adapter is three to five hours, and from a USB source is around eight hours. The fully charged Sherpa 100AC can provide eight Smartphone or four tablet or two laptop recharges, so all in all a very handy item of gear for those who will spend time off-grid.
[images © Mike Gormley]