(EDIT: I’m stupid, BigBlue has an EU warehouse) Looking for a solar panel comparable to the BigBlue 3 (28 wat) in Europe

Robin - July 27, 2022

EDIT: 

Hi all,I’m looking to purchase a solar panel comparable to the BigBlue3, which performs ‘well enough’ in cloudy/overcast conditions. So far I could not find any retailer in Europe which does not sell it for a nearly 90% mark-up and was wondering if there are comparable panels available which are in a similar price bracket. Also just curious, but does anyone else have a habit of wanting to go light in weight which ends up succeeding. But then taking in extra things (camera, battery banks, bluetooth speaker/buds, a camping chair)  because there is left-over space/weight? (it helps with slowing me down and walking with the rest of my buddies though) 

Lastly thanks Prepared for all the research they have done, legends that they actually look at stats/data instead of using vague definitions. 

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I see your edit, are you planning on just buying the panel from https://bigblue-tech.com/ and since they have a EU warehouse they will ship it to you? You are not stupid by the way, I had to hunt on their website to even see that they have a US, Japan, and Europe warehouse.

Your weight dilemma is something I am trying to work on in my bug out bag, I need to cut it down to the bare bones of things I really need. I’m finding that the solar panel and battery bank does add a lot of weight for me. But with how dependent our society is on electronic gadgets I see it as a very valuable prep to keep the cell phone charged up to file insurance claims, book hotels, and do other things to rebuild your life.

And thank you for the very kind words towards The Prepared, it means a lot!

 

Yeah, that’s now the plan. Slapping it together in the end with a nb20000 powerbank. First I wanted to get the 10k variant, but then I read online that I can run my tablet for work off a powerbank (20k variant is 45 wat and the 10k is 18 wat out) so when I’m 1.5 month travelling around in Thailand I can still work 2 days a week incase I run into a place without power. 

So the funny thing is (about the bug out bag), I was unaware that this was forum for prepping for survival. Initially I thought it was just prepping for hiking haha (it’s interesting to read the thoughts/methods behind it though!). And yeah I can imagine strapping 600g (and quite big volume) of solarpanel + 10/20k 200 ish grams powerbank in a small bag is not optimal considering the other stuff also needed. 

If I may ask, is there a reason why the bug out bag is so limited in space/weight? In my eyes (mind you no experience at all, just hiking/mountaineering) if shit hits the fan having a slightly larger/more weighty bag would be preferred over the small speed/endurance penalty. (Within limits though, at one point it becomes too luxurious/unneccesary)

cheers

 

We recently had another hiker on here share his tips on lightweight backpacking that you might be interested in.

You are correct that if SHTF, everyone would love to pack up their entire house and bring it with them, and some people try haha. This is why The Prepared teaches to use a priority bag system instead of just trying to throw everything into a single bag. The summary is you have your main bug out bag with your essentials (food, water, shelter,…) , then another bag you can grab if you have more time and want extra luxuries (solar panel, battery bank, extra food,…), and then you can do even an extra tote if you have even more time and ability to throw it in the back of a car (extra clothes, fuel, better tent,…). By doing this system you aren’t trying to fit everything in one bag and overburden yourself, and if your car breaks down and you have to hike it on foot, you can leave the unnecessary stuff and have your main bug out bag with the things you truly need to survive. Hope that makes sense, read that article for a better explanation.

I personally should work on my priority bag system and split things up between bags, essentials in one bag and additional luxuries in another. Right now I have a few luxuries in my main bag with the essentials and the other luxuries in other locations. It’s just a matter of me going and buying another bag and taking the time to organize.