Tag: Grand Canyon

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LTR: Goal Zero Lithium Yeti 1400 and Boulder 100 Solar Briefcase

Goal Zero knows a thing or two about powering gear in the field.  From backpacking-friendly solar panels that can keep your phone topped off on a through-hike, to much larger solar panels and batteries that can run Hollywood-caliber film productions in the bottom of the Grand Canyon for 21 days, the Goal Zero ecosystem can power all of the things.  I’ve been using their Lead-Acid AGM-powered Yeti Portable Power Stations for years, so when Goal Zero released a line of Yetis with Lithium-Ion Nickel-Manganeese-Cobalt (NMC) batteries, I had to get my hands on one and put it though a long-term test to see how it compared to the OG Yeti’s that have proven themselves with me.  To round out the test, I also got a Boulder 100 Solar Briefcase to harvest the sun for the new Yeti.

Meet the Lithium Yetis

The Lithium Yetis are available in four sizes, with the 1400 being the second largest battery behind the Lithium Yeti 3000.  The Lithium Yeti 1400 packs 1,425 Watt Hours (Wh) into a unit that weighs 43.7 pounds, which is less than half the weight of the Lead Acid-powered Yeti 1250 (1,200 Wh) that weighs 103 pounds.  Power outputs on the 1400 are: a two-outlet 120V pure sine wave AC inverter rated at 1500 W (3000 W surge), a 12V 10Amp car-style (cigarette-style) port, two 6mm ports at 10 Amps, a Power Pole port at 20 Amps, and four 2.4 Amp USB ports.  Goal Zero has since revised the Lithium Yet 1400 and 3000, adding Wi-Fi connectivity that will allow you to remotely monitor your Yeti with the Goal Zero app, and reconfigured the USB ports – you now get a USB-PD (Power Delivery), a USB-C at3.0 Amps, and two USB-A ports at 2.4 Amps.  In other words, the Lithium Yeti can charge all kinds of things in the field.  But enough tech-talk, lets discuss how the thing actually works.

Bring the Power

Bringing a Lithium Yeti 1400 Portable Power Station with you on your adventures is almost like bringing the power grid with you.  So don’t be surprised if you find yourself thinking about powered gadgets not on the “needed” ended of the spectrum, but on the “wouldn’t it be fun if” end of things.  Case in point, this big bad Yeti can run your Margaritaville blender, or other AC-powered gadgets that might make consumer grade cigarette lighter style DC-AC inverters emit magic smoke.  The pure sine wave inverter also means that sensitive electronics can safely be run from the Yeti’s AC outlets.  (Just remember to do the energy math before you hit the switch – running a 1500 Watt appliance will use power quickly.)  For those of us not trying out for Overland Bartender of the Year, the Yeti 1400 will handle days of recharging your essentials like a phone, comms, GPS, and camera batteries, while still having the power on tap to keep a fridge cold throughout your trip.

The Yeti 1400 can also be moved around easily thanks to it’s very manageable weight, so bringing the unit into your tent, out to a table, or really anywhere you need power isn’t a major hassle, or a team lifting exercise.  Once you have the Yeti where you want it, the spectrum of power outlets allows you to power so many different things.  Modern USB standards enable phones and other devices to charge just like they would with their factory chargers, which means more time using gear and less time charging in the field.  From charging power tool batteries for that backcountry cabin you’re working on, to running mission-critical equipment as a first responder, or keeping the lights on at an aid station for an Ultra – the Yeti can bring the power reserves, and the power outputs you need to run your equipment. Anywhere.

Even when you’re at home and the power goes out for an extended period of time, the Yeti can power appliances around the house.  Goal Zero has even taken this concept a step further with a dedicated add-on breaker panel for your house which will allow your Yeti to supply power directly to your home breaker panel – so you don’t have to drag the fridge out to keep it powered up when the grid goes down. This is an impressive feature that adds unique value to this unit.

Harvest the Sun

Recharging the Yeti 1400 can be done from either an AC power source or from the Sun using a number of different Goal Zero solar panels, and I’ve been using the Boulder 100 Solar Briefcase to keep the Yeti 1400 powered up while I’m out in the field.  The Briefcase part means that the panel is actually two 50 Watt panels that fold up back-to-back which reduces the footprint of the panel when stored.  Setting up the Boulder 100 Solar Briefcase can be done in a matter of seconds, and I’ve really come to appreciate the legs on the panel that help me get a better angle to the sun as opposed to having to constantly hunt for something to lean the panel up against, like I watch many of the folks I travel with having to do.  The free-standing ability of the panel really helps when you’re trying to collect every last Watt possible from the sun, as you can simply turn the panel to track the sun across the sky, as opposed to having to constantly adjust your support like you would with a other panels.

Another thing that I really appreciate about Goal Zero is that their products are designed to work together in as many ways as possible.  We’ve all run into a situation where a given cable is too short, which is why I always make sure that I’ve got an 8mm extension cable with me in the field.  This way, I can put the Boulder 100 where it is going to get the best sun exposure, and I can keep my Yeti wherever I happen to be using it, instead of having to move closer to the panel.  Goal Zero also makes a 12 V battery charger called the Guardian, which turns your solar panel into a lead acid battery charger that works great for keeping your vehicle batteries topped up if you’re going to be parked for a few days, or keeping the battery in your boat or other toy ready to go.

Gear That’s Grand Canyon Rated

The Grand Canyon is a wonderful place to destroy gear.  Cameras, electronics, even analog items like life jackets, cam straps, and boats all suffer serious wear and tear in this environment.  Here you’ll find some of the biggest whitewater in North America combined, with sand that gets into everything, and wind that can reshape an entire beach in a few hours… You get the idea.  Despite this challenging environment, Goal Zero equipment has held up to multiple trips and been our mission critical system for powering cameras, hard drives, and laptops used on our film expeditions.  Our production boat uses six Boulder 90 (older generation panels) solar panels piped into two Yeti 1250s, each of which has additional deep cycle batteries chained in, giving our productions thousands of Watt Hours to use (chaining in additional battery capacity is a feature of the Yeti 1250).  This setup has handled multiple river trips in the Grand Canyon without so much as a hiccup, so I’m sold on this gear holding up to real adventure use.

So What’s The Catch?

The Lithium Yeti 1400 and the Boulder 100 Solar Briefcase are both awesome pieces of gear.  The Yeti is like the battery equivalent of a swiss army knife or your favorite multi-tool – it can do so many things and will last you for a long time.  From powering your house when the power goes out to keeping almost anything powered up in the field, the Yeti is an incredibly powerful piece of gear that’s well complimented by the Boulder 100 solar panel for general use.  Yet, the biggest pain point for folks looking to pick these items up is the price.  The Yeti 1400 will set you back $1800 USD, and the Boulder 100 Briefcase is $300 USD.  The Boulder 100 Briefcase can also be somewhat tedious to fold up, as you need to ensure that the latch loops stay up and out from between the two panels, and that the cables don’t go where they can get pinched.  However, with a bit of practice checking for these things when stowing the panel will become automatic, so they’re certainly not a deal breaker.

The Bottom Line

Buying into the Goal Zero ecosystem with a Lithium Yeti 1400 Portable Power Station and a Boulder 100 Solar Briefcase is an investment that will provide some very dynamic and long-lived utility.  The Lithium Yetis harness the increased energy density of the Li-Ion NMC battery chemistry to provide power outputs that let you run all kinds of devices and appliances in the field.  The Boulder 100 is a great option for keeping the Yeti topped up in the field, or when paired with the Guardian to keep your rig or your other toys ready to go.  Goal Zero’s product ecosystem allows products of different generations and capacities to work together, meaning that nearly any Goal Zero solar panel with an 8mm plug can be used to charge the Yeti 1400, which is a huge value add.  (More on product selection to follow.)

From a basic single power station and panel setup to a complex multi panel, multi Yeti power system, Goal Zero’s products can be configured to meet almost any power need you can come up with.  These same products have held up to Grand Canyon backcountry and River trips, and thousands of miles driven all over North America.  They’ve reliably charged hundreds of camera batteries, drone batteries, and V-Lock batteries, powered laptops and hard drives, charged and run power tools, kept the lights on at remote aid stations, and of course a house and a Margaritaville once in a blue Moon.  As folks continue to bring more and more battery powered gadgets into the field, power and charging needs will only increase, and Goal Zero’s Lithium Yetis and Boulder Solar panels are hard to beat for meeting that need.

A Word On Product Selection

The first step in choosing the right size Yeti and panels is taking an honest look at what your power needs really are.  If you have lighter power needs when you’re in the field, a Boulder 100 and maybe a Yeti 1000 will do the trick for you.  Yet if you’re like me and unable to escape technology, going for a bigger panel such as a Boulder 200, or having multiple panels feeding a larger Yeti (1400 or 3000) will help prevent you from outrunning your power supply.  Doing the math is easy, so take a few minutes to outline what gear you’re going to charge, and how often you’re going to charge it (or run it constantly, like a fridge), and how you’re going to recharge your system to get an idea of what you really need.  Take comfort in the fact that if your needs grow, you can simply add more charging capacity in the form of more panels to keep up with increased energy demands.

Full Disclosure:

American Adventurist nor the author were paid for the contents of this article.  Goal Zero provided the Yeti 1400 and Boulder 100 Briefcase for review.  All other products are owned by the author.

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Utah Winter Adventure – Part I of III

In the past few years, we’ve taken to planning a small annual trip that lasts approximately a week long during the winter time. Destinations are unknowns (new to us) and planned throughout the year as rough locations and POI’s that we would like to hit. Routes in between are roughly formed and there are times where we improvise and have to call an audible.

Our previous trips: Death Valley Expedition 2015 (DVX15) and California Coastal Expedition 2016 (CCX16), and many other small trips to Anza Borrego, Trona, Thomas Mountain and other sites, have really helped us form a template as to how our trips are planned, what works and what doesn’t. Our plan for the winter of 2017 had us traveling from our home base in Southern California through Nevada, Utah, and Arizona. We wanted to utilize as many dirt roads as we could, while also hitting certain POI’s, so hardball wasn’t entirely out of the question. This is what we came up with for our Utah Winter Expedition 2017 (UWX17):

Day 01- A Late Start with a Late Entrance.

After a late start of last minute packing and getting ready, I hit the road about 4pm on my way to the meeting spot just north of Lake Mead. I linked up with Cris and family at the El Cajon Pass McDonald’s right around dinner time for a quick meal. We hit the pavement hard and arrived in the area just before midnight. It was pitch black dark and all we had to navigate by were maps and the GPS point. It took us a little bit to find the exact camp spot, but we eventually found it. Everyone had already called it a night and had gone to sleep, instead of waiting for us, so Cris and I quietly setup camp and called it a night ourselves.

Day 02- A Dusty Blast to a Wrong Whitmore

We awakened to a very chilly morning, but were instantly rewarded with an awesome view of the lake. We had camped in the dark just above the lake shoreline and it paid off now with a spectacular view of the entire area. We had a comfortable start to our day and enjoyed the area while eating breakfast before we set off. We had a driver’s meeting to go over the day’s route, which would be Whitmore Canyon just on the North side of Grand Canyon.

We set off just before noon and headed up to St George, Utah to restock and make last minute meet ups. We made a nice stop at Walmart and had lunch before we proceeded south and hit the dirt. The dirt road in was a good one, dusty but well maintained. We blazed in towards Mt. Trumbull and hit the school house to reconvene since we became so spread out along the way. The wind was nonexistent so our trail of dust was so thick that visibility was near zero in places.

Continuing south as the sun began to set, we took a wrong turn and started gaining elevation instead of dropping down to 1500-ft or so where the overlook is. We doubled back towards the trail split but opted for a nice, safe, open spot along the way since darkness had already arrived, the first of several unplanned audibles on this trip. We set up camp in the dark and started the campfire. A bright moon rose over the mountain as we had dinner, and it would continue illuminate our night skies for the rest of our trip.

Day 03 – New Years Eve at the Correct Whitmore Canyon

We woke up to another sweet view as we camped just a short stroll to a cliff side, which opened up to a beautiful view of the valley below, and the road we were supposed to be at last night. The sun had not yet crested the ridgeline, so the weather was chilly again. It was a calm morning as we had time to explore the immediate area on foot and view the spectacular valley below us. We gathered just after breakfast for a driver’s meeting to make a call on where to go next. The general consensus was to hit the spot that we totally missed the previous night and spend the rest of the day there. It ended up being a great call.

We hit the road around 11am and began the short drive to Whitmore Canyon. The road in was smooth but turned to slow and rocky. It eventually led us to a breathtaking view of a portion of the Grand Canyon. There was a slow, rocky switchback descent into the campsite. Cris and Jon led the way and setup camp as we all made our way down. The camp site was just terrible (read sarcasm)…  It was right on the cliff’s edge above the Colorado River with a 180-degree view. This was a perfect day. We all got settled in, made lunch and relaxed the rest of the day.

After lunch, a few of us relaxed around the fire ring, while Andy and I made the hike down to the bottom and the Colorado River. It was about 45min, 917ft down, and about 1.2miles one way. It was a great little hike to see the river and experience how the views changed as you make your way down. The water was definitely chilly but refreshing. Oddly enough there was a cactus garden right before the water’s edge, so maneuvering to the water was a bit tricky without getting poked by the many needles.

The hike out is always tougher than the hike in, but we got back into camp just before sunset and joined the others relaxing around the fire ring, just in time for appetizers, cold beverages, and dinner.

As the night went on and we were enjoying the campfire, we saw a set of headlights coming down the hill that we rolled in from. We became very hesitant when they rolled straight up to our campfire in the middle of our camp. Two guys walked out, cups in hands and a decent slur in their talk. As they were introducing themselves, and us keeping our distance, a third guy came out as well.

Luckily they just came down to make themselves known and told us that they were going to setup camp not too far away from us. They thought we were someone they knew as they were meeting someone down there. They left our area and rolled about ¼ mile away and setup camp. Later that night as we were still around the campfire, we saw another pair of headlights coming down. We walked out to meet them in a somewhat defensive position so they wouldn’t roll into our camp. They found their friends and we continued our night a little less relaxed. We called it a day as one by one, we left the fire and went to bed.

Day 04 – Attempting to Beat the Setting Sun and Rising Moon

We awoke to a another splendid view with an epic sunrise, so we decided to take another easy morning. We soaked in the rising sun cresting over the canyon as we had breakfast. After a comfortable start, we decided to get our trip on the road again. But before we headed out, we decided to take a group photo of this epic campsite so we staged up on the cliff’s edge, and snapped a few for the books.

 

Once on the way out, we doubled back from where we drove in. We hit the 4-way intersection at the schoolhouse for a quick break around 11am. We reconvened a quick driver’s meeting to discuss the route and the rough area of where we would be heading to. We decided to head east after talking with a local as they said it is much more scenic than double backing the exact way we came in to get back on the highway.

Mt Trumbull Loop was extremely scenic with a steady incline in elevation. Once we hit the top, we drove along the ridgeline for a bit until it opened up into flatlands and a nice wide-open fire road. Once we hit Antelope Valley Rd, we hit the gas and zoomed our way back to Highway 389, a very smooth and great driving road. Definitely one of the better dirt roads of the trip thus far. We aired up before we hit the pavement and we hit it hard towards Kanab for our late lunch.

Once we entered Kanab, we decided to hit up a burger joint which was VERY good. After filling our bellies, we all split off for different errands to run and decided to rendezvous at the market before we hit the road again.

We hopped onto the road after a long but relaxing pitstop as the sun was beginning to set. Jon had a site set in his mind, so we followed him up Hwy 89 to Hancock Road towards the Pink Coral Sand Dunes. We drove around a bit through a very scenic fire service road with a full moon rising over on the east, and the sun setting in the west. He found a spot, but it was small and along a hillside. Not very spacious for all of us to camp in. I scouted around being tail-gunner on offshoot paths we had passed but couldn’t find a tangible spot for us all to camp in comfortably.

With night falling very quickly, we double backed to the main road and found a campsite along the road from which we came in. It was a large spot and about fifty yards off the road with good cover. We were happy with this spot so we setup camp and enjoyed the night while waiting for Brian to link up with us that night.

To be continued in Part II…

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DIY: The Ultimate Headlamp (Or Practically Anywhere Lamp)

LIGHTBULB MOMENT:

Inspiration comes at the most random times, and in the most random of places.  At the 2017 SEMA show, I was talking to the crew at Baja Designs when I noticed that one of the guys had built a battery powered Squadron light, and it got me thinking.  What if I could take a small Baja Designs light like the S2 Pro, and 3D-print a mount for it that would make the light work with the GoPro ecosystem of mounts?

This way I could mount the light on my helmet, or any place a GoPro mount could be used, including the magnetic mounts we covered in our meet the maker series of articles.  The S2 Pro’s 2,450 Lumens of light mounted on a helmet, bike, or in any dark place would make a huge difference in visibility and safety (in being able to see further at night), and the compact size and minimal power consumption meant that running the light off a battery would not require lugging a car battery around.  I could power the S2 with some of the dozens of LiPo batteries I have (Drone pilot problems) and any 9-30V DC power source.  With this bright idea in my head, I fired up Solidworks, and started raiding my various parts bins in the shop for materials.  Here’s what I came up with:

First off, I reverse engineered the metal S2 mounting bracket to create a bracket that is GoPro compatible.  Then I pulled the factory WeatherPak connector off of the S2 and swapped in a XT60 connector and added on another foot of wire. This way, the light can be mounted on the top of a helmet and the connector will come to the wearer’s shoulder.  On the wearer’s shoulder I placed a switch so that turning the light on and off is as easy as flicking a switch, as opposed to having to find a connection to pull apart.  From the switch, I made a meter-long XT60 extension cable so that the wearer could carry a battery in the bottom of their backpack.

This system allows the light to be configured minimally as a light and a power source (battery), or with the switch and extension cable for a slick setup that works great for a number of pursuits.  I’ve also found myself using the light while working on vehicles at night, and I’ve even taken the light on a Grand Canyon River Trip – because good light is quite helpful when setting up camp in the dark.  I have no doubt that as time goes on, I’ll continue to find more uses for this light – so without further adieu, here’s how you make your own:

SHOPPING LIST:

  • Baja Designs S2 Pro.  I recommend the Combo lens for dirtbiking, mountain biking and most sports.  If you’re going to build a dedicated camp light, I would get a wide lens instead.
  • XT60 connectors.  I chose to use XT60 because I have so many batteries and power supplies that use this connector, but any quality connector will work.
  • Wire.  A couple of meters of quality multi strand copper wire.  18 gauge is plenty large enough.
  • Wire sleeving.  Helpful for keeping things clean and organized.
  • Switch.  I used these switches since they’re rated for the DC current in this circuit.
  • 3D Printed S2 GoPro Mount.  Download an STL part file here.

TOOLS REQUIRED:

  • Wire cutters
  • Wire strippers
  • Soldering Iron and electrical solder (get the good stuff with silver)
  • Heat Shrink Tubing
  • Hot Glue Gun and Glue Sticks
  • Electrical Tape (Get the good stuff, Super 88)
  • Multimeter (Helpful for figuring out poles on your switch)

DIRECTIONS:

Step one is to obtain a mounting bracket for the S2 Pro.  We’ve posted the file HERE where you can download it, so print it yourself, borrow a buddy’s printer, use a local maker space, or use an online printing service.  The factory hardware will carry over to the new bracket.

Step two is all about wiring.  Disassemble the weatherpak connector on the end of the S2, and solder on an extension to suit your needs.  I used 18-2 security wire, as it’s a multi strand copper wire with two conductors and a second sleeve providing extra durability.  Make sure to note the polarity of the S2, and ensure that you have the polarity correct (!) before soldering on a XT60 connector to the end of your extended wire.

If you want to add a switch to your system you’ll need a male XT60 connector, a female XT60 connector, a few inches of wire, and a switch that can handle at least two Amps at 12V DC.  The switch I used is a single pole switch, so I tied the ground from both XT60 connectors to the ground pole on the switch (silver wire in photos.  I then wired the male XT60 (The male connector has the male gold parts inside the yellow plastic.) to the input on the switch and a female XT60 to the output of the switch.  I designed and printed a simple box to encase all of these parts, but some careful wrapping with electrical tape or any other method you have at your disposal to create a solid switch assembly will work.

Lastly, I created a one meter extension cable to allow me to carry a battery in my backpack, have the switch strapped to my shoulder strap of my pack, and have the light on my helmet.  I used two 1 meter long pieces of “wet noodle” silicone wire I had and soldered a Male XT60 connector to one end of the wires.  I then slid the wires into a length of expandable sleeving to protect the wires and create a single cable.  I covered the end of the sleeving at the connector with a piece of appropriately sized heat-shrink.  I then repeated the process at the other end of the cable, except I used a Female XT60.

The S2 Pro will work with DC current from 9-30 volts, which makes all of the 4 cell Lithium Polymer (LiPo) batteries that I have great options for powering the light.  To calculate runtime for a given battery simply take the S2’s power consumption of 21 watts at 12V and divide 21/12 to get 1.75Amps of current required to run the light.  I have a few 10,000 miliamp-hour (mAh) 4 cell LiPo batteries that I opted to use, so if we take 80% of the batteries’ capacity (80% is the safe useable capacity of LiPo chemistry batteries) we get 8000 mAh, or 8 Amp Hours.  Divide 8 Amp hours by our Amps (1.75) and we get 4.5 or 4 and a half hours of safe runtime off of a full battery charge.  To determine runtime for a given battery you may have on hand, swap in the capacity and voltage of your battery in place of the numbers in my example. Easy.

The S2 can also be powered from an AC-DC inverter capable of putting out sufficient DC current and DC volts.  This inverter is used to power a small LiPo battery charger, and happens to put out 3A at 12VDC, which makes it a perfect choice for powering the S2 from the grid or a large solar battery pack, like a Goal Zero Yeti.

The S2 Pro can literally be powered by anything outputting the correct voltage and current.  Hard wiring a plug into your dirtbike, UTV, or other powersports machine would be an easy way to give your light a limitless supply of power – so I encourage you to use this article as a starting point to make this light exactly the tool that will suit your needs.

The above two images were taken on a tripod with the same exposure settings.  The shot on the left is the stock headlight on a KTM 300 XC and the shot on the right is with the S2 Pro mounted on the helmet switched on.

If you’ve ever tried to ride your dirtbike at night, chances are you’ve felt like you were outrunning your lights unless you were idling along in first gear.  Never mind the additional challenge that comes from only being able to see where your front tire and headlight are pointed.  Yet, with an S2 on your helmet, you can confidently navigate at night with plenty of light that is always pointed in the same direction that you’re looking.  Having this light is a huge comfort and confidence boost that will help you find your way and safely navigate the trail, road, or wherever you happen to be riding – being able to see is critical if you choose to play outside at night.

When you make it back to your truck, you can swap the S2 over to a different mount in a matter of seconds and have ample light to make the process of loading your bike in the dark as easy as doing it in the daytime.  This GoPro compatable S2 Pro has become something I find myself using constantly – from the obvious uses of sports at night, to working around camp and the shop, having powerful light that I can truly mount anywhere is invaluable. Do yourself a favor a make one of these lights.

Full Disclosure:  Baja Designs provided the S2 Pro used in this article at no charge to American Adventurist or the author.  All other equipment, tools, and parts used to build this light were purchased by the author.

Disclaimer:  You’re responsible for yourself and your actions, so if you blow up a battery, melt your hand with a soldering iron, or do anything bad as a result of reading this article – that’s on you.  American Adventurist, Chad de Alva, and Baja Designs can’t be held responsible.  Only you can prevent stupid.