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I've looked into solar chargers, for batteries & iPod.  For me it's easier to bring spare batteries.  A couple extra sets of batteries weighs a whole lot less than the reliable rigs I've seen.  That leaves the iPod as the only reason for me to spend $200 and add pounds to my pack.

Solio, you will likely come across this product.  I have heard nothing good about it except on the Solio website.  Unreliable fashion-gear.

I have heard of a woodgas stove that can recharge, but I can't find it.  Basically it has a heat exchange that drives a generator which powers the fan and has output jacks.

I found the wood gas item.
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Usually my preference is for each piece of gear to perform its primary function reliably and I'm not into bells & whistles.  Maybe I'm just paranoid, but a tool that does 5 things likely does all those things rather poorly.  Bells & whistles are distractions from the main function.

On the other hand, a single item that does two things reliably is a boon that just might free up packspace & weight.  This item looks like it may fit the bill.

I run my depthfinder/GPS combo unit about 12 hours a day when canoeing.  A 12 volt battery will last me about 2 days.  I found that with a small (8x8?) solar charger from Cabela's I can alternate the batteries and they last through a 6-day a trip.  I always have one charging back at camp while using the other one.  Not sure how efficient AA's are at re-charging, but I'd think you could significantly cut down the number you take along.

I tried the solar cell and rechargeable battery approach for a couple of seasons a few years back and wasn't very satisfied with the results.

I've since changed over to lithium batteries.  They are MUCH lighter than rechargeables (and even standard batts) and, with their improvement over the past couple of years, have a substantial service live.  They are, of course, expensive.

I've been running my depth finder with AA lithium batteries for the past 2 seasons and I've very satisfied.  I don't run the unit daily (I'm not typically pinging the bottom on travel days) and my use is probably on the order of 6 hours per day when fishing.  This season I did a 10 day solo and 15 day solo (with company).  One set of batt's was all that was needed for this season.  In fact, my GPS unit batteries died on the last day out and I yanked a couple of the depth finder batts (because they were more handy than other replacements) and they were ample to finish my last day.  I haven't thrown a volt meter on them yet to see what "signal strength" remains, but I'll swap them out for fresh ones before the next season anyway.  BTW:  I think the GPS batts were the lithium batteries from LAST year's trips.

dd

OK fine. Lithium it is then. Thanks for the input.

I bet the re-chargeable approach would work GREAT here in Florida! That is of course if the solar panels didn't melt first.........