Teardrops n Tiny Travel Trailers

Just got back from my second camping trip after purchasing an Eton Rugged Rufus Bluetooth speaker.



I was always skeptical about solar-powered things because 10+ years ago, they weren't good at all to be honest... But things have changed

This thing was a waterproof rating IPX4, which means that while you can't dunk it underwater, it can still sit out in heavy rain and be fine. I tested this myself and it sat out in hard rain, and just kept playing.

Our typical day camping is getting up around 9-1030 AM depending on if we got into the Gin or not And when we're at camp, we play music pretty much all day and all evening until quiet hours(11PM) and then we turn it waaay down lower than speaking volume until probably 1-2AM. The Rukus never got below 25% battery.

I play music from my cell phone, so usually by morning, my cell phone battery is at 30-50%. The Rukus sits outside on the picnic table all night and starts recharging as soon as the sun comes up. By the time we get up, I plug my cell phone into the Rukus' USB port. Yes, the Rukus has a USB port to charge other devices from its 5200 mAh battery! My cell phone gets charged full which leave the Rukus with about 50% battery. I unplug my phone and it only takes 2 hours for the Rukus to be fully charged again. The Rukus will go from dead battery to 100% in about 5 hours of direct sunlight. Music all day/evening, rinse and repeat. On a 6-day camping trip, it kept itself and my cell phone fully charged every day just from the solar panel!

This past weekend we had lots of rain and overcast, hardly any full sunlight, and we were in the woods. However, the Rukus still did the job. Now as for sound, it's definitely not a Bose system and has as much bass as a small Bluetooth speaker can muster, but the quality is very nice! And it can get pretty loud as well without any distortion. It's definitely as loud as you would need for camping to be able to hear it over a roaring fire and some talking. The speakers are very directional as well. So standing in front is much louder than standing beside or behind it. This lets you direct the sound towards you and not disturb other campers.

Cost me about $100 at MEC. Can get it on Amazon too.

I thought about one of those, but couldn't think how I'd mount it on my recumbent bike and still get enough sun. Instead I've been lusting after the Fugoo Tough. IP67 rating means dust proof and waterproof to 1m! Plus 40 hour battery life. Still needs the occasional charging, but I can figure that out somehow.

Greg M wrote:I thought about one of those, but couldn't think how I'd mount it on my recumbent bike and still get enough sun. Instead I've been lusting after the Fugoo Tough. IP67 rating means dust proof and waterproof to 1m! Plus 40 hour battery life. Still needs the occasional charging, but I can figure that out somehow.

I saw that too. But at over double the price, and it not being able to charge my cell phone, I opted for the Rukus. Otherwise, I'd have to also buy a small panel for my phone...

Ooooh thank you for posting this! I was just thinking I'm going to need portable speakers soon. I want this for both home use and my trailer since my only speaker options currently are on my laptop which doesn't sound so hot ever. Love that you can charge your phone and it has the built in battery with AC charging as an option. Found it online on the LL Bean website for $79 and free shipping.

I noticed they also have a free $10 gift card with sales of $50 or more so that would drop the price down to $69

http://www.llbean.com/llb/shop/90835?productId=1334173&attrValue_0=Green&pla1=0&mr:trackingCode=92D8C402-BFE7-E511-80ED-00505694403D&mr:referralID=NA&mr:device=c&mr:adType=pla_with_promotiononline&mr:ad=55725345680&mr:keyword=&mr:match=&mr:tid=pla-27695889649&mr:ploc=1019381&mr:iloc=&mr:store=&mr:filter=27695889649&qs=3091386_google&product=0NKB650000&cvosrc=cse.google.0NKB650000&cvo_crid=55725345680&gclid=CPnS84n33M4CFZGegQodRNsHUg&gclsrc=ds

Stacie Tamaki wrote:Ooooh thank you for posting this! I was just thinking I'm going to need portable speakers soon. I want this for both home use and my trailer since my only speaker options currently are on my laptop which doesn't sound so hot ever. Love that you can charge your phone and it has the built in battery with AC charging as an option. Found it online on the LL Bean website for $79 and free shipping.

I noticed they also have a free $10 gift card with sales of $50 or more so that would drop the price down to $69

http://www.llbean.com/llb/shop/90835?productId=1334173&attrValue_0=Green&pla1=0&mr:trackingCode=92D8C402-BFE7-E511-80ED-00505694403D&mr:referralID=NA&mr:device=c&mr:adType=pla_with_promotiononline&mr:ad=55725345680&mr:keyword=&mr:match=&mr:tid=pla-27695889649&mr:ploc=1019381&mr:iloc=&mr:store=&mr:filter=27695889649&qs=3091386_google&product=0NKB650000&cvosrc=cse.google.0NKB650000&cvo_crid=55725345680&gclid=CPnS84n33M4CFZGegQodRNsHUg&gclsrc=ds

That's a great deal! To be clear, it doesn't do AC charging, it's USB But all phones charge with USB so no worries!

Camp4Life wrote:
That's a great deal! To be clear, it doesn't do AC charging, it's USB But all phones charge with USB so no worries!

Yes, you're right. I should have been more specific. The battery in the Ruckus can be charged by solar or AC.

Additional Features

• Lightweight design, built-in carrying loops and an included carabiner are perfect for travel.
• Water-resistant, so you can bring it to the beach or carry it in your canoe.
• Connects wirelessly with any Bluetooth-enabled smartphone, tablet or computer.
• During the day, the solar panel or AC adapter provides ample power and charges the battery.
• After the sun goes down you can keep listening on battery power for eight hours or more.
• Use the built-in USB port to charge your cell phone.
• AC adapter included.
• Imported.

Why not throw a panel or two on your roof instead? The price per watt will be much lower.



Or maybe a portable panel or two?



Bruce

bdosborn wrote:Why not throw a panel or two on your roof instead? The price per watt will be much lower.



Or maybe a portable panel or two?



Bruce

Once I actually build the trailer, yes there will be solar panels on the roof. However, I'll still keep using the Rukus because it can sit right between us at the campfire and we can keep the volume lower so as to not disturb the other campers. And when we're cooking/eating, it sits at the picnic table for the same reasons. It also comes with us to the beach and on the boat. Quite convenient for something I never need to charge

We will also have a stereo and TV inside the trailer for those rainy days though. And that's when the panels on the trailer will come in handy

I admire your optimism, but solar panels tend to come in less handy on rainy days

The good ones still provide some output under overcast though.

We like the music of nature.
We do however have a conventional 12 automotive radio and XM SAT receiver. When out for weeks... I take along our battery charger for the D, C, AA, and AAA battery charger and batteries.

JaggedEdges wrote:I admire your optimism, but solar panels tend to come in less handy on rainy days

The good ones still provide some output under overcast though.

That's what the battery is for Weather changes fast here. To be honest, we don't "NEED" power for anything. Fridge is propane and doesn't require 12v (no circuit boards etc). So if I kill my battery, oh well. My portable speaker can still play for 10+ hours off of its battery and still charges a little under overcast skies, so if we can still have music, that's a bonus. If THAT dies, I can always play tunes from the truck

music, we listen to a standard AA battery Voyager multi band radio, solar is Rengoy: 30 amp Adventurer Charge Controller, 15ft 10awg cable, 100 (2-50) watt Renogy Monocrystalline folding suit case panels. They keep our 125ah VMax Tank battery topped off, while we use our Engel portable fridg\freezer & any other 12v. accessory. I have other battery charging options 55 amp Powermax Converter Charger to run from shoreline or generator.

That is some mighty fine looking wire management!

We have a single 185 W High voltage panel that puts out 35V on a cloudy day.

Here's a graph of voltage versus current produced by my solar panels for the last 30 days:

You can see there's anywhere from 12 to 17V on the panels; this is from the garage lights being on or the door being open during the day. Note that the current *never* goes above zero, you just can't tell much about the power output of the panel from the panel voltage.You need a meter that displays current to the battery before you can tell if the panel is actually charging in low light conditions.

Bruce