PowerTraveller’s PowerMonkey eXplorer is a portable solar charger that allows you to both use and store solar energy. The device includes two main components: the “PowerMonkey-eXplorer unit” and the “solar-slave.” The solar-slave is a 5-volt DC folding solar panel, while the PowerMonkey-eXplorer unit is a separate lithium ion battery, which can either be plugged into the solar-slave to store the gathered solar energy or into the electronic device you wish to charge. The device also includes several extras, such as charging tips for most current cell phones and electronic devices, three main travel chargers that work in 150 countries, and a large storage case which fits all of the components.

My first impression was that both the PowerMonkey-eXplorer unit and the solar-slave seem compact and lightweight, while relating a sense of durability, as they have rubberized, water-resistant exteriors. They seem solid and well designed, and seem as if they they could withstand continual outdoor use.

As someone that mainly uses the PowerMonkey for my iPhone and Canon camera, the PowerMonkey comes with all of the charging tips I need and quite a few more. I have occasionally used it to charge other items and have yet to find that the tip I needed was not included.

As well, for someone as forgetful as myself, I also found it unexpectedly more convenient than I initially thought to always have an emergency source of energy lying around in your car or backpack. I first purchased the PowerMonkey because I saw it as an intriguing gadget that could help the average person strive towards incorporating sustainability into their everyday life, but have now come to appreciate and even rely upon knowing that I usually have a fully charged PowerMonkey somewhere near.

The largest problem I found with the PowerMonkey was that it was hard to tell when the lithium ion battery unit was actually charging. The solar-slave is straightforward, as it has a green LED light on it that indicates when it is receiving energy. On the other hand, the lithium ion battery is slightly deceiving, as when it is turned on and plugged into the solar-slave it continually flashes images of its battery bars, which gives the user the impression that the solar-slave is charging the battery. However, the battery actually charges only when its screen is turned off and when its red LED light is on.

The second, more obvious drawback I found was that living in a place such as Vancouver, which is by no means the sunniest place in the world, means that it can take quite a while to gather enough usable energy from the solar-slave to charge a device. While the fully charged lithium ion battery can usually offer around three charges of my phone before needing to be replenished with solar energy, it does take around two to three sunny days for the solar-slave to fully top up the lithium ion battery.

In conclusion, the PowerMonkey is an interesting, often useful device, but unless you’re an individual that truly loves the outdoors, and spends a reasonable amount of time away from alternative, more readily available energy sources, I would suggest seriously weighing out the cost of the product (which is currently around $100) against how much individual use you feel you may get from the product. As a person that enjoys camping and that is intrigued by green gadgets, I love my PowerMonkey, but at the same time can appreciate that they are not for everyone.