im no expert, been reading/researching it, specifically for later use. Talking with a few folks, heres what im looking at and this is presented purely for though provoking info off the grid is over rated and not neccessary if you ask some solar users(myself included) yes its all romantic thinking about the self sufficiency aspect of it, but honestly probably not worth it in a urban/semi rural area. grid tie is ALMOST a great answer, but if you lose power in a storm, doesnt matter how much solar you put on the roof. it still has to be stored and disseminated. ive been thinking of a hybrid type system(again for the future) where id be grid tied 99% of the time, but id also have battery storage and a set of outlets (the garage for instance) specifically for power outages/storms. i could still run a small refrigerator/freezer(mine in the garage now runs at about 2.5a) and a small TV, couple of fans and maybe flourescent lighting. off the grid. indefinitely. yeah hot showers wouldnt happen, and cooking would be strictly open fire/grill, but you know you could go as far as you want. that may very well be a good place to start for you. my uncle is off the grid in the escalante canyon, but he didnt go all in at the beginning. work your way up. Now heres the reality of alternative energy. it requires regular maintenance and periodic replacement of components. batteries are likely the most expensive part.(based on a small 35w garden pond experiment i recently completed- ha, i turned a 100$ pond into a 400$ pond in a week, more on that in a minute) and theyll need to be replaced at some point. just the way it is. same with panels, at some point theyll need to be replaced. just keep it in mind as you deliberate. as far as panels go. thin film is cheaper, eficiency is less, and life span is shorter. mono/poly crystalline is more efficient, lasts longer, but exponentially more expensive. batteries. i could go for weeks on info ive found out about solar power storage, AGM, lead acid,gel cell, etc etc etc. either way, you get what you pay for and you will pay. heres a general idea of expenses based on my very limited experience during one solar experiment. 1 30 gallon pond kit- 100$ northern tool 35w monocrystalline panel with charge controller- 80$ ebay 8w 12v DC pump- 40$ online 34AH AGM battery(electric wheel chair battery) 90$ batteries plus. various wiring/fasteners/etc- 30$ add in labor(it was me, i make about $20+ per hour) for 6 hours of work installing only. now i have probably 5-6 years of off the grid power for my stupid 30 gallon pond. then ill have to replace the battery, maybe the charge controller. hoping the panel lasts at least 10, maybe 15 years. nevermind the pump. that could go any minute now muliply that by 50-100 (sans pond kit) and add permits, inspections, engineers, designers, electricians. i dont even know what that would cost. and you should have a beginning idea of what it would cost to do a house off the grid. yep youre self sufficient, but it could take years to get the return on investment, and then youd be looking at regular replacement of something, so youd be better off, but not free. that said, i like my pond. the birds like it, and im sure the mosquitos will too this summer(crap theres another 30$ in either fish or dunks, plus algae control, talk about a 64$ tomato) i did learn A TON about solar though. matt

As it turns out, Dell did decide to expedite shipping so I got in time to try it. BUT - they sent the same incorrect item - just the empower and car plug - no actually adapter. Just absurd. Then they wanted me to call fedex to arrange a return. I emailed them that I wasn't taking any more time on them - and they could email me a label - which they just did. I wound up paying for one-day shipping through Amazon to get a non-Dell adapter on the day or her flight(I have prime anyway - so it was just an additional $4. I bought 3 different adapters bc. there was no way to be sure which might work with dd's dell laptop (it's new enough that it's not specifically listed as a compatible laptop). Good thing I did. One item was not the appropriate item. One never came - and one arrived in a nick of time and seemed to be the right one - a Kensington car/air ac/dc adapter - that fit her laptop. Raven - thank you for that link. Sounds like a great program - unfortunately they left on the 27th. But I may look for something similar for my smartphone. I think I already downloaded an app that does that for the phone. Mike - I do know that there could be any type of plug (empower,car type plug or regular ac) - and that there may or may not be a plug - and it may or may not work. Of course, neither my daughter nor husband has gotten online to email me that they've arrived and are okay. Guess I'll find out soon whether it worked. Thanks. Lynn.

I was looking at getting one of these for camping. they sell them at local sporting goods stores like dicks and sports authority Clear Blue Hawaii Mana Solar Claw Turns Any Bag into Mobile Power Station if anyone has one I am curious to know how they are before I spend the money. Here is a link that might be useful: solar backpack charger

Otterbox cases are the best protection, you can find various prices, they do have a couple of models. My husband always has an Otterbox, I currently have a spec case they are also good but they do not cover the glass. I am wanting an Otterbox for mine and found a great site that sells the real Otterbox but they have awesome colors and designs. You look up your phone model and then view the hundreds of options including adding your name on it. I want the black and white Paisley. Plus the cost is less than a plain Otterbox. Check out Coveroo. Here is a link that might be useful: Coveroo This post was edited by ravencajun on Wed, Jan 1, 14 at 18:38