Solar Power Pre-Deployment To Afghanistan?

dAzED1 writes "My little brother is heading for training at 29 Palms as a Navy Corpsman with FMF. He gets a [Sailor|Soldier|Marine]'s pay, so while he can't afford gadgets, I can; since he'll be in a LAR unit, I was thinking of getting him a small video camera, an iPod, and some sort of solar recharger. Whatever he takes, he'll have to be able to carry in his pack, which is already going to be heavy with his medic gear. Other than the weight issue, I am having problems finding a solar recharger that doesn't get wildly differing reviews as to basic quality. He'll have plenty of sun and few clouds, but it needs to be lightweight, effective, and robust. With price not being much of a concern, what would you suggest for accomplishing this? Advice on a small robust video camera would be appreciated as well."

Comments

"With price not being much of a concern..."

[Hertne]

Money may not be much of a concern, but what about time and skill?

I had family overseas recently and had the same thought, but didn't have as much money to spend. I decided to go the DIY route and made one of these Solarize your backpack and power all your gizmos

It's handy because it's lightweight and can be strapped (as the description says) to nearly any backpack, including most military ones, or taken off and set up somewhere stationary.

It also adds more of a personal touch to the whole idea. Buying something nice and expensive for a soldier is nice, but I've often times heard from them that having something personally made (even if it's a letter) is worth gold over there as well. Reminds 'em of home and all, y'know?

If you know how (or know someone that does) I would recommend making one of these.

Re:"With price not being much of a concern..."

[Lokinator]

More survival-oriented, but.. Operation Helmet, Operation BoreSnake (defunct but offers useful information for troops), and comfort kits all help out. Check with your brother about his armor vest quality - this has been an issue in Iraq, though some reports report it as resolved. The solar kit will help, but recall that most solar panels *reflect* in sunlight (see: "Iraq", "Desert Climes") and reflections have an unfortunate tendency to *draw fire*. This is an un-good thing in a combat environment. Think this through.

Re:Pay

[palegray.net]

I just got out of the Navy as an E-4. Sorry, but your assertion that young enlisted men can't afford a bunch of gadgets is just plain wrong. I was a contract E-2 going in, made E-3 nine months later (automatic), and made E-4 six months after that. Here's the current pay for each grade (pre-tax, but you're only taxed on your base pay, all allowances are tax free):

• E-2 (less than 2 years of service): $1,569.00
• E-3 (less than 2 years of service): $1,650.00
• E-4 (over 2 years $1,921.00

Unmarried Sailors get galley rations, comprehensive medical and dental care, an annual clothing allowance (doesn't completely cover uniforms, but it's pretty close), plus any special pays for rate designation (submarines, etc). While they're at sea they receive sea pay as well. Married Sailors received a housing allowance, commuted rations in their paycheck, and all the other standard benefits.

Virtually every young Sailor I knew in submarine school had, at minimum, a video game system, decent sized TV, fancy cell phone, laptop, various games, a CD/DVD collection, and more in their barracks rooms. All without going into much unsecured credit debt, if any.

Of course, there's always a few idiots who overextend themselves, and there's always a few who are more conservative with their money (a roommate of mine finished sub school with over $20,000 in his checking account). My primary point still stands.

In any event, thank you for your service!

Forget the charger...

[an.echte.trilingue]

As a former infantryman, I can tell you that you are really over thinking this. Rugged means more than just hard to break. It also means that it is a single piece (so he can't loose part of it) and that those pieces are easily replaceable.

Forget the charger, and get him something nice that runs on AAs. Lots of military equipment, such as the AN/PRC-14 night vision goggles or the little radios that squads carry around, run on AAs and so he is sure never to have a shortage. You literally have boxes of these things just floating around where ever you go. They aren't that heavy, they are virtually unbreakable, and he will have to carry some anyway. When I was in, guys bought electric shavers that ran on AAs expressly for this reason.

Besides, his unit will appreciate him not flipping a mirror out for all to see whenever he wants to listen to music.