Some Assembly Required

Every parent has nightmares about those three words. I wonder how many arguments, tears of frustration, and blood pressure spikes have resulted because somebody opened a box and found something inside that came with the label Some Assembly Required the night before Christmas.

As a single father, I made more than a few mistakes as a parent. But at least I never tried to fight that battle. If my kids got a bike or a swing set or whatever it was, I paid somebody to put it together. I knew we were all better off that way.

So yesterday, when I opened a box from a company called Anywhere Solar Technologies and saw a portable solar power kit with some assembly required which you might think looks very similar to the Renogy solar kit, my heart stopped for a minute. But either I’m getting better (doubtful), or manufacturers are getting smarter, because even I can put this thing together.

Anywhere Solar’s On-the-Go Solar Charging Kit is a lightweight portable solar power kit consisting of four solar panels, a plastic stand, and connecting cables. Everything is plug and go, so even I can figure it out.

The sample kit I received weighs less than ten pounds, and comes in a fitted carrying bag that is easy to stow in an RV’s storage bay. When I laid it out on the picnic table at our campsite it was evident the company designed the system to be quick and easy to set up. That’s good, because if it were too complicated or took too long, most RVers (myself included) wouldn’t bother. The last thing I want to do when I get parked is to spend half a day assembling something.

Peak output is 15 volts at 3.35 amps, which will give you 50 watts, so you are not going to be able to live off the grid with it. But since the unit is small and easy to move to track the sun’s path across the sky, it could be handy for somebody wanting to give their 12 volt batteries some extra power while dry camping.

Unfortunately, the system arrived late in the day yesterday and we had a heavy cloud cover, so there was no time to set it up and see what it can do. And since it rained most of the night, and it looks like it’s not going to stop today, it will be a while before I can let you know how well it works.

Since the weather is going to be dreary today, with rain and thunderstorms, we’ll probably do what we’ve been doing since we got here, hanging out close to home. I’ll write, and Terry is itching to get some more weaving done. We’re enjoying this quiet time without any commitments, but I am getting a touch of cabin fever, so one of these days we’ll need to get away for a while.

Thought For The Day – I do whatever my Rice Krispies tell me to.

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