If Wyatt Earp was a modern gear tester in the scorching sun and sideways snowstorms of the Wild West, the Venture 30 solar kit would keep his cameras and phones charged as he wandered through a landscape of rugged beauty and extreme weather. This battery charger from Goal Zero is a rugged, well-engineered power bank with a long rubberized cable that stores neatly in a slot around the sides of the device. It also has a daisy chain port to link the power bank with other solar panels or any standard USB device, such as a phone.
The Venture 30 has a lot of power capacity, enough to charge most smartphones 2-3 times. It can also recharge a mini tablet, but not near its full power. The unit is IPX6 rated as water resistant, which means it can handle a little rain or even being dropped in a puddle (but not a swimming pool). The rugged, rubberized case and the well-sealed and plugged USB ports help protect the power bank from grime, dirt, and snow that might find its way into the charging ports.
What really sets this unit apart from the competition is its smart brain, which explains that different devices have different charging profiles. So, the battery tries to figure out which speed works best by trying a bunch of settings until it finds the one that is optimal for the particular device. To calibrate the charger to an existing device, just press and hold the battery button while the device is plugged in. Then the unit will remember that new setting for that specific USB port.
