Jerommie Smith and Ryan Bradley were outdoor enthusiasts in need of a power solution. They found themselves constantly needing to charge devices but their choices were either too large or too fragile. They solution is the Beacon, currently being funded on Kickstarter.
Beacon Box consists of a crush proof, waterproof box containing three USB chargers. Two of the ports are 5 Volt 1.0 Amp and the third is 5 Volt 2.1 Amp. The 1.5 Watt solar module fully charges the box in thirty six hours. The unit can also be plugged into a wall outlet for charging.
The lithium polymer batter is rated at 10,000 milliAmp hours and has four charging level indicators. Twelve high intensity white lights can act as a homing beacon or emergency light source while eight yellow low intensity lights can provide night vision for campers.
Plugs on the inside of the box allow the user to plug in their devices for charging, close the box and then wait for the solar modules to charge the electronics. The campaign page shows the box submerged in water but doesn't show any tests being done to demonstrate the Beacon's strength.
The case itself is 6 3/4 inches long by 4 1/2 inches wide by 2 inches thick. The storage compartment inside is 1.06 inches deep and the entire case weighs less than one pound. Promotional pictures on the page show the box easily fitting into a backpack's side pocket or strapped into the front of a kayak while still giving the solar modules exposure to the sun.
Beacon is a great product that looks completely developed with a great campaign video and polished campaign page. It's great to see people who have a need and the ability to engineer a product to fill that need. There are more battery charger packs coming out on the market every week but the outdoors aspects of this one give it definite utility.