Solar trickle charger?

[v8-powered]

Anyone tried one?

Our garage is remote to the house with no power and have been thinking about mounting a solar charger on the garage roof - views, recommendations?

[MrLongbeard]

Off grid BiL is looking at a bike with an alarm so needs something, else muggins here get the job of cutting the alarm out.

[v8-powered]

I did buy a small solar panel along with a charge controller, haven't got round to fitting it to the garage yet though.....
Reviews of it were good but no first hand data yet.

[Kneerly Down]

I've generally found the solar trickle chargers poorly made and very low power.
My electrical shed (where I do most of my leccy repairs), funnily enough, isn't connected to the mains.
So....have a 'proper' sized panel with a solar charge controller connected to a big 12V leisure battery and then run lights 12V plus a 1kW inverter for any mains devices, which could include a trickle charger, although the charge could be provided straight from the controller if it is suitable for connecting to cranking batteries.

[v8-powered]

When I say a small panel, it's about 30cm X 30cm. They reckon high enough output to charge a car battery but until I can get my lazy arse in gear and install it, I have no evidence.

[Yorick]

I have an alarm. Just plug the trickle charger in once a month.

[MrLongbeard]

I have an alarm. Just plug the trickle charger in once a month.

Ditto, but BiL is off grid, no drains, no water, no gas, no leccy, no nothing except for woodland, so is looking at alternatives

[MingtheMerciless]

I’ve got the optimate 80W solar charger on the roof of the bike shed. Even on dull winter days the plastic brain tells me it’s generating charge. It’s charging a 12V 80AH Telecoms standby battery which is linked to the motorbikes battery. All seems to work ok.

[chutzpah]

I used the Optimate (https://www.optimate.co.uk/products/optimate-solar) for the first time last winter. Alternated it between my wife's and my bike, seemed to work well enough. Even in murky conditions as @MingtheMerciless says.

If he's not in an immediate rush it's worth setting up an ebay and facebook marketplace alert. I got mine for about £65.