GoSun

[Outback in Idaho]

  Rich said the boomerang stickers should arrive on Friday.

[Outback in Idaho]

  Sun came back! We had cloudy skies and rain the last 3. Chicken got frozen so it was still good.

  Chicken, Peas, Cherry Tomatoes, sliced up Tater, slices of Red Onion. Used Mrs Dash Lemon Pepper & Beaver's Jalapeno glaze over the chicken. Had a terrific, tonsil invigorating soup too. - Kept the handle held firmly in place with a rubber band.
 

 

  New Replacement GoSun Sport    Now with Aerodynamic Bug Deflectors!
 

  Even more sexier than the original
 

  Trusty o' Solar Wire Dial
 

[zoidberg]

(Image removed from quote.)

Winner pic of the day.          

[Grant Lamontagne]

LooKing great there Jim!

I hope you didn't get too hungry while it was raining!   

Def

[Outback in Idaho]

  Rain, Snow, Slush, Rain, Ice, Snow, Melt, Snow, Ice, Icy Rain, Snow, Melt, Freezing for days/weeks, Snow, Rain inc. Gah! Enough of winter!    Getting stuck in stuff now cause of the impacted ice - can't see roads anymore.

  Have seen posts where people used their GoSun in the snow, but the sun is at sun a low angle was not possible without having to move the stove every few minutes. Resorted to using the microwave instead. Though I wanted to use the GoSun Sport the sun tracked way too fast for multitasking inside the house.


  Say, have a friend, The Boomerang Man, who might be interested in applying for an ad. Where do I send him?

[Grant Lamontagne]

Have him send me an email at Grant.lamontagne@gmail.com and I'll be happy to work something out with him.

Def

[Outback in Idaho]

Thank you, Grant. Sent him a message. 

How much snow did Canada get this winter?

[Grant Lamontagne]

Canada is a big place and I haven't gotten reports in from all of the spots yet, but my driveway is solid packed ice about six inches higher than it was six months ago. 

I have also brushed a good 6-10 inches of snow off my Jeep a few times this year, so I'd say cumulatively at least a couple of feet so far.

Def

[Outback in Idaho]

 So it doesn't get lost again.

[Outback in Idaho]

  And yes, I'm still cooking with the replacement and it's doing great!

  Think the issue might of been me resting the tray on the reflector for photos, so started using a multi-folded towel underneath. Anymore I leave the reflectors alone. Fold them up when done and put in their passed case when not in use. Wished had more stuff to cook, money being tight and all.

[Grant Lamontagne]

Just bumping this one back up- are you still using it?  If so, how has it held up after all these years? 

Def

[Outback in Idaho]

  Still have it, and use it off and on. Makes for great cake bread. It is still cake, just long and narrow. Since a friend moved away I do not get as many fresh veggies and  his special salsas. Chicken with peppers, glazed jalapeno juices, mmm .... that was the bomb! Sure miss those days.

  Been dealing with a health issue which in turn turned into lots of traveling to Caldwell and Boise, so have not had much time to do any solar cooking last year. Finally got access to a local care through the Veteran's Administration so I get more time to get off my leg so it can heal, more riding time (weather permitting), and can take a nap after work.

  Not keen on the GoSun Go though. If you have 45 minutes to kill and nothing else available, go for it. It's too small to be of any benefit.

  The bigger GoSun ovens look terrific, yet too expensive for me. They have been touting their solar generator package that charges that chargers to external solar panels, a solar panel build into a table, and a mini refrigerator. Cool concept, yet quite expensive.


  If you need the space, go ahead and delete the post. Does not seem to have drawn much attention, nor the didgeridoo & recumbent trike sections -- which I still enjoy and use frequently.

[Outback in Idaho]

  I miss this in solar cooking. Mmm... Juicy!! Should of made a video of the steam coming up. Too bad videos did not have a share-the-smell option too. 

[Grant Lamontagne]

It looks good to me!

And not just because it's cool to see a Flair getting some use.   

Every now and then I wonder about the GoSun products and I check out their page and see some cool stuff they have added since the last time I visited.

The camper they have now looks pretty amazing, although the price tag does too.   

I wondered about the long term usability of the GoSun stove as I figured it would eventually get scratched enough to become opaque and less useful over time.

Def

[Grant Lamontagne]

I finally did it.

They had a model called the GoSun Solar Oven Kit on Amazon for about $65 CDN and that was too good and offer to pass up.

It looks to be somewhat smaller than Jim's, but ample sized for work lunches.  It looks like I can fit two Pogos in there (what the Americans call corn dogs) in it, and that's good enough for my lunch.

Def

[Grant Lamontagne]

It just arrived today and I haven't used it yet, although I did assemble it.  Unlike Jim's model, this one doesn't fold and needs to be disassembled to take anywhere.  That's a bit annoying as there is nothing to protect the all important glass tube.   

It also doesn't have much of a handle on the metal tray, but the instructions say that you can use the silicone end cap doodad to pull it out.  I imagine I'll use the Bond I have been carrying lately.

It also doesn't have anything to protect the reflectors when packed up, which also seems a bit annoying, so I grabbed a couple of dust cloths and wrapped them before putting them back in Japanese schoolgirl style backpack carrying bag.

The plastic brackets that hold the whole thing together have little fold out legs for extra versatility when aiming it and there's a little sundial molded into one leg so it can be aimed for maximum sun.

In the few minutes it was in the sun while I set it up it got significantly hot and that was without even trying to aim it.  I have no doubt that it will heat up quickly.

I want to try something simple first but I'm already thinking it might be really nice to chop up some sausages, onions and potatoes and see what happens.

Def

[Grant Lamontagne]

Well, it works.

Maybe a little too well.   

My Pogos were frozen when I left and spent the morning in a freezer bag with some freezer packs, so they were probably still quite frozen when I put them in the stove.  They fit in perfectly, with the sticks overlapping a bit in the middle, just as I expected.

The sun was shining but the occasional cloud went in front of it so I figured this was a good day to test under pretty close to optimal conditions.

I set it up on the tonneau cover of my truck and set a timer for twenty minutes.

Def

[Grant Lamontagne]

I used the small plastic sundial doodad to make it point as close as possible into the sun and waited.

After twenty minutes I checked and the Pogos were warm but not quite ready yet so I decided to give them another 20 minutes.

When I popped off the silicone end cap after twenty minutes, steam and super heated water drops came out and I thought "that's not good."

I was right and when I pulled the tray out, it was hotter than the surface of the sun and my Pogos were burnt!   

I mean, thankfully not past the point of being edible, but still quite burnt!  Looking back on it if I'd only waited another ten minutes they probably would have been just about perfect.

Once the food was out of it the challenge then became cooling it down enough to put it away, but fortunately I'd given that some thought and so I lowered the tailgate and put it in the truck bed, out of the sun.  I left the tailgate open and removed the reflector panels, and the glass tube did cool down in a reasonable amount of time, thanks to a slight breeze.

All in all I have to say that even though my lunch was a little overdone, which was absolutely my fault, I think there is some potential for this stove, and I look forward to more experiments with it!

I did notice some scratches on the reflector that weren't there last night and it bothers me a bit that there isn't a reasonable way to keep that from happening.  Most of the models fold closed but this model gets disassembled for carry and opens up an opportunity for scratches.

There are some annoyances, but as this is probably the cheapest model they have, I don't think it's unreasonable to think that I have to put some effort in too. 

Def

[Grant Lamontagne]

My experiment with this GoSun model is over today.  I was moving it from the truck into the house, lightly tapped it and the glass cylinder was shattered.

I said there was no good, safe way to transport this model, and I was right.  I will be lodging a complaint with the company and leaving a warning on my Amazon review.  With no reasonable way to carry it or protect the glass you simply cannot rely on a stove like this.

And, the glass cylinder has been in the plastic, padded shipping sleeve when not in use and somehow it still shattered.

While the other models may be decent, I would caution anyone and everyone from buying this version. 

Def

[Farmer X]

It was apparently a good concept that lacked in execution. Thanks for the review and cautionary words!

[Grant Lamontagne]

It is a great concept indeed and their other models would fare a lot better.  Jim's has been serving him well for many years.

I'd suggest that if someone wanted to try this model, they should also get a Pelican case or something to carry it around in.  But as that would significantly increase the cost, maybe it's best to just buy one of the higher end models that is capable of protecting itself.

Def

[lister]

It looks like it needs one of those less-breakable glass things. Neat idea though.

[Outback in Idaho]

My experiment with this GoSun model is over today.  I was moving it from the truck into the house, lightly tapped it and the glass cylinder was shattered.

I said there was no good, safe way to transport this model, and I was right.  I will be lodging a complaint with the company and leaving a warning on my Amazon review.  With no reasonable way to carry it or protect the glass you simply cannot rely on a stove like this.

And, the glass cylinder has been in the plastic, padded shipping sleeve when not in use and somehow it still shattered.

While the other models may be decent, I would caution anyone and everyone from buying this version. 

Def

GoSun does indeed sell a padded carrying case or the Sport model.

That one there though looks like a revised edition of the GoSun Go hotdog cooker. Think I have one laying around here that I really do not use. Could perhaps send it to you? It has it's own zippered case if I recall.

[Grant Lamontagne]

I actually was quite disappointed and trashed the whole thing after that, so I'd need the whole setup.

If you have the whole thing to sell send me a message and I'll be happy to give it another go.  I really like the concept, I just found this one, in my opinion significant issue.

If there is a solution I'm always happy to reassess my thoughts.

Def

[Outback in Idaho]

I actually was quite disappointed and trashed the whole thing after that, so I'd need the whole setup.

If you have the whole thing to sell send me a message and I'll be happy to give it another go.  I really like the concept, I just found this one, in my opinion significant issue.

If there is a solution I'm always happy to reassess my thoughts.

Def

Mine is the first conception of the GoSun Go. Has a coated fabric zippered enclosure. A brace folds out to keep the mirrored metal open. Thing it can attach to a GoPro like mount, will have to check again. Do have a spare tube here too, that I think the bracket was installed on the wrong end.

In all honesty the thing is a waste of effort and use. The Sport models is by far the best deal they had, and while I would of liked the larger $500 version I really do not cook with it that much anymore. I have the Sport model, will hang onto it as it does work, but the Hot Dogger to me is a total wasted effort.

Not going to sell it to you. Is yours if you want it. Am going on vacation and probably won't get to send it for a few weeks.
I do not know what the US to Canada shipping issues are or what, so tell me the best way to go and we can exchange funds for shipping only.

Had gotten it for some kick starter thing and, it is what it is. I personally have only tried using it a few times and gave up on it. It works, but the Sport is the best personal solar cooker there was, unless you wanted a larger size for a family.

Decent price: https://www.amazon.com/GOSUN-Survival-Gear-Solar-Cooker/dp/B00KLKJB72?source=ps-sl-shoppingads-lpcontext&ref_=fplfs&psc=1&smid=ATXM8TGFX85TT&gQT=1

Have one similar to this, but mine was an earlier build. Looks the same minus the solar tracker dot thing.: https://www.amazon.com/GOSUN-Portable-Go-Cookware-Backpacking/dp/B0BRQY4KR4?source=ps-sl-shoppingads-lpcontext&ref_=fplfs&psc=1&smid=ATXM8TGFX85TT&gQT=1

[Outback in Idaho]

Plans are going back to Kellogg, Idaho for another recumbent rally on the new Greenspeed Magnum XL steed.

[Outback in Idaho]

  Got back a week ago. Had an issue with a derailleur and was unable to take on a segment from Harrison to Plummer and back. Although was a bit concerned about the ride back, as there are 5 miles at 5% grade and the Greenspeed uses 90mm drum brakes. I personally prefer disc brakes, but the conversion kit is roughly $700 and from Trisled of Australia.

  Not sure if missing out on the segment was good thing or not. The derailleur  had flipped over and past its 'stop' but I had no internet or cellular to find out how derailleurs worked. The fix was simple and I would of taken the segment if I would of known.

  Put the Nuvinci n380 on that was on the Rover when I got back, as I had extended handlebars waiting for me at home. These bars gave my hands an extra 6 inches of clearance from where they were crammed  alongside my hips. Now my hands rest above my thighs and gives a whole lot more room and clearance I did not have otherwise. Can even turn sharper.
  Had to order extra brake cable as the routing needed to be changed. First time installing a Nuvinci (Internally Geared Hub) onto any trike. Was not that hard, just different.

  Did ride the entire 73+ mile Trail of the Coeur d'Alenes on two trikes in three different years. It is a paved trail too. 

[Grant Lamontagne]

Sorry you missed out, but those sound like some great upgrades!  Turning tighter alone makes a huge difference, as I'm sure does increased comfort.

When people ask me what to look for in a kayak I tell them to find the best seat they can because they will be sitting in it for hours.  Length, features, beam etc are all secondary to comfort.

Def