Solio, the decade-old leader in the hand-held battery packs and solar chargers category, announces support for professional skier, stand up paddler, and environmental advocate, Caroline Gleich. Solio will look to Gleich for product testing, feedback, and new performance insights.

Gleich’s year-round international travel schedule puts serious strain on the devices that keep her connected. Solio’s new BOLT solar charger and battery pack helps keep Gleich’s personal electronic quiver – including iPhone, GoPro camera, Petzl headlamp, and new Zeal goggles with built-in-frame GPS unit – fully topped off with power whenever she needs it

A Salt Lake City, Utah resident, Gleich’s commitment to alternative energy is prevalent both at home and on the road.

“I have a sunny south facing window in my office and I just set my BOLT there and let it charge. I love being able to charge my daily-use devices without using electricity from the grid,” Gleich commented.

“When I’m traveling, my BOLT always comes with me. It’s compact and lightweight so it’s very easy to pack. It comes in handy when you have been flying all day and you need to make phone calls; instead of being tethered to an outlet, you can keep moving and have a back-up power source.”

Along with its athlete ambassadors, Solio gains insight from people who rely on their products daily to power the lights in their homes, to keep their radios playing, and to charge their cell phones. For years community members in rural Kenya have performance-and-weather-tested Solio products to ensure their reliability for daily use in Africa’s challenging conditions.

Gleich will rely on Solio’s new BOLT, a powerhouse solar charger that works exclusively from the charging-device’s native USB cord. With an on-board battery and rotating solar panels, the Solio BOLT charges thousands of popular USB powered gadgets just like a power outlet.

When the sun goes down, the BOLT’s battery can be recharged via its micro-USB port. From USB power, the battery charges in 4.5 hours. The BOLT uses a high temperature rated lithium ion-polymer battery. Unlike other battery chemistries, lithium-poly works perfectly for the high-heat of solar charging and Solio’s 60C specification means the heat of the sun never interrupts efficient solar charging. When the useful life of the rechargeable battery is over, the Solio BOLT battery is user-replaceable with just a few turns of a screwdriver.

The Solio Bolt ($70) is available at REI and Mountain Equipment Co-Op (MEC) stores nationwide as well as at www.solio.com.