Stealth Cam Sol-Pak Solar 3000 - dead

[Tamarack]

I have 2 of these and both died w/in the same month after a year. Cams were set on video so probably got my $'s worth, but 1 year is lame. I see they have a 5000 mAH now but ...no thanks.

Anyone revive one of these or have luck by changing the batteries? I probably won't bother even if you did but still curious.

I worry about all the other panels I also have out there. No more of these Stealth's, thankfully. A couple have been going for 2+ years....all the others I've gotten w/in the last year.

 

[West_Fork]

I have three running, no issues. One was converted to power a Cuddeback using a voltage regulator. One is a year old, two are about 8 months. No issues, never dropped even a bar on the battery level.
After making a few of my own solar batteries, I would not bother servicing any of these unless you are desperate and have the stuff already. There is no money to be saved.

 

[Tamarack]

I'm liking the ones I got from Herd360 & Amazon(X-Tracter..same product) - on a couple I have 2 non-cellular cams hooked up to them. One cam takes the 12v the other 6v.

 

[West_Fork]

I just had two die close in time to one another after about 1 year and 6 months. They both still held 11.2v, or about nominal battery voltage and both charge via usb. I charged one in the field and left it in place and brought one home to play with. Best I can tell the solar panel or solar charge circuit is toasted.
I think buying a folding usb panel for $15 and running it through the usb on the sol-pak will keep it running another year.
I thought the lithium battery in these would fail first.

 

[356]

I have 2 of these and both died w/in the same month after a year. Cams were set on video so probably got my $'s worth, but 1 year is lame. I see they have a 5000 mAH now but ...no thanks.

Anyone revive one of these or have luck by changing the batteries? I probably won't bother even if you did but still curious.

I worry about all the other panels I also have out there. No more of these Stealth's, thankfully. A couple have been going for 2+ years....all the others I've gotten w/in the last year.

While this in an older thread, I am running one 3000 mAH, one 5000 mAH and one Stealthcam battery box w/solar and all are working well so far. The 3000 and 5000 are on cameras set to video and have been in the field a year. The solar battery box is on a Stealthcam Revolver. All are set for unlimited pictures. Like Tamarack, if one goes out I will likely not bother trying to revive it.

 

[356]

Jan 27, 2026 Update: As of now, two of the three StealthCam Sol-Paks have died. One was the older 1000mAH, one the newer 5000mAH. The batteries are not designed to be replaced (one could if they enjoy sourcing the right battery and soldering). As others have found, these seem to have about a one year lifespan before the built-in NiMH rechargeable batteries die.

The StealthCam solar battery box is still working on the original Revolver that has been deployed since May 2024. At least with those, the battery is easy and cheap ($15-20) to replace.

 

[Tamarack]

I'm not too crazy about any of the solar panels that don't use AA's(Browning) or 18650's(newer Boly) that you can replace..although the Stealthcam Fieldmax's are so far still working for me, as well as all of my Cuddebacks(I don't recall if they use replaceable ones or not). I've had 2 Herd360's die on me so far as well now...and I noticed they came out with a supposed improved version.

I've also been trying out some "cold weather" 18650 rechargeables for my Bolys, next year I'll probably add them to the solar panels. Haven't really researched AA's much yet...I know Eneloop Pros are supposed to be decent for cold weather. Hertzborn has some that are supposed to be better for even colder temps but I don't know much about them.

 

[Telemark]

Jan 27, 2026 Update: As of now, two of the three StealthCam Sol-Paks have died. One was the older 1000mAH, one the newer 5000mAH. The batteries are not designed to be replaced (one could if they enjoy sourcing the right battery and soldering). As others have found, these seem to have about a one year lifespan before the built-in NiMH rechargeable batteries die.

The StealthCam solar battery box is still working on the original Revolver that has been deployed since May 2024. At least with those, the battery is easy and cheap ($15-20) to replace.

Pull the batteries out and see what kind they are. If each cell is a normal 1.5 volt, you can use any of the common batteries.

If it's a slim Li ion battery, you might be able to buy a new one with the same output off Amazon for $10. Maybe try with and old cell phone battery.

If worse comes to worst, a cheap power bank might suffice for the battery pack. This can be a bit trickier since the output might not be the same. I would assume the electronics in the camera regulate the current, but that is a question I would ask my electronics guy before trying it on a functioning camera.

I'll dig around on Google and Reddit a bit and see what I come up with. I have two cameras that used to be great but no longer function, so I was planning on that being a part of my winter project list.

In the mean time, don't throw them away. They might be salvageable.

 

[356]

I'm not too crazy about any of the solar panels that don't use AA's(Browning) or 18650's(newer Boly) that you can replace..although the Stealthcam Fieldmax's are so far still working for me, as well as all of my Cuddebacks(I don't recall if they use replaceable ones or not). I've had 2 Herd360's die on me so far as well now...and I noticed they came out with a supposed improved version.

I've also been trying out some "cold weather" 18650 rechargeables for my Bolys, next year I'll probably add them to the solar panels. Haven't really researched AA's much yet...I know Eneloop Pros are supposed to be decent for cold weather. Hertzborn has some that are supposed to be better for even colder temps but I don't know much about them.

My original cuddeback 8300 panels all required battery replacements around 1000 to 1200 days in the field. Not complaining, as that is basically 1000 charge cycles, which is the life of these type of batteries.