Bingley: I can't recommend any particular radios because I don't keep up with the various manufacturers offerings. However it depends a lot on how you intend to use the radios.

The bubble pack frs/gmrs are OK if you want a "squad" radio. That is to talk with a pre-arranged group of your friends. But most of them are very difficult to use if you want to listen to all the frequencies (scan) and respond to others as you hear them. It has to do with how they use sub-audible tones to control the squelch.

I can elaborate if you want, however a short bit about how you intend to use them would help focus the conversation.

I have been off the grid (solar) for over 20 years, but again, not up to speed with the current manufacturers offerings. I am interested in the replies on the current portable solar offerings.

Mostly I find it easier to swipe power from other sources like car batteries etc than to generate it myself. Especially for the short duration. A small inverter will do a lot and many folks will let you use their car battery so they can also charge their equipment using your inverter. I have seen that in many disaster situations. An inverter and a power strip is worth the effort.

Nomad