Yeah, I concur... The Goal Zero stuff is great. I have the Guide 10 Adventure Series. It comes with the solar panels, four AA batteries, and a charging unit for the batteries. It will also directly charge a cell phone or most 12 volt devices. And it's only about 90 bucks on Amazon.
I'm good on AA and AAA batteries, but I have three or four electric lanterns, several flashlights, and some battery powered fans that all take D cells. My next step in battery power is rechargeable D cells.