If you decided to go camping, where there are no power outlets obviously, having devices charged is essential, especially for emergency situations, navigation, and keeping the good times rolling. And if you’re planning on going for longer than a few days, being able to recharge power banks and batteries is even more important. Of course, we want to keep nature as a place of escape from the city for generations to come but we need to do better in managing how much we leave behind when camping. The perfect solution to all is a portable solar panel.
When we think of solar panels, we normally have an image in our heads of vast fields of shiny rectangles that aren’t particularly useful for a weekend of camping. But innovators have taken all that technology and squeezed it down into an incredibly small size, using a foldable design, energy efficient panels, and hardy materials. A portable solar panel works pretty much the same way: it collects energy from sunlight and converts it into electricity, which is either stored in a power bank attached to the panel or transferred directly to a connected device.
When on the lookout for a portable solar panel to bring camping, you should keep in mind a few things.
- First is energy conversion, which determines how much energy is converted into electricity. This ultimately affects the time it takes to complete a recharge. Leading portable solar panels have incredible efficiency ratings at 21.5% to 23.5%, meaning devices are charged in a flash.
- If it includes software that allows for optimization of charging. That technology allows voltage to be regulated, so as to ensure your device gets the optimal charge at just the right time.
- If it includes no-tear hooks. This allows them to hang from packs, tents, or trees, so you can perfectly position them in the direction of the sun at any time of the day.
- Finally, a portable solar panel has to be robust and durable; not only should it be able to take plenty of bumps in the road, but it must be waterproof as well.