How to choose your portable solar panel outdoors
Why an outdoor portable solar panel?
Hiking, biking, camping or simply walking in natural views, with so many different natural scenes, outdoor activities are always the best choice. While we enjoy the natural light, breezes, and birds singing, we still need electronic devices to enrich our outdoor experience. A portable solar panel could provide clean energy for mobile phones, cameras, and laptops. So why do you need a portable solar panel in your outdoor journey? Here are 3 important takeaways just for you.
Get rid of low-battery anxiety
Most people are carrying a handful of electronics while they are camping. You need digital cameras to catch the moments, mobile phones to share the pictures, and it’s still hard to find a power source at the camping site. Portable solar panels can be useful to create electricity in any place to charge your portable devices.
Find a spot where the sun directly shines and unfold the portable solar charger, it’s so easy to charge just like you are at your home. In recent years, the rise of portable power banks offers electricity for your outdoor journey. But here is the problem, what if your portable power bank ran out of power? The combination of a portable solar panel and power bank can be the best outdoor charge solution. By working with a power bank, you can store electricity when the sun shines, and output stable power to your multiple devices.
0 carbon emission
Gas-powered generators do can help, but they’re loud and smelly, and also requires extra gasoline storage. You need a car to carry a gas-powered generator, which means people who love hiking and backpacking could not get an outdoor power supply. Compared with gas-powered generators, portable solar panels are more eco-friendly with 0 fossil fuel requirement and 0 carbon emission.
A portable solar panel works by capturing the energy of sunshine and turning it into electricity. Wherever the sunlight shines, you can easily get power suppliance by using a portable solar panel. No matter if you are stepping into a state park or heading into a campsite, a portable solar panel will never cause any pollution to the environment, you got my promise.
Easy to carry
Compared with gas-powered generators, portable solar panels are more easily to carry for outdoor activities. For people who go camping or hiking, there are different sizes and weights to choose from. From mini portable solar panels for hikers to large-size portable solar panels for a campsite, you can always find the best option for your trip.
Steps for choosing a portable solar panel
Step 1. Choose the right size and wattage for your portable solar panel.
It’s important to make sure you have the right solar panel that fits your outdoor style. There is no “one size fits all” option when it comes to choosing the best portable solar panel. So it’s the first step to choose the size and wattage that fits your needs.
Size & weight: If you are going hiking or backpacking, you should have the smallest solar panels to keep you weighed down. But if you have your journey with a car or RV, just make sure you’re able to carry and store it safely.
Wattage: Different outdoor activities mean different power needs. If you want to make sure to get a portable solar panel that’s large enough to power all your essentials, here is some guidance. Charge a mobile phone or a digital camera needs 25-50 watts. Charge a portable power bank needs 100-400watts.
Step 2. Price and reliability
When choosing your portable solar panel, price is one of the important factors. Although overpriced portable has significant high quality, there is no need for us consumers to pay for the brand premium. At the same time, if the price sounds so cheap, it always lacking in quality and has low charge efficiency. Price and reliability are two combined factors. You must want to make sure the panel works well when you’re on the road.
Step 3. Tips for choosing a better portable solar panel
Efficiency: The efficiency of portable solar panels values the amount of solar energy converted to electricity. Higher efficiency means the portable solar panel could generate more electricity at the same size and weight.
Waterproof: Outdoor activities face all types of weather. Portable solar panels need to be waterproof because they might get caught under flash rainfall. For hikers or backpackers, they might be crossing a river or even hiking in the rain.
Outputs: For a typical good portable solar panel, type-C output or USB output must be needed to charge your mobile devices. DC output is also needed to charge your car battery or portable power bank.
Easy to use: Thanks to the well-designed structure, a portable solar panel is easy to use even for beginners. Unfold the portable solar panel, and make the sunshine shines directly on the panel. You can get a sustainable power source for your outdoor time.
If you have any questions about portable solar panels, feel free to contact us.