Plus, we’ve got tips and tricks on how to get the most out of your portable solar panels, power banks and chargers. Each of these solar chargers had metal grommets in the casing, which allows you to attach them to a rock, backpack, tent, or camp chair. Volts are the amount of force of electricity, and multiplying amps and volts will equal the wattage.

We also test any AC or USB inputs, to see how quickly the power bank can recharge from the mains or an adapter. It has a comfortable built-in carry handle and zipper pouch, which makes it painless to haul this to your solar charging station at camp. Whether you're looking for the best solar panel for travel, work, or play, we've compiled this list of the best options for each type of charger. This solar charger is on the same side as the solar panels, making whatever product in it susceptible to overheating.But it unfolds into three panels to capture an impressive amount of sunlight for its relatively small size. Capacity is impressive, too, running our electric heater on its low power setting for 48 minutes, and making it through the entire Hobbit trilogy on our 43-inch TV, with enough juice left for a 62 minute encore of An Unexpected Journey. However, that’s not bad for such a compact solar charger, and it didn’t seem as prone to sudden drops in charging power as the Swarey Solar Charger 30W.

The nominal / rated power refers to the power of the solar charger, which is not equal to the actual output of the solar charger. We know, we know, we know, you’ve seen the pictures of solar chargers strapped to the front of backpacks, like they’re actually charging your devices while you’re on the move. Whether you’re backpacking in the wilderness or just enjoying daily life on the freeway, this BigBlue charger gives you all the free and clean power you need to charge your gadgets on the go. We also came up with some different conclusions than other review sites based on our knowledge and our anticipation of how you’ll actually be able to use a solar charger in the field.

If you’re hoping it’ll power your devices while strapped to the outside of your pack and hiking, you’ll be displeased. In that case, a smaller unit like the BioLite SolarPanel 10+ with an integrated battery pack is an excellent choice, but the 10 watt foldable solar panel only has one USB port and wouldn't be powerful enough to charge a family’s devices on a five-day trip. It'll definitely power your small devices better than many panels, proving itself just above average in our testing.

It has tons of useful features that make it portable and exceptionally useful, including a built-in handle that makes it easy to carry. While shorter cables are lighter, the difference is often negligible, even for the most conscious gram counters.

You can also pre-charge these batteries before you leave and use them to charge a device while it’s in your pack or at night and recharge the battery with the sun. Even if it were attached to the front of Frankenstein’s backpack, it would likely drag on the ground like an oddly stiff cape. Then you might also have to keep your back arched at a certain angle to maintain the best angle orientation throughout the day.