Portable solar charger: What to choose?
25 July 2024
You are probably aware that when traveling, you often have battery problems. Both because it discharges quickly, and both because we often cannot charge our equipment as much as we would like. To overcome this problem, one of the solutions is the portable solar charger! Let’s see together what it is, what it is for and which one to choose!
What is a portable solar charger?
THE portable solar charger, as explained to us Let’s travel.top, is therefore a device allowing electricity to be obtained through the sun’s rays. It then allows you to recharge your equipment while traveling, for example, such as your smartphone, your camera and others, just as it can also serve as a power source, to operate an object via USB. It is therefore ideal for travelers, campers or even hikers.
The two types of portable solar chargers
There are two main types of portable solar chargers. On the one hand, the model which presents itself as an external battery, and on the other, the one which presents itself as a simple solar panel. Both have advantages and disadvantages, let’s see this:
The external solar battery:
The solar battery is therefore an emergency battery device, also called external, which once charged, allows you to recharge your devices and power them. The advantage is that here we can store energy, and therefore once full or at least a little full, we can power what we want. Ideal for the night for example where the sun is not or hardly present, but also on rainy days etc.
The portable solar panel:
The portable solar panel, for its part, is a bit like a book, in which we find one or more photovoltaic panel(s) which again make it possible to capture the sun’s energy to redistribute it. Here, we cannot store energy, however they are much more powerful and thus allow faster charging, or use for USB objects directly.
How it works ?
The principle is quite simple as we saw above, and its use is just as simple. In both cases, battery or panel, you will have to expose the device to the sun, or in any case as best you can. When hiking for example, you just need to hang it on your backpack, when camping, you can put it on your tent, and when traveling you can again hang it somewhere, on your belt, on your bag, and even use it on the bus, train or car by putting it near the window. Then you just plug your device into it, and let it do the work.
What to choose between the two?
If you are going on a trip, camping or hiking, and you have to choose between the two, we recommend the solar panel. Although it cannot be used in rainy weather or at night, and does not store battery power, it is nevertheless much more efficient and offers a better experience. Furthermore, very often it is much lighter.
What is the best portable solar charger?
There are many models of portable solar chargers, and among all the references, on DestinationThePacific.com, we have our preferences. The one that appealed to us, particularly for its value for money, is that of the brand Sunslice.
THE Fusion Flex, signed Sunslice, has the big advantage in addition to being quite compact and light, to be very resistant to shock, dust and humidity. It is waterproof and unbreakable. It looks like a small book and doesn’t weigh much, so it doesn’t take up too much space when you’re traveling, camping or hiking. In terms of quality, it’s top notch and it offers good charging power, even on cloudy days. For us, this is THE best in 2024!
How to choose the best before buying?
It is important to choose the best solar panel charger before making your purchase, and for this, several criteria must be taken into account when making your choice. Of course, we will check the price, delivery and customer reviews, but above all we will have to ensure that it meets points specific to this type of product but also to travel, camping and hiking!
A good solar panel charger must be powerful, and offer enough energy for both charging and powering. We recommend a model between 12w and 18w. It should also be light and have good dimensions as much as possible. Note that the larger the panel, the more efficient it will be logically. Finally, it must be resistant, because during outdoor activities, our equipment can quickly be damaged!
Conclusion & Opinion
In our opinion, it’s an essential travel accessory! Practical, easy to use, very light and therefore space-saving, the solar panel charger is ideal for recharging batteries when traveling, camping or hiking. However, it must be well chosen, in particular to ensure its longevity, and that it allows you to charge whenever you want.
