We independently evaluate all of our recommendations. If you click on links we provide, we may receive compensation. Travel Products Activity + Adventure The 9 Best Portable Solar Panels To keep your devices fully charged, look for a portable solar panel — and we have the top picks for campers, beach-goers, and more. By Nathan Borchelt Nathan Borchelt A long-time veteran in the travel and outdoor space, Nathan Borchelt has been writing about adventure travel and doing rigorous gear testing and written recommendations for decades. Travel + Leisure Editorial Guidelines Updated on September 3, 2024 Comments In This Article View All In This Article Our Top Picks Reviews Tips for Buying FAQ You Might Also Want Why Trust T+L Photo: Travel + Leisure While we all travel to get away from the everyday, we still all want to stay connected, whether it's out of convenience, safety, utility, or — yes — for the selfies. But it’s not always easy to find a free outlet to quickly charge your go-to electronic devices, which is why portable solar panels have become a must-have essential for many travelers. In addition to letting you use the device to charge your electronics, you also do so without creating any sort of environmental impact since the sun is providing that much-desired electricity. They’re convenient in almost any travel scenario, but they are really useful when you’re well-removed from civilization and you still want to power your devices — activities like camping, hiking, road tripping, or even hanging out on the beach. In evaluating the best portable solar panels, we leaned into real-world usage of a handful of products, and also layered in different use-cases and scenarios to assure that our top picks meet the needs of the most discerning traveler. We also spoke with solar panel expert Rick Liao, the Chief Product Officer of solar panel-maker Vtoman, on the key features to consider when selecting a portable solar panel. Our Top Picks Best Overall: BioLite SolarPanel 100 at Amazon $400 Jump to Review Best Lightweight: BioLite SolarPanel 5+ at Amazon $100 Jump to Review Best for Camping: Renogy 200W Portable Solar Panel at Amazon $240 Jump to Review Best for RVs: Goal Zero Nomad 400-watt Solar Panel at Amazon $900 Jump to Review Best Wattage: EcoFlow 400W Portable Solar Panel at Amazon $999 Jump to Review Best Weatherproof: Jackery SolarSaga Portable 100W Solar Panel at Amazon $299 Jump to Review Best Value: Anker SOLIX PS30 Portable Solar Panel at Amazon $80 Jump to Review Best Compact: Survival Frog QuadraPro Solar Power Bank at Amazon $80 Jump to Review Best for Phone Charging: SALE Goal Zero Nomad 5 Solar Panel at Amazon $60 $50 Jump to Review Best Overall BioLite SolarPanel 100 PHOTO: Amazon $400 at Amazon $400 at REI View on Publiclands.com Why We Love It This panel unfolds and sets up quickly, a sundial helps find the optimal angle, and two USB ports lets you charge larger devices easily. What to Consider At 9.5 pounds, and with a packed size of 20 x 14 inches, it may prove to be too big and heavy for light packers. I became a fan of BioLite for their singular focus on a sustainable approach to product creation back when they first introduced their energy-producing camp stoves, and that admiration extends to their SolarPanel 100. This 100-watt solar panel folds out easily, and comes with stabilizing kickstands that makes set-up a breeze, and an integrated analog sundial helps you get the perfect sun alignment. It generates 45 watts to its integrated USB-C and -A ports, powerful enough to charge laptops, tablets, phones, and more. When you're done, the four-panel product folds up into a travel-friendly 20 x 14 inches, streamlined package housed in a productive pouch that also has places to store your charging cables. At 9.5 pounds, it probably isn’t the ideal solution for backpacking or for travel with lots of weight restrictions, but for car camping and road trips, it provides a versatile, eco-friendly way to keep your devices charged, and it also works with the brand’s BaseCharge 600 and 1500 power stations. The Details: 20 x 57.5 inches (unfolded), 20 x 14 inches (folded) | 9.5 pounds | 100 watts Best Lightweight BioLite SolarPanel 5+ PHOTO: Amazon $100 $91 at Amazon $100 at REI View on Publiclands.com Why We Love It Weighing in at only 0.9 pounds and outfitted with an onboard battery so you can store energy for charging later. What to Consider At only 5 watts, it’s limited to charging smaller devices. While in general I prefer to unplug when I go backpacking, I also use my cell phone to take pictures, send updates on my location to my wife, and to play music (softly) at night, and the BioLite Solar Panel 5+ has been my go-to since it was first introduced. I love its overall simplicity — a wire kickstand that can adjust to any angle, an analog sundial to find the optimal position, and a modest 3.200Mah onboard battery, so I can strap the panel to my backpack while I’m hiking, and then charge my devices later. It includes a USB-A port as well as a wireless charging top deck if you’re looking to charge multiple items — in all, you can connect up to three devices at the same time. Better still, the whole thing weighs a totally manageable 0.9 pounds, lightweight enough for the most stingy of ultra-light hikers. The Details: 10 x 8 inches | 0.9 pounds | 5 watts Best for Camping Renogy 200W Portable Solar Panel PHOTO: Amazon $240 $216 at Amazon View on Renogy.com Why We Love It The panel provides 200 watts of charging power, sets up quickly, and charges multiple devices at remarkable speeds — and it works with other panels and power stations. What to Consider Given its weight, this is probably not the best option for camping that require a considerable walk. Boasting 200 watts of charging power, the Renogy 200W Portable Solar Panel is perfect to keep everyone’s things charged at your base camp, with a highly-efficient 23.5 percent cell efficiency, and super-fast charging — it can power a dead cell phone back to a full charge in just one hour. A three-angle-option kickstand (60, 50, and 40 degrees) helps position the panels to the optimal angle and a waterproof rating of IP65 means you don’t have to worry about breaking it down if the rain starts falling. I love the fact that the unfolded design includes four mounting holes (at all four corners), which makes it easy to strap it onto your car, truck, or RV. It includes a type C plug for a max of 50 watts, as well as two USB-A ports. And if you have a huge party (or a lot of electronics), you can also pair the panel with other panels and a power station, creating an eco-friendly network of solar power charging options. The Details: 94 x 21 inches (unfolded), 25 x 21 inches (folded) | 17.6 pounds | 200 watts | Waterproof Best for RVs Goal Zero Nomad 400-watt Solar Panel PHOTO: Amazon $900 at Amazon $900 at REI View on B&H Photo Video Why We Love It With 400 watts of charging power, ground stakes to secure the device, and a 15-foot extension cord, this panel provides ample charging options. What to Consider It’s quite large, so is really best for road trips or home use. Unlike car camping or air travel, RVer’s likely have a lot of devices they want to keep charged, which is why the Goal Zero Nomad 400 suits those needs. The portable fold-out panel provides 400 watts of charging power, with a wide range of ports, including a 14-150-volt output port, a 12-foot HPP extension cord, and USB-A, letting you charge the device directly from the panel, or you can integrate it into a power bank for more extended charging support. The fold-out design includes kickstands to optimize its angle, and it also comes with four ground stakes to secure the device while you’re not at camp. Shoulder straps to help with hauling the device across short distances. The Details: 114 x 32 inches (unfolded), 28.5 x 32 inches (folded) | 36.6 pounds | 400 watts The 5 Best Rechargeable Flashlights, Tested and Reviewed Best Wattage EcoFlow 400W Portable Solar Panel PHOTO: Amazon $999 at Amazon $799 at REI $1,029 at Lowe's Why We Love It With 400 watts of charging power and a super-efficient charging rate, this panel is suitable to handle all of your high-demand charging needs. What to Consider It's still pretty long when folded, which may make it tricky for light packers to transport. The 400-watt EcoFlow 400W Portable Solar Panel boasts a conversion rate of up to 23 percent thanks to the use of multi-busbar monocrystalline cells, which boosts charging speed considerably and comes with an IP68 waterproof rating, so it can stand up to the travails of the open road and exposed campsite. I also love how the carrying case doubles as the kickstand, which cuts down on complexity without sacrificing ease of use. Weighing in at 35.3 pounds, it’s lighter than some other panels with equivalent wattage, and the carrying handle makes it pretty easy to transport and store. The Details: 93 x 43.7 inches (unfolded), 41.7 x 24.4 inches (folded) | 35.3 pounds | 400 watts | Waterproof Best Weatherproof Jackery SolarSaga Portable 100W Solar Panel PHOTO: Target $299 at Amazon $276 at Target View on Jackery.com Why We Love It The IP68-rated solar panels are built to withstand rain, wind, and other kinds of extreme weather. What to Consider It does not have on-board battery storage, so you have to either use a power bank or charge the devices directly. It may seem counterintuitive to want a solar panel that’s also weatherproof, but solar panels can absorb power even on cloudy days, and the convenience of a weatherproof product means you can set it up and not have to scramble to take it down if the rain hits. So if variable weather is in the forecast, go with the Jacker SolarSaga 100 Solar Panel, a 100-watt unit that comes with a solar conversion efficiency of up to 24.3 percent and two USB ports to quickly charge your devices. The two-panel, foldable device uses two kickstands to help position the optimal angle, and a laminated design makes the device temperature- and corrosion-resistant to extend its half life. And it's waterproof, making it ideal for charging devices at the beach, the pool, or while paddling. And at just over 10 pounds, the device is imminently portable. The Details: 48 x 21.7 inches (unfolded), 24 x 21.7 inches (folded) | 10.33 pounds | 100 watts | Waterproof The 6 Best Solar Phone Chargers Best Value Anker SOLIX PS30 Portable Solar Panel PHOTO: Amazon $80 at Amazon $80 at Walmart Why We Love It It collapses into a package that can easily fit in your backpack. What to Consider At 30 watts, it’s limited to smaller devices. You get a lot in a small package with the Anker Solix PS30 Portable Solar Panel, a weatherproof four-panel device with a USB-A and -C ports, 30 watts of charging power, and a two-way carabiner to expand your carrying options, including carrying fully unfolded — and secure — on your backpack while hiking. It weighs in at only 2.4 pounds, and its compact package when folded makes it easy to stash on the go. Yes, there are other options that exceed this panel’s 30-watt charging power, but if you’re only looking to power smaller devices like cameras, phones, and tablets, this is a great solution. The Details: 35.6 x 10.7 inches (unfolded), 10.7 x 8.8 inches (folded) | 2.4 pounds | 30 watts | Waterproof Best Compact Survival Frog QuadraPro Solar Power Bank PHOTO: Amazon $80 at Amazon $70 at Walmart View on Survivalfrog.com Why We Love It This panel collapses down to the size of a book. What to Consider It can take up to one full day of sun exposure to fully charge the battery. Outfitted with a built-in 8,000 mAh power bank that lets you charge up to three devices without having to unfold the device, the Survival Frog QuadraPro Solar Power Bank uses four 5.5-watt solar panels to let you generate charging power on the fly. It comes with carabiner clips so you can strap the unfolded device to your pack, and when not in use it collapses into a 6 x 3-inch package, secured via magnets and housed in a water- and weather-resistant leather case. It also includes a flashlight with both normal and SOS/flash settings. The Details: 6.3 x 13.8 inches (unfolded), 6.1 x 3.38 inches (folded) | 0.98 pounds | 5.5 watts Best for Phone Charging Goal Zero Nomad 5 Solar Panel PHOTO: Goal Zero $60 $50 at Amazon $50 at REI $60 at Backcountry Why We Love It Ultralight and compact, this device can handle charging smaller devices, and the lower wattage allows it to be very portable. What to Consider It’s great for smaller devices, but the single USB port can be limiting if you have more than one item you want to charge at the same time. If your charging demands are isolated to your smartphone, some larger panels can be overkill (and more expensive), so go with the Goal Zero Nomad 5, a 5-watt single-panel device with a built-in kickstand so you can position the panel at the optimal angle to the sun. At only 0.79 pounds, it will resonate with backpackers and other ounce-counting travelers, and is powerful enough to also charge smaller devices like headlamps and power banks, though it doesn’t have a built-in power bank itself. I also like how the durable materials will stand up to typical travel abuse, and the four holes at each corner can be used to secure it to your pack. It does, however, have only one USB port, so no charging multiple devices at the same time. The Details: 9.5 x 7 inches | 0.79 pounds | 5 watts Tips for Buying a Portable Solar Panel Prioritize wattage In order to assure that your solar panel will deliver the desired wattage to power your devices, first access what you’re looking to charge. “To figure out the ideal wattage, start by listing all the devices you plan to power and note their wattage requirements,” Liao says. “Add these up and then tack on an extra 20 to 30 percent buffer to cover inefficiencies and any additional power needs. For example, if your devices total 200 watts, aim for a power station with at least 260 watts to be safe.” If you’re only focused on keeping smaller tools like your phone or head lamp charged while in the field, you can go with a lower-wattage panel, something as small as five watts. But if you’re looking to charge larger devices like a laptop or want to charge devices more quickly, upgrade to 100 watts. And if you want to use the panel (or panels) to charge multiple devices or fuel a stand-alone power bank that retains the charging power much like a battery, go bigger — 200 to 400 watts. Also be sure that the ports on the panel align with the charging cables/inputs you’ll be using to assure compatibility. Look into waterproof panels Given that solar panels will likely be positioned to catch the sun’s rays while outside, a durable, weather-proof or -resistant panel offers assurance that the product will last, and that you don’t have to worry if the skies darken and the rain starts to fall. This is especially true for larger solar panels that you can mount to your vehicle’s roof or strap to your backpack — weatherproof panels save you the scramble of trying to break things down when foul weather threatens. “Waterproof protection is essential for maintaining the functionality and longevity of your solar panels and power stations, especially in outdoor and unpredictable environments,” Liao says. “It ensures your equipment is protected against rain, spills, and humidity, making it reliable in all weather conditions.” Weatherproof panels also let you use them in aquatic environments without worrying about the occasional splash. Consider size and weight Portability is a subjective term, so when selecting the optimal panel, consider how you plan to use it. Backpackers and hikers should prioritize lightweight panels (typically less than one pound) that either fold down or roll up into a small package that won’t take up much space in your pack. Travelers who plan to use the panels while car camping or beach-going can go with a larger panel that’s relatively easy to transport and can be easily carried a short distance (look for panels with shoulder straps or easy-to-use handles). These can weigh in between 10 to 25 pounds — sometimes more — though you should decide what you’d be comfortable carrying. And if you’re focused on activities like RVing or car camping that don’t require hefting the panels to a campsite, you can go larger and heavier since you don’t have to sweat traveling long distances on foot. “Larger panels typically generate more power but need more space, which can be a concern if you have limited installation area, like on an RV roof or at a small campsite," Liao says. "It's all about balancing power output with ease of handling. The good news is that advanced materials like monocrystalline silicon have boosted efficiency, allowing smaller panels to capture more sunlight effectively.” Regardless of your travel style, look for panels that fold or roll up, and that can easily be stored without taking up too much trunk space. Frequently Asked Questions How effective are portable solar panels? Naturally, the effectiveness of a solar panel largely depends on the weather — a panel performs much faster when the sun is shining and you’ve positioned the panel at the optimal angle so that it can rapidly soak up the sun’s rays. But they also work (albeit more slowly) on overcast days. Leaving weather aside, the effectiveness is largely dictated by the efficiency rate (usually between 18 and 23 percent). And the wattage should also be considered based on what you’re looking to charge.Another important consideration: whether or not the solar panel has an integrated battery or power pack, which lets you charge the battery, so you can use it at night. These panels support scenarios like backpacking or hiking with the panel strapped to your pack, and then charging your devices once you’ve set up camp. Panels without that feature simply means you need to just charge the devices directly from the panels when they’re set up, or that you use the panels to fuel a portable power bang. How many watts is a good portable solar panel? The optimal amount of wattage you want in a solar panel should be dictated by what you're looking to charge. Small devices may only need five watts while larger devices like laptops may require a larger panel in the 100-watt range. If you’re looking to power a lot of devices and to fuel a stand-alone power bank, consider portable panels with 200 watts or more. For these higher-output circumstances, you can also use multiple panels to increase the speed at which the power banks get fueled. What size solar panel will charge a cell phone? Five watts should be plenty for charging a cell phone, which lets you consider panels that are lighter, more portable, and pack down into smaller packages than those used to charge higher-output devices. You Might Also Want Whether you're heading out on a multi-day camping trip or spending the afternoon on a remote beach, these items will help you make the most of your time away from power outlets. Eggtronic Laptop Power Bank: This large power bank has a universally compatible power bank that can refuel the battery on not just your smartphone or tablet, but also laptops, cameras, Bluetooth devices, and more. It's a little heftier than other models, but ideal if you need as much backup power as possible. Bestek Travel Adapter and Voltage Converter: Thanks to three AC outlets and four USB ports, you can charge up to seven devices at once on this charger. It's great for multi-person outings and works to keep your tech safe from overheating or short-circuiting. Why Trust Travel + Leisure Nathan Borchelt has been writing, testing, and reviewing outdoor and travel products for decades, and regularly uses portable solar panels while backpacking and hiking. In addition to regularly using a handful of the solar panels selected, he conducted extensive research on the market. He also spoke with Rick Liao, the Chief Product Office with solar panel-maker Vtoman, to understand the key considerations one should take into account when looking for the best portable solar panel. The 6 Best Portable Wi-Fi Hotspots Love a great deal? Sign up for our T+L Recommends newsletter and we’ll send you our favorite travel products each week. Edited by Taylor Fox Taylor Fox Taylor Fox is the Outdoor Gear Editor at Travel + Leisure where she tests, researches, and writes about travel products. Taylor holds a Master’s in Geography and has been a writer and editor for over ten years. learn more Updated by Anne Taylor Anne Taylor Anne Taylor is an updates writer at Travel + Leisure where she keeps articles fresh and up to date. As an avid traveler who has been to 23 countries, she is always testing new products to make her trips even better. She has a bachelor’s degree in news media and has been a writer and editor for over seven years. learn more