So whether you're backpacking, hiking, biking, snowshoeing or more, you can easily pack and carry your solar energy - compatible with all of your Sherpa gear.
Solar combo packs are paired solar panels are battery packs, and provide an all-in-one solution for keeping your essential electronics powered and functional while outdoors. Buying both a panel and a battery means you can keep power output consistent while charging devices, and allows you to charge when sunlight conditions are optimal, and power devices at the end of the day, or overnight
Solar panels are excellent devices for keeping essential electronics charged and functioning when outdoors. Panels in the 7 to 15 watt range are well suited to cell phones, smart phones, tablets and smaller battery packs while larger 20+ watt panels are the best choice for larger battery packs, or increased speed when charging smaller ones. Our panels come with various output ports for use with electronic devices directly, or with separate battery packs - including USB, 12 volt, and proprietary mini solar ports.
Solar power offers the possibility of keeping electronic devices running in the field on extended trips, and allows one to pack less batteries to power them. There are a few things to remember when using solar power to keep cameras, phones, tablets, and flashlights running, however.
Solar panels come in various sizes. The surface area of a panel determines how much power it can produce - this is measured in watts. A solar panel that produces 14 watts will charge batteries almost twice as fast as panel that produces 7 watts given the same solar conditions. Determining charging times of devices can be tricky, as power output is so dependent on solar conditions: panels produce less power on partially cloudy days, or when the sun sits lower in the sky. Keep in mind that optimal charge times assume optimal sun conditions: a summer sun, from late morning to mid afternoon.
Electronics such as modern smart phones and tablets are very picky about the voltage and amperage of the power they receive when charging. Fall above or below spec, and your phone or iPad will most likely produce an error message, and fail to charge. While many solar panels offer the ability to charge directly to a device, this is not always very practical depending on sunlight and conditions. On a clear blue sky day, solar panels can reliably charge devices. If however there is sporadic cloud cover, or you're charging at morning or dusk, power will fluctuate or drop, and devices will reject these variances. A better approach is to charge batteries with the solar panels, and then draw power from the batteries. Batteries (being "dumb" devices) will charge regardless of whether power is consistent or not - if power levels drop, the batteries will simply charge more slowly. By drawing power off batteries, the voltage and amperage remains steady, thereby delivering a stable power source to your device.