8 best solar chargers for camping and backpacking, tried and tested

The Goal Zero nomad 20 is a flat and highly portable solar charger designed for backpackers and campers who want to travel light but need something more than a basic 5W panel. Half-a-metre wide when unfolded and weighing less than a laptop, it has an adjustable kickstand for aiming it directly towards the sun when placed on the ground. The rugged plastic frame has an attachment point on each corner, so you can strap it to a backpack or secure it firmly in place wherever it needs to be.

We liked that the USB output is on a lightly flexible arm, which helps prevent wear and tear on your charging cables. You can also chain multiple panels together with the included 6ft-long chaining cable to speed up charging.

The Forclaz solar panel SLR 500 is a 10W solar charger with a single USB port, ideal for keeping battery packs topped up while on the move or camping. A respectable power output places this versatile panel somewhere in the middle of the range, delivering more energy than a small trickle charger but less than a larger and more expensive solar panel.

The dual-panel design packs away neatly into a fabric pouch and can be firmly strapped to a backpack with the help of included carabiners and eight anchor points. A reliable charging solution that straddles the gap between low-and-slow panels and more serious hardware, the Forclaz panel suits casual campers and long-distance walkers.

The Jackery SolarSaga 100W solar panel is designed to work with the Jackery power station – which is mainly how we tested it – but it can easily be operated solo thanks to its USB-A and USB-C outputs. The relatively high wattage and variable output of the panel means it’s a lot more suited to recharging a dedicated smaller power bank, which you would then use to charge your devices, rather than plugging your phone or laptop directly into it. That’s good news for anyone who travels light and doesn’t want to lug the heavy Jackery power station around with them.

The foldable panel itself is exceptionally well made, snapping shut magnetically and featuring a comfortable carry handle for safe transport and setup. The kickstand can be adjusted to any angle to get the most efficient performance possible, though the lightweight construction leaves it prone to falling over in windy conditions. Handily, there are reinforced eyelets and loops to secure it. The panel isn’t waterproof either, so we’d advise against leaving it outside the tent overnight.

The Ecoflow 220W is a dedicated solar panel that produces roughly ten times the wattage of the next best entry in our list. This does make it less portable, but also way more useful for charging the specialist batteries needed to power small appliances at campsites, off-grid rental lodges, caravans, and for emergency home backup should your electricity ever fail.

The solar panel is bifacial, meaning it’s got a second 155W panel on the reverse side. This allows it to pick up a small amount of bonus current by absorbing some ambient light in bright conditions, which creates a more even power distribution in changeable weather conditions and so less wear on the device it’s charging.

We tested the 220W panel with Ecoflow Delta power station, a 14kg beast of a battery that features four USB-A ports (two fast-charging), two USB-C ports and four three-pin plug sockets. The station can be slow-charged by solar panel, or by mains power in less than two hours.

This ultra-thin 5W solar panel is an all-in-one solution and, unlike other solar chargers in our list, has an integrated 2,200mAh battery pack embedded on the back. That’s about enough to charge your phone once, which is all you need in an emergency.

It has a simple wire-loop kickstand that can be threaded through a backpack strap, hooked from a tree branch or used to prop the panel up on the ground. Eyelets on the bottom corners also prevent it from sliding out of the sunlight as you walk. We liked the incredibly simple sundial on the corner of the device, which allows you to accurately aim the panel directly into the sunlight for maximum efficiency.

A folding solar charger with 28W output in optimal skies, this four-panel BigBlue solar panel can recharge three low-draw, 5V devices at the same time through its three USB-A ports. Powerful enough to slow-charge tablets and other high-drain mobile devices, this solar charger has a flexible design that’s useful for hanging from your back as you walk, from your tent as you camp, or from a window frame for household power. It comes with carabiners for attaching it to a rucksack or frame.

This is a 25,000mAh battery pack with a fold out four-panel solar cell, which produces enough photonic juice to trickle-charge the pack’s power reserves over time. These super-portable chargers are limited by physics, that old killjoy, so don’t expect the rinky-dink panels to kick out enough energy to be able to run a laptop or survive entirely off-grid. They’ll charge the battery pack to full given a few days of bright, sunny weather.

Still, if you’re after a rugged outdoor power bank with a built-in LED torch that can top itself up in the background while you’re setting up camp and wrestling bears, this is a convenient and useful little gadget to have in your pack.

If your car battery has a tendency to run dry when left idle for too long, you need a solar-powered car-battery maintainer. Even in the photon-averse British weather, a solar panel affixed to the inside of your windscreen can trickle enough charge into the battery to keep it refreshed and ready to go.

This 10W solar charger can be placed inside your car, but it’s waterproof and durable enough to be positioned outside for better efficiency. It clamps directly to the battery using crocodile clips or can deliver charge via your cigarette lighter if the car’s electrics allow it. One downside is that the basic design means there’s no interface or status light to confirm that any charging is happening, so if want to be absolutely sure it’s working you’ll need to use a multimeter to double check your car battery level.

The power output is rated for charging larger batteries too, such as those found on boats, barges and trucks.