We have seen many portable power banks that come with built-in “solar chargers” out there that come with solar panels the size of postage stamps. While these devices are definitely portable and they do give your mobile devices a boost when needed, the solar charging part of it is more of a gimmick than anything. These devices rely on USB charging for charging up the rechargeable battery. Unfortunately, the efficiency of our solar panels still has a long way to go before something so small is able to actually juice up a power bank.
For real off-the-grid charging, you will definitely need to rely on something much bigger. The Levin Sol-Wing Ultra-slim High Efficiency Solar Panel may seem far from portable but it does have a large foldable solar panel that pumps out 13W of power to charge your mobile device while backpacking, camping or even during an emergency. It does not come with a built-in rechargeable battery to store the power but you can always use it to charge up a USB power bank instead. Levin Sol-Wing solar panel captures more sun than conventional solar panels, generates more electricity per panel, and uses less panels to produce the energy you need.
The solar panel itself is really thin and light. It weighs less than a pound and it is ideal for strapping to the back of your backpack to charge while you are on the go. Besides the 13W version, there is also a smaller 7W version, a 4 panel 14W version and a large 20W solar panel that pumps up enough power to charge a laptop.
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