Long Backpack Hike - Solar Panel

[RV8R]

I’m looking for a lightweight backpack solar panel or solar panel & battery & charger for long hikes.

Purpose is to charge an iPhone & Garmin Satellite Communicator. (Not at the same time).

Any Members have any recommendations for me ?

TIA

 

[hidiyguy]

I started looking at them on amazon, and even a 40w panel such as this one weighs over 3 lbs. Then I wondered how much time the panel would actually be in good sun to charge the batteries (likely little unless you took a break for a few hours mid-day just to charge) and the panels don't charge a phone quickly. After thinking about that I realized I'd be better off taking a larger or 2nd battery pack if a single 10k pack wouldn't suffice for my trip. Keeping a phone on airplane mode still allows GPS tracking, so if you haven't tried that you may be surprised how long a full battery lasts. Bottom-line: in my opinion, for solar panels lightweight and functionally useful do not go together for backpacking. Just my 2 cents for my situation, acknowledging that yours may be different.

 

[Frugal Devonian]

Flare Folding USB solar panel

Waterproof USB solar panel charger for keeping essential devices running in remote areas. Thin, folding and lightweight at 305g. Free delivery, free returns, 3-year warranty.

alpkit.com

 

[JustHank]

I’m looking for a lightweight backpack solar panel or solar panel & battery & charger for long hikes.

Purpose is to charge an iPhone & Garmin Satellite Communicator. (Not at the same time).

Any Members have any recommendations for me ?

TIA

How about the Ecoflow solar hat? May not generate as much power as the conventional panels, but it is about a pound and would be charging all the time. Dorky but effective in some circumstances.

EcoFlow Power Hat

Power all your adventures. *Size: Medium-Large size: 56-58 cm Large-XLarge size: 59-61 cm Solar charging on the go Captures solar energy from all angles without any blind spots. Dual USB-A & USB-C ports for charging two devices simultaneously. UPF 50+, sun and UV protection Up to 24%...

us.ecoflow.com

 

[RV8R]

How about the Ecoflow solar hat? May not generate as much power as the conventional panels, but it is about a pound and would be charging all the time. Dorky but effective in some circumstances.

EcoFlow Power Hat

Power all your adventures. *Size: Medium-Large size: 56-58 cm Large-XLarge size: 59-61 cm Solar charging on the go Captures solar energy from all angles without any blind spots. Dual USB-A & USB-C ports for charging two devices simultaneously. UPF 50+, sun and UV protection Up to 24%...

us.ecoflow.com

Thanks ,,, I will look into that

 

[fuzzmunky415]

Solarpad Pro Ultralight Solar Panel Review

Now having tested several solar panels over the years that are marketed towards outdoor use and use on the trail – most of these stay stashed in the back of my gear closet, and are more likely to be something I might use during a power outage at home rather than actually depend on out on the trai...

www.trailgroove.com

 

[soylentgreen]

If you want ultralight, this Lixada is hard to beat as it weighs a mere 2.8oz.

Before you buy, read all the reviews - the panel is actually a 4-5W panel (not 10W as advertised).

Also there are some reviews which mention ways to improve the design by replacing some weak hot-glue with epoxy.

I've done backpacking with this one and it does work, and is by far the lightest panel out there, as long as you are OK with the limitations.

Edit to add: regardless of solar panel type, you'll generally get much better results using the panel to charge a battery pack, and then using the battery pack to charge other devices. If you have your phone plugged directly into the panel as you are hiking, power fluctuations tend to kick the phone in and out of charging mode, which wakes the phone up, and can actually use more power than is being generated. This doesn't happen if plugged into a battery pack.

 

[RV8R]

We have chosen Anker battery packs;


Anker Battery Packs - Hiking;

View attachment 115120

Successful Hikes somewhat happen with attention to pack weight ,,, at least that is a very important factor for us.

Anker come highly recommended ,,, from different sources, but definitely from the hiking communities. Why it was so difficult to get product specifications on Anker’s website I don’t know ,,, but it was not straight forward.

If you are wondering about the weights of those 2 type of Anker battery packs ,,, the above is accurate.

So far with my limited testing I’m generally impressed with these Anker packs. I really like the 20,000 mAh packs we picked out ( the other pack is a 10,000 mAh ).

Here is the 20 Ah “specs” written on the battery pack;

View attachment 115121


So “numbers” are used to sell products & IMO to confuse buyers sometimes. This is my pet peeve with these kinds of products ,,, I almost have to buy on faith or do massive amounts of internet sleuthing to understand what the thing can do because the performance specs are not necessarily well written on a spec sheet the way Victron does it .

So What we really wanted to know was;

Weight
Energy storage
Speed of charging
Speed of discharging
(Basically how it will perform & how many times it will charge up our Trail Sat/Comm & iPhones)


Deciphering The Numbers

The 20,000 mAh; from the printing upon the battery 20,000 / 4 @ 14.4v = 72Wh

Ok @ Apple doesn’t provide, so Internet search says this;

View attachment 115122

https://www.macrumors.com/2025/02/26/iphone-16e-battery-capacity/

So iPhone 16 Pro; 3,582 mAh @ 3.89v = 14.25Wh

So roughly 72Wh / 14.25Wh = 5.05 iPhone charges ,,, roughly

How long do the 20s take to charge ;

60 minutes test ours went from 17% to 99%;

View attachment 115124


View attachment 115123

The mental checking of the test ,,, there are a lot of numbers written in small print, however I believe the max charge is 65W.

99% less 17% is 82% & 72Wh @ 82% is 59Wh

of course 65W @ 1 hour is 65Wh.

So there is heat & I suppose the spec’d max @ 65W might not be linear ( even though Li battery ). Yadda Yadda Yadda ,,, I believe the 65W max spec, but assume the majority of the charge will average around 60W.

I always factor in “real world” vs factory “max” specs when considering electrical equipment ,,, or posted “miles per gallon” ,,, real world driving have hills etc”. YMMV.


So - Hiking Solar Panels;

Our conclusion was they are heavy & limited for charging. Thus we opted for the Anker battery packs.

 

[RV8R]

I did come across this site on backpacker Solar panels;

The Best Solar Chargers of 2025, Tested and Reviewed

The best solar chargers can power your phone, supplement your kit, provide energy in an emergency, and aid your off-grid adventures.

www.outdoorlife.com

 

[HarryN]

Thanks for all of the information and links. Looks like some great choices.

Harry

 

[Dagoth Ur Does Solar]

How about the Ecoflow solar hat? May not generate as much power as the conventional panels, but it is about a pound and would be charging all the time. Dorky but effective in some circumstances.

EcoFlow Power Hat

Power all your adventures. *Size: Medium-Large size: 56-58 cm Large-XLarge size: 59-61 cm Solar charging on the go Captures solar energy from all angles without any blind spots. Dual USB-A & USB-C ports for charging two devices simultaneously. UPF 50+, sun and UV protection Up to 24%...

us.ecoflow.com

Oh man it's so ridiculous but I love it.

If I decided to just go live on the street or something you know I'd be rocking this.