Hi all
I’m looking for a travel solar charger and although i’m quite comfy reading specs i’m always interested in recommendations from here.

Minimum is to be able to charge a phone but i’m also interested in larger ones capable of charging a laptop if anyone has tried one? Any makes to head for/avoid. I’ve just bought a 7w goal zero panel but it seems quite pricey (for that level of power) and i’ve got a little time before i need the next one

How far from a power source will you be and for how long?

They aren’t really up to the job you are asking of them unless you want something fairly big and expensive.

You’re probably better off looking for a USB battery and charging it up when there’s a plug handy. I’ve got a 50w panel but wouldn’t bother trying to use it without an additional battery.

Thanks. Got the usb battery but its difficult to know what power is going to be like. I’m assuming we could be 3 to 4 days without power. 50w sounds nice but must be quite large i would guess. At the moment looking at smaller more portable stuff but large could be good

I have no idea what your life is like or where you’re going or what you’re doing, but to need a phone and a laptop and be 3-4 days without power means you are either very important or possibly too attached to your phone and laptop.
If you need this sort of capability, you’re getting into the pro levels of kit (military, remote news reporting etc) and that costs. Can you leave the panel out in the sun all day to charge the battery? (If you’re using the electronic stuff to drain the battery, then you can’t leave that around plugged in all day so you need a battery anyway)
What do you need it for and can you solve this another way? Will the phone be on all the time (if there’s no power, will there be anyone to call?), do you need the laptop, can you take a camera instead, a few SD cards, a battery to give you a couple of phone charges?
Get down to your actual needs and work up from there.

We tried a cheapo Chinese one on C2C but it was a complete waste of £9.00.

I had a small one for charging an I pod, useless thing.

Charging a phone is trivial (I have a £20 7W one with a USB output that has kept my phone, kindle, steripen and cameras going for a month trekking).

Charging a laptop is a much bigger enterprise. You might be better with a large capacity battery pack but good luck finding one with the correct output!

Jon, where did you get it from? Can you provide a link? I plan to be away from powere supplies for some time later this summer.

Bought one of these last year for camping, kept everybodies phone, my battery pack and my vaping gear fully charged. Works very well in bright sunshine, marginal on cloudy days – which was what the battery pack was used for.

Thanks TooTall. Everything you say is completely correct and appreciated. The problem with pro level kit apart from the cost is that it isn’t necessary better than consumer level stuff as long as you get the right stuff – hence asking for recommendations for things people have used. I’ve installed biggish panels and inverters in remote locations before but have never used travel stuff at all.

For the rest – thanks, that answers my question really. Phones are the main thing really as beyond that it isn’t just a question of larger panels but also batteries to store that energy

Thanks all