Portable solar chargers for hiking and camping

Does anyone use a portable solar charger for hiking & camping?

I usually use an Anker power bank, but I have been doing some research and the general consensus is that they dont work very well?

Assuming you mean the general consensus is that portable solar chargers don’t work well in a (UK) hiking/camping scenario?

I have a Decathlon Forclaz Solar 15w (£54.99) and its been great. Popped on the side of the tent and it will charge a 10,000 mah battery pack in an afternoon. Managed to get it to charge two packs simultaneously over the course of the day.

The panels can’t charge a modern phone directly but the instructions say that. I suspect a higher power one will charge more stuff, but this with two power banks kept two big phones charged and two smart watches over 4 days. It’s also quite compact and I think I’ll take it with me bike packing in September.

Also Decathlon guarantee of two years.

Sounds like a static location scenario. Moving around, less than optimal weather, etc, will impact that. Weight is also a consideration: how heavy is the solar system compared to battery packs, how long are you out for?

I was away for nine days in April and seven days just last week (Highlands, no access to power throughout). On both trips I easily maintained charge on my phone and Bluetooth headphones with an old Ravpower 26800mAh battery pack weighing 484g. That was using the phone for navigation on downloaded OS maps in aeroplane mode (never really used the paper map backups I was carrying); also used it as my camera, podcast player etc.

So it’s really a case of assessing your priorities and needs. I’d err towards battery packs, personally.

I’ve got a msc expedition solar charger, used it extensively for sea kayaking and trekking trips. It’s excellent and pretty light, folds up to a4 size and opens to 3xa4 size. Very thin, like card. It’s fast. There’s a tipping point where a power pack is probably better but for longer trips it’s perfect imo. Two phones, vhf, gps, kindle and head torches, never come close to running out of power. Charges direct to phones