Why You Need a Portable Solar Panel for Your Everyday Carry Items

By James Barton •  Updated: 07/29/18 •  5 min read

The use of portable solar panels has become popular over the recent years, especially to preppers and survivalists. This is because they are very useful for camping and emergency and survival situations. Portable solar panels harness the sun’s energy and turn it into electricity which can power most of your everyday carry items including:

Although large solar panels are more powerful, they are not portable that’s why the introduction of the portable version became revolutionary. These solar panels can be hung on your backpack while charging and after which, you will be able to charge your everyday carry items on the go.

 

Who can use portable solar panels

These portable solar panels can actually be used by anyone but here are some of the people who can highly benefit from this item.

People in emergency situations

Getting stuck inside the car during the winter can be a dangerous situation and it’s not going to be easy to get help. Most of the time, your car would have already died and worse, your phone too. However, if you have a portable solar panel, you will be able to charge your phone even for a little just so you can call 911 or send a text message to ask for help.

Hikers, backpackers, and campers

If you love going outdoors or going to remote locations for long periods, bringing a portable solar panel can be handy. Like mentioned, you can just hang the solar panel in your backpack so that it can charge and be ready for use when you need it. You will be able to charge your phone or camera on the go using this.

Portable solar for hiking

Portable Solar Is Popular With Hikers and Campers

Fishermen and hunters

Fishermen and hunters are now taking advantage of the technology by using electronics. They use gadgets so that they can hunt or fish more effectively. These gadgets are powered by rechargeable batteries so having a portable solar panel will allow them to charge right away when their gadgets run out of power.

 

Reasons Why You Should Own a Portable Solar Panel

Here are some of the reasons why you need to have a portable solar panel.

Free energy

Although you need to purchase a mini solar panel, you are basically not paying for the energy to charge it. In the long run, you are saving more money because you don’t need to use regular electricity to charge your devices.

Lightweight and mobile source of power

As previously mentioned, portable solar panels are perfect if you love the outdoors. You can’t deny the fact that smartphones are helpful so it is important that they have battery power all the time. Having a portable solar panel allows you to charge them wherever you go.

Sustainable

It will take millions of years before the sun runs out of energy so as long as there is sunshine, you will always have a sustainable source of power.

Backup energy

In the event of a power outage because of natural disasters, having a portable solar panel will be extremely useful to keep your devices powered up. There are times that it would take days before power can be restored so it’s beneficial to own a portable solar panel where you can charge your phone or laptop so you can stay connected.

Earth-friendly

If you are looking for ways on how to reduce your carbon footprint, using a portable solar panel is one of them. Charging a solar panel does not have any carbon emissions so it’s extremely safe for the environment.

 

Disadvantages of Portable Solar Panels

Like anything else, there are also drawbacks in using solar panels and they are the following.

You need sun

Obviously, your source of energy is the sun so it will be challenging to charge you solar panel if you live in a place where there is less daylight.

Power storage

Solar panels don’t actually store power—they are only there to convert solar power into electricity. Therefore, you need to purchase a battery pack where you can store that energy.

Sturdiness

Most solar panels are made of glass so there is a chance that strong winds or hail storms will break them. However, there have been improvements over the years so they are more durable now.

Outdoor factors

There are a lot of environmental factors that can affect the amount of energy your solar panel can harness. Dust and the sun’s direction can greatly affect your solar panel charging efficiency.

 

Final Words

In spite of the drawbacks, having a portable solar panel in your EDC bag is going to be truly beneficial. This item will ensure that your EDC items stay charged for you to stay connected during outdoor activities or even survival situations.

James Barton

James Barton

Hi, I'm James. I am the founder and main editor for The Survival Corps. I have been a part of the survival and prepping community since my mid 30's as I downsized and started to prepare to be self sufficient in a time of crisis.