5 Best Solar Equipment and Gadgets for Camping

Over the years, camping equipment and gadgets have come along a long way. No longer do you have to carry heavy gas-based lanterns or water heaters. Today, if you want to use a renewable energy source, there is plenty of solar-powered equipment and gadgets designed for camping.

Like their conventional counterparts, these gadgets make your camping trip easy and convenient. Also, you can charge them in more than one way. The built-in solar panels play their part and help replenish the battery life of the device.

However, solar charging is a secondary method since it takes a relatively long time to juice up the connected device. At the same time, the intensity of the sunlight also plays a major role in the charging process. For instance, if it’s cloudy, you will see a slow charging speed. Thankfully, all solar camping equipment and gadgets on this list support an alternate method for charging.

Now that’s settled, let’s see some of the best solar equipment and gadgets for camping. But first,

• Here are the best rechargeable camping lanterns that you can buy
• Here are the best USB-C car chargers

1. Solar Lights & Lanterns: JMADENQ Camping Lantern

Capacity: 60 Lumen

The light can reach up to 60 Lumens, and is bright enough to give off a dim glow. The solar charging works as intended and charges fine under direct sunlight. There’s a nifty LED light to indicate the charging status.

It’s lightweight and portable – several users have commended this feature. While solar charging depends on the intensity of sunlight, USB charging takes around 4-5 hours for a full charge.

Alternatively, you can check the Garberiel USB Solar Camping Light. This one is waterproof and boasts a 200 Lumen brightness.

Buy Garberiel USB Solar Camping Light

2. Solar Charger: Superallure Store Solar Power Bank

• Capacity: 43800 mAh

It comes with four small solar panels that you can connect to the power bank while out in the sun. The solar charging speed is 16W. While it may not be the fastest in the world, you can rest assured that the charge will not deplete if you expose it to the sun for a few hours.

Aside from the above, it comes with nifty features such as a 680 Lumen flashlight, 15W wireless charging, and a compact design. The flashlight also supports SOS mode.

Again, it’s worth remembering that solar charging is supplementary. You will need to charge the power bank fully before leaving for your camping trip to avoid any hassles.

3. Solar Shower: Advanced Elements Summer Solar Shower

• Capacity: 5 Gallon

It has all the essentials like a reflective coating and heat-retention sheets inside. You need to fill the bag with water and leave it out in the sun. The temperature gauge will indicate the temperature as the water heats.

It’s lightweight, and the best part is that it folds up to any size. This ensures that you can carry it without much difficulty.

The handle at the top enables you to hang it from a tree branch or a pole to get the height advantage. The flow is reasonable, and the rate of heating is fast. And this feature, along with its durability, has earned high praises from its user base. It’s worth noting that this shower has more than 4,000 user reviews on Amazon.

4. Solar Flashlight: Spurtar Solar Powered Flashlight

• Capacity: 2000mAh battery

It’s a camper’s companion and bundles features like a built-in compass, hammer, and belt cutter. The 7 lighting modes make it easy to switch between the brightness of your choice. And yes, it also includes an SOS mode.

Again the same rules apply — you must ensure that the flashlight has adequate charge since charging it via solar energy will take days. That said, it acts as the perfect backup. After all, you have to leave it out in a sunny spot.

5. Solar Generator Kit: Jackery 500 with Solar Saga 100

• Capacity: 518Wh

This mini power station delivers 518Wh of power and has enough ports to let you charge your electronics like smartphones, mini TVs, tablets, and laptops. It comes with a single 110V AC outlet and a duo of 12V DC outlets, apart from three USB ports. Cool, right? It is versatile and supports three forms of charging—a wall outlet, car charger, and solar panels.

On the other hand, the Solar Saga 100 solar panels are portable and flexible. The best part is that these solar panels also bundle their own set of ports for easy charging of smartphones.

So far, this Jackery power station and solar panel duo have been popular on Amazon for their power output, portability, and versatility. If you often go out for exploration in your car or RV, this duo will fit all your needs. Plus, you can always use them as an emergency backup for your house during the winter months.

Let the Sun Shine

Apart from the above, you can also check out other solar camping equipment for camping like solar cookers, solar speakers, and solar-powered mini fans. The baseline remains the same—you will have to resort to alternative charging means if it rains.