Portable solar charging panel with power storage

Other people use them to power speakers while tailgating, or integrate them into van build projects. Most portable solar power systems — aka solar generators, power stations, portable power banks or battery boxes — can be charged via solar panels, a wall plug or a 12-volt car outlet.

Whatever blast of sun they are getting will be transmitted directly as power to your power station. So before you purchase a portable solar panel, first look at your power station to see how much solar input it can handle. (This is typically found in very small font on the bottom of your power station).

While there are “mini” handheld solar panels that can charge a small device like a phone, I generally recommend focusing on large, foldable panels that are made to pair with a portable power station or plug into a controller that can connect directly to a vehicle or home electrical system.

Don't purchase a portable solar panel or solar panels that exceeds this power potential, as it can damage the battery in your power station. In the same way that you can't plug a USB-C charging cord into a lightning port, not all portable solar panel cable connectors are compatible with every power station port.

I've tested dozens of models from top brands like Bluetti, Jackery, Anker, Goal Zero, EcoFlow, and BioLite, and have come away impressed with their power generation potential. To help you decide which of the best portable solar panels is right for you, I tested 14 options running from 100W to 400W for power potential, ease of use, and portability.

Those were rated Poor. How portable a solar panel is depends in large part on its physical size. 400W portable solar panels are a lot harder to lug around than 100W portable solar panels, and they won't fit as easily in your car or on a garage shelf.