As full-time campers who have
spent the last 7 years moving around the country, staying in countless
campgrounds, we’ve seen many families and groups spend a lot of energy just
trying to charge their personal phones and electronics. They hover around bathroom outlets, leave
phones charging in the campground office and picnic shelters, or hide in their
car with the engine idling. Who wants to
be in a campground with an engine idling nearby? Not us, no thanks!
If your group loves to stay
in remote campgrounds without electrical hook-ups, hang out on the boat all
day, or even kayak/canoe camp, here are some portable charging options for both
small and large groups. It’s incredible
what these portable units can do, so amazing that you’ll wonder how you ever lived
without them!
Phoenix 100: Perfect for a Small Group or Family
with Minimal Power Needs
The Phoenix 100 is a small, hand-held, versatile, and powerful
27,000 mAH Mini Power Station that packs a big punch for its small size. While it’s the perfect size to take car
camping, it’s small enough to fit into a backpack, duffel bag, dry bag, or bike
cart. Check out our video review of this product, too.
Size/Dimensions: Weighing
in at about 1.5 lbs, this unit is slightly bigger (2.7” x 2.7” x 6.1”) than a
standard soda can or about ⅔ of an average travel mug.
What Can it Charge or Run?With 3 different outlets (USB-A, USB-C, and
110V), this unit will charge up a smartphone, laptop/tablet, camera batteries,
headphones, bike lights, AA/AAA batteries, or provide power for a string of
lights, small stick blender, or 12V fan at your campsite. We were amazed to discover that you can even
charge a couple of these electronics at the same time!
How Can It be Re-Charged?There are various ways to recharge the battery
of the Phoenix 100 – plug it into a wall outlet, portable solar panel,
or car/boat utility port. Because the
battery on this power bank is rather large for the size of the unit, it takes
awhile to charge from 0%; therefore, we found it better to use, then
immediately top it off so it’s ready the next time you need it. Note: We recommend charging this unit in a wall
outlet before heading out on your trip, so you are just topping it off while on
the go.
Wall Outlet: Depending on whether you use the
USB-A or USB-C port, the charging time ranges from 10-15 hours. But, if you combine the two ports to charge
the unit, it only takes 6 hours.
Portable Solar Panel: A 30W
portable panel will fully charge this unit in 15 hours, which would probably
take 2 days in the direct sun.
Car/Boat Utility Port: Similar to the charging times in a wall outlet,
it will take 10-15 hours to charge the unit depending on which port is
used. By combining the ports, this time
is reduced to 6 hours.
Downsides: We have used and abused
this new product for most of the summer.
The only downside is that it is not waterproof so we kept the unit in a
dry bag when we used it in wet environments (e.g., sea kayaking or canoeing).
Phoenix Portable Solar Generator: Ideal for Larger Families or Groups with
Greater Power Needs
The Phoenix Portable Solar Generator is a briefcase-sized, all-in-one generator
combining all 4 components of a solar-powered system (solar panel, charge
controller, battery, and inverter).
With a powerful 16 AH / 14.8V
Lithium Ion battery, this unit will impress you with what it can do! Check out our video review of this generator.
Size/Dimensions: Weighing
in at just under 13 pounds, this unit is about the size of an average briefcase
(16.14” x 13.77” x 3.89”) and easily fits
into the trunk of a car, storage bin, or closet.
What Can it Charge or Run? With 150 watts of output power, this unit can
charge or run many small appliances including a smartphone, laptop/tablet,
camera batteries, AA/AAA batteries, a string of lights, heating pad, small
coffee maker, stick blender, small TV, CPAP machine, and even a small 12V
cooler. A variety of power outlets (12V,
USB, 110 AC, and DC) allows you to charge or run many different small
electronics at once.
How Can It be Re-Charged?
The great thing about this generator is the variety of ways it can be recharged
and the speed at which it does so. It can be plugged into a wall outlet, 100W
Solar Suitcase, or car/boat utility port…or use the built-in panel to keep the
battery topped off. Note: We recommend charging this
unit in a wall outlet before heading out on your trip, so you are just topping
it off while on the go.
Wall Outlet: In just 5 hours, the unit will
fully recharge, which is impressive given the size and power of its
battery. Plug it in when you go to sleep
at night and it will be ready to go in the morning.
Built-In 20W Solar Panel: Since the
generator’s battery is quite large in relation to the solar panel, its intended
use is to top off the battery, rather than charge it back up from empty. Using just the built-in panel, it takes about
15 hours in the direct sun to fully charge the battery.
100W Solar Suitcase: In the
direct full sun, a 100W panel will fully charge this unit in about 2.5 hours.
Car/Boat Utility Port: In
approximately 5 hours of driving, this generator will be completely recharged.
Downsides: We’ve been using this product for over a year
and a half, and have been really pleased with it! It isn’t waterproof, so using it outside
requires some attention. Additionally,
like many lithium battery products the battery doesn’t function at temperatures
below freezing.
Beyond Camping!
This solar generator has a
number of other great applications — from full-day athletic events to family
reunion picnics to long road trips, or even an easy battery option to grab from
the closet during a power outage and you are trying to meet a deadline!
We could argue that the whole
point of camping is to unplug and disconnect from our modern world, and many do
just that. But we’ve also seen families
waste a lot of valuable vacation “together” time seeking out places to plug
in. Keep your family or group hanging
around the site, by bringing the power with you.
Learn more about Shari &
Hutch’s solar powered adventures on their website and join them on the road via social media at Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube!
