9 best solar gadgets for camping in 2023: power your gear with the power of the sun
Our roundup of the best solar gadgets & accessories for camping
Looking for some cool, solar-powered gadgets and accessories to keep your carbon footprint down while camping in the great outdoors?
Over the years most camping equipment has been adapted for solar power.
And in this epic guide we’ve covered all the best solar gadgets for camping. From the basic gear such as solar-powered phone chargers and solar-powered camping lights, to more energy intensive gadgets such as solar-powered coolers and solar-powered generators.
Join us in saving the planet one solar camping accessory at a time!
In a hurry? Here’s our top 3 picks for the best solar gadgets for camping.
Ecoflow Delta Solar Power Station
Best portable solar power station
- fully charged via solar panel in 4-hours
- 6x 1800w AC outlets
- can charge 13 devices simultaneously
Best solar powered cooler
- freezer or cooler mode
- lasts up to 10-15 hours on one charge
- three ways to charge
LuminAID Solar Inflatable Lantern
Best solar powered lantern
- up to 24 hours of light when battery is fully charged
- packs flat to 1″ thick
- recharged via USB or solar
9 best solar gadgets for camping
ACOPOWER LiONCooler
A solar-powered 2-in-1 freezer and cooler
The ACOPOWER LiONCooler’s are one of the only coolers available on the market that can run on solar power.
While it can run on solar power, it can actually be charged three ways for added convenience. It can be charged via AC, car cigarette port and solar panel.
The LiONCooler has an adjustable temperature and can be used as a freezer or cooler. Perfect for chilling beers or freezing camp meals.
One full charge of the battery powers the cooler for 10-15 hours when set at 0℃.
Another neat thing about the cooler is its interchangeable battery. You can buy a replacement battery and swap them out if one needs charging.
The cooler does require a powerful solar panel to charge the battery/keep the battery charged when plugged in. The recommended wattage is between 80-120w. We use
ACOPOWER’s 90w solar panel is our favorite as the dimensions of the panel fit perfectly on top of the cooler when folded for easy transportation.
LuminAID Solar Lantern
A solar-powered lantern full of neat features
The LuminAid solar lantern offers beautiful, atmospheric light plus a whole host of other neat features.
Not only is it powered by solar, but it’s also inflatable for easy, pack down storage as well as waterproof and can even float on water!
The LuminAid lanterns are available in a variety of color options from multi-colored, warm white and cool white and are also available with or without a USB port for charging external devices.
The lantern features an LED battery indicator on top to see how much juice you have left.
In terms of recharging – it takes approximately 10 hours to charge in sunlight or around 1-2 hours when charged via USB (cord included).
Despite its small size this thing packs a punch when it comes to light. You can set it to bright when you need to find something in your tent or you want to light up your camplight, or a dim setting when you want some mood lighting.
BigBlue Solar Panel Charger
A lightweight and compact solar panel for charging phones and small devices
The BigBlue solar panel is perfect for charging your phone and other small devices.
It features 3 USB ports that can all be used concurrently for optimum charging.
The BigBlue solar panel features 100% safe charging with overcharging, overheating and short circuit protection.
Its compact design is perfect for backpacking and hiking or just stuffing into your camp bag for a weekend getaway. It folds down to 11.1″ x 6.3″ x 1.3″ and weighs only 20.6oz.
The BigBlue solar panel comes supplied with an attached 50cm micro USB cable that fits most 5V android devices and some DSLR cameras. The added USB ports allow you to use your own cables for charging Apple devices such as iPhones and iPads (iPad Pro not compatible).
It’s important to note that it doesn’t store the power created from sunlight, simply passes the power to your device, so it must be used during sunlight to charge your devices.
GoSun Go Solar Oven
A lightweight & compact solar oven
The GoSun Go is a portable solar oven suitable for cooking a meal for one person.
It can cook most meals and boil water for dried food/hot drinks in 20-30 minutes.
We know it doesn’t sound like the most appetizing way to cook a meal. But, we promise, the food comes out extremely tasty. It doesn’t become soggy or like mush, but instead is crisp and delicious.
One thing to note is that you have to use the oven while in the sun for it to work. It does not store energy for later use.
Garmin Instinct Solar Watch
The Garmin Instinct just got a stellar solar upgrade
The Garmin Instinct has just had a much awaited update that now includes solar charging.
Dubbed as one of the best outdoor sports watches…it just got even better. When used in expedition or smartwatch mode, the solar power can charge your watch to full within a day of outdoor activities.
The Garmin Instinct Solar has way too many features for us to cover in depth here, but some of the most noteworth include: heart rate tracking, Pulse OX for altitude acclimation and sleep monitoring, GPS, GLONASS and Galileo tracking, activity tracking, power tracking to save battery, and a TracBack feature to navigate the same route back to where you started.
Basically, if you love the outdoors, and like to spend an extended period out in the wild without having to worry about charging a million devices via USB, this is the solar powered watch you need.
ECOFLOW Delta Solar Power Station
The only solar-powered portable power station you’ll ever need
The EcoFlow Delta is the be all and end all of solar powered portable power stations. There are tonnes of solar powered generators and stations on the market, but not many can power the appliances and accessories that the Delta can.
In total, with its inclusion of USB ports, it can charge 13 devices simultaneously. For example, it can power all of the following devices at the same (we’re not joking) –
The Delta can be charged via AC, car cigarette port and solar panels.
It can be fully charged in 1.6 hours via AC, 10-12 hours via car cigarette port and 4 hours via solar. Its ability to charge so quickly comes from its patented X-Stream technology and MPPT controller.
To get the fastest charge rate we’d recommend ECOFLOW’s 110w solar panel, designed specifically for the Delta.
GoerTek Solar Power Bank
A super-powerful solar power bank to charge all of your small devices
The GoerTek is one of the most powerful solar power banks currently available. With a large solar panel located on the top of the bank, it charges much faster than standard solar power stations.
This solar panel charger by GoerTek features a 25,000mAh battery, enough to charge an iPhone XS 7.4 times, a Galaxy S9 Plus 5.7 times and an iPad Pro 1.6 times.
Its ability to charge an iPad Pro even once, let alone over 1.5 times, is a testament to just how powerful this little guy is.
And while yes, it may not be the smallest power bank on the market, the extra size and weight is more than worth it when it comes to how much longer you can charge your devices for.
It comes with 3 USB ports, allowing you to charge three devices simultaneously, and a built-in LED torch that can blind you it’s that powerful. It also comes with three light settings- light, medium and high.
Advanced Elements 5 Gallon Solar Shower
Take a warm relaxing shower after a long day exploring
The Advanced Elements 5-gallon solar shower is the perfect addition to add a little more luxury to your camping trip.
Showering in campsite showers or using cold water from a bucket is never fun, but with this budget-friendly little shower you can have a hot shower at the end of every day!
It’s super simple to use and heat up. You literally just fill it up with water and layout it out in sun with the clear side facing up.
Depending on the ambient temperature outside, it will be ready for you to have a hot shower from anywhere between a couple hours to the whole day.
MPOWERD Luci Solar String Lights
Solar powered string lights to set the mood
The MPOWERD Luci string lights can be completely powered by solar or charged via USB.
They can be charged via solar in 16 hours, or 6-8 hours when plugged in via USB, and last up to 20 hours on a single charge.
So if you plan to use them 4 hours a night on a camping trip, they’ll last you 5 nights, and that’s if you camped somewhere with NO sunlight to keep topping the charge up throughout the day.
There’s also a battery level indicator on the base unit to let you know how much battery you have left and when it needs charging.
The Luci lights have four modes: you can put the charge base unit in flashlight mode or the solar string lights in low, high and medium.
The two way charging capability means you can plug your cell phone or other small devices into the base unit and charge them up.
