I received the Outdoor Technology Solar Panel holiday gift, and didn’t have a chance to try it until a recent camping trip to Zion National Park. When I first opened it up, I the panel was a bit larger than expected. I wouldn’t take it on backpacking trips, but it is fine for for car camping or raft trips where weight is not a big deal. It does fold up quite flat, which means that packed up it doesn’t impact space very much. Compared to my past solar devices - which could barely charge one phone at a time - a standout feature is its ability to charge two devices at once. The panel's ability to charge two devices at once is appreciated by my family, so that one of their devices can be charged too. It's worth noting that the power output through the USB connections is more limited compared to the direct 8mm connection. While I have not had the chance to test the 8mm connection, when using both the USB-C and USB-A ports, I am able to generate a total of about 25W of power. That is enough to charge two iphones in about one hour. During some of the cloudy weather we experienced during our trip, I found the panel to still able to output enough power to keep a trickle charge going. Features such as the fold-out legs and the built in cord pouch make it easy to set up and transport. The built-in monitor that displays how much power is going to each port is helpful, so it’s possible to tell how long it will take to charge a device based on the output. (e.g. 5V * 2.0 A = 10 Watts, which will charge a 10 W•h phone battery in an hour or so). Overall, the Outdoor Technology Solar Panel seems like a good choice for those in need of a portable source of power for their USB devices. So far, I like it and would recommend it.
