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Mobility

Power your devices with the sun: 12 great solar chargers

By Lyndsey Gilpin March 30, 2015, 4:51 AM PDT

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Power your devices with the sun: 12 great solar chargers

Surfr iPhone 6

Image: EnerPlex

Surfr iPhone 6

This charger was made for the iPhone 6/6s. It’s a protective case with a built-in solar charger and a 2,700 mAh battery pack. It’s even pretty slim for a charging case, at 14.8 mm thick. It can also be charged by a conventional wall outlet. Price: $79.99.

Image: EnerPlex
Power your devices with the sun: 12 great solar chargers

Array Solar Backpack

Image: Voltaic Systems

Array Solar Backpack

The 10-watt solar panel on the outside of this backpack powers the battery inside, which can charge a smartphone up to seven times. The battery has one USB port and comes with a variety of adapters so it can charge almost any laptop. Price: $379.

Image: Voltaic Systems
Power your devices with the sun: 12 great solar chargers

Cobra CPP 300

Image: Cobra

Cobra CPP 300

This solar charger is perfect for a weekend camping trip, with a three-output USB, dual solar panels, fold-up design, and 6000mAh lithium polymer battery pack. Price: $79.95.

Image: Cobra
Power your devices with the sun: 12 great solar chargers

Nomad 7 Plus Solar Panel

Image: GoalZero

Nomad 7 Plus Solar Panel

This lightweight, foldable solar panel can be attached to the outside of a backpack for charging USB devices on the go. It also comes with a kickstand to hold it at the optimal angle for solar charging. Price: $99.99.

Image: GoalZero
Power your devices with the sun: 12 great solar chargers

Brunton Explorer

Image: Brunton

Brunton Explorer

Brunton makes several versions of the Explorer, in five, 10, and 20 watt panels. It’s lightweight, folds up, and charges almost any kind of device via USB. Price: Varies, depending on number of watts; 20 watt charger is $174.99.

Image: Brunton
Power your devices with the sun: 12 great solar chargers

Make your own

Image: MAKE

Make your own

Someone at MAKE Magazine decided to build his own solar charger by using a dollar store garden solar light and USB cord. It isn’t meant to charge your phone very quickly, but he wrote that it could be good for MP3 players or other small devices. Price: $3.

Image: MAKE
Power your devices with the sun: 12 great solar chargers

SunVolt

Image: Gomadic

SunVolt

SunVolt is a larger solar charger that is made to charge several devices at once. It has two USB ports and a connector port you can upgrade through Gomadic’s TipExchange system to find the right connector for your gadget. Price: $99.95.

Image: Gomadic
Power your devices with the sun: 12 great solar chargers

PowerSync SolarWrap

Image: Bushnell

PowerSync SolarWrap

Bushnell offers two models of this flexible solar panel that rolls up like a scroll when not in use: The 400 is fully solar charged in 3.5 hours, and the 250 charges in 6 hours. Both models work even if it’s partly cloudy. Price: the 400 model is $213.95, and the 250 model is $154.95.

Image: Bushnell
Power your devices with the sun: 12 great solar chargers

Instapark Mercury 10

Image: Instapark

Instapark Mercury 10

The Instapark Mercury 10 is a 10-watt high-efficiency portable solar charger for your devices and is compatible with most tablets and smartphones and has dual USB chargers and it’s foldable, so it’s ideal for camping and hiking trips. It measures at 9 X 6 X 2 inches. Price: $64.90.

Image: Instapark
Power your devices with the sun: 12 great solar chargers

Xcellerator + HUB

Image: Solio

Xcellerator + HUB

The Xcellerator plugs into the HUB battery, which can fully charge a phone in about 90 minutes. According to the manufacturer, the solar panel is designed to work in even low light conditions. Price: $120

Image: Solio
solartab.png
solartab.png
Power your devices with the sun: 12 great solar chargers

Solartab

Solartab

This tablet-shaped solar panel has two USB ports and a micro USB port. It can charge an iPhone in an hour and a half and an iPad in four hours. Price: $97.

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Power your devices with the sun: 12 great solar chargers

Boost

Image: BirkSun

Boost

Aimed at the music festival-going crowd, this backpack is arguably a bit more stylish than other brands. Three minutes of sunlight gets a phone a 1% charge when plugged into the built-in USB port. Price: $99.99 – $124.99

Image: BirkSun
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By Lyndsey Gilpin
Lyndsey Gilpin is a former Staff Writer for TechRepublic, covering sustainability and entrepreneurship. She's co-author of the book Follow the Geeks.
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