BigBlue 28W Solar Panel Charger with Dual USB-C and USB-A, Portable Solar Phone Charger for Camping, Hiking, Backpacking, Emergency Solar Charger for iPhone, iPad, Samsung Galaxy, Power Bank, GPS etc

When I first purchased this portable solar panel, I was skeptical about its capabilities. To be honest, I didn’t anticipate its impressive performance. Let’s begin with the build quality. The manufacturer has done an excellent job with the design and construction. The foldable design makes it incredibly portable, and the panels themselves feel sturdy and well-made, not cheap at all. I appreciate that it comes with carabiners, which makes attaching it to a backpack or hanging it easy and convenient. Since I’m always on the go and carry a lot of tech, I’m constantly in need of extra power for my gadgets. I paired this solar panel with a NESTOUT 15000N portable outdoor battery, and they work seamlessly together for my needs. The solar panels keep my battery charged, and I use the power from the battery to quickly charge my devices. The USB-C ports and USB-A port works great without any problems and allows me to connect to my devices quickly without any delay. Now, don’t expect these small panels to charge devices rapidly. They do the job, and so far, with the sunlight I’ve been exposed to daily, they’ve worked flawlessly. I highly recommend this product. Considering its limitations and my use case, I believe it was a wise investment. I’ve also recommended it to several friends who work outdoors, and they’re equally impressed with its performance.

I actually really like it, It's a moderate at 15 watts, I didn't realize this was the smaller wattage of the panels, I actually thought the color had something to do with the price. But what's important is, it works really well and better then I expected. It's enough to charge things moderatly fast, in good sun of course, it's Ultra lightweight, and I couldn't believe how small and well made this thing is! It has a special compartment/pocket to hold the phone or battery pack in place with a strap to keep the item from falling out while charging, And keeps the item out of the direct Sun. It's actually a lot fancier looking than I expected as well and the panels seem to be tough! This will be perfect for adventures in the woods!

My intended use of this product is to maintain complete power independence for months-long, off-grid backpacking (thru-hiking). I've always laughed at the hikers who try to make things work with a single panel on top of their backpack, but the bigblue can work, under the right conditions. My electronics consist of generic bluetooth listening devices, a cell phone, a gps communications and tracking device, a rechargeable tracking watch, a rechargeable air mattress inflator, a rechargeable headlamp, and a 10,000 mAh power bank with dual charge inputs and a maximum recharge rate of 22W. Since the bigblue only delivers a maximum of 5V @ 2.4A to each of its 3 usb, connectors, it means you can only expect a maximum of 12W from each usb connector. Therefore, to obtain the maximum possible powerbank recharge rate from this setup, I needed a powerbank with 2 charge inputs. The only such one I could find in the 10k mAh range was the nitecore nb10000 gen 3. In theory, I could get 24W from 2 of the bigblue usb connectors, and I would be wasting a couple of watts on the nitecore, but in reality so far I have not gotten more than about 16-17W form the bigblue, as measured using an Anker Prime 27,650 power bank. That's in southern US and november sky, but I would not expect more than about 20-21W under perfect conditions, anyway. I have tested and determined that hanging the bigblue from the backpack is pretty much useless and not worth the effort. Also, it only delivers a trivial amount of power under heavy cloud conditions. It does deliver modest amounts of power when the sun is still fairly bright through a fully overcast sky. Under partly cloudy skies, with thicker clouds, the output falls off dramatically when the sun is blocked. The most workable solution that I have found is to pack up the bigblue in the morning, leaving it in the top of my pack. I'll take a 15 minute break mid-morning and quickly pull out the bigblue and connect the nitecore to 2 ports and my cell phone to the third port, providing the right sun conditions exist. The bigblue does not have a kickstand, and the panels flop around, so I find a long, straight stick and prop up the panels using a few bits of gear to prop the stick and panels up straight. The same process is repeated at lunch time for a 1 hour lunch break, and possibly another short break mid-afternoon. Using this approach, under the right conditions, I can fully recharge my phone from about 80% and I can recharge up to 2 bars out of 4 on my power bank. This is generally all I need, but I have not determined how long this setup would last with prolonged days of no adequate sun. I could probably last a week or so with careful use of electronics, but then I would be digging out of a power deficit for several days after. If the cloudy conditions persist, I would be forced off trail to recharge. I have also found that the bigblue can still deliver 3 watts or so folded up, with only one panel exposed to full mid-day sun and laying flat . This might work to charge low-power devices with the bigblue laying flat on top of the backback. It's always going to be important to make sure any means of securing the unit does not cast any shadow anywhere on the panel. My bigblue weighs 24-7/8 ounces. It's an awful lot to lug around. I think a lot of that weight is in the fabric, velcro closures and hanging grommets. I keep looking at the thing and wondering how much I could cut off. The 3 output connectors, with limit to 12 watts on each, is a pain when trying to find a suitable power bank that can recharge at a faster rate than 12 watts. Maybe 2 usb-c's, with no limitations, would work better? The weight and the connectors are my reason for 4 stars. So far, I have not tested for many days on trail, but it's looking possible. The implementation is not ideal, but I'm balancing that against having to go off trail and find an outlet.

A lot of people complain about the charge times or it not working. First it's a solar panel, it's not going to charge as fast as it would plugged into your car or wall. Second it works best when it is outside in direct sunlight, not behind glass, not in the shade, not in cloudy weather, IN DIRECT SUNLIGHT. It will charge if it's not in direct sunlight, but much slower. Also it's going to take longer to charge if you're using your phone while charging. The more you plug into it, the longer it will take to charge everything. It also doesn't help if you're using a 12ft long cable. So keep in mind when buying this, direct sunlight, turn off the device you're charging, charge 1 device at a time when possible, and use the shortest cable possible. It's very useful to have. Good for camping, hiking, hunting, survival, emergency preparedness, or just being environmentally conscious. If there's a reason why you can't charge your phone from an outlet, this is perfect. The size is about that of two tablets/iPads stacked on top of each other or a small laptop when folded up. And about 3 or 4 tablets/iPads side by side when opened up. It came with some carabiners so you can attach it to your backpack, tent, a chain link fence or just about anything that would help face it in direct sunlight. It also has a little indicator light where you plug your USB cable into that lets you know if you are getting power, the brighter the light, the more power you're getting. As long as you keep those few things in mind this solar panel is effective and super simple to use.

I received my solar panel last night and i’m currently putting it to the test. @ exactly 9:49am, i hooked up my completely dead OnePlus 7 Pro (4,000mAh) (that i don’t use anymore) to the solar panel. As of 10:30am the phone battery is at 16% which btw is really, really good given the lack of direct sunlight due to the cloud covers skies. To give you a better idea of how cloudy it is, i can look directly(or indirectly?😅) at the sun without going blind; Well, kind of. Also, I think if i were to charge my iPhone, it would be at ~20% charge since it has a slightly smaller battery (~3687 mAh). I bought this solar panel for the purpose of using it at a camping festival i’m going to in 2 weeks. Needless to say, this will suffice! I’ll update this review as i test it over the next few weeks @ different times of day. Edit: Friday December 22, 2023 2311 I took this solar panel to Lost Lands (camping music festival) and it came in so clutch! I brought 3 power banks just in case (10k mah, 20k mah, and 30k mah), but with the solar panel, I only had to use the 10k mah powerbank. I would use the 10k mah throughout the day/night (7am-3am) and then I would set up my solar panel on my tent and hook the power bank up. That way, by the time the sun came up, it would be charging and be ready to be used by noon. The festival was from Tuesday-Sunday. The solar panel was charging very efficiently and very quickly (in my opinion). On nights when I didn’t set up my solar panel before going to sleep, I would wake up early in the morning to set my solar panel up and hook my powerbank to it, then I’d head down to the showers and by the time I got back it was fully charged. (Shower lines were long so I’d be gone for roughly 1hr-2hrs). Also, there would be times when it’d get a little cloudy but, the solar panel still charged pretty well. Though, not as fast. Overall, super useful solar panel. Totally worth it for the price.

[Update 2025 Review]: Loved the first charger of this model I bought in 2022, but when I had to buy a newer one in 2025, I ended up returning it, as it seemed to minimally charge my phone in 3 hours of direct July sunlight in New Mexico, and was not effective at charging if direct sunlight is intermittent - i.e. if deployed/strapped to a pack. The new waffle-pattern panels trap every bit of dust and is difficult to clean with soap and a brush (not something I want to keep in my pack), vs. the old smooth-panels charger which wiped clean easily. Another trekker had bought this charger based on my 2022 recommendation, and had to return it within a few days, as his barely charged anything. BigBlue, not sure what your product development team is doing, but I've retracted about 6 recommendations to other trekkers on this product - as it went from "must have" to "avoid." Original 2022 review: I've used this on 12-day backpacking treks in the SW Rockies, and also for keeping my phone and bluetooth speaker charged while I work outdoors all day in the sometimes-cloudy northeast U.S. Very reliable in both; I've used it for 3 years and no complaints about performance, durability, or water-resistance (left in the rain occasionally). Take this with any group on a trek, and you will be very popular. I strapped my charger to my packpack with the included carabiner clips and charged as I hiked. No issues with overcast days, but it will be limited in charging based on strength of sunlight. In full daylight, expect a solid speedy charge on all three USBs are once - what type of charging cable used will be your biggest bottleneck.

This solar charger has been fantastic for camping trips and outdoor adventures. It’s easy to use, compact, and lightweight, which makes it perfect for stashing in a backpack. The three USB ports are a great feature, allowing me to charge multiple devices at once, and the smart charge technology is really handy for optimizing the charging speed based on the device. The solar conversion rate is impressive, and it holds up well even in less-than-ideal conditions like light rain or fog, thanks to the protective PET polymer surface. The rubber covers on the USB ports are also a nice touch, keeping out dust and water. The only minor issue I’ve had is that, occasionally, I need to unplug and plug my device back in if the charging slows down, but this is rare and easy to fix. Overall, this solar charger has been reliable and a great addition to my camping gear. I’d definitely recommend it for anyone looking for a portable power solution for outdoor trips or emergencies.

Took two of these down the grand canyon for a month to charge my phone, speaker and Gopros. No problem, easily attached to gear on the raft, waterproof in the rapids and rain... well made and tough, even that microstatic dust in the canyon didn't get past the rubber plugs. Took one to NZ for a month of camping, the Gopro and phones and speakers needed charged often, so beautiful there, many photos. Charged all my devices and my friends too, no worries. These things are even sand fly resistant, unlike my friend and I. I even used it to charge my small usb bug zapper, super handy Seriously, these really are legit, the ratings are high for a good reason. I suggest you buy two, one for your awesome self(your deserve it). Gift one to a deserving dear friend, random hitchhiker, backpacker or camper in need ..and the universe will smile upon you... which I have done twice now, so trust me on this. Its why im here writing this review because i need to order one and i wanted everyone to know how solid, dependable, strong and what a good value they are. *not sponsored by this company , its representatives or anything like that ** but if you guys want to send me a free one for this review, i can wait a day or two, but not too long, i have rafting season coming up soon..