Best Solar Chargers for Backpacking
The Renogy E.Flex 30W gets the most out of every ounce in this table: 30 rated watts in 19.68 ounces, an IP67 rating, and a USB-C port that charges a phone at up to 20W, for $73.99. If weight matters more than speed, the FlexSolar E10MINI weighs 9.12 ounces and costs $32.99, enough to top up a phone or a headlamp over a long lunch stop.
Every charger here weighs 27.2 ounces or less, so the question is what those ounces buy. Rated output runs from 5 watts on the Goal Zero Nomad 5 and BioLite SolarPanel 5+ to 30 on the Renogy, and half the chargers have only USB-A, which holds a modern phone to 5V charging. The other difference is what happens when the sun goes in: the two BioLite panels store power in a built-in battery, and the rest charge only while they are lit.
Our picks
- Most watts per ounce: Renogy E.Flex 30W. 30 rated watts in 19.68 ounces, plus PD charging at up to 20W over USB-C and a DC output for a small power station.
- Most watts for the money: FlexSolar E20PRO. 20 watts with both USB-A and USB-C for $33.99, at 14 ounces.
- Hiking through steady rain: BigBlue SolarPowa 20 (TOPCon). The only IP68 panel here, rated 22 watts, for $45.99, though the rating excludes the junction box.
- Charging after dark without a power bank: BioLite SolarPanel 5+. A 3,200 mAh battery in the body stores the day's sun, and a sundial and 360-degree kickstand make aiming it easy.
- Charging for a group: SunJack 25W. 25 watts across USB-C and USB-A ports good for up to 3 amps each, at 27.2 ounces, the heaviest charger here.
At a glance
| Option | Price | Rated Solar Output | Weight | Folded Size | Charge Ports | Water Resistance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| $32.99source | 10source | 9.12source | 6.3 x 4.8 x 1 insource | USB-A onlysource | IP67source | |
| $53source | 14source | 12.64source | 5.7 x 5.5 x 0.98 insource | USB-A onlysource | ||
| $59.95source | 5source | 12.7source | 9.5 x 7 x 0.8 insource | USB-A onlysource | ||
| $99.95source | 5source | 13.76source | 10.12 x 8.19 x 0.94 insource | USB-A onlysource | IPX4source | |
| $33.99source | 20source | 14source | 8.7 x 8.5 x 1.2 insource | USB-A and USB-Csource | IP67source | |
| $99.95source | 10source | 17.92source | 9.5 x 7.2 x 1.25 insource | USB-A onlysource | ||
| $149.95source | 10source | 19.36source | 10.12 x 8.19 x 0.94 insource | USB-A onlysource | IPX4source | |
| $73.99source | 30source | 19.68source | 10.55 x 8.86 x 0.71 insource | USB-A and USB-Csource | IP67source | |
| $45.99source | 22source | 21.12source | 8.1 x 8.82 x 1.02 insource | USB-A and USB-Csource | IP68source | |
| $59.99source | 15source | 22.4source | 7.8 x 8.82 x 1 insource | USB-A and USB-Csource | IP67source | |
| $69.99source | 28source | 24source | 11.1 x 6.3 x 1.4 insource | USB-A and USB-Csource | ||
| $79.99source | 25source | 27.2source | 7.8 x 11 x 1 insource | USB-A and USB-Csource | IP67source |
Watts per ounce, and why the nameplate overstates it
Three panels stand out on output for their weight: the Renogy at 30 watts and 19.68 ounces, the FlexSolar E20PRO at 20 watts and 14 ounces, and the BigBlue SolarPowa 28 at 28 watts and 24 ounces. By contrast, the SunJack 15W weighs 22.4 ounces for 15 watts, and its own summary notes the SunJack 25W adds 10 watts for about $20 and 5 more ounces.
Rated output is full direct sun, and two makers say plainly how far below it you will land. BigBlue quotes 24 watts of working output for the SolarPowa 28. Goal Zero's Nomad 10 is rated for 10 watts but its USB port tops out at 7.5, so a power bank is a better target than a phone.
USB-C or USB-A only
Six chargers have USB-A only: the E10MINI, the BigBlue SolarPowa 14, both Goal Zero Nomads and both BioLites. With no USB-C, a phone charges at 5V speeds however strong the sun. Of the six with USB-C, the Renogy states a fast-charging rating, PD 3.0 at up to 20W, the quickest phone charging in the table. The ports on the BigBlue SolarPowa 20 and the two SunJacks are rated at 3 amps each, and the SolarPowa 20's pair share about 4.2 amps between them.
Storing power for later: BioLite and Goal Zero
The BioLite SolarPanel 5+ and 10+ both carry a 3,200 mAh battery, so you can leave the panel aimed at the sky all afternoon with nothing plugged in and use the power later. The 5+'s summary puts that reservoir at roughly two-thirds of a phone charge. The price is high per watt: $99.95 for 5 watts and $149.95 for 10, the most expensive charger in the table.
Goal Zero takes the other route. The Nomad 5 and Nomad 10 store nothing, but a Goal Zero Flip power bank docks on the back and charges while you walk. Without a Flip or another bank, the Nomad charges only while the sun is on it, and the two Nomads cannot be chained together for more power.
Water ratings, and the port end of the panel
Several ratings cover less than they seem to. FlexSolar rates the E10MINI IP67 but says its junction box is not waterproof, and the SolarPowa 20's IP68 excludes the junction box too. The SunJacks address it directly: their USB ports sit inside an IP67-rated, silicone-bonded junction box, which is the main reason to choose the 15W over lighter panels. The BioLites are IPX4, fine for rain but not for immersion.
The options in detail
FlexSolar E10MINI
The smallest real panel in this table: three small folds that pack to roughly the footprint of a paperback and clip to a pack lid with the carabiners in the box. Ten watts through a single USB-A port is enough to top up a phone or a headlamp over a long lunch stop, not to refill a big battery pack. FlexSolar rates the panel IP67 but says outright that the junction box is not waterproof, so the port end wants shelter in a downpour. It is the cheapest way into solar that a weight-conscious hiker would actually carry.
BigBlue SolarPowa 14
BigBlue's small SunPower panel folds to about 5.7 by 5.5 inches, roughly a paperback, and puts 14 watts through a single USB-A output. It is the pack-weight sweet spot in BigBlue's line: about half the weight of the SolarPowa 28 for half the wattage. The trade-off is the port, since with no USB-C a modern phone only ever charges at 5V speeds. BigBlue publishes no ingress rating for this one, which is the main reason to stow it before sustained rain.
Goal Zero Nomad 5
A single rigid panel in a rugged case with a kickstand, built so a Goal Zero Flip power bank docks on the back and charges from the sun while you walk. Five watts is the least power in this table, and Goal Zero is explicit that the panel stores nothing itself, so without a Flip or another bank it only charges while the sun is actually on it. What the money buys is build quality and a battery ecosystem rather than speed. It does not fold, so its packed footprint is the whole panel.
BioLite SolarPanel 5+
The only small panel here that carries its own battery: a 3,200 mAh cell in the body means sun collected at camp can be spent after dark without a second device. BioLite's integrated sundial and 360-degree kickstand make aiming it genuinely easy, which matters more than nameplate watts on a panel this small. Five watts and a 3,200 mAh reservoir is roughly two-thirds of a phone charge held in reserve, so treat it as a trickle topper rather than a generator. It is expensive per watt, and its IPX4 rating covers splashes and rain, not a soaking.
FlexSolar E20PRO
Twenty watts with both USB-A and USB-C for the price of a much smaller panel is the outlier in this table on paper. Three folds pack it to about 8.7 by 8.5 inches, and the ETFE face is laminated in one piece rather than stitched to fabric, which FlexSolar argues outlasts sewn panels. It is also the least-established brand here, so the durability is less proven than BigBlue's or Goal Zero's. If you are optimising watts per dollar and per ounce, this is where the table points.
Goal Zero Nomad 10
The folding sibling of the Nomad 5, with the same Flip power-bank dock and a kickstand that locks at several angles. Its USB port maxes out at 7.5 watts even though the panel is rated for 10, so a power bank is a better target than a phone if you want the panel working at full tilt. Goal Zero also notes the Nomad 5 and 10 cannot be chained together for more power. It is the priciest 10 watts in this table, and you are paying for build and the ecosystem.
BioLite SolarPanel 10+
The 5+'s bigger sibling: the same 3,200 mAh onboard battery and sundial, with twice the panel and a folding body the smaller one lacks. The battery is the reason to pay for it, since you can leave it aimed at the sky all afternoon with nothing plugged in and collect the power later. It is the most expensive charger in this table by a wide margin. IPX4 again, so rain is fine and immersion is not.
Renogy E.Flex 30W
The best watts-per-ounce in this table by a clear margin: 30 rated watts in a panel under 20 ounces that folds to about 10.5 by 8.9 inches. Renogy rates the whole panel IP67 and fits six metal hanging holes plus four carabiners, so strapping it to a pack lid is the intended use rather than an afterthought. The USB-C port carries PD 3.0 at up to 20W, the fastest phone charging in this table, and a DC output sits alongside it for a small power station. It was backordered on Renogy's own store when this page was researched.
BigBlue SolarPowa 20 (TOPCon)
BigBlue's newer TOPCon cells rate this one at 22 watts despite the 20 in its name, and it is the only charger here with an IP68 rating on the panel itself, with the junction box excluded. One USB-A and one USB-C, each good for up to 5V/3A, share about 4.2 amps between them. Three folds bring it down to roughly 8.1 by 8.8 inches packed. Pound for pound and dollar for dollar it is the most weather-tolerant panel in the table.
SunJack 15W
SunJack builds in ETFE with a magnetic closure and seals the USB ports inside an IP67-rated, silicone-bonded junction box, which is a real answer to the problem most of these panels share: the panel is weatherproof but the ports are not. Fifteen watts across a USB-C and a USB-A port, each rated 5V/3A. At 1.4 pounds for 15 watts it is heavy for what it produces, and SunJack's own 25W version costs about $20 more for only 5 ounces more. Buy this one for the sealing, not the output.
BigBlue SolarPowa 28
The panel the backpacking forums keep naming: 28 watts, three ports, reinforced grommets and carabiners meant to hang off a pack, and a velcro pocket that keeps cable ends out of the weather. BigBlue rates the cells at up to 25.4% conversion and quotes 24 watts of working output rather than leaning on the 28-watt nameplate, which is unusually candid. It was sold out on BigBlue's own store when this page was researched, though it is widely stocked elsewhere. BigBlue publishes no ingress rating for it.
SunJack 25W
The heaviest charger here at 1.7 pounds, and the one to carry if you are charging for a group rather than a person: 25 watts split across a USB-C and a USB-A port, each good for up to 3 amps. As on the 15W, the ports are IP67-rated with a silicone-bonded junction box behind an ETFE face, which SunJack argues holds up to UV far better than the PET most cheap panels use. It is more panel than a solo hiker needs and it will show on the scale.
How we researched this
The set stops at about 1.7 pounds, on the view that a panel you would leave in the car does not answer a backpacking question. That ceiling ruled out the Goal Zero Nomad 20 (2.28 pounds), the Anker SOLIX PS30 (2.4 pounds), the BigBlue SolarPowa 30 TOPCon (1.87 pounds) and larger panels. Solar power banks were excluded as a category, because their headline wattage is the battery's USB output, not what their small solar cell produces. The Sunslice Fusion FLEX 12 is priced only in euros on its maker's store, the Nekteck panels and the Anker 21W PowerPort are discontinued, and FlexSolar publishes no weight for its E25MINI.
Prices are the regular price on each maker's store in September 2026, not the Labor Day sale prices Goal Zero and BioLite were showing. FlexSolar displays a permanent struck-through price, so its rows carry the price actually charged. Weights are the makers' figures converted to ounces, not weighed. A blank water rating means the maker publishes none: Goal Zero for both Nomads, BigBlue for the SolarPowa 14 and 28. The SolarPowa 28 was sold out on BigBlue's store and the Renogy was backordered when the table was built, so check stock before settling on either.