Power Department

Buying Guide:
Solar Panels & Solar Chargers

Over the past 10 years, solar panels have moved from a marginal technology designed for industrial use & remote homes, to a mainstream portable power source that can be used in a variety of applications. This maturation has been the result of both improvements in solar panel efficiency, and new innovative product designs.

Modern Outpost carries a wide assortment of solar panel chargers to meet the needs of smaller power applications. Please refer to the product comparison table at the bottom of this page for a side-by-side comparison of the solar panel products we offer.
Read our Application Notes to find out which panel(s) will best suit your needs and how to build a power solution with them.

Rollable

Foldable

Rigid

Compact Personal Power

PowerFilm 1200

PowerFilm 600

PowerFilm 300

P3 Power Panels

SunLinq 25

SunLinq 12

SunLinq 6

PowerFilm 1200

PowerFilm 600

PowerFilm 300

SolarFlat 5

SolarFlat 1.8

Brunton SolarPort 4.4

See more compact gear here

Features

Peak Output

18.4 Watts

9.2 Watts

4.6 Watts

15-55 Watts

24.7 Watts

12 Watts

6 Watts

18.4 Watts

9.2 Watts

4.6 Watts

5 Watts

1.8 Watts

4.4 Watts

Current Rating

1200mA @15.4v

600mA @15.4v

300mA @15.4v

780-2800mA @18-20v

1500mA @15.6v

700mA @15.6v

350mA @15.6v

1200mA @15.4v

600mA @15.4v

300mA @15.4v

350mA @15v

125mA @15v

265mA @16.5v - or - 530mA @8.3v

Solar Cell Type Info

Amorphous Silicon

Amorphous Silicon

Amorphous Silicon

CIGS

CIGS

CIGS

CIGS

Amorphous Silicon

Amorphous Silicon

Amorphous Silicon

Amorphous

Amorphous

Poly-crystalline

Connectors

Marine-grade connectors Plug-n-play 15' cable with battery 'O' rings Optional extension & daisy chain cables

Marine-grade connectors Plug-n-play 15' cable with battery 'O' rings Optional extension & daisy chain cables

Marine-grade connectors Plug-n-play 15' cable with battery 'O' rings Optional extension & daisy chain cables

Dual-prong plug-n-play connector 15" DC socket 15" DC outlet 4" barrel plug (5mm) 18" battery clamp cable 8' extension cable

Dual-prong plug-n-play connector 15" DC socket 15" DC outlet 4" barrel plug (5mm) 18" battery clamp cable 8' extension cable

Dual-prong plug-n-play connector 15" DC socket 15" DC outlet 4" barrel plug (5mm) 18" battery clamp cable 8' extension cable

Dual-prong plug-n-play connector 15" DC socket 15" DC outlet 4" barrel plug (5mm) 18" battery clamp cable 8' extension cable

Marine-grade connectors Plug-n-play Cigarette plug Optional extension & daisy chain cables

Marine-grade connectors Plug-n-play Cigarette plug Optional extension & daisy chain cables

Marine-grade connectors Plug-n-play Cigarette plug Optional extension & daisy chain cables

10' cable with battery clamps & cigarette socket plug options

10' cable with battery clamps & cigarette socket plug options

20" power cable with adaptor plugs

Dimensions

73 x 12" 186 x 30.5cm 1.9lbs 0.88kg

38 x 11.5" 97 x 29cm 1.0lbs 0.46kg

21 x 11.5" 53 x 29cm 0.6lbs 0.294kg

Varies by model

Folded: 11x8.25x0.7" 28x21x1.8cm Deployed: 41.25x21.5x0.03" 104.8x54.6x0.76cm 1.7lbs 0.77kg

Deployed: 29.5x18x0.03 74.9x45.7x0.76cm 0.9lbs 0.4kg Folded: 9x5x0.7" 22.9x12.7x1.8cm

Folded: 9x5x0.5" 22.9x12.7x1.3cm Deployed: 29.5x9x0.03 74.9x22.9x0.76cm 0.4lbs 0.2kg

14x13.3x0.6" 35.5x33.8x1.5cm 3.3lbs 1.5kg

15.5x5x0.75" 39.4x12.7x2cm 0.9lbs 0.41kg

9.25x6x1.5" 23.5x15x4cm 19oz 540g

Primary design application

Portable, power for RVs, boats, & outdoor recreation

Portable power Military apps

Portable power for researchers, field work, & outdoor recreation

Portable power for small electronics, & outdoor recreation

Portable power for small electronics, & outdoor recreation

Key advantages

Durability

Compact folded size Price

Other Features

Waterproof/ weatherproof Reinforced construction with tie-down grommet corners Integrated blocking diode 3 year warranty

Waterproof/ weatherproof Reinforced construction with tie-down grommet corners Integrated blocking diode 3 year warranty

Waterproof/ weatherproof Reinforced construction with tie-down grommet corners Integrated blocking diode 3 year warranty

Waterproof/ weatherproof Reinforced construction with tie-down grommet corners Integrated blocking diode 1 year warranty

Waterproof/ weatherproof Reinforced construction with tie-down grommet corners Integrated blocking diode 1 year warranty

Waterproof/ weatherproof Reinforced construction with tie-down grommet corners Integrated blocking diode 1 year warranty

Waterproof/ weatherproof Reinforced construction with tie-down grommet corners Integrated blocking diode 1 year warranty

Weatherproof Integrated blocking diode 1 year warranty

Weatherproof Integrated blocking diode 1 year warranty

Includes Brunton BattJack battery charger Integrated blocking diode Folding clamsheel design 2 year warranty

Outpost Price

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Application Notes...

Tell me what kind of products to consider for...

• Small battery charging (ie. 'AA' batteries)
• Charging electronics directly from solar power
• Taking solar power with me hiking, camping, or working out in the wild
• Powering larger electronics from a solar power system I can carry in my pack
• Running research data electronics or automated equipment un attended for weeks

Product Types...

Mini solar panel chargers for small electronics...

Powering small electronics such as cell phones, PDAs, video games, MP3 players, requires a panel that can supply power at 3, 6, or 9 volts. The ideal chargers for this type of application are the Mini Solar Panel Charger, Wagan Solar e-Power charger, ICP iSun Solar Charger, or the Brunton SolarPort 4.4. The Brunton SolarPort and ICP iSun are better suited to slightly larger demands or in locations where daylight intensity is weaker. The Wagan e-Power is designed for cell phone charging, and the Mini Solar Panel is designed for a variety of uses.

Portable Clamshell Chargers...

The Brunton SolarPort 4.4 and the ICP iSun Solar Charger are designed to travel well, and feature adaptors and power output voltages suited to powering small office electronics such as cell phones, notebook computers, Palm Pilot PDAs (Personal Digital Assistants), etc. Having the ability to connect these two chargers to external battery chargers makes them also extremely useful for field workers who need to keep radios and GPS gear operating.

Vehicle Battery Chargers...

Keeping stored vehicle batteries charged is easy when using the small trickle charging panels like the ICP BatterySaver Pro and CycleSaver. These panels deliver s small maintenance charge to vehicle batteries during daylight hours and are ideal for remote homes and lodges that have ATVs, snowmobiles, motorcycle, or extra vehicles that are stored for extended periods of time.

Remote Equipment Power...

RV and boat owners know the value and utility of flexible solar panels. These products have been in use for years for providing offset power to batteries. The PowerFlex line of flexible panels store easily and can be connected in seconds. Even the largest 20 Watt panels does not require the use of a charge controller when used alone. Hikers, campers, and field workers can also use these panels for charging important gear. Farms and research stations find the weatherproof construction of the PowerFlex flexible solar panels and the BatterySaver Pro 5W ideal for powering remote sensor equipment.