Coleman Isun Portable Solar Panels

A lightweight Portable Solar Charger can be very useful when camping and traveling in the wild.

Coleman iSun also has a range of decent products of this nature.

Like other brands of solar chargers, iSun produces portable solar panels ranging from small (a solar-powered battery-backup unit suitable for AAA and AA batteries) up through portable solar panels large enough to recharge your laptop or notebook computer.

The Coleman iSun Portable Solar Charger is actually a little more than a solar charger. It was designed as a multifunctional gadget for travelers and backpackers. As well as turning solar energy into electricity, it also functions as a flashlight and has a built-in radio.

You can recharge your MP3 Player, iPod, cell phone, or other small electrical devices directly from this solar charger. You can use it to charge your equipment during the day, or at night, as it has built-in rechargeable batteries.

If you want to power a larger device, such as a laptop, you will need to get a more powerful solar panel. iSun produces these as well.

The iSun Portable Solar Battery Charger is just what its name says it is.

It is mainly suitable for powering small gadgets such as your cell phone, MP3 Player, iPod etc. Though it can also be connected to the iSun BattPak 3-Way Battery Charger, that also allows you to charge up to 10 NiMH AA or AAA batteries so that you can store solar energy for later use. The iSun BattPak also lets you recharge cell phones and other gadgets and has built-in connections to allow you to do this.

The BattPak also allows you to recharge directly from a wall socket or from the cigarette lighter in your car.

If you are looking to recharge or power laptops (or slightly larger electrical gadgets) you need something stronger than the above-mentioned products. In this case, a possibility is the Sunlinq Portable Solar Power Supply/Charger line. This line carries 55 Watt portable solar charger.

You can also check for other brands such as:

* Brunton 26 Watt Solar Charger
* Solio
* Sunsei

On the average, you will need about 50 to 60 watts to recharge a laptop in an acceptable amount of time. 25 Watt solar chargers will also work, although they will take longer to charge the laptop (they can also be linked together which will increase power output). Note, a laptop can be charged by such a solar panel. But it will not run on the amount of power supplied by a 50 Watt solar charger. The solar charger will charge your laptop battery, either before you use it or while you are using it (providing that the battery already has some charge on it). It will increase the amount of time you can operate your laptop, by reducing battery drain.

- by Anna Stone

Find more information on Solar Battery Chargers.