Solar Powered Camping Accessories - Convenience & Selection
Thanks to an increased interest in the benefits of solar power, portable power camping accessories have become much more widely varied and available.
Solar powered camping accessories are gaining in popularity over traditional camping supplies because of the benefits and advantages they offer.
Solar powered camping accessories are cleaner and greener; there are no emissions and they do not deplete natural resources and/or fossil fuels
- Solar power is safer; gases and open flames present fire dangers during dry periods and pose risk to children-eliminate these, and you have a much safer way to cook and power lanterns
- Solar powered accessories have better batteries; they simply last longer, and won’t wear out after a few days (or even a long night) of camping-just recharge by the daylight!
- Solar powered accessories are more portable; they are lighter in weight than heavy battery-operated units and much less bulky than fuel and gas cans; small and lightweight units are good options for backpackers
Shopping for Solar Powered Camping Accessories
There are lots of solar powered camping accessories to choose from, and once you start looking the convenience and comfort of them all will begin to tempt you; but that can be a real budget-breaker if you don’t set some priorities.
- Consider your budget and your use
- Buy the most essential solar powered camping accessories first so you know you’ve got your bases covered; then build up your collection to larger & luxury items later (since solar powered camping equipment has a long life, you’ll be able to eventually build your stock)
- Lanterns, lights, and communications should be purchased first; cookers, showers, and water heaters can come later
- Remember that you have to be able to move your accessories to your camp site; take size and weight into consideration
- Consider how long you’ll be out on the trail; showers and water distillers are probably not a good investment if you only camp for a day or two at a time, but might be much appreciated after a week or two out
- If you camp primarily at camp grounds, don’t invest in things (like showers) that are supplied anyway; put your money into things the campground won’t provide
- Consider a back-up power source or recharge feature; but remember that’s only useful if you are near a power source for the recharge (such as a car, etc.)
- Consider a solar panel; as an alternative to many small solar-powered accessories, consider whether a flexible solar panel might be worth the money-that way, you can power several small accessories with the one unit, even traditional plug-ins. Just be sure your power cords can adapt to the unit and its plugs
What’s On the Solar Powered Camping Accessory Market?
The variety and availability of solar powered camping accessories is growing by the day. Listed here are some of the most popular types of solar powered camping accessories and equipment.
Solarport: For all your smaller electronic needs, including cell phones, pda’s, digital cameras, gps and mp3 players. The Solarport 4.4 Portable Power Source is super-convenient when converting sunlight into electricity. Delivers 4.4 watts of power and can be linked to multiple units to double or triple output (max 3 units).
The Brunton Solar Flat 1.8 can be used to keep batteries in cars, boats or ATVs charged when not in use.
For safety, consider a solar powered flashlight/AM/FM radio.
You’ll be happiest with your solar camping equipment choices if you balance convenience and necessity; you’ll know then that you’ve made the right solar powered camping accessory choices for your style of ‘roughing it’ (or not)and you’ll always be well-prepared for your camping adventure.
