Camping trips are one of the best ways to escape reality and enjoy the many beauties of our land. But let’s be real, even when you’re out in the wilderness, you can’t avoid the need of charging your smartphone at least once a day and let the moon be the only thing lighting up your camping area during the nights.
But even though there are a plethora of sources to provide you with electricity while you’re camping, know that solar-powered panel mats are the option that has just many things to offer.
Benefits of Solar Panel Mats
There’re many reasons why campers prefer portable solar-powered panel mats instead of carrying bulky generators or being dependant on the power sources some campsites provide.
So once you find the perfect camping spot to settle down, setting up your portable solar mat is a piece of cake, since you won’t need any expert skills to connect wires nor tools to provide yourself with electricity. Most of these panels and mats use batteries that can be connected within a minute, while some of them are compatible with all the types of lithium batteries out there as well as AGM, Gel, Calcium and Wet cell ones.
These panels and mats are also extremely portable, so you won’t have to worry about your tent being set in shade or settling down where the sun blasts mostly to get enough energy. The only thing you need to do is to move your solar panel mat around and get most of the sunlight while you’re enjoying your cup of coffee or can of beer lounging in the shade. On top of this, most of these solar mats have waterproof ratings, so you won’t also need to worry if a slight rain or a splash suddenly approaches and use your solar energy source in any weather conditions.
Finally, once you purchase your portable solar panel mat for camping, know that you’re done with investing since they don’t require any operating costs and maintenance efforts. So, unlike the bulky generators that need expensive fuels and replacing their filters and spark plugs, you’ll only need to occasionally wipe your solar panel’s surface from dust and dirt before you fold it and store it into its protective bag for your next camping trip.
Types of Solar Mats for Camping
Before you get what seems the best option for your upcoming camping trips, it’s essential to get to know the different types of these panel mats so you don’t invest in something that won’t satisfy your preferences.
Monocrystalline Solar Mats
Starting from the most popular type, don’t hesitate to choose from the monocrystalline solar panel mats on the market and embrace all the benefits they offer. In fact, these panels are made of a large number of small silicon crystals which absorb the photon from the sun, causing the electrons to separate from the silicon atoms and move the energy so it gets stored into their battery.
Monocrystalline solar panels usually come in black colour, but know that this doesn’t have to do anything with their physical appearance, but with their performance. This is due to their silicon featuring very high levels of purity, and once the sun interacts with the silicon layers it creates a black hue. Also, their surface is usually covered in hardened glass to additionally reinforce and protect them.
Polycrystalline Solar Mats
Polycrystalline solar panels use the same technology as the monocrystalline ones, with the only difference that they aren’t made of single silicon crystals, but from fragments- many silicon crystals in each of the cells. This causes the electrons to move with less freedom, which makes them not that energy-efficient as the monocrystalline ones. This can be noticed from their appearance too, since the process they use results in a glimmering blue surface which can be also reinforced. Aside from that, know that they’re a way cheaper option than the monocrystalline ones.
Thin-Film (Amorphous) Solar Mats
These solar mats and panels use an entirely different technology which doesn’t include any crystals, but they’re sprayed with fine layers of silicon on their surface that is similar to the silvering on the back of a mirror, and additionally protected with a layer of glass on top. But even though their technology is the most budget-friendly of all the other types out in the market, know that amorphous solar mats have the lowest energy efficiency and performance, and are also bulkier and heavier than the crystalline ones.
What to Consider
Aside from choosing the most optimal technology, it’s important to consider a couple of more things to make the right choice.
Appliances You’re About to Use
First of all, it’s very important to determine which appliances are you going to use- do you only need the energy to charge your phones or laptops and light up a LED bulb when the sun goes down, or you’re carrying a small fridge to keep your drinks cold and your food ready for the stove? So, don’t forget to make a list of all the appliances you’re about to use and check their power ratings so you know exactly how much energy they’re about to “drain”.
How Long Will You be Using it
But calculating the amount of energy each of your appliances is about to use would be in vain if you don’t consider for how long you’ll be using it throughout the day. For instance, if an average laptop needs 20 watts of energy to get charged for an hour, and you’re about to charge it for two hours per day, you’ll need 40 watts of energy just for charging your laptop. Make sure you calculate this for each of your devices and appliances, to see how much energy you’ll need for a day.
How Long Will You be Able to Charge it
However, you should know that your solar panel won’t produce equal amounts of energy every day, since the sun isn’t equally bright during different weather seasons. So, if you’re getting around 6 or 7 hours of sun blasting through the day, this is not the case in the winter season when you can get a maximum of 1 hour of sunlight. So, make sure you split the amount of energy you need with the hours of sun to finally determine the optimal panel wattage.
For instance, if your laptop needed 40 watts to get charged on daily basis, and you’re about to get energy for 6 hours in the warm season, you’ll need a panel featuring approximately 7 watts (40 watts/ 6 hours). But this won’t be the case for the cold season, when you’ll need a panel that features at least 40 watts to charge only your laptop (due to the estimated 1 hour of sunlight through the day).
So, once you get the right camping solar mat, you can rest assured that you’ll be supplied with the optimal amounts of energy for carefree and memorable camping trips.