Solar power is without a doubt one of the most amazing camping accessories that have hit the market over the last decade. As our camping gear lists grow, so to do the electrical requirements to run everything. Go back even as recent as five years ago, and the most 12v camping gear that the majority of campers carried was probably a camping fridge, and that was about it! Nowadays LED camp lights, inverters, multiple fridges, battery charges and more are all part of many campers camping gear kits, and while it’s one thing to have enough AGM deep-cycle batteries to power everything, you’ve also got to have a way to recharge your batteries!

That’s where portable solar blankets for camping, and camping solar panels come into play. They let you harness the free, clean and green power of the sun, and by plugging your solar blanket or portable solar panel into your battery via a solar regulator, you’re able to keep your battery topped up even if you’re at the one campsite for multiple days in a row.

Another new type of camping solar is the fixed solar panel, which is designed to be mounted on your roofrack, the top of your camper trailer or your caravan to provide even more solar charging. The real question though, is what are the best types of solar panels for camping – a roof-mounted fixed solar panel, or a portable solar blanket or portable camping solar panels? Each have their own benefits and uses, which we’ll outline here.

CAMPING SOLAR BLANKETS FOR CAMPING PURPOSES

Let’s first take a look at camping solar blankets. These clever all-in-one kits like the Adventure Kings camping solar blanket kits feature a high-quality folding solar blanket with multiple solar cells, plus all the cabling, regulator and accessories like quick-connect plugs to easily allow you to attach your solar blanket to your battery. The real benefit of a portable solar blanket is in its portability – you can easily move your camping solar blankets around your campsite to ‘chase’ the sun – which means to reposition the solar blanket throughout the day so it is always facing as directly to the sun as possible.

When you do that, you ensure that your camping solar blanket is running as efficiently as possible, and that the maximum amount of solar power is making its way to your battery. Portable camping solar panels also allow a great deal of manoeuvrability, and in fact the added benefit of freestanding portable camping solar blankets are that they can be positioned to stand away from your vehicle – meaning you can camp in the shade and then set your solar panels for camping up in full sunlight. That means you’re able to charge your battery whenever you want to, just by setting up your camping solar blankets or portable camping solar panels – way too easy!

FIXED SOLAR PANELS FOR CAMPING

Fixed solar panels for camping are excellent in different ways. They’re designed to be permanently or semi permanently mounted to the top of your ute canopy, roofrack, caravan or camper trailer, and provide the benefit of always charging your battery whenever your vehicle is in the sun. That means you don’t have to do anything if you wire it up correctly – you can receive charge from your fixed solar panels for camping whether you’re parked at work, at home or even at the shops! And in fact running fixed solar panels for camping on your roof rack or top of your canopy, means that in many cases you can leave your camping fridge running almost permanently – as long as there’s enough sunny weather to power it! Fixed solar panels for camping are the ultimate hassle-free way to charge your battery.

PORTABLE SOLAR PANELS FOR CAMPING KITS, OR FIXED SOLAR PANELS FOR CAMPING?

Both style of portable solar panels for camping are an excellent way to charge your batteries! If space is not an issue, then we would highly suggest carrying both styles of camping solar panels for the ultimate setup. We’d have fixed solar panels for camping up on the roof to charge the battery the whole time, and then carry a portable solar blanket for an extra solar boost on cloudy days or when you’re drawing a lot of power from your electrical system. If you could only carry one style, then we’d recommend a portable solar blanket as the perfect all-round style of solar panels for camping. Either way, when you grab your solar panels for camping from 4WD Supacentre, you’ll be assured you’re getting quality gear at an amazing price!

For all the latest deals, call our expert team on 1800 88 39 64 drop into one of our fully stocked showrooms or visit us online at www.4WDSupacentre.com.au to see all the technical specifications.