Renogy E.Flex 120W Portable Solar Panel

This is the panel you carry rather than cart around. At 4.8kg and folding to 67 by 55 centimetres it goes in your pack, on the back of your bike or in one hand up a track, which almost nothing else in the range does. If your solar only ever comes out at a drive-in camp, a bigger panel gives you more watts for your money. If you walk in, paddle in or ride in, weight is the whole decision and this is where you land.

Rated output assumes ideal test conditions, so in real sun you'll see somewhere around 90 to 110W at the peak of your day. Over six useful hours that's roughly 600Wh, which recharges most small power stations, keeps your phones, your lights and your laptop going indefinitely, or holds a small camp fridge if you're careful. What it won't do is refill a 2,000Wh station in a day. Match your panel to your battery, not just to the sunshine.

A panel lying flat on your ground loses a surprising amount of output, because sunlight hits it at an angle rather than square on. The built-in kickstand lets you prop yours toward the sun in seconds with nothing extra to carry, and re-aiming it once around lunchtime is often worth more than 20% extra rated output. On a lightweight panel that's the whole point: it's easy enough to pick up and re-angle whenever you walk past.

ETFE is a tough, clear laminate over the cells that resists scratches and UV far better than the cheap PET coating on budget folding panels, which yellows and clouds within a couple of seasons. IP67 is the sealing: dust-tight and rated for temporary immersion, so rain, spray and a hose-down are all fine. Together they're what let this live in the back of your 4WD and still work in five years. What it isn't rated for is you packing it away wet, so let yours dry before it goes in the case.

The 23.8V open circuit voltage and 6.4A short circuit current sit inside the input range of nearly every portable power station and small charge controller on the market, which makes this one of the easiest panels to match. The two numbers to check on yours are maximum input voltage and maximum input current. Ring the store on 03 7056 6732 with your power station model and we'll confirm it and sort the right adapter lead with the order.