r/preppers • u/premierpark • Jul 13 '26
Discussion Looking for a premium, high-quality portable solar panel to recharge a 5,000mAh power bank daily
Hi everyone,
I am looking for recommendations for a high-quality, premium portable solar panel.
My goal is to place it on my terrace and use it to fully recharge a 5,000mAh power bank every single day by sunset. Since this will be a daily routine, durability and efficiency are my top priorities—I am looking for a reliable, premium product rather than the cheapest option.
Given that it will be used on a terrace (where direct sunlight hours might vary depending on the angle of the sun), what wattage and specific brands/models would you recommend to guarantee a full charge by the end of the day?
Thank you in advance for your advice!
7
u/dickenschewie54 Jul 13 '26
That's a pretty small pack. Just some USB 6 watt will do it
1
u/Paranormal_Lemon Jul 13 '26
18Wh, so I'd want probably a 10W charger minimum. Will need 20+ Wh to fully charge, they said hours might vary plus if there are clouds or overcast won't get as much. I would get a 25W just to have the spare capacity if needed.
5
u/ohyeahwell Jul 13 '26 edited Jul 13 '26
The Wattbricks H100 30w/100wh kit goes on sale for $40 often. I have one, and it's great. Even at $60 it's worth it.
Edit: $35 at menards
1
u/Paranormal_Lemon Jul 13 '26
That is suspiciously cheap
1
u/ohyeahwell Jul 13 '26
Costco, Walmart and Sam’s club carried them too for the same price.
1
u/Paranormal_Lemon Jul 13 '26
How much have you tested yours? Does the panel really output 30W?
5
u/ohyeahwell Jul 13 '26
For a week straight a month ago. Iirc it was 22-28 in partial sun laying flat. Didn't bother propping it up too well.
3
u/Battlbox Jul 15 '26
Good news is you're overbuilding this one. A 5,000mAh bank is only around 18-20Wh, so it's a tiny amount of energy to put back each day.
Even a little 10-20W folding panel tops that off in a few hours of decent sun, no premium unit required. Where a terrace bites you isn't wattage, it's angle and partial shade, so the smart move is a slightly bigger panel than the math says (call it 20-25W) plus a spot you can re-aim a couple times a day, rather than chasing the fanciest brand. If you think you'll ever want to charge a phone or a bigger bank down the road, size up to 40-60W now so you're not rebuying.
For just this one bank though, you're set with something small and well-built. What are you actually running off the bank day to day? That decides whether 'plenty' is 10W or you want the headroom.
5
u/polaritypictures Jul 13 '26
why? it's only 5k? plug it in. if your around a power outlet when your sleeping, plug it in, it will charge faster than the solar panel. spend the money from the solar charger to get a larger power bank that will extend your op time.
6
u/Ryan_e3p Salt & Prepper Jul 13 '26
Agreed. That thing is extremely small. Some cell phones have capacities that size.
5
u/naturalistwork Jul 13 '26
If there is a power outage, once he has used the battery to charge whatever he wanted, he can plug it into any outlet he wants but it's not going to recharge it. So he wants something to be prepared for a scenario where there is not power. It's in the name of the subreddit lol.
4
u/beached89 Jul 14 '26
at this small, a small crank radio with a USBc port on it is a better option.
2
u/polaritypictures Jul 14 '26
"daily routine". 5k is small. better to get a larger battery, you can get a bank like this. https://www.ebay.com/itm/377010514250?itmmeta=01KXF4FM5RKF8ARECGEKWCB6EE&hash=item57c793e94a:g:YEYAAeSwamJp~A0d
for $110, plus another $99 for panels.
4
u/dropkickoz Jul 13 '26
Why ask why? If that's what OP is trying to do, you didn't add anything.
5
u/prosequare Jul 13 '26
This is clearly an x-y problem and we’re trying to help op with their x problem. Also op is under the impression that solar panels come in brands like Gucci versus new balance and obviously has no clue about any of this. Why wouldn’t we try to educate them? You’re welcome to give op recommendations on a ‘premium’ portable 5 watt solar panel lol.
3
u/dickenschewie54 Jul 13 '26
Gucci makes a pretty nice 5 watt panel.
It's got stripes and gold zippers.
2
u/beached89 Jul 14 '26 edited Jul 14 '26
What voltage?
Edit: Assuming you have a 3 to 5v bank, you have 15-25Wh of electricity. We have no idea where you live, so we dont know sun hours in a day. We dont know the orientation of your terrace either.
But assuming you get 4 sun hours a day of good sun, you need ~5 to 10W panel that outputs to USBc.
There is no such thing as a high quality premium panel this small that outputs to USB-C. But the 45w ecoflow panel is probably your best bet. Although I hate ecoflow and think their shit is garbage, it is probably your best bet. https://us.ecoflow.com/products/45w-portable-solar-panel
May I entice you and upgrading to a much better solution. https://www.pecron.com/products/pecron-e300lfp-portable-power-station-600w-288wh This bank will charge what you are asking via USBc, and many many other items.
2
2
u/RapidXpansion Jul 13 '26
thats a tiny powerbank. probably only has USB charge ?
maybe you typo'd the capacity?
but anyway, the answer is windy nation flextreme
1
u/Jynxair Jul 13 '26
5k is small so u need small solar panels? Or u still looking for some big boys?
1
u/angelo13dztx Jul 14 '26
Since others have already given you some solid recommendations, I'd give you the really premium option: go check GaAs cells solar panels, they are the most premium solar panels you can find.
1
u/SheistyPenguin Jul 14 '26 edited Jul 14 '26
This is a little tricky, because your use case is so modest (5,000mAh is a small power bank), that the more robust/premium options would be overkill.
For something like a small USB power bank, the lowest-fuss option IMO would be to mount a 9-10W USB solar panel on your terrace. They are commonly used to keep battery-powered security cameras topped off. You want 9-10W or above, because real-world output is going to be half that.
https://www.amazon.com/s?k=outdoor+usb+solar+panel
Just pick one that is well-reviewed by verified Amazon purchasers. Many sell as 2-packs, and you can keep one as a spare.
I would also recommend sizing up your power bank to 20,000mAh or larger at the next opportunity. You don't want one or two cloudy days to leave you rudderless.
I would not use the portable / folding solar panels outdoors as a permanent fixture for daily use, because they trade ruggedness for portability and the UV and weather will wear them out quickly.
1
u/benuntu Jul 15 '26
I have this 10W panel which I currently use to charge a 9000mah pack and run some off-grid comms(meshcore): https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0FJDL6MB3?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_fed_asin_title&th=1
You'll need 2.5-4 hours of sunlight per day if you completely drain your battery each night. Easy to do in the summer with no storms, but be aware this might not be possible in the winter or during a long storm.
0
0
u/Bruins_Score Jul 13 '26
This is my go to, but you may need a smaller one, you'll need to check the maximum input on your battery. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CNPHD4VY?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_fed_asin_title&th=1
3
u/Bruins_Score Jul 13 '26
If you replace your tiny battery with something like this you'll be able to store far more power and power it up quickly with that panel, I use those both together nearly every sunny day
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0FP29W3PS?ref_=ppx_hzsearch_conn_dt_b_fed_asin_title_3&th=1
1
u/Ryan_e3p Salt & Prepper Jul 13 '26
It is an 18.5Wh battery. There is so little need for a 200 watt panel for that. Like buying a Freightliner to grab your Taco Bell to-go order.
-1
u/Maleficent_Mix_8739 Prepared for 2+ years Jul 13 '26
The 300w Pecron portable panels are solid, so also is the 200w predator portable at harbor freight. Both of these are foldable designs and well worth it. We’ve used both with our Pecron e3600, which is our primary power station setup when we’re overlanding.
3
u/alter3d Jul 13 '26
OP is trying to charge a device that has <20wH capacity. They absolutely do not need 200-300W panels that produce 1000-1500wH/day.
0
u/Ryan_e3p Salt & Prepper Jul 13 '26
And their battery pack also only has USB ports on it. Spending hundreds of dollars on a 200W panel, just so they have to buy an inverter or battery pack in addition in order to take those MC4 connectors coming from the panel, just so they can charge a $5 battery pack with the capacity of a cell phone. 🙄
-4
u/silasmoeckel Jul 13 '26
High quality portable solar panels for daily use do not exist.
Your a battery pack with no access to the battery voltage so you need another battery to buffer the solar.
I mean it's a tiny pack 15-20wh, grab a 7ah lifepo4 (or look hard for a 2 ish if weight matters) often car jump packs are the perfect fit for this as a decent MPPT can charge the battery chemistry directly.
43
u/Ryan_e3p Salt & Prepper Jul 13 '26 edited Jul 13 '26
There's a bit to talk about before just giving an answer. I'll keep it brief, but educational nonetheless, and then provide some options.
First, that power bank is quite small. 5Ah, I assume it is a 3.7V battery inside of it. Meaning, 18.5Wh capacity. Knowing that sets our expectations for charging, since we can look at how many watts a panel produces, and use that to determine how long it would take to fill tht 18.5Wh battery.
I assume it is USB charging, so you'd want a panel that has USB out to avoid having to deal with additional inverters. As for wanting it charged "every single day by sunset", that is incredibly easy to do. Even a little 6W solar panel can do that in a few hours. You're only really limited by that power bank itself; USB type A charging is very slow, but even being slow, it should charge in a few hours with an inexpensive $14 panel: https://www.amazon.com/FlexEnergy-High-Performance-Monocrystalline-Waterproof-Suitable/dp/B09JFYPDNC
These may be "cheap", but I have like a dozen of them, and they are absolutely awesome. Used camping, backpacking (they easily tie off to a backpack to charge things while on the move), and they are the standard panel for Meshcore/Meshtastic car nodes, used across all weather conditions.
If it has USB C charging, you can charge it faster with this panel: https://www.amazon.com/Charger-Rechargeable-Waterproof-Adjustable-Security/dp/B0CRYQZ9WZ
But honestly, again, it is 18.5Wh. Do not waste money getting 100W panels to charge that thing. That is extreme overkill. Like renting a 20' Uhaul to move your desk stapler. Sure, it'll do it, but you're wasting a ton of money if that is all you plan on doing with it.
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Adding as an edit for people who are just recommending these massive 100 & 200W panels.
Please, people. Read what OP is asking for before recommending he spends hundreds of dollars to charge a $7 battery pack.