Solar-Powered Camping Products

Tuesday, August 18th, 2009

Let’s face it: if you’re going to be taking an extended trip into the woods, nature doesn’t exactly provide power outlets with every tree. The more rustic your camping experience will be, the more you’re going to depend on unusual sources for power and energy.

Luckily, we have solar technology that allows us to harness the constant-burning power of the sun as it beams its rays down on us. Solar technology can recharge batteries, light lamps, and help provide for camping showers when nothing else will power you.

Here are some solar-powered camping products that should make your camping trip easier – and even more fun:

• Real Goods Solar Lantern – At $79.99, this puppy is expensive, but you get wha tyou pay for: a lantern that doesn’t require any special powering up, or even batteries. Using the power of the sun throughout the day, it can light things up on your campsight during the night, almost as if you stored some of the sunlight itself in a little box. Instead of struggling with batteries, you can simply let the solar lantern rest at night – which is the whole point of night anyway – and worry about other camping logistics if need be. Solar power is easy, virtually automatic and will provide light for you even when the sun is gone.
• Real Goods Solar Flashlight – Like the lantern, this will become useful pretty much only at night, but therei s a slight difference: this sunlight you can take with you. And you can point it at things. The solar flashlight is ideal for the explorer who wants to keep some of the sun’s energy blasting even through the night. Like the lantern, it is easy to use – as many solar products tend to be – and you don’t have to worry about charging any batteries.
• The Sun Oven – When it’s daytime again and you need something hot for breakfast, the Sun Oven uses the natural heat and energy of the sun to cook group-sized meals. Have you ever heard the phrase, “it’s so hot out here, you could fry an egg?” Well, with the Sun Oven, you actually can. At over $200, this oven isn’t cheap, but on hot summer days is the ideal way to cook without consuming energy you might otherwise need to use. A lighter edition is also available that you can use as a personal cooker on your own hiking trips.
• The BatterySaver – A small PV cell can recharge four AA batteries at a time – this is just one example of the work solar energy can do for you. Even if you can’t find other sources of power for your camping gadgets, you can use solar power to keep yourself independent of civilization’s grid and continually power up your equipment on the go.