Spent $200 on a solar charger last spring and it barely works on cloudy days here in Seattle

I live in Seattle, we get maybe 30 clear days a year, so now I'm stuck with this expensive paperweight for my camping trips unless I drag it to the desert, does anyone actually use these things in real life or just in ads?

2 comments

2 Comments

dakotawood27d ago

i mean those things need direct sunlight to work, theyre not magic. even the best ones are gonna be pretty useless under Seattle cloud cover. you prob would have been better off with one of those foldable panels that are a lot cheaper, at least then you wouldnt feel as bad about it not working half the time.

kimr1027d ago

okay hold on i gotta push back on this a bit. i live in portland which is basically the same weather as seattle and i have a top brand portable solar panel that i use for camping and it still pulls in plenty of power even on heavy overcast days. like yeah its not gonna charge as fast as full sun but its not useless. the technology has gotten way better in the last few years, they can actually grab ambient light and convert it. the cheaper foldable panels are a total joke in low light, they barely register anything. so if you actually need reliable power in the northwest you kinda have to pay for the good stuff.