BigBlue Portable Solar Charger 28W with Digital Ammeter, 25.4% High-Efficiency, Dual USB Ports, Folding Waterproof Solar Panels with Carabiners for Camping, Backpacking, Phones, Tablets, Power Bank

The first thing I noticed on unboxing is that this panel folds down very thin and more neatly than the previous charger I was using, which was a 14 watt made by Anker. This one is virtually the same size and has a very neat and thin feel despite the somewhat thick built-in ammeter, which is the main reason I chose this one. The second thing I noticed is that it had 'new car smell' which faded quickly but was nice. The pouch seems well designed with a good quality zipper with a rubber pull nub and elastic straps inside. I don't intend to use the pouch often but it's good to have and is convenient for storing cables. It came with a short cable and I supplemented that with some very short cables and a longer one for charging my phone at a distance so I can stay in the shade. The little hanging loop between the four panels and ammeter/pocket section is very handy for hanging it in a window early or late in the day.The main reason I wanted this product was to charge devices while staying at a mountaintop cabin which turned out to be a foggy and overcast weekend. Before heading there I tested it in the field on a couple of small islands and at home on a day when there was full direct sun with no clouds. On the islands there were some clouds and I only hooked it to some power banks I use while traveling. The charger is very easy to stow. I slipped it into a 2 1/2 gallon zipper bag, which could hold two of them or one and my large tablet, and folded it over as protection against water while heading there. It was easy to rig. Just propping it up on driftwood is easy but the carabiners that came with it don't seem especially useful. I carry some short loops of bungee cord that are handier for hanging it up. I don't intend to lash it to my backpack as I know some hikers do. Where I hike there are generally trees overhead and inconvenient sun angles. I've tested it in overcast conditions and it still puts out a few tenths of an amp without real direct sunlight.The ammeter is very handy and eliminates the mystery of whether something is really charging and how fast if it is. I notice that in full sun the amps being delivered is highly dependent on the device(s) connected. Some of the older power banks I have don't seem to accept more than half an amp at a time no matter the level of sunlight so even with two depleted banks connected the current only goes to 1.0 or so. With a different pair of packs it goes to 2.0. While testing the charger in full midday sun for the first time I hooked up a large tablet that was down to 28% and with one of those banks the current went to 2.4, with a different one 2.8, and it charged in less than two hours along with the power bank. This was using a short charging cable with the tablet in the shade. Don't leave your devices in the direct sun. I'd generally recommend not using the zipper pouch in most cases too. It gets very hot inside but in some situations you could hang the panel by the little loop in the fold between the pouch and panels and have the pouch facing away from the sun.The red LED display is a bit hard to read in sunlight. Maybe green LEDs or an e-paper display would be more readable. That's literally my only gripe with the thing. A bluetooth device with an app that graphs the charging curve and pops up a notification when something is done charging would be nice too but I think I ask for too much. Overall this is well worth the price and a five star review. I intend to use it for years to come.

Works perfect - in case of emergency.

Hoy recibí este cargador solar portátil. Se ve que es de buen material para su precio. Algo que me disgustó un poco es que la pantalla del amperímetro estaba rayada, como si fuera usado o hubo un daño durante el embalaje. Por lo demás no hay problema. Después actualizaré esto según su desempeño.

I love this charger (BigBlue 5V 28W with readout) I use this to charge multiple battery packs and it is wonderful. I have charged my phone off of this all year so far. I bought a usb multi meter to check voltage. The voltage is regulated well and I have never seen it go above 5.1V. The lowest voltage I have seen on a cloudy day was 4.9, still well within range to charge my battery pack. I live in AZ and get plenty of sun. My battery packs are always charging at max input because this charger has so much power available. I built a stand which I set the solar charger on. The stand can change angles so it can be aimed for the best angle. I have used this to go camping and never needed to plug into the grid to power anything within my camp site. I truly can’t say enough good things about this charger.1 year update. 12/27/18Still as strong as the first day I received it. The fabric has faded however, that’s to be expected with as much use as this gets. The Arizona sun is relentless and will fade any fabric. I have used this solar charger to run all of my USB devices and I only need to use it every few days when paired with a proper battery bank. I am now using this charger to charge a ~26,000 ma battery bank (Anker). I charge at 4A and the pack is charged fully within 6-7 hours. This battery lasts my Wife and I 5 full days with both of our phones (3 year old iPhones) from dead to full charge. Even in December, I am able to pull 3.9 A at about 11:00 AM. If you are looking for a great product to help get away from the grid for any reason. This is what you will want. It has plenty of power to charge almost anything USB you can think of, especially when you pair it with a good storage bank.Update: 3/18/2023Still working great! I have used this hundreds of times by now. Even being over 5 years old, it still puts out 4 amps. My cords are the limiting factor. I still take this with us everywhere. When we’re camping, we never need to worry about our USB powered devices going dead. I always have this charging several battery banks to ensure we are good to go. We truly enjoy this solar panel and have recommended it several times over to friends and family.One thing to note, as with any fabric, the color will fade with the sun. So it does not look “pretty” and new any more, but I think of it as a battle scar and how many good times have been had because it sat out and baked in the sun!

I had high hopes for this BigBlue 28W SunPower Camping Solar Panel. Did a test run when I first received it and worked fine. Took it to the back country two weeks ago (what I bought it for) and the first two charging cycles went fine. On the fourth cycle the Digital Ammeter indicates 0.0 amps and will not charge despite full sun. Tried multiple times and no go plus now there is no return option on Amazon. I now have a $60+ dead brick. The support now is only auto "Set-up and troubleshooting tips". I would look elsewhere for a more reliable solar charging system.Update: Company reached out to me and sent out a replacement which I provide kudos for. Unfortunately, the USB power bank voltage regulator controller in the new 28W SunPower Camping Solar Panel was dead upon arrival. I am thinking the company had a run of faulty regulator/controllers (black square with blue face). I checked the voltage leading into the regulator/controller which was fine - just no power to the USB ports.