Outdoor folding solar power generation test

This model is a folding version of the type of solar panel you would mount to the roof of your overlanding vehicle or even on top of your house. It's significantly heavier than most of the other panels we tested, but that's beneficial if you want a durable panel that won't blow away in the wind.

Make sure you always have a fully charged portable power station with these small solar panels. Here are CNET's picks. Portable power stations let you take power wherever you go. A portable solar panel will let you keep it charged up wherever the sun shines.

Those were rated Poor. How portable a solar panel is depends in large part on its physical size. 400W portable solar panels are a lot harder to lug around than 100W portable solar panels, and they won't fit as easily in your car or on a garage shelf.

Portable solar panels (and the portable power stations they're sometimes paired with as solar power generators) mirror trends in rooftop solar panels and solar batteries. One trend is that your options as a consumer are rapidly expanding.

The Renogy 100W Foldable has a hard-sided carrying case the opens like a clamshell, but it's one of the heavier panels we tested. Our functionality metric evaluates how user-friendly a camping solar panel is.

Whatever blast of sun they are getting will be transmitted directly as power to your power station. So before you purchase a portable solar panel, first look at your power station to see how much solar input it can handle. (This is typically found in very small font on the bottom of your power station).