I’ve been charging my devices for free with these personal folding solar panels

Now that we’re well and truly in the middle of summer, it’s a great time to take advantage of the sun.  Not just for enjoying the outdoors in the great weather, but for using it to charge devices while you’re out and about!

So when Projecta recently told us about their upgraded series of COMPAC portable folding solar panels, I was pretty keen to try one out. Here’s how it went:

About the Projecta COMPAC portable folding solar panels

The upgraded COMPAC series of personal folding solar panels are available in two models, the two-panel PP10 (10W/1.6A/5V) and the three-panel PP15 (15W/3.0A/5V). I got my hands on the PP15 which, unlike the PP10, has an inbuilt 10,000mAh battery allowing you to store the power and use it at night. The PP10 will only charge your device while it’s in direct sunlight.

Both kits include high-quality monocrystalline folding solar panels and a 3-in-1 charging cable. They are quite lightweight at only 300 grams for the PP10 and 588 grams for the PP15.

The PP10 is suited for direct charging of smartwatches, GoPros, phones and power banks. The PP15 has the same core benefits, but with its additional solar panel and inbuilt battery, is also suited to devices that require additional power such as drones. 

Testing out the Projecta PP15 portable folding solar panel

With a sunny day forecast, I took the Projecta PP15 portable folding solar panel on a short hike through the Mount Walsh National Park in Queensland down to Utopia Rock Pools. The inbuilt carabiners came in handy here as I simply clicked it onto the back of my bag. Although I carried it folded, you could easily hike with it unfolded to catch the sun while you’re on the move. Once I arrived, I unfolded them, laid them out on the rocks in the sun and then promptly forgot about them. After all, I had some rock pools to jump into!

It’s easy to see if the panels are getting enough sun as there is a handy smiley face light system for measuring solar intensity. Simply move the portable folding panels until the solar intensity light is green. Yellow means not so great and a red light means you need to move it.

After around three hours, I checked the charging meter and it was at 50% and climbing. So off I went again, armed with my phone and GoPro fully prepared to drain both of them. A hike up the creek followed by a spat of both sliding and jumping into the rock pools which included a lot of photos meant I was able to get both devices down to under 5%.

By now, the PP15 portable folding solar panel was up to 100%. It took around 6 hours in the full sun.

How many charges did I get off the PP15?

Well, I charged my phone (Samsung S21) and my GoPro up to 100% using the stored power in the power bank and still had 50% left in the tank. This is more than enough to recharge ready for the next day on a hiking or camping trip so I’m pretty impressed with this result. 

In fact, since then, I haven’t plugged my phone into the wall charger for nearly three weeks straight at home. I lay the panel out for a day in the sun and given that I can charge multiple times from the PP15, I usually have a few days up my sleeve before I need to charge up the portable folding solar panel battery again.

Every little bit counts, right?

Projecta portable folding solar panels specs

The verdict

Given that I can charge a number of devices from the battery, I’m pretty impressed with the PP15 Projecta portable folding solar panels. It seems well-made and sturdy and the five inbuilt carabiner hanging points don’t look like they are going anywhere in a hurry. It’s great for a number of applications including day trips, overnight hiking trips, camping trips and road trips. It’s also great for RV trips so you don’t drain your RV battery by charging devices, allowing it to power essential items like your 12V fridge.

Also, the flattish shape it folds down to allows you to make room for it just about anywhere down the side of your bag or in the car.

The only downside I see (as with any portable folding solar panel) is not being able to charge the battery up to 100% capacity on a rainy day. However, this can be overcome with the PP15 which has the ability to charge the battery bank via USB if required.

Where can I get one?

Projecta’s latest PP10 and PP15 COMPAC series portable folding solar panels are available nationwide from leading four-wheel-drive, caravan, camping, marine and trade outlets.

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