All You Need to Know About Solar Blankets for Camping

Camping is undoubtedly one of the best ways to escape the city chaos and enjoy many of the hidden beauties our land has to offer. But let’s be real, even though camping is all about nature, none of us can manage without scrolling down the social media and let the moonlight be the only lighting source during the night.

Talking about charging your smartphone and lighting up your camping area, there’s a variety of sources that can provide you with electricity while you’re camping. But truth to be told, blanket solar panels for camping are one of the most commonly chosen types among campers, and there’s more than just one reason behind it.

Why do You Need a Solar Camping Blanket?

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If you’re an experienced camper, you probably know that carrying those bulky power generators can be very overwhelming, and being dependant on the power sources some camping grounds offer also isn’t a thing. This is where solar blankets come in.

First of all, they’re very portable and you won’t have to worry if you already set your tent in shade. The only thing you have to do is to move your solar blanket where the sun blasts mostly and be carefree for the rest of the day. On top of that, most of the solar blankets have waterproof ratings meaning you won’t also have to worry if a slight rain or a splash suddenly approaches. 

On the other hand, setting your solar panel blanket is a piece of cake and you won’t need any expert skills nor tools. In fact, these blankets can be connected within a minute, since most of them use batteries- from the lithium ones to the AGM, Gel, Calcium or Wet Cell Batteries.

Finally, solar blankets are a one-time investment, since they don’t require any operating cost and maintenance. So, unlike the bulky and overwhelming generators that need expensive fuels to operate and require regular filters and spark plugs replacements, solar blankets only need to be wiped from dust and dirt before being folded and stored into their protective bags.

Types of Solar Blankets

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Before you decide to hit the market and explore blanket solar panels for camping, it’s essential to get to know the different types so you don’t invest in something that won’t satisfy your needs and preferences. For this purpose, we can split solar blankets into a couple of categories:

Monocrystalline Solar Blankets

Monocrystalline solar panel blankets are made of a large number of small silicon crystals. In fact, these crystals absorb the photon from the sun which causes the electrons to separate from the silicon atoms and move the energy to the battery where it gets stored.

Also, what’s typical for monocrystalline solar blankets is that they usually come in black colour. This is due to silicon featuring very high levels of purity, and once the sun interacts with the silicon layers it creates a black hue. Also, these solar blankets are usually reinforced with hardened glass for additional protection.

Polycrystalline Solar Blankets

Polycrystalline solar blankets are made using the same technology as monocrystalline ones, with the only difference being that they are made of silicon fragments instead of crystals. In fact, fragments are a composition of many silicon crystals in a cell, and they result in a glimmering blue surface.

And even though polycrystalline solar blankets are a more affordable option, know that they aren’t as energy efficient as monocrystalline ones.

Amorphous Solar Blankets

Amorphous, or commonly referred to as thin-film solar mats use a completely different technology that doesn’t include any crystals. These blankets are sprayed with fine layers of silicon on their surface, and these layers are similar to the silvering on the back of a mirror. 

This technology is the cheapest compared to the other ones. But on account of that, know that amorphous solar blankets have the lowest energy efficiency and performance, and are typically bulkier and heavier than crystalline ones.

Choosing the Right Solar Blanket

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Knowing the differences between the different types of solar blankets isn’t enough to make the right choice, since there’re a bunch of other factors that need to be considered.

Make a List of the Appliances You’re About to Use

This is one of the most important factors since it’ll determine the amount of energy you need for a day. For instance, if you’re only about to charge your smartphone and light up a LED bulb when the sun goes down, then you won’t need much energy. But if you’re about to go through your schedule on your laptop and you’re carrying a small fridge to keep your drinks cold and your food ready for the stove, then you’ll need a little bit more electricity.

To determine the right amount of electricity, it’s always recommended to make a list of all the appliances you’re about to use and check their power ratings so you know exactly how much energy they’re going to drain from your solar blanket.

For How Long Will You Be Using Them?

Except for determining the power ratings of the appliances, it’s also important to calculate for how long will you be using them throughout the day. 

For instance, if an average laptop needs 20 watts of energy to run for an hour, and you plan on using it for at least two hours per day, know that you’ll need to dedicate around 40 watts of energy just for charging it for the day. Such calculation should be made for all the appliances separately so you can see exactly how much energy you’ll need for a single day in the wilderness.

For How Long Will You Be Able to Charge Your Solar Blanket?

Finally, what’s important to know is that solar panel blankets don’t produce equal amounts of electricity every day, since they don’t get equal amounts of sun during different weather seasons. 

You may get around 6 or 7 hours of sun in the summer season, but this is not the case with the cold winter season when you get a maximum of 1 hour of sunlight per day. For this purpose, you’ll need to split the amount of energy you need with the hours of the sun through the day to determine the optimal solar blanket wattage.

For instance, if your laptop required 40 watts per day and you’re camping during the warm season where you can get around 6 hours of sunlight, you’ll need a blanket that features around 7 watts (40 watts/ 6 hours). But this is not the case for the cold season, since you’ll need a 40 watts panel only for charging your laptop for the day (due to the estimated 1 hour of sunlight per day). 

Once you get the right blanket solar panel for yourself, you’ll see how your camping trips become more amusing and memorable experiences.