Here's another product we've personally used and fell in love with, and although we usually try to stay away from the geeky technical jargon of most products, this is an example of one where that geeky stuff really matters.
It's a 200 watt panel, that much is in the name. What matters though is how much of that actually gets to your battery. In our case, we consistently get a charge rate of between 8 and 10.2 amps with this panel. To expand on that, it's the equivalent of plugging your battery into a 120v, home-use charger. It's insane. To think that on a mediocre-sunlight day, we are able to get the same charging power as having our NOCO GENIUS charger plugged into the city power grid.
Similarly to any high-end home charger, the solar controller supplied with this unit is a multiple-stage charger that will sense where your battery is at in it's charge cycle, and adjust the flow into it. This ensures fast charging when needed, and protects the battery from overcharging. It's that cool.
To be honest, the case it comes with is mediocre at best, but we've found that to be a theme no matter what brand solar blanket you buy.
From the Manufacturer:
The most durable portable solar mat on the market. Guaranteed.
When you’re out camping, particularly when you’re travelling through remote country, you must be able to rely on your solar panel. If your panel fails it can mean disaster for your trip – in some cases even having to cut it short or travel many kilometres to find a replacement.
We know how important reliable solar power is, and that’s why we’ve spared no expense in developing and producing our new Hard Korr® heavy duty portable solar panels. These panels have been designed to not only survive in hard conditions, but thrive in them. We’ve specified the highest quality materials, prototyped and tested obsessively, and pay constant attention to our manufacturing process to ensure our meticulous standards are maintained.
As Dan Wood from Pat Callinan’s 4×4 Adventures said… “The unit represents good value. That’s what I want. I don’t mind the extra spend if it’s going to make the business of remote travel that little bit easier. It is easy to deploy, pack and does its job well – boxes ticked!”
We use:
- Rugged 1680D canvas (double the strength of most others)
- Certified A-grade monocrystalline solar cells with solid copper backing and 20 points of contact
- Our exclusive Crocskin® armour cell armour coating for ultimate UV and impact protection
That’s why we’re the only portable solar company in Australia that’s confident enough to offer a 3 year warranty on our solar mats. It’s also why we were awarded two Global Media Awards for our portable solar products at the 2018 SEMA Show in Las Vegas, USA.