The solar panel itself is fine and works acceptably for charging some devices directly, but for me the battery device it connects to is the weak point. The solar panel has a USB out that connects to the battery pack, and that pack has, oddly, a proprietary output with tips that allow it to charge devices. One thing to be aware of, the included tips don't include micro-usb, which has become the defacto standard for most new smart phones. The kindle keyboard I have uses micro-usb, and connected directly to the panel, there is not enough current to charge the kindle. The included battery does charge my old HTC T-mobile MyTouch android phone, but only has enough capacity to charge the battery about 40%, which is pretty disappointing to me considering the panel was in a window on a sunny day, aimed at the sun throughout the day. I had hoped to attach this to a pack and let it charge the battery throughout the day, but the performance just isn't there. The panel itself is fairly light and compact, the holder it is in is relatively heavy and bulky (something to note for lightweight hikers), and has a clear plastic film that covers the panel, making me wonder how much it affects performance. I may try pairing this panel with a 5,000 mAh battery and seeing if that works better, but as a package, I can't recommend this as is.
the charger worked flawlessly for the first 3 days at scout camp then it got cloudy no sun no charging for 2 days by the 5th day plenty of sun with the charger in direct sun dead smart phone plugged into battery pack, solar panel charging both battery & phone got 1/2 charge in 3hrs then finished charging battery pack to fully charge phone I feel this is a must for a hiker, boyscout, pack packer or just anyone want to get off the grid
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