Sunjack Portable Solar Charger Review

Disclosure of material connection: I received this Sunjack Portable Solar Charger free of charge from Sunjack in consideration for a gear review. All opinions are my own.

I always tend to have a problem with my cell phone battery dying when camping or backpacking. It is mainly because I use my iPhone for all of my picture taking since it is easy to carry for our adventures and the camera is decent, and of course checking social media if there is cell coverage in the area drains the battery. So when I was given the opportunity to try out this portable solar charger, I was very excited. I was looking forward to not having to worry about how to charge my phone while on adventures where no electrical outlets were around.

I was pretty happy when I received the sunjack portable solar charger because it was just in time for one of our backpacking trips.

Inside the box I received: a 14 watt sunjack solar chager, a 8000mAh sunjack battery, a sunjack fast-charge USB cable, two carabiners, and a quick start guide/instructions.

Below is a closer look at the sunjack battery and fast-charge USB cable. You can also see the two USB ports. You can use the port to charge the battery or to directly power USB devices. It's pretty cool because I can charge the battery and also Hubby's phone at the same time.

It's pretty simple to use. Just unfold the sunjak unit and place it in direct sunlight. The unit may be placed flat, angled to face the sun, or hung from one or more of the loops. The two carabiners that it comes with allows for easy attachment to any loop or hook. 

I just layed it out on the rocks. I found it easier to charge the sunjack 8000mAh battery rather than the phone directly especially since I used my phone throughout the day. It is nice because you know the battery is charging because the blue LED flashes when charging. It takes about 5 hours to fully charge the battery when in direct sunlight. Charging the sunjack battery makes it so I could charge the phone overnight while sleeping. 

After a while in the sun, the panels do get hot and so does the battery pack in the back but I guess that it is normal, since if you think about it, the sun is where the energy is coming from. It's not too bad, it cools down quickly once out of the sun.

A great thing about the battery is that it lasts for 3-4 full charges on my iPhone which is pretty awesome in my book. Plus it charges my devices fairly quickly. However, it does weigh 2lbs which can be heavy for backpacking but I feel it's totally worth the weight. I need my devices charged! :) It is nice that it folds nicely to about the size of an iPad and it fits nicely in my backpack. 

The battery can also act as a flashlight. You just need to hold the power button until it turns on. It's a neat little add-on of the battery. I can see myself using this in the tent if I don't have my headlamp. Another nice thing about the battery is that it has a blue light indicator of how much battery is left. There are 5 LEDS and each one indicates 20%. So with two lights on, it means only 40% battery is left. When all 5 LEDS are lit, the battery is at 100% or fully charged. It's just another nice thing to know how much battery you have left.

You can also charge the battery using a wall outlet using any standard micro USB plug. This is very useful when going on a trip and want it fully charged with no down time. The sunjack portable solar charger is definitely something worth purchasing if you need something to power all of your mobile devices on the go. I'm looking forward to using it more on future adventures! It is so nice to have power on the go!