There are some emergency scenarios where solar survival gear can be a literal life saver.
The sun provides us with more clean energy than we’ll ever need and it’s for this reason, along with the advances of technology, that solar powered gear is becoming more and more popular.
This article was made to guide you in your decision making process. We’ll touch base on the best solar powered survival gear on the market.
This way you’ll have the peace of mind that the next time you happen to fall victim to a natural disaster, social unrest, or any other emergency situation, you’ll know you can count on your survival gear!
11 Solar Powered Survival Gear Items
Below we list what we believe to be some of the best solar survival gear on the market. Most of the gear is practical and able to help you out of a potentially dangerous survival scenario.
120 Watt Foldable Solar Panel
Being able to generate your own electricity shouldn't need any explanation. In case of an emergency scenario, perhaps a long term blackout, there will come a time when all your most important electronics you carry will start to die out.
Unless you can create your own electricity, you will have no way of charging any of your devices.
Large scale solar panels are impractical to carry around with you as solar survival gear, they are simply to rigid and heavy. However, these foldable solar panels can easily fit inside your car or be carried by hand.
Here are some of the finer details of this solar panel:
- Maximum power (Pm) : 120W
- solar cell:sunpower
- Voltage at max power (Vmp): 19.8V
- Cell efficiency:Current at max power(Imp): 6.06A
- Open circuit voltage (Voc): 23.7V
- Short circuit current (Isc): 6.66A
- Operating Temperature: (- 20℃－+65℃)
- Maximum System Voltage: 300V
- Standard Test Condition: Irradiance 1000W/㎡,
- Module temperature 25℃,AM=1.5
- Dimension(unfolded):415*1695mm/16.3*66.7in
- Dimension(folded):415*410mm/16.3*16.1in
- Weight:4.3kg/9.48lb
Kaito KA500 5-way Solar Powered Radio
This super lightweight durable radio isn’t your average AM/FM radio. It was made specifically for emergency scenarios!
In addition to being a portable radio, the Kaito KA500 shortwave radio can even access many emergency frequencies, all 7 of the NOAA weather bands for example!
Besides being an emergency weather radio the Kaito KA500 Voyager can also be powered by the sun’s solar energy and includes a wind up crank just in case the sun takes a break.
In an emergency situation, where a natural disaster has hit, it is very possible that there will no longer be any cell phone coverage. If this is the case, then a short wave radio may prove to be incredibly useful (just like they used to be).
With this radio you will be able to tune in to the emergency broadcast channel, thus staying up to date on the current events.
Solar Powered Generator
This EB70 Bluetti solar generator makes the perfect addition to the 120W Solar Panel we mentioned above.
TheEB70 is equipped with a 716 watt-hour lithium-ion battery pack. This means it uses no fuel or gasoline, eco-friendly!
We love including this to our solar survival gear list as it has multiple outlets which can power all sorts of devices such as laptops, phones, lights, drones, cameras, GPS and tablets. In fact, 4* Pure Sine Wave AC outlets will protect all your sensitive devices by producing 110V US standard electricity; it will be much better than a modified wave outlet for example.
This is the perfect substitute for when there is no sun. You can use your solar panels to charge this machine.
This solar generator has 2500+ life cycles before reaching its 80% capacity. It is built with an ultra-stable LiFePO4 battery.
Additionally, it has a built-in BMS which is fundamental. This improves battery utilization and extends battery service life through short circuit/ overcurrent/ overvoltage/ overload / overheating protection among many others.
XREXS Solar Powered Car Flashlight
Flashlights are absolutely critical in an emergency situation where electricity is cut from the main power grid (something that happens frequently after a tsunami hits a city).
This is why they are always part of my solar powered survival gear kits.
The XREXS flashlight in particular is made for car emergencies, it has a seat belt cutter and glass window breaker built into the design. It even acts as an emergency power bank that can be charged by the sun.
In our opinion this is an incredibly valuable solar survival gear item, make sure you keep it somewhere memorable. Also, make sure your whole family knows where it is kept as to avoid any confusion should the moment include panic and adrenaline.
It may even be smart to get each family member one of these tools.
Halo Bolt Solar Powered Charger
Battery trouble is of absolutely no issue when your portable power bank includes enough solar power to jump start your car, boat, motorcycle or lawn mower.
This is the perfect solar powered gear to add to your car emergency kit.
I should also note that this purchase comes with jumper cables included in the package.
There is no doubt that this will come in handy as an addition to your solar generator. Also, we should mention that this power bank is much bigger in real life. Do not let the picture deceive you.
Collapsible Solar Lantern
The perfect bit of solar survival gear, this multi-function lantern will be your new favourite tool.
The small camping lantern can charge your phone or tablet, light up your campsite and signal for some help.
It's a lightweight collapsible solar lantern which will save space in your backpack and can be easily taken anywhere. This bit of gear even folds to the size of a hockey puck!
Solar Powered Radio & Flashlight
The Eton Scorpion II Multi-Powered Weather Radio and Flashlight is the ultimate solar powered survival gear choice for off-the-grid needs.
It has AM/FM/NOAA weather bands which means you’ll be able to stay up to date on weather and emergency situations
It even has a bottle opener built into the design for a different type of emergency 😉
It’s equipped with a both solar and hand crank power options so that you’ll never be without a flashlight or radio!
Solar Heated Shower
The 5 Gallon Solar Heated Shower provides a warm shower using nothing more than the energy of the sun.
The durable black plastic shower bag absorbs all the heat from the sun’s rays and then when raised above the lucky user, the physics of gravity provides a flow of warm water for an enjoyable shower.
Perfect piece of solar powered survival gear to bring along on one of your next camping trips.
Weather Alert Radio with Bluetooth
This handy compact solar powered device will alert you to emergency weather broadcasts in your area. Alternatively, it’ll just keep you entertained with music 😉
It has a bright lantern type flashlight included in the design just in case the power goes out. It even has a built in power bank that will keep your phone or other USB devices charged up.
The radio comes with a 2600 MAH rechargeable battery that you can easily keep charged with solar power or hand crank options.
Solar Energy
One of the most well known forms of clean energy. Despite solar being the most abundant energy source on the planet, in 2019 solar energy was responsible for just over 2% of global electricity production (although this is changing swiftly).
Solar panel costs have dropped tremendously by 99% since 1977 and today are a way cheaper alternative to fossil fuels.
A whopping 173,000 terawatts of solar energy hit the planet continuously, that’s more than 10 times the amount needed to sustain our earth.
How does solar energy work?
- Solar energy works by essentially capturing the sun’s solar energy and turning it into useable electricity. The sun is actually a natural nuclear reactor, it releases tiny pockets of energy called photons. believe it or not, these microscopic photons travel 93 million miles from the sun to the earth in approximately 8.5 minutes. Every hour, enough of these little photons collide with our planet to create enough solar energy to theoretically power our world for one year entirely!
Natural disasters
Approximately 6,800 natural disasters occur each and every year around the world. The same study that found the above numbers also revealed that around 68,000 people lose their lives as a result of all these natural disasters.
Prevention is often the best cure, and while we sometimes aren’t able to prepare for a freak event, we are able to prepare the gear that will see us through, should such an even happen.
Please note: the values above vary based on the severity of these catastrophes.
What is the most common natural disaster in the world?
Floods are the most common natural disaster throughout the world. From 1990 to 2019, there was a total of around 9,924 natural disasters which occurred globally. A staggering 42 per cent of these were floods!
List of natural disasters based on financial damage
| Natural Disaster | Financial Damage |
| Japan’s 2011 Tohoku earthquake and tsunami | $360 billion |
| Japan’s 1995 Hanshin earthquake | $197 billion |
| China’s 2008 Sichuan earthquake | $148 billion |
| The US Hurricane Katrina of 2005 | $125 billion |
| The US Hurricane Harvey of 2017 | $125 billion |
| The NA Hurricane Maria of 2017 | $91.6 billion |
| The NA Hurricane Sandy of 2012 | $68.7 billion |
| Thailand’s 2011 Floods | $45.7 billion |
List of natural disasters by fatalities
| Natural Disaster | Death Toll |
| Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami (2004) | 227,898 |
| Haiti earthquake (2010) | 160,000 |
| Nargis Cyclone (2008) | 138,373 |
| Kashmir earthquake (2005) | 87,351 |
| European heatwave (2003) | 70,000 |
| Gujarat earthquake (2001) | 20,085 |
| Tohoku earthquake and tsunami (2011) | 15,897 |
Final thoughts
This article is not intended to inflict any worry amongst our readers. Natural disasters or emergency situations do and can happen, although keep in mind that they are very rare. It is quite likely you will never have to experience any of these scary situations yourself.
However, in the rare occurrence that you do find yourself in one of these situations, it is always best to be prepared.
We recommend making what is known as a bug out bag or emergency backpack where you include the solar survival gear on our list.
As this article only covers solar powered gear, it is important that you don't forget about any other valuable gear. We recommend reading this article to get a better idea on what other gear you can include in your bug out bag.
As for the bigger equipment on this list, for example the solar panel and solar generator, we recommend keeping this in the trunk of your car, or alternatively in the garage close to your vehicle. This way you know exactly where your solar survival gear is at all times.
