While a power bank is a more reliable option, solar chargers are ideal for multiple devices while you are away from home for several days. In fact, you can also consider getting both depending on your ideal use and application. Solar chargers provide power to your phone or device by converting solar energy into electricity. Power banks have internal batteries that store electrical energy for you to use to power your phone or device.
Are you camping by car? Solar panels only make sense in terms of weight if you are in something like the desert for more than 4 days and you use a lot of energy because they can only produce a limited amount per day. It is more efficient and reliable to get another power bank or a larger power bank unless you are constantly in the sun for a long time. Solar chargers have different ranges, many of which provide between 20 and 60 watts of their photovoltaic solar modules. You need to know how fast the solar power bank you buy with solar energy will charge or connect to an electric current.
Please note that when you charge this device with solar energy, it will take much longer, often more than 24 hours of direct sunlight. The time it takes to charge when connected to a power outlet will also depend on its output voltage and amperage. When it comes to reliability, a power bank is better than a solar panel. You know exactly how much power you have.
You can recharge at any time of the day, regardless of weather conditions. And power banks perform better in poor conditions, such as extreme temperatures, than solar panels. Folding panel chargers are surprisingly usable (I have a two-panel model, 14W) and will charge a phone or an external battery without problem, not fast (mine produces 0.4-1 amps in the sun) but they do the job. Since I can charge my smartphone directly on the portable solar panel instead of first charging the solar power bank (if it is not charged, what will happen), and then charging my smartphone on it.
Then you can see for yourself if solar power or a power bank makes more sense before committing to a setup for a longer walk. A solar charger or solar panel charger is a device designed to charge your electronic devices with solar energy. Using only power banks on a week-long walk with multiple devices such as phone, camera, flashlight and tablet will cause a problem. Here we will compare the use of solar chargers and power banks, their key functions, price, size and production, as well as typical charging times.
But for long walks, you will want some kind of energy source (especially if you don't plan to stop at hostels along the way to charge the devices), and a solar panel power source can provide it if you are given adequate access to direct sunlight. It should be noted that a portable solar panel could be converted into a solar power bank by connecting a battery to it, but it won't be cheap. You can possibly associate any household appliance directly to the portable solar panel such as a smartphone, for example, so that the energy produced through the portable solar panel charges the smartphone, or you need a power bank to store energy for further use.
