Power to the People

This compact solar panel will juice up your next long-distance trek

- By Brian McElwee

If you're like us, odds are you've probably never thought too deeply about portable solar panels. As long as they harness energy from the sun and charge your devices on a long trek, they're all the same, right?

Actually, no. The Box Synergy Solar 7 ($85) is the first such product to earn an Editors' Choice Award, checking all the boxes with an extra-thick Sharpie: it's light, compact, durable, and powerful-everything a backpacking solar panel should be. In fact, we couldn't find another contender that delivered the same combination of size, weight, and performance.