Tried a portable solar panel for weekend camping and got zero charge because of cloud cover

Ngl, I spent $80 on a 100W foldable panel thinking it’d be great for my trips up near Lake Tahoe, but three straight days of overcast skies left me with a dead power bank and a lesson about checking weather forecasts before relying on the sun, anyone else had their gear totally fail from something as simple as clouds?

2 comments

2 Comments

campbell.nora25d ago

Cloud cover cuts solar output way more than people expect, better off with a backup battery.

graytorres24d ago

Tbh this kind of thing happens way more than people admit. It's like we all just assume technology will work perfectly until it doesn't. Cloud cover is basically the universe saying "you thought you were prepared? think again." Reminds me of how people buy those expensive winter jackets thinking they'll be invincible, then a little drizzle soaks right through. There's something about relying on one thing to save you that always backfires, whether it's solar panels or a fancy tent that leaks on the first night.