Jackery SolarSaga 60W Solar Panel for Explorer 160/240/500 as Portable Solar Generator, Portable Foldable Solar Charger for Summer Camping Van RV(Cant Charge Explorer 440/ PowerPro)

I am using this panel with a Buddipole Mini USB power management device (it has a built in 150w solar controller, a USB-A jack, and Anderson Power Pole connections) to manage charing LIFePO4 battery packs to power an Elecraft KX3 transceiver. It works fantastic. The panel just yesterday provided 2.85 amps to recharge the battery (dropping down to about a half amp when clouds obscured the sun-as expected). If the transceiver is in TX the panels power assists and excess solar output goes back into the battery. Since the KX3 draws so little current on RX, most of the solar energy goes into keeping the battery charged. The USB-A and C jacks are handy. The supplied cord is for the generators which I never plan to purchase. Fortunately the connection is with Anderson Power Pole connectors and cables are easy to make. One must understand ones charging needs and make appropriate decisions on your power needs and selection of components to build your system. I am pleased overall with this panel set. I wish it was waterproof, but I dont think I will be doing much radio activity in the rain--Ill be in a tent on battery.

A post PGE California power outage customer here. I got both the 100 W and the lighter-weight 60W, so this review is a comparison. I would have just bought the 60W first, but it was out of stock, so I bought the 100 W one; then the 60W became available again a day later. Thanks to Prime free shipping, I figured I would compare them and keep the one I thought better suited my needs. [NOTE: maybe because the 100 W is so big and heavy, I could only get totally free return shipping by taking the panel to the nearest Kohls store. To bring it to UPS for returning, the shipping would have cost $12. That surprised me--Ive never run into it before.] The 100 W is sturdy, solid, has the capacity to charge off 2 built in USB ports directly. A very well designed panel, I liked it a lot. It is pretty big, and would take some wind without being bothered. It weighs 9 lbs. The 60W is much flimsier. It weighs only 3 lbs. It would blow around in a lighter wind. It has no way to charge anything off it directly, only the hookup to the Jackery battery power station (I got the 240. Love it.). The 60W is also $120 cheaper than the 100W. You can see why, when you sit them side by side. Theres just less to it. But it does its job perfectly. Both have a zippered pouch for storing the connection cable right with the panel. Both have kickstands that help the panel stand up at an angle. The 100 W is more secure with its two kickstands than the 60W is with its three parts and only one kickstand; but you can put the battery behind it to help hold it up, which also keeps battery out of direct sun. The 100 W holds itself closed with magnets. If you want to carry it with one hand, youd need to buy the separate case. The 60 W has snaps and becomes a sweet little portfolio type thing with a handle. You can carry both it and the battery station easily with one hand. So it all depends what you want. I set them up side by side and used the battery station as a meter. Under the same conditions (sunny day in November), the 100 W was putting out 63 Watts, the 60 W was putting out 50. (Other reviews say the battery charges at 43 W, so each would work equally well if thats true.) One other time I tested it, the 60W panel was putting out 52 watts. Good job, in weaker autumn sun! Im keeping the smaller and less expensive 60W one. I like its lightness and smaller bulk, and I dont think Ill have many occasions when I would want to charge something and not have the battery with me. (But like many others, I wish that Jackery offered an adapter for the plug that would let you charge from the 60W panel directly. ) Customer service says the 100W will charge the battery quicker. On an inefficient/less sunny day, Im sure it would make a difference. You could also charge the battery and your phone or whatever separately and at the same time. Its a terrific solar panel. I give it 5 stars because its just personal preference that I want something less big and heavy. I give the 60W one 5 stars too. And am very happy to have it on hand to be better prepared for the next outage. Unless it happens in a winter storm, in which case any solar panel would be useless--but Id still have the charged up battery to get me through at least a couple days of being able to stay quite functional.

So far, happy with my Jackery explorer 500 and what I can do with it. Charged it fully once with shore power (at home) and have since been using the Saga60 I bought for off grid living. Summer is ending, direct intense daylight fleeting so I’m hoping the 100w I’ve ordered will charge the 500w Jackery better/faster. The Saga60 is light and easy to use. Comes with USB and USB-C port as well as the cable for charging your Jackery … so my 60 may just be used in future for charging my tablet / phone / devices directly. It proved what I set out to prove. Now I just know I need more rapid charging for my location / direct sun exposure.

I bought this and the Jackery 240 battery to provide emergency power during our frequent power outages in the winter. This panel does a fine job of charging the battery. If you have good sunlight it will charge up the 240 from a 50% charge in only a couple of hours. If its cloudy it will still produce some power, but charge times will be a lot longer. The unit is light and easy to use. It has two USB ports on it so you can charge USB gadgets directly without the battery. It seems to be pretty well built. Its light, so you would have to be careful when trying to use it outdoors in a wind. Overall, its an ideal panel for the 240. And my cat seems to think it makes a great high-tech sunshade.

Works well enough but is Very SLOW. It took all day on a bright ,cear day.

The sun moves, you have to reposition this during the day if you are charging the generator battery. It does take all day, and we needed this for my husbands cpap when camping. I did have to top off the charge when I had a phone attached to the solar panel as well as the generator. I would have lasted all night anyway, but just to be sure, I plugged it into the campsites outlet in the bathroom. It is larger than expected and bi-fold, despite what another review mentioned-or any pictures. So it is a bit more awkward than I expected, but still folds flat. It is held together with magnets. The cord inside the flat pouch has a couple outlets for usb. I have included a picture with the generator on top and measuring tapes so you can see the size more clearly. The customer service shines, nothing but good things to say. I had a small issue and it was resolved IMMEDIATELY. Very impressed with the seller. If I think of more I will add. Bottom line, if you have sun and no outlets to plug into, this solves that issue. it is very flat so it can slip in next to a sleeping bag and tent for travel as least in a vehicle. More awkward to carry on a hike.

I really like this panel, but was new to the solar panel thing. If you are buying a panel for the first time please know that this or any other panel will normally charge at a much lower level than the max output rating of the product!

Powerful solar panel! 100% capable of over 60w charging if charging off the panel and into a jackery generator, I have pulled almost 70w. High quality panel. Quality stand to keep it at the right angle for maximum sun exposure. And quality thick cable for charging a Jackery generator. One standard USB for charging straight from the panel and one type c also direct from panel. Would be nice to have 2 USBs for direct charge, just a suggestion Jackery! The handles to carry the panel are magnetic and very strong. You wont have a problem with this thing staying closed! Its not terribly big but would be bulky for a backpacker. Possible. But would be challenging for any kind of hiking. It doesnt weight much, just bulky. It has little reinforced eyelets for hanging the panel, giving you more options for setups. Charges 250watt hours in less than 4 hours. Not bad. The sun charges quicker than your vehicle outlet and at the right angles, surpasses a wall outlet. Any of your devices with fast charging capability will be charged super fast!

Easy to carry, easy to setup, works well to charge Jackery Battery.

I own both the Jackery 500 and the 240. Love how they work as a remote power source! While I didn’t figure I’d really need the solar panel, I thought the power option of solar would be nice to have. So I decided to get this SolarSaga 60. Keep in mind that this is the older version. I made the purchase in 2019. I have the trifold version that includes USB charging. Well, once I received this panel I inspected it and it seemed to be of really great quality. My mistake was not testing it out. Several days ago, we had a power outage in the community. I pulled out the 500 and 240 in preparation of backup power for charging devices, running fans, etc. Both were well charged, but I decided that it would be a good time to test out the solar panel. I connected the solar panel to the Jackery 500 during a sunny afternoon without a cloud to be seen and got nothing. The display showed 0 input. The light next to the input jack didn’t even come on. Connected the panel to the 240 and got the same results. After my disappointment subsided I tried wiggling the wire at the black and red connector. Low and behold, I received input from the panel. Unfortunately, I had to hold the wire at a particular angle to maintain input. I’ve seen others complain about their Jackery solar panels not working. If you’re not getting any input at all, check the connector. And obviously, test your panel as soon as you receive it.