The Coolest Pieces of Gear We Tested This Week

Heading off the grid this season? If so, there’s one thing you’ll need to be sure you don’t leave home without… and that’s portable power. Now, you could lug that ultra-heavy, horribly cumbersome, annoyingly loud and smelly gas generator on your trip, or you could get into a highly compact, impressively capable solar-electric solution. Introducing the GoSun Power 550 and the SolarPanel 100.

This combo gives you all the power you’ll need for all your gadgets, phones, music, lighting, and so much more—We even powered our Traeger Ranger pellet grill for over an hour with only using roughly 10% of the juice. This little powerhouse punches weigh above its weight class. It pumps out 550 watt hours of lithium-ion energy, so it’s perfect for anyone’s mobile office, tailgate gathering, beach day, campground, and anywhere in between.

You can juice the Power 550 up before you leave the house for hours of reliable (and silent) power, and then you can set up the SolarPanel 100 for continuous power back into the 550 via USB. Depending on the amount of sunlight on any given day, and the amount of power you’re using for any device, you could theoretically run indefinitely as long as the sun is shining.

It has nine power outlets—two AC outlet (110V, 600W with 1,000W Peak), two 12V DC ports and one 12V car port, two USB-A ports, one 60W USB-C, and one 18W QC3.0 port—so whatever mode of power you need to facilitate, you’re covered. It weighs in at 15 pounds, so it’s not exactly ultra-lightweight, but it is nice and compact for easy transport, and it’s built ultra-durable so you don’t need to worry about it getting banged around during your adventures. Not to mention that also features a very impressive external LED light to illuminate whatever environment you find yourself in.

And did we mention how awesome the SolarPanel 100 pairs with this? This compact, portable panel weighs in at an impressive 5.6 pounds, it conveniently folds up into roughly the size of a large laptop, and its wonderfully sturdy handle makes transport of this solar panel as good as it gets. With four 16.5×16” solar panels, it sucks in the juice from the sun and pumps it right into your life.

We can’t stress how much this pair has changed the game for us when it comes to our outdoor lifestyle. While we typically prefer to leave the phones, tablets, and computers at home when we’re connecting with Mother Nature, we love the knowing that we have adequate power on-hand for whatever we might need. We’re so impressed with the way that this gadget has elevated our camp lighting and cooking, and its price point is very reasonable compared to other power options of this caliber. This is the pair you need for all your outdoor pursuits this spring and summer. Trust us.—Jon Perino, senior editor

[Power $599; SolarPanel $399; gosun.com]

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