If the booming RV market tells us anything, it’s that we love taking our modern-day amenities with us when spending time outdoors. Climate control, phone chargers, and lighting are comforts of home that make camping more enjoyable. And while our love of campers and RVs shows no signs of waning, there are some destinations where RVs are not permitted or practical. The solution? A solar-powered tent.
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The Orange Communication Solar Tent
When you search for solar-powered camping tents, the one that appears the most is the Orange Solar Tent. There is even a video that showcases this tent’s amazing features. By the end of the video, most outdoor lovers and festival goers have one thought: take my money.
Unfortunately, this tent was an amazing concept that never became a reality. With features like movable solar panels, heated floors, ambient lighting, the ability to charge a variety of devices, and lighting built right into the tent, this tent would revolutionize the tent camping lifestyle. The video even shows a community of these amazing solar-powered tents interconnected and powering lighting and sound at large music festivals.
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Solar-Powered Camping Tent Options
The good news is that even though the Orange Communication solar tent is not yet a reality, you can still incorporate the benefits of solar power into tent camping. You can also bring solar panels on your RV trips in case you lose your power supply or when boondocking.
The solar-powered tents available today have solar panels that you can attach to the tent itself or place on the ground near the tent. This makes it easy to follow the sunshine without moving the entire tent to capture as much energy as possible. You can find two options with detachable solar panels at A Green Origin. They offer a 5-6 person tent and a 2-3 person tent. Both come with a LED light and a fan that can be charged using solar power.
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The Cinch Hub tent is a great solar panel tent with an optional Solar Power Pack. According to the Cinch website, “Every Hub is ready for the Cinch Solar Power Pack (sold separately). A Sky Port in the ceiling of the tent provides the perfect position to gather the sun’s energy while keeping the Solar Panels safe, dry and concealed. Power is harnessed through the USB outlet in a readily-accessible power pocket.”
The Eddie Bauer Katabatic tent is a great option that does not come with solar panels but has access to run your cords from solar panels into the tent without the need to leave a flap open. You can purchase solar panels for camping and backpacking at a variety of retailers, including REI, EcoFlow, and Amazon.
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Rooftop tents are having a moment right now. Rooftop tents are popular for campers who want to sleep off the ground (and away from wildlife). They are typically mounted on the top of SUVs or in the back of a pickup truck. Many of them have hard shell tops, making them able to support solar panels. The WoodsBuilt Sequoia is a great option and has features like USB outlets and interior lighting.
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Benefits of Solar Tents
The primary reason to take a solar power tent with you when camping is so that you can charge electronic devices using the sun. Tents with solar power enable you to charge mobile phones, flashlights, battery-powered fans, and sometimes larger devices like laptops. This gives campers the freedom to camp away from their vehicles. A solar-powered tent also means that you can enjoy your electronic devices without camping at a campsite with power hookups.
Solar tents are popular with festival-goers and backpackers. Although an RV makes a perfect home base when taking day hikes, a solar tent is an important part of overnight hikes and longer journeys. They are also the only way to camp at some campgrounds that do not allow RVs. And of course, tent camping gives you a feeling of really sleeping outdoors that you do not get with your RV.
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