In my humble opinion, a single Nomad 20 should be the bare minimum any average person should use for portable solar charging, unless your situation is severely dependent on weight (or you live in death valley). They just charge stuff faster. This will make you happy.
I picked up 2x Nomad 20's because A) murphy B) they're not too heavy C) they fit in a backpack and D) chained together they usually output 30-34ish watts in strong sunlight in my neck of the woods. A pair of them usually charges up my Sherpa 100 on a good clear afternoon or keeps a Yeti 400 topped off with medium use. If you only use one Nomad 20, expect about 15-17W of actual output - which charges smaller items like an iPhone or a GoPro in a hurry, but larger stuff like iPads, Sherpas, Yetis or other powerbanks will take *a lot* longer.
Angling your panels also helps with maximum output so I measured, cut and filed down an old aluminum tent pole to make some lightweight collapsible/adjustable stands for my Nomad 20's, pictures below. As another reviewer stated, you can use a cigarette->USB adapter to bump up your amps for fast charging an iPad or other USB device directly from the panel.
Overall, I'm really happy with my Nomad 20's, they're tough, dependable and work well. Hope I don't jinx myself by saying it, but If they were to break tomorrow I'd probably buy the same ones again.
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GOAL ZERO
From the manufacturer
Goal Zero Nomad 20 Solar Panel
Our largest foldable panel ensures you're collecting the most power from the sun for your gear. Utilize the built-in USB port or pair with a Goal Zero portable power pack to charge your gear day or night.
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The Goal Zero SystemPair with any of Goal Zero’s power packs and charge gear day or night. Foldable and portable for use anywhere. |
Charge Anything as Fast as the WallInnovative plug-and-play system. Built-in junction box with smart charging chip allow you to power handheld USB and 12V gear from the sun. |
Scalable PowerPatented chaining technology combines Nomad panels for faster charge times. Highly efficient monocrystalline solar pumps out more power per square inch. |
Compare with similar items
This Item  Goal Zero Nomad 20 Solar Panel |  |  |  |  |  | |
| Price | Currently unavailable. | $500.99 | $59.95 | $5.99 | $99.95 | $99.95 |
| Delivery | — | Get it Apr 4 - 11 | Get it as soon as Wednesday, Apr 3 | — | Get it as soon as Tuesday, Apr 2 | Get it as soon as Tuesday, Apr 2 |
| Customer Ratings | ||||||
| Light weight | ||||||
| Value for money | ||||||
| Sold By | — | PowerECO | Goal Zero LLC | Raptor Digital | Goal Zero LLC | Goal Zero LLC |
| power source | Solar Powered | Battery Powered | Solar Powered | — | Corded Electric | — |
| connector type | USB | MC4 | USB | — | USB | Usb |
| material | Monocrystalline Silicon | Aluminum | ABS resin/lithium battery | — | plastic | — |
| weight | 2.5 pounds | — | 360 grams | — | 510 grams | 1.3 pounds |
Reviews with images
Great panel from a functional point of view
Great panel from a functional point of view. Cosmetically and assembly-wise, the unit leaves much to be desired, especially considering the cost of a top shelf product like Goal Zero. My "new" panel arrived in a factory box that was becoming unglued and with letters missing in the instruction printing on the nylon (see picture). Moderate pressure with a finger along the text dislodged further lettering and instruction pictures. Upon removing the plastic film that protects the solar panels during shipping from the factory, I found the panels did have scratches anyway even though minor. I have an old Nomad 7 (v1) that has been through heavy use and abuse and held steady with none of the cosmetic issues I found in this brand-new panel. Did Goal Zero change factories in China? Regardless, they need to work on their quality control. The quality of the workmanship and cosmetic materials is obviously inferior in the new Nomad 20 when compared to the old. If it bothers me enough I might send my panel back to Amazon for an exchange just to see if this is a fluke. I just hope these minor issues aren't telltales that could translate to problems with functionality "down the road" (literally!).The functioning of the unit is flawless so far. It captures recharging energy even in overcast conditions. As with all Goal Zero products, it benefits from a well engineered design and functions optimally with other Goal Zero branded accessories. Don't expect it to charge your iPhone 6+ flawlessly if there is any interruption In direct sunlight conditions. This is singularly Apple's fault as anything below a 4.7 V feed will prompt an error on your phone with an interruption in charging stating "this Device may not be compatible." The charging will not resume until you unplug and replug the unit back into the solar panel. Not optimal if you want to leave your phone charging while you do other activities such as hiking etc. It is best to combine the panel with a battery unit particularly from GZ, as some of the cables for functions such as chaining two panels together are particular to this brand.Overall very happy functionally, and wish I could give it five stars with a free conscience. Must also mention that before I bought the panel I called GZ with a technical question. The call was immediately answered by a real person who had a wealth of knowledge and was friendly. I hope Goal Zero manages to maintain the solid quality and engineering base they have built upon in the past. All my best to this great company and their products.
Top reviews from the United States
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Reviewed in the United States on May 2, 2016
In my humble opinion, a single Nomad 20 should be the bare minimum any average person should use for portable solar charging, unless your situation is severely dependent on weight (or you live in death valley). They just charge stuff faster. This will make you happy.
I picked up 2x Nomad 20's because A) murphy B) they're not too heavy C) they fit in a backpack and D) chained together they usually output 30-34ish watts in strong sunlight in my neck of the woods. A pair of them usually charges up my Sherpa 100 on a good clear afternoon or keeps a Yeti 400 topped off with medium use. If you only use one Nomad 20, expect about 15-17W of actual output - which charges smaller items like an iPhone or a GoPro in a hurry, but larger stuff like iPads, Sherpas, Yetis or other powerbanks will take *a lot* longer.
Angling your panels also helps with maximum output so I measured, cut and filed down an old aluminum tent pole to make some lightweight collapsible/adjustable stands for my Nomad 20's, pictures below. As another reviewer stated, you can use a cigarette->USB adapter to bump up your amps for fast charging an iPad or other USB device directly from the panel.
Overall, I'm really happy with my Nomad 20's, they're tough, dependable and work well. Hope I don't jinx myself by saying it, but If they were to break tomorrow I'd probably buy the same ones again.
I picked up 2x Nomad 20's because A) murphy B) they're not too heavy C) they fit in a backpack and D) chained together they usually output 30-34ish watts in strong sunlight in my neck of the woods. A pair of them usually charges up my Sherpa 100 on a good clear afternoon or keeps a Yeti 400 topped off with medium use. If you only use one Nomad 20, expect about 15-17W of actual output - which charges smaller items like an iPhone or a GoPro in a hurry, but larger stuff like iPads, Sherpas, Yetis or other powerbanks will take *a lot* longer.
Angling your panels also helps with maximum output so I measured, cut and filed down an old aluminum tent pole to make some lightweight collapsible/adjustable stands for my Nomad 20's, pictures below. As another reviewer stated, you can use a cigarette->USB adapter to bump up your amps for fast charging an iPad or other USB device directly from the panel.
Overall, I'm really happy with my Nomad 20's, they're tough, dependable and work well. Hope I don't jinx myself by saying it, but If they were to break tomorrow I'd probably buy the same ones again.
Images in this review
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