GEAR | Incredible Value Powerness Hiker U500 Power Station & Solar Panel Are The Perfect Camping Companions – Review

May 15, 2023 Shell Robshaw-Bryan

Homepage Feature, Outdoor Gear Reviews, Reviews, Sponsored Product/Stay

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We’ve tested all manner of different power banks and power stations on camping trips over the years, but we think the Powerness Hiker U500 power station and SolarX 120 solar panel offers the best combination of value and performance yet. Read on for our full review…

Powerness Portable Power Station & Solar Panel — *Powerness Hiker U500 Portable Power Station & SolarX S120 Solar Panel*

What is it?

Powerness Hiker U500 Power Station, £249 -£399
Powerness SolarX S120 200 watt Solar Panel, £149 – £199

Overall Rating (5 / 5)

Stockists

Features

515Wh capacity
Built-in 500W inverter
Wireless charging top
Folding carry handle
Battery management system with surge control, short circuit protection, temperature control and low voltage protection
Smart fan and temperature detector
A grade lithium battery
Multiple outlets including USB A x 3, USB C x 1, AC x 1 and 12 V x 1

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What we thought

The first thing I noticed was the small size and light weight of the Powerness Hiker U500, which together with the built-in fold-down handle, make this super easy to transport and move around.

Powerness Hiker U500 review — *The Powerness Hiker U500 Inside my tent on a recent weekend away*

The smaller size means even with car fully packed with camping gear and people, it’s easy to find the space to pop the power station in and once at the campsite, it’s light enough to carry wherever you need to take it.

Ports wise there are 3 USB A ports which meant we cand charge both of our smartphones at the same time as well as my Kindle. To really test its ability though on one particularly cold solo spring camping trip, I took an electric blanket with me.

What can it charge?

Camping Trip Practicality & Performance

After a heavy day of camera and video use, my phone needed recharging on the first evening after being out all day. The low temperatures also meant that before getting into bed at around 9.30pm to snuggle up and read, I plugged my electric blanket in which has standard UK mains plug.

*Wireless charging worked brilliantly on my new Kindle*

The bright and clear readout is super useful and tells you not only how much power all of your plugged in appliances are drawing at any given time, but also exactly how long you have left based on the remaining battery capacity.

This meant on the first night, I knew if I wanted to, I could have my electric blanket on setting 2 for a full 11 hours, whilst my phone charged. I left it on for the first part of the night and when I woke up at 6:30am the following morning, I was down to 62% battery.

Not bad given I’d had my phone plugged in and a standard electric blanket on most of the night!

Using The SolarX S120 Solar Panel

The sun gods were on my side and I woke up to a beautiful, albeit cloudy, sunny spring day and the forecast was set to stay dry, so before leaving the campsite and going out on my bike, I hooked the Powerness Hiker U500 up to the solar panel to top it up and ensure I’d have enough charge left to power my electric blanket again that night.

*The folding Solar X S120 solar panel with attached cables and readout*

This was the first time I’d tried out the solar panel so I had no idea how it would perform, also bearing in mind that although sunny, it was early April in the UK and still very cloudy (as you can see from the photo below), so the solar panel wasn’t in full-strength, constant summer sunshine.

*The Powerness SolarX S120 in use on a sunny, but cloudy day in April*

When I returned, the unit was back up to 74% which I found super impressive and by the time I unplugged the solar panel and folded it back up, the Hiker U500 was up to 80% battery, which was more than enough to recharge my phone, power my electric blanket and wirelessly charge my Kindle.

Pros

Light and easy to transport and carry
The solar panel performs brilliantly even in the changeable UK spring weather
There are loads of USB inputs so it’s perfect for larger families needing to power
The perfect combination of portability and power
Items like mobile phones can be plugged directly into the solar panel
Solar panel can be used with countless other power stations, not just the Powerness Hiker U500

Cons

Solar panel is not fully waterproof and needs protecting (putting back inside your tent or van) during heavy rain

The verdict

Our Rating

Practicality 5/5

Looks 4.5/5

Performance 5/5

Value 5/5

Overall Rating (5 / 5)

*Powerness Hiker U500 Power Station wirelessly charging my Kindle*

Although we’ve tried a fair few different portable power stations for camping over the last few years, this is by far one of my favourite. In terms of portability and power, it offers a really great combination of the two and is far easier to move around

The first power station that we’ve rated a full 5/5, the Powerness Hiker U500 & SolarX S120 Solar Panel provide the perfect blend of value and performance.

We’ve given this a 5 star rating, and it’s the first power station we’ve tested that we’ve ranked so highly. We understand that not everyone has nearly £1,000 available to drop on a larger capacity portable power station, so in terms of affordability compared to features and usability, we think the Powerness Hiker U500 plus solar panel make an excellent choice and offer everything you need for family camping and vanlife.

Find out more about the Powerness Hiker U500 Power Station (expect to pay £249 – £399) or take a look at the Powerness Solaris S120 (expect to pay £149 – £199).

DISCLOSURE | Thank you to Powerness who supplied the featured products to us to test in return for our honest opinions. We were not paid to write this review.

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Shell Robshaw-Bryan

Editor & Owner at Camping with Style

Shell loves all things travel and outdoors and is a nature-loving, comfy-camping kinda girl. Shell started the Camping with Style blog after a serious snowboarding accident which left her with a broken back. Despite this she used the outdoors and healing power of nature to aid her recovery and she continues to spend time outdoors whenever she can.

From open water swimming, snowboarding and kayaking to hill walks and meditation, Shell shares her travels and microadventures here on the blog and in various publications she's written for, Shell has a particular interest in promoting wellbeing and the many benefits of nature therapy.

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