Thankfully, here in the Northern Hemisphere at least, we’re reaching that time of the year again where the long, dark and dreary winter days are starting to wane, and the longer warmer days of the Spring are slowly emerging and with them the promise of days the more ‘fair weather’ campers amongst us relish where there’s likely to be a bit of warm sunshine to accompany us on our trips out into the countryside.

As the weather warms those of us lucky enough to have the CTEK CS Free unit, the world’s first fully portable battery charger and maintainer with Adaptive Boost, in our kit bag can think of it less of the reliable power source to get our vehicle restarted should the vehicle battery fail in the freezing temperatures and more for its multi-functional charger properties enabling us to get off-grid for as long as we want whilst keeping all our electrical peripherals charged up and working via it’s USB-C and USB-A connectivity.

As much as the CS Free unit holds plenty of charge to power up those items reliably over a weekend, if you’re thinking of getting away from things for longer then the CTEK Solar Panel Charge Kit accessory is well worth the investment.

Made from a tough fibreglass, measuring 422mm x 537mm x 20mm and weighing just 4kg when packed into their handy carrying case, these 60W panels are a fabulous partner to the power unit itself. Once out of the case, unfolded and simply clipped back onto the case, which now doubles as a stand to hold the panels in position when being used, the efficient Monocrystalline cells work along with the specially developed Maximum Power Point Tracker (MPPT) in the CS Free unit and the safety box situated on the 3.5m cable to ensure that they deliver exactly the right amount of power to protect your battery and devices from excess voltage.

The fact that CTEK chose to use the more expensive Monocrystalline solar cells in these panels will come as no surprise to those used to using the high-end quality CTEK are renowned for. These sorts of cells have the highest level of efficiency usually between 15-20% and are generally known to be the type of cell that perform efficiently the longest with most manufacturers happy to give them at least a 25 year lifespan.

For those of us living in the UK and having to suffer our usual so called ‘Summers’, one of the other key benefits is their ability to perform well in low levels of sunlight and cloudy conditions, and the fact that they’re waterproof being encased in that strong fibreglass casing is again a particularly useful feature.

So whatever the weather, the Solar Panel Charging Kit from CTEK is a really useful addition to your kit list, enabling you to relax safe in the knowledge you’ve got a reliable power source with you at all times and giving you the ultimate freedom to stay away from a mains power source for as long as you want – so come on Spring… hurry up and bring us some sunshine to go play in. CTEK is the global market leader in battery management solutions, constantly pushing the boundaries of research and development to bring new battery charging technologies to the market.

The CTEK Sustainability Program has been implemented since 2017 and is designed to meet our stakeholders’ expectations, and includes Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) engagement, to create a long term value and contribute to reduce waste and negative climate impact.

CTEK’s products are the result of continuous extensive investment in quality, safety and performance at our state of the art facility in Dalarna, Sweden. CTEK products meet all the necessary legal and operational requirements, and are independently validated and verified by the world’s most renowned testing institutes.