Ever run out of battery on your cell phone without a power outlet in sight? Of course you have. That is why a solar-powered phone charger is brilliant for everyday use, and a necessity for outdoor activities and disaster preparedness.

Solpro makes an array of solar chargers that are easily portable for your daily life so that you never have to worry about a battery going dead. Not just for smartphones, Solpro products can charge up your tablets, music players, handheld game consoles, or any personal electronic device that uses a USB cable to charge up.

Think about how much you use your smartphone or tablet every day. What would you do if you couldn’t access your contact list to make a call, pull up a maps app to find your way back home, or log into your email to check for important business messages?

Just because you run out of battery doesn’t mean that you’ll always be able to plug in your phone for a recharge. Even if outlets are available, what if they are all being used? Worse yet, what if there is a power outage that lasts hours or days?

Solpro erases your dependence on the electrical grid to allow you to enjoy life wherever and whenever you want – and still stay connected.

The small, portable solar charger devices can easily fit in a pocket, purse or backpack to harness the power of the sun wherever you may be going: Helios Smart and Gemini.

Gemini is a pocket-sized solar charger. It’s about the size and shape of a smartphone. The 5.5V solar panel covers one side of the gadget, storing up enough energy for two full charges of most smartphones. At just 0.12 pounds, it is lightweight enough to stash in your bag or purse for those “just in case” moments.

Want nearly double the battery capacity? Try the Helios Smart solar charger. It can store more juice from a combination of solar panels and a USB charge port. It folds open to reveal three 6.5V solar panels. The device charges in four and a half hours in direct sunlight.

The Helios Smart offers dual USB ports, too, so that two devices can be charged at one time. And it weighs a mere 0.63 pounds.

Not just for outdoor enthusiasts anymore, solar chargers are quickly becoming a necessity for anyone who uses technology on a daily basis.

Going to the park for a play date? You can still snap pictures on your phone without worrying about draining the battery. Heading to a concert? You can bring a fully-charged Solpro device so that you’ve got enough battery to send video to your social media accounts instantly. If you’ve created an emergency supply kit at home, complete with food and batteries, then you need a solar charger, too, as part of the disaster preparedness kit.

Why not harness the power of the sun to fuel your active lifestyle, wherever you might go?

Images provided courtesy of Solpro, Inc.

By Kimberly Button

Kimberly Button is the author of The Everything Guide to a Healthy Home and the Editor-in-Chief of GetGreenBeWell , featuring modern, sane ideas for living a non-toxic life. A professional journalist for nearly two decades, Button has written for magazines such as Martha Stewart's Whole Living, American Airlines, AAA, Sierra, National Geographic Traveler, and Vegetarian Times. Visit KimButton.com for more information.