Tactacam Solar Panels
Short version: the Reveal Solar Panel R5 fits every Reveal camera Tactacam has built, from Gen 1 through Pro 4.0, and it is the one most hunters should buy. If your camera hangs in heavy timber, take the Folding Solar Panel 12V instead so you can run the cable out to whatever hole in the canopy actually gets sun.
Tactacam called the fixed panel the Reveal External Solar Panel through the 3.0 catalog and calls it the Solar Panel R5 now. Same 12V plug, same job, 30% faster charging on the current version. Every panel on this page carries its own 5,000 mAh battery, which is what keeps a camera sending through a gray week instead of going dark on you in the middle of the rut.
Shop related gear
- Tactacam batteries and power, FlexPack R5 and R10 packs, the Lithium Cartridge and the Battery Belt
- Reveal Tree Mount 3.0, the adjustable bracket for aiming a camera and panel at the trail instead of the dirt
- Reveal T-Post Camera Mount, for field edges and food plots where there is no tree in range
- Reveal Adjustable Camera Stake, a free-standing post for open ground
- Reveal cellular cameras, X 4.0, Pro 4.0, X 3.0 and Pro 3.0
- Defend security cameras, including the Defend 360 pan tilt zoom
- All trail camera accessories, security boxes, antennas, SD cards and signs
Which Reveal solar panel fits your camera
Compatibility below is Tactacam's own, taken from the current 4.0 accessory sheet. The Solar Panel R5 is backward compatible across the whole Reveal line, so an older camera is not a reason to skip it.
| Your camera | Panel to buy |
|---|---|
| Reveal X 4.0, Pro 4.0 | Solar Panel R5, or the R5 Power Bundle to add the FlexPack battery |
| Reveal X 3.0, Pro 3.0 | Solar Panel R5 |
| Reveal X-Pro, X-Gen 2.0 | Solar Panel R5 |
| Reveal XB, SK, X, Gen 1 | Solar Panel R5 |
| Any Reveal under heavy canopy | Folding Solar Panel 12V |
| Defend Cam, Defend 360 PTZ | Defend Cam Solar Panel |
| Most other 12V cellular cameras | Folding Solar Panel 12V |
One caveat on the bundle. The panel inside the R5 Power Bundle fits the whole Reveal line, but the FlexPack R5 battery packaged with it is built for the 4.0 series only. If you run a 3.0 or older camera and want a spare battery, pair the panel with the Reveal Lithium Cartridge instead.
Fixed or folding
This is the only decision that really matters, and it comes down to where the sun is rather than which camera you own.
Fixed: the Solar Panel R5
The Solar Panel R5 ($69.99) mounts on the same tree as the camera with an integrated bracket, so setup is one strap and one plug. The larger panel surface charges 30% faster than the previous external panel, and the 5,000 mAh internal battery is the buffer that carries you through overcast stretches. On a 4.0 camera, Advanced Insights reports back on panel angle and position, so you can correct a bad aim from your phone instead of driving out to the property. This is the right panel for field edges, food plots, mineral sites and anywhere the setup gets real sun for a few hours a day.
Folding: the Folding Solar Panel 12V
The Folding Solar Panel 12V ($99.99) is the most powerful panel Tactacam makes. Two foldable 3.6-watt panels charge up to 400% faster than the older V2 panel and deliver up to 5,000 photos a day in direct sunlight. The real advantage is placement. The panel separates from the camera, so the camera can sit in the shaded pinch point where the deer actually walk while the panel goes twenty feet away in the one gap in the canopy. It folds flat for the walk in, works with every Reveal and Defend camera plus most other 12V cellular cameras, and can charge a Battery Belt or Lithium Cartridge in the field.
Mounting the panel
The Solar Panel R5 ships with its own bracket, so nothing extra is required on a tree with a decent trunk. Two situations call for hardware. If the only tree available leans wrong, the Reveal Tree Mount 3.0 gives you the adjustment to aim the camera at the trail and the panel at the sky. If there is no tree at all, which is most food plots and fence lines, the T-Post Camera Mount clamps to a standard steel T-post and the Adjustable Camera Stake stands on its own in open ground.
Aim the panel south with a slight tilt toward the horizon. Flat mounting sheds less water and collects more leaf litter, and a panel with wet leaves on it charges about as well as one in a pocket. The Armored Solar Cable ($9.99) is worth keeping in the pack as a spare, since the cable between panel and camera is the part squirrels find first.
Compare the panels
Specifications as published by Tactacam. Prices current as of this page.
| Product | Type | Built-in battery | Fits | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reveal Solar Panel R5 | Fixed, integrated bracket | 5,000 mAh | All Reveal, Gen 1 through Pro 4.0 | $69.99 |
| Reveal Folding Solar Panel 12V | Folding, two 3.6-watt panels | Yes, lithium | All Reveal and Defend, most 12V cellular | $99.99 |
| R5 Power Bundle | Fixed panel plus FlexPack R5 | 5,000 mAh panel, 5,000 mAh pack | Panel fits all Reveal, FlexPack fits 4.0 only | $109.99 |
| Defend Cam Solar Panel | Fixed | Yes | Defend Cam and Defend 360 PTZ | $59.99 |
| Reveal Armored Solar Cable | Replacement cable | Not applicable | Reveal solar panels | $9.99 |
Bought separately the Solar Panel R5 and the FlexPack R5 come to $129.98, so the bundle saves $19.99 if you were buying both anyway.
Tactacam solar panel FAQs
Which solar panel works with the Tactacam Reveal X?
The Solar Panel R5. Tactacam lists it as compatible with the Reveal X, X-Pro, X-Gen 2.0, XB and SK, X 3.0, Pro 3.0, X 4.0, Pro 4.0 and Gen 1 cameras, which covers every Reveal camera made. The older Reveal External Solar Panel is the same product under its previous name.
What is the difference between the Reveal External Solar Panel and the Solar Panel R5?
Naming, mostly. The External Solar Panel was the 2.0 and 3.0 era name for Tactacam's fixed 12V panel. The Solar Panel R5 replaced it, adding a larger panel surface for 30% faster charging and Advanced Insights reporting on 4.0 cameras. Both plug into the same 12V port, so an older camera works fine with the current panel.
Do I need a solar panel if I already run a lithium battery?
They solve different halves of the same problem. A rechargeable pack gives you a bigger tank. A solar panel refills it. On a low-traffic mineral site a FlexPack alone might carry the season. On a heavily used trail with a cellular camera uploading dozens of images a day, the panel is what stops the mid-November pickup trip that blows out the spot right before you want to hunt it.
Will a Tactacam solar panel work on a non-Tactacam camera?
The Folding Solar Panel 12V is rated for most other 12V cellular cameras, so it usually will. Check the port on your camera before you order. The Solar Panel R5 and the Defend Cam Solar Panel are built around Tactacam's own cameras, so treat those as Reveal and Defend parts.
Does the Defend camera use the same panel as a Reveal?
No. The Defend Cam and the Defend 360 use the Defend Cam Solar Panel. The Folding Solar Panel 12V is the one panel rated for both lines if you run Reveal cameras in the timber and a Defend at the gate.
Do I need a mount for the solar panel?
Not for the Solar Panel R5 on a normal tree, since the bracket is built in. You need hardware when there is no tree, or no tree pointing the right way. The T-Post Camera Mount handles field edges and fence lines, and the Tree Mount 3.0 buys you the aim adjustment on a trunk that leans the wrong way.
How much sun does the panel actually need?
A few hours of direct light a day keeps a typical cellular camera topped off. That is why the built-in battery matters more than the wattage rating for most people. It carries the camera through the cloudy stretch, then the panel refills it on the next clear day. Under continuous heavy canopy no fixed panel will keep up, which is the specific problem the folding panel was designed to solve.
Can the folding panel charge a battery pack instead of the camera?
Yes. It can run a Reveal camera directly or charge the Reveal Battery Belt and the Lithium Cartridge in the field, which is the long-runtime setup for cameras you would rather not visit until the season is over.
Trail camera guides
New to cellular scouting, or trying to work out what is draining your batteries? Start with how trail cameras work, which covers trigger speed, flash types, cellular versus SD, and the power section that explains where a solar panel fits in the setup.