I've been researching solar cells, and I've found a past discussion from several years ago where people preferred battery packs for trips into the BWCA, even for week-long trips.

Is this still the case, or has technology marched on?

I really think it all depends on the individual's tripping style and length of trip. If one has just one or two devices (say GPS, camera, weather radio) then some extra lithium batteries would suffice just fine. But if you want to keep that fish finder running and you are moving a lot with the GPS on, you are sucking a lot of juice over time and then I would have a solar panel with rechargeable battery backup. I really like my Anker PowerPort 21w solar panel. It's amazingly light and powerful. I have it paired with a Mophie Powerstation Pro. It's only 6,000 mAh but that's enough for me and as you can see, you can get one for a song.....

My criteria is size and weight of solar cells vs extra batteries. Right now batteries win for up to a 2 week trip easily. Need to consider your usage vs what is available.

butthead

Yes

In the BW, YES

I agree with buthead. I would rather take a extra set of batteries and eliminate the fuss factor. I will be trying rechargeable batteries this year. I have been out for several 3-5 hours paddles running on a set of rechargeable batteries running my detector and the batteries are about half used up. The battery technology has made an advance while the solar cells not so much in what is on the market in the last couple of years.

I bought a Nomad 7 solar panel last year. I really like the idea of it, but for a 7-10 day trip realized I can get all the juice I need from a small Ankor for less weight and effort. IMO battery technology has simply been advancing faster than solar. Maybe it will swing back some day.