I got the Goal Zero 7w panel for the same purpose as you described...get my feet wet with solar, but living in Florida had a practical side to it to provide a minimum recharging capability for hurricane season...

my weather radio uses AA NiMH batteries so decided that was a starting place to attemp to standardize batteries to AAs,(the standardization is a work in progress as I still have Ds and CR123s for the weapons lights)...this summer purchased a AA Black Diamond headlight to add to the LED mini Mag lights for illumination...

my original charger was a 120v/12v controlled charger suggested by AFLM and works with an 8 pack of Sanyo Eneloop rechargables... original trials using the 12v tubular plug with the 7w panel, charged 4 Eneloops in under 4 hours (they come partially charged, and the other 4 were fully charged with 120v in about 2 hours)

then added the Goal10 battery pack and cable to give me portable charging capability for my cell phone which uses a mini USB connector...haven't used it to charge as yet (Eneloops are still charged) but should charge quicker as it is lower voltage and should produce a higher current flow

to connect with the 7w panel's tubular 12v connector, I have a male cigarette plug terminating with a pair of battery clips to charge a pair of 12 auto batteries as well as the reverse cable ..a 12v tubular female to battery clips to work with a pair of 12v batteries I run my ventilation fans off

luckily did not need anything this hurricane season...I did pick up a 3500w alternator from a friend so have additional options...in previous posts did a little research into solar water heating options field expedient showers