Portable Solar Panel Kit

[Steve S]

Hello Everyone,
Does anyone own a portable solar panel kit? If so, can you provide any pros or cons, wattage, model, wattage required? Thanks to Everyone! Steve

[damaltor]

We’ve got solar panels on the roof, but when in shady sites we use a Samlex 3 panel 130 watt portable, which we’ve wired into our existing controller.

[Seann45]

Portable solar panels have a habit of "growing legs" and getting blown over in wind.... soo... chain them down and sandbag them down.

[MontanaRick]

I got a Renogy 100W kit last year, and it's been great. I got 10 ft and 20 ft cables with MC4 connectors, then got 1 ft cables with MC4 on one end and terminals for the battery on the other. I let the 1 ft cables hang out of the battery box so it's easy to plug in, and I can easily do 10, 20, or 30 ft as needed.

I did have it blow over once (in Death Valley), but no damage, learned my lesson. I also use a bike cable and lock to discourage opportunistic thieves (won't stop a determined thief).

Our trailer demands are pretty low, and this unit has kept us topped off, even on days with some clouds or a bit of tree shading off and on, so that our battery is almost always fully charged when we get back from our day's outings.

We've only had it a year, but so far we are completely satisfied. Wish more people had solar and less relied on generators.

[tpastorini]

I have the Harbor Freight 100w special. I use it either on the roof or I use a cot when I am going to place it on the ground. Works just good enough to extend my generator use when I am dry camping. If I was a serious boondocker, I would upgrade.

[GarlicDude]

I'm interested in adding solar to our trailer, will be following this post.

[Steve S]

Thanks for all the input received to date. Never thought about having to chain/lock them. I just try to think positive and that people are good in nature. I should know better. I will be buying a chain and lock. HA!

[thirdktm]

About two years ago, I bought a Zamp 90-watt portable solar kit. It was pricey, about $500. RV people I asked about whether 90 amps was enough to maintain the charge of the coach battery during the day, and it is.
Still, we are sensitive to daytime electric use when dry camping.
The Zamp unit comes in a sturdy zip bag. I attached a 2-foot (?) cable to the coach battery. The cable has easy access to the outdoors, where I connect it to a cable of about 20 feet to the solar panel. It's mounted in a sturdy frame.
It's cool to have all of this.
That said, on a cold night, the furnace will deplete the battery charge. So, I just hook up the Zamp, aim it at the sun, and move it during the day to track the sun.
My wife thinks the $500 was a waste. Not me...

[ttvibz]

I have a large foldable 200W panel from Zamp Solar (Bend, Oregon) and I made a 25 foot extension cord. It comes in a zippered case that is fairly robust. the panels fold out and have legs so the panel is angled and very stable when set up. The controller is attached to the back of the panels. Love it, and opted for the larger wattage, but the downside is it is a bit bulky and fairly heavy. Works great, no regrets.

[ttavasc]

I built a 200 watt portable with a pair of Renogy 100 watt panels, 20 feet of 10 gauge extension cable and a Victron 100/20 MPPT controller that connects right at the port on the side of the trailer so it's closer to the battery. When folded it slides right in and stows up against the back wall of the front pass thru.

[kirkelli]

I have the Renegy 200 Watt portable. It works good, but as others mentioned, wind will be a pain and if you place in in a sandy area so will sand. Sand gets trapped in the bottom ledge and you have to turn it upside down and sake the heck out of it to clean it out. Not easy, in fact it's a PITA. I ended up placing two 200 Watt Newpowa panels on the roof and will use the portable if i need additional charging.. So far the 400 W on roof are doing a fantastic job. If you are dead set on a portable, i would go with the Renegy 200W.

[Rongbrown]

I have a GoPower 120 watt unit. I’ve had it for four years now and have not had any problems with it. It came in a very nice carrying case with several adapters and a 10 foot cord. I did purchase a 20 foot extension cord to give me some flexibility in location. I’ve had no problems keeping both of my batteries charged up with this unit. As the others have stated, keep it chained down so that it doesn’t run off.

[DanNJanice]

I built one about 10 years ago and it is all we use. 2x100W panels, a piano hinge and some wood legs. It cost about 1/2 the price of the pre-built ones.
Never had any issues with it blowing over nor with anyone attempting to steal it.
It dramatically improves the amount of solar energy you get compared with roof mounting (unless you only camp in the desert). It also allows me to park the trailer in the shade but place the panels in the sun, really helps to keep the trailer cool.

[bluztoo]

Have the Renogy 200W suitcase. In tests it performs fantastically. It won't be enough. You have to take it outside, direct it, and keep it locked up somehow. So - more work. However, you can park in the shade and still find sun (although you're really limited to about 20 feet or so to not have an energy drop). I'm guessing I'll get a couple for the roof but also add another suitcase. I need about 600W overall to go with 800W of battery.

[Campingfamco]

Do the renogy systems work with the SAE connectors that come from the factory for the “prepped for solar?” I saw they have an adapter for $20 to go to the SAE connectors, but I’ve also read some manufacturers revers the polarity. I’m thinking about getting a portable solution for the time being and it seems that’s the way to go.

Thoughts?

[TaftCoach]

Went homemade portable then mounted them to avoid hassling with them and to keep my battery charger between trips.

Now I'm adding a portable for shady sites sigh

[kirkelli]

Originally Posted by Campingfamco

Do the renogy systems work with the SAE connectors that come from the factory for the “prepped for solar?” I saw they have an adapter for $20 to go to the SAE connectors, but I’ve also read some manufacturers revers the polarity. I’m thinking about getting a portable solution for the time being and it seems that’s the way to go.

Thoughts?

The Suit Case comes with typical solar plugs or option to use battery style clips. I changed the connector out to a Anderson 120 Connector that ties directly into my Controller. My suitcase solar subelements my two 200 roof panels if trailer is parked in shade. I also have a breaker to separate my roof panels and my suite case panel.

[MontanaRick]

Originally Posted by Campingfamco

Do the renogy systems work with the SAE connectors that come from the factory for the “prepped for solar?” I saw they have an adapter for $20 to go to the SAE connectors, but I’ve also read some manufacturers revers the polarity. I’m thinking about getting a portable solution for the time being and it seems that’s the way to go.

Thoughts?

Mine came with clips for the battery and MC4 connectors on the other end going to the controller. You should be able to buy an SAE to MC4 or easily make one yourself.

[DustyGeek]

I recently purchased two 200w portable Rockpals panels. They have the typical USB A&C connectors and two Anderson connectors: 18V/100W and 36V/200W, and an octopus that connects to the Anderson connectors and converts to various common sizes.

With the 18V connector, one panel can charge my Jackery 500 directly at about 83 watts, which is about what I see from the wall adapter.

I can charge my house batteries with the two panels connected in series on their 36V connector. To do that, I got a Victron SmartSolar 100/30 MPPT charger (because I wanted Bluetooth, configurability and the ability to turn the output on/off), a couple Anderson to MC4 adapter cables, about 30’ of 10Ga wire with MC4 connectors on the ends, stubbed out my Victron with some 12” 10Ga with MC4 to connect the long cable and also used some 12” long 10Ga cables with a 30A fuse to my 1800W inverter lugs (figuring the inverter will consume some/all of the generated power and if it doesn’t, that means the inverter is essentially idle and the wires to the battery are plenty big enough given the wattage difference).

Two of the panels in series hit around 70-72V and 4.5-5A at MPP (roughly). I’ve had the Victron report as high as 340W back on an October afternoon, so could probably eek out some more watts in high summer with clear skies.

Woot.com has the panels on sale right now (just a couple of days before they sell out or the sale is over) from $499 -> $299. They’re under the Tools & Garden category and Powertools & Accessories subcategory. Amazon also has them with a $160 off coupon, and you can always get them directly from Rockpals, not sure if/what the discount is right now.

I did get a faulty panel (from elsewhere, not Woot) and Rockpals was really prompt in replacing it, so good customer service from my experience.

If I hadn’t run across this sale, I probably would have gone with a pair of 190W rigid panels, hinges and latches and made my own suitcase. That’s much bigger and unwieldy, though.

I’m more than happy to share the shopping list for what I bought, just let me know, but get the panels now before they go back to normal price if you’re thinking of going with this setup.

[rDub]

We have a 130 watt Go Power portable solar kit and it works great to keep our batteries charged. We have two sand bags we use to keep it from blowing over.