KZ Durango Gold, Brinkley Z, Alliance Paradigm Solar

[MattATX]

Hello. My wife and I are close to buying our first fifth wheel camper. We have narrowed it down to the KZ Durango Gold 382 mid bunk, Brinkley Z3610 mid bunk, and Alliance Paradigm 395DS 2 bedroom. One of the things we're trying to compare between these are the solar capabilities of them. We're interested in solar just to be able to boondock overnight at like a Bass Pro or Cracker Barrel while doing long multi day drives, so we can run at least 1 AC unit overnight while sleeping. We drive about 1800 miles from Austin to northern Michigan about 3-4 times per year, so it would be nice to be able to overnight somewhere with AC without having to run a generator.

The KZ Durango Gold advertises on the manufacturer website that their boondocking system should allow running all non-AC electronics plus 1 of the AC units for 6-8 hours. This sounds like it would be perfect. But at the Houston RV show this past weekend, a dealer salesman told us that the KZ boondocking solar system would not allow running an AC unit at all. I'm assuming he was just mistaken. The system comes with 10 200 watt panels and a 5000 watt inverter, not sure how many batteries. But sounds like it should handle an AC unit for a few hours. Does anyone have experience with this system to confirm either way?

For the Brinkley and Paradigm, my understanding is that their solar systems would not allow running an AC unit at all, necessitating a generator to run AC without a plug in. Can anyone confirm this as well?

Also, would appreciate any other perspective to help us make our decision. They all seem like great RVs, but are just a little different. We are leaning towards the Durango Gold right now due to the patio and the loft with stairs for our young kids. The only thing we don't like about it is the slightly out of date styling. The KZ isn't terrible, but the Brinkley and Paradigm are much more modern and stylish looking. It seems like the Brinkley and Paradigm might also be a little bit more well built, but it seems like KZ has good reviews so we're not concerned about the quality so far.

Thanks and Best Regards

[MattATX]

After reading more, it looks like all Durango Golds come with their off the grid package, which is 2 200 watt panels and a 2000w inverter. The 5000w system is their optional "Boondocking" solar system. So I guess it has a similar standard solar system to Brinkley and Alliance Paradigm.

[jimfishes]

A year and a half ago when we ordered our rig, the dealer told us the Boondocker system coast $28k. It is set up as a 24v system, with the equivalent of 800ah 12v lithium. And therefore, we have the Off-grid system. Afterwards, I did add 2 more panels and battery capacity. It won’t run an AC, but the additional was necessary as we boondock frequently and it’s needed due to the residential fridge. We just run the generator/AC for an hour or so before turning in for the night to knock down the temp.

[High Road Travelers]

I'm sure with any of those three that you can equip them with enough solar panels and lithium batteries to run air conditioning. I've read a number of forum posts from boondockers that do this. They say it is expensive but that is what they want.
I only have the stock solar panel and two agm batteries on my Z3100 Brinkley, but do not boondock; maybe one night without hookups but to run the A/C would run my portable generator.
Thanks,

[MattATX]

Thanks for the info. 28k for AC capable solar doesn't sound worth it. We'll probably just add a generator to be able to overnight with AC. We don't plan on doing any real off the grid boondocking.