I have a small fifth wheel that I boondock with occasionally and I was looking for a way to keep the batteries up without having to run the generator during the shoulder months when ac isn't needed. I found these flexible 100 watt and 200 watt panels that can simply be glued and sealed down to the roof. I can't decide if I like that idea or not. It seems like a good solution to the aerodynamic drag of mounting thicker panels. And there would be fewer holes. The other thing I can't decide is if I want the panels on the RV roof or freestanding. If I am parked in the trees for shade I won't be charging so having panels that could be set in the sun seems like a good idea other than they could easily be stollen. It sounds like there are a bunch of tradeoffs and I just wonder what is working for other people.Attachment 215565
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I bought some Zamp 100 watt panels that come with a 20 foot cord that just plug right into a connection that I installed on the wall on my coach. One of the best mods I've done. If we are camped more than a couple of nights without hook ups they are one of the first things I set up. I had thought about fixed panels on the roof but decided I could catch more sun throughout the day if I was able to position the panels independent of the coach's roof
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Fred and Kate
2012 THOR ACE 29.2, 110,000 miles and going strong
2013 HONDA PCX150
I bought some Zamp 100 watt panels that come with a 20 foot cord that just plug right into a connection that I installed on the wall on my coach. One of the best mods I've done. If we are camped more than a couple of nights without hook ups they are one of the first things I set up. I had thought about fixed panels on the roof but decided I could catch more sun throughout the day if I was able to position the panels independent of the coach's roof
How many panels do you have and are you running just the typical rv loads?
I did the same and built my own portable solar array. I used 3 100 Watt panels and a Renology MPPT controller. The controller is housed in a watertight electrical box with two small DC fans to cool the box and that can run off the controller's dc out.
Fredkate is right, you can position the panels better than those on the roof most of the time and improve on capturing the sun. Mine have a 60 ft. cord. They are not as convenient but are a good way to get started. I used the flexible panels but mounted them to PVC board you can get at the big box stores to make them more rigid.
Many say that mounting flexible panels to your roof does not give them an airspace and they will heat up and become less efficient. They are not as durable as the glass panels and not as strong.
Starting out, try just two 100 watt portable panels and begin the learning process.
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2019 Airstream Classic 31' (on order)
These are the panels I bought. I don't run anything special, water pump, fridge, charging phones, etc. I have a trimetric battery monitor and it says I normally have a zero net loss during the day. It's not enough by itself to keep the batteries at 100%, but I'm sure I could manage 10 days, maybe more, if I had before the batteries got much lower than 50%
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Fred and Kate
2012 THOR ACE 29.2, 110,000 miles and going strong
2013 HONDA PCX150
I just did a 200w solar install and drilled no new holes in my roof. I did not go with flexible panel because they have a lot of isdues and will probably need replacing in a couole of years. I went with Renogy Monocrystalline 100w slim design panels from Amazon for about $125 a piece. Renogy glass panels have a warranty of 25 years vs 5 years on flexible panels. I don't want to have to change things out in just a couple of years. I wanted this to be a once and done project! If you dont want to go through the work of making mounting plates like I did then just use VHB on panel brackets and then cover those with Eternabond tape. The glass panels will probably never have to be replaced anyway. I just wanted the option so I made mounting plates. You can save some money by skipping the install of the Battery Monitor and just use the Victron Smart Controller bluetooth feature on your smart phone to check your panel and battery output/status, left screen.
We boondock a lot so I installed 8 100 watt Grape solar panels. I'm using a MPPT controller and six AGM 12 volt batterys. Boondocked eleven days straight at Great Basin National Park and never ran the generator. Used microwave and furnace. Use Trimetric battery monitor.Probably overkill but works good. Had similar setup on my previous RV for six years with no issues. Panels have a 25 year warranty for 80% rated production. Have 7kw system on my s&b also.
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Robert, Sami and our owner and boss Peanut.
2017 Winnebago Vista LX 35F. 5 Star Tune, Hellwig sway bars, Super Steer Trac Bar, 1600 Watt Solar, ARP, Spare tire carrier, Starlink, weather station, 2020 Jeep Wrangler, Ready Brute Elite.
Howdy Aaron! Love the avatar pic! Looks like we may have something in common (MTB).
I'm probably not a good one to comment as I LOVE solar and completely live on it (see links in signature for details) - so I'm terribly biased.
With that said, I think ANY amount of solar is great thing. As you've found, there are pros and cons (like everything). It's great when it's mounted on the roof and just does it's thing but manually deploying a panel or two for occasional use is certainly not a huge project/negative. If you primarily park in the trees/shade, you probably have your answer. If that's the fringe case, well... a harder decision. Room to carry a couple panels without damaging them may be the biggest factor in the decision.
I think, without exception, some solar will greatly benefit your batteries (100 watts or more). This is mostly due to the fact that 'short' generator runs do not fully charge them. If is a person is mostly connected to shore power (with a good multi-stage charger) and only occasionally boondocks, this may not be true.
As noted by others, the flexible panels don't seem to quite be there yet. They certainly work but lifespan seems to be rather short (at least significantly less than traditional panels).
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JD - Full timer out west
Missy - 1998 MCI 102-EL3
Hmmm...858 days since install, 800+ boondocking & our 604th day of continuous travel boondocking living off solar. This is one scam that's not to shabby. Freedom of choice.
Oh thank you for your contribution that the government gave back in the 30% tax credit.
I started with portable panels but that got old quickly. I didn't like leaving the sitting out by the road to avoid the trees and leaving them there while we go hiking or to explore the town. Getting the 100W panels into the basement was not fun. I figured out that three panels on the roof would give me almost as much energy as two on the ground. There are usually no trees directly overhead so the roof panels do get sun during the best hours (around noon). Also, finding sunny parking spots hasn't been that difficult.
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