Portable Solar Panel for a single battery...

a59cheffy · 01-11-2015, 04:48 PM

Anyone have experience with a portable solar panel? I am thinking of buying this one to charge a single battery.

Go Power GP-PSK-120

Evo2700 · 01-11-2015, 05:04 PM

I don't have those, but I have a set of Coleman solar panels on my roof and they have been awesome to keep my two batteries topped off.

oldcat · 01-11-2015, 05:55 PM

I didn't see a price for that kit, but I got a 200 watt set up from Solar Cells, Solar Panels, Renewable Energy, Wind Energy, Charge Controllers, Solar Trackers - Solarblvd for $370. Comes with 20 feet of cable and I bought another 15 feet. I had to add hinges and a "leg" so it will stand up, but it works great. We have a two 6 volt battery system and about 2 hours of direct sunlight will meet our needs while off grid.

**Flybob** · 01-11-2015, 06:31 PM

Take a look here wind-sun.com. I bought my solar panels and controller from them, I made a simple support frame using 3/4 PVC.. It does not need to be adjustable. Just build for your location ( sun angle), It is very light won't rust and if you only glue some joints, it comes apart and is very easy to store.

a59cheffy · 01-11-2015, 11:39 PM

Thanks folks! So after reading alot of stuff on the internet regarding panels, amperage, watt hours, battery specs, charge controller specs, charge wattage hours etc...my head hurts! Was hoping the Go Power was the easy button, but alas, like anything if you want it done right!!

The Go Power panels are pricey, about $550...after following your links I am sure I can put together a better set up.

Thanks,

Guapotims · 01-12-2015, 01:37 PM

Here's something you might like: (notice 2 websites)

1. Solar Suitcase 100W | Renogy Store

2.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mdvTKUB4Wfk

Hope this helps

KMP44 · 01-12-2015, 01:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by a59cheffy

Was hoping the Go Power was the easy button, but alas, like anything if you want it done right!!

The Go Power panels are pricey, about $550...after following your links I am sure I can put together a better set up.

Go Power and Zamp Solar are like the easy button - everything in one package ready to go if you want a portable setup. But the "easy" comes at the expense of price.

If you don't mind doing the research and putting everything together, you can get a similar system for less.

I also bought our 200 watt system from Solar Blvd. Check them out on e-Bay as well as their website. Their e-Bay store has some items at lower prices than the website.

davido_ · 01-12-2015, 02:18 PM

I have my heart set on this one by Renogy.

Single 100W panel with brackets to mount on the roof. Charge controller, and wiring cable. It's a complete package for under $200.

Mine is a dual-battery setup (two group 24 batteries).

**Flybob** · 01-12-2015, 03:07 PM

Unless it is a deal breaker, I suggest getting a controller with just over twice the capacity of your current plan. That way if you decide to add a second panel in the future ( many people do), you will not have to purchase another controller.

TaffSion · 01-12-2015, 06:18 PM

Back in the Fall I went for 10 days using 220 watts of Solar and only had to run the genie once to charge. As per FLyBob suggestion I agree with over-provisioning on the controller. I use 3 x 40Watt Coleman panels (CAD$ 99.99 on sale including cables and controllers at Canadian Tire) and 1 x 100 that I bought through Kijiji for around CAD$120 or so. I picked up a Coleman controller at Canadian Tire. If you buy parts you will need cables and sets of MC4 connectors. The cable is typically single wired so if you want to run for 20 feet you need to buy 40 feet (learned that the hard way. BTW this was with a 29rls Sunset Trail - sorry FR.

a59cheffy · 01-14-2015, 12:00 AM

This whole solar thing is pretty cool !! Found a calculator to estimate power usage and it handily tells you how much wattage you need off your panels!

Thanks gent's looks like the Renogy 100W Folding Panel is the right one for me! It comes with a nifty charge controller that by itself is $40, and includes all the cables and connectors.

btw...I have a stage 27 Interstate Deep Cycle battery 750

a59cheffy · 02-11-2015, 01:37 AM

So I sprung for the Renogy 100 watt suitcase battery charger...so can I just hook it up to the battery leads?

rana · 02-11-2015, 02:09 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by a59cheffy

So I sprung for the Renogy 100 watt suitcase battery charger...so can I just hook it up to the battery leads?

Yep. That'll do it.

a59cheffy · 02-11-2015, 09:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Yarome

Yep. That'll do it.

Thank you!!

a59cheffy · 02-28-2015, 10:42 PM

Update:

Just got back from boondocking for 4 days in the Santa Rita mountains in southern AZ. The solar charger was worth every penny! My Interstate 27M battery hung on for a day and a half. Only had a couple of hours of sun before the rain hit. Day three was sunny, but only could charge it for about 4 hours before we went exploring. Day 4 charged for about 6 hours. Battery never went below 60%!! The gennie stayed in storage in the back of the pick up the whole time!

(Used the heater every night. Lights every night. Water pump the usual. Showers on day 2. Frig and Water heater on propane.)

61cubby · 03-01-2015, 11:39 PM

Hi there,

Just purchased on of the Renogy solar suitcase units from them. They were running a bit of a sale ($240) with free shipping. The unit is 100W. Haven't had a chance to try it out yet. Am interested in seeing what kind of juice it can provide up here in MN during the winter. Driveway faces south and can easily set it up outside and run the cable under the door.

The unit itself is very solid and well made. The suitcase is nice as well. It comes with only a 10A PWM controller but can be easily upgraded later if needed. Hoping this unit will be a great learning unit to start off with and go bigger from there.

rana · 03-01-2015, 11:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by a59cheffy

Update:

Just got back from boondocking for 4 days in the Santa Rita mountains in southern AZ.

Wondava~~ ! Ain't solar a kick?!

Thanks for the update.

juliancaldwell · 03-03-2015, 01:20 AM

How did it work? The suitcase?

a59cheffy · 03-03-2015, 10:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 61cubby

Hi there,

Just purchased on of the Renogy solar suitcase units from them. They were running a bit of a sale ($240) with free shipping. The unit is 100W. Haven't had a chance to try it out yet. Am interested in seeing what kind of juice it can provide up here in MN during the winter. Driveway faces south and can easily set it up outside and run the cable under the door.

Pretty cool huh!? Just to give you an idea...used mine in AZ, sun low on the horizon (typical of camping in the mountains in winter). At peak it was pushing about 6.3 amps, averaged about 4.1 per the charger controller.

danstone12 · 05-02-2015, 01:08 PM

Hi,
New to this forum, first camper and first solar panels (eventually).

Picking up my Rockwood A122SXR on Monday and have begun researching solar panels for it. I'm having dealer add a battery so it will have 2 from the start.

My question is can I use the Renogy 100w Foldable solar suitcase ($279.) instead of the Zamp 80 watt portable ($500.) simply by adding the Zamp connectors? Seems too easy and too much of a no brainer to be right. Any input would be appreciated.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...02L3XUQ70M87BV

vs.

http://www.solardealz.com/Portable-S...-p/zs-80-p.htm

Our camper will be used for ski trips, bike trips and any other adventure we can think of. It has a heated mattress and heat exchanger so trying to make sure we stay warm in winter.

Thanks!

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