Solar pay off?

suprz wrote:
how long do you think it has taken you to recoup your investment by boondocking, camping without hookups, etc.

One week - that long it took me to install solar. Total cost without batteries was less than buying a generator. Never got around to buying one. Know other people who stopped carrying a genny after installing 500-600W solar.

To recoup the cost, compared to daily generator fuel - depends on how often you camp and your lifestyle. I don't think you'll end up losing money with any solar if you install it yourself. Even if you won't break it even (because don't camp often), the convenience of solar is paramount.
600W solar will let you run everything but A/C at the cost under $800.
200W - everything but microwave, toaster and other 110V kitchen devices (or very limited use of such devices), cost under $300.
There was a thread on 400W solar, I don't think he paid more than $600 in parts, including cables etc: https://www.rv.net/forum/index.cfm/fuseaction/thread/tid/29694466/page/4.cfm..

Li batteries is a personal choice, a pair of led acid batts will work. Unless your energy use is really minimal, you do need a pair of batts anyway, even with generator. Otherwise you have to run it for many hours every day.

Another advantage of solar is that it maintains your battery without being plugged in during storage. I believe my solar has paid for itself many times over.

Ductape wrote:
We can make coffee and breakfast with the inverter in the morning and the Keurig hissing is the loudest noise we hear.
...

This X2.

I have 450W but am about 200W solar short of being genny free while dry camping.

HTH;
John

in convience YES. Did is save any money? no. But with solar if the weather is reasonably nice we often can be dry camping for a week or more and never need the generator and can use lights, microwave etc. as we want, along with heat. Solar + inverter= priceless. Now when the heat builds up and we need AC, out comes the honda 2200 and with the micro air easy start, converter turned off, trailer gets cooled down, 12V stuff can run as we want and keep charged off solar.

We can make coffee and breakfast with the inverter in the morning and the Keurig hissing is the loudest noise we hear. Then we go out and enjoy our day while the solar takes care of the batteries. Run the entertainment systems any time we like.

When we did it with minimal batteries and a generator, it was always an exercise in watching the clock to see when quiet hours ended or began, and being stuck in camp babysitting a generator.

It's not about the money. And hardly anything RV related is.

Not having to hear a generator Priceless. In fairness I do run it when needing the AC dry camping. I did my own solar for about 1,000, so it was much cheaper than most.

I think RV solar for most is a lot like the RV itself, an investment with a lifestyle payoff, rather than a financial payoff.

My solar has paid for itself over and over again. Cost $1700.00 in 2005.

Generators, on the other hand, have cost me $11,000.00. They will NEVER break even.

I have had solar for 8 years now and it paid for itself in about the third year. I also have 2 generators that are used very seldom for microwave and AC.
It is so nice to be able to charge the batteries all day long quietly.

“was it honestly worth the expense”

You bet! Absolutely! Repaid, no, but no generator use in last 60 days of camping...quiet, no generator maintenance or fuel. Just full batteries by 1 pm or so.