Solar charging
The Better Half and I are looking at new 5ers. Most of them come with some sort of Solar Panel input connection. Does any one have any suggestions for installing solar panels and Batteries for a 5er...
Forum Discussion
Bellpr wrote:
The Better Half and I are looking at new 5ers. Most of them come with some sort of Solar Panel input connection. Does any one have any suggestions for installing solar panels and Batteries for a 5er? I've seen roof top panels and folding units you can stow away. Do I need 6v or 12v batteries? How do I figure out how much solar wattage I need? What other equipment do I need when I want to Use solar to charge the batteries?
It all depends on what you want to do and how you camp. If you're a boondocker or dry camp a lot, then you'll likely want multiple batteries, a good fairly large inverter, and some decent solar panels and charge controller. If all you want to do is to make sure your batteries are always topped up, then you can get buy on smaller, even portable, solar. We do only shorter boondockers, so my 45w Harbor Freight Special and 2 6v golf cart batteries work for us to extend us to about 4-5 days' camping. FWIW, when anyone asks about buying an RV, I almost always recommend 2 batteries, whether 12v or 6v.
Lyle
