New Solar Panel

[Wildcat63]

Today I picked up a 5 watt Solar panel trickle charger It is weather proof and came with clamps for the battery posts or a cigarette lighter plug in. My big question is This week we are headed out for 4 days of dry camping and I am wondering if I could just leave the panel flat on the pop up's roof and if it would stay there without screwing in to the roof or if I would be better off just propping it up into the sun down at ground level.

My fears about just leaving it on the roof is it would blow off, my concern with it at ground level is someone may walk off with it. Would a bungee cord over it do the trick to keep it from blowing around?

Any ideas would be appreciated.

Wildcat

[Wildcat63]

Another follow up+. This winter (and we had a long winter) I had the solar panel plugged into my old pickup and it sat on the dash. I didn't touch this truck from October to June and the battery was fully charged. I then took it with us camping. We had great weather and I left it on top of the front bunk end from Monday afternoon to Saturday morning. One battery lasted the entire 6 days. And that was using the water pump, cassette toilet, some lights and the roof vent fan some times and two bunk end fans running most nights. The fridge ran on propane along with the water heater for all 6 days. Yes the battery was new last year but it was a cheap fleet farm battery. Say what you will but I have never been able to run that many days of camping on one battery before.

Wildcat

[bondebond]

LOL on the generator comment. I said the same thing a few years ago. I now have a matched pair. Only needed/used one on the recent 10 day trip. But that can be greatly influenced by where you camp.

But to each their own.

[Wildcat63]

A follow up to my original post.

We just got back from a 5 night camping trip. I originally tried moving the panel around during the day and finally just put it on top of the bunk end where it seemed to get more sun than dealing with shadows from the trees and such. We were about as far north in the continental US as you can get so we had a late sunsets.

We never needed to use our furnace it only got into the low 50's at night, we used out water pump for dishes and running water for the dogs and hand washing, we had a propane detector, had the fridge and water heater running on propane, cassette toilet and lights at bed time and bunk fans. Also we have a small inverter which we use for charging up a dvd player for the kids.

I was cautious about the lights, if I wasn't my DS would have thought nothing of sitting in there an hour before dark with every light on, but the seat of my pants feeling I got was it extended the usefulness of my battery. This morning I was trying to kill it as I was starting to pack up, running the water pump, leaving multiple lights on and they didn't even start to dim.

No I didn't get out my volt meter and start figuring out what each item was drawing vs how much power the panel was adding but if it helps extend the battery and help keep it charged up while it is not being used the $40.00 I paid for it is worth it. On future trips I will probably rig up some straps to hold it on the roof. We tend to avoid unwooded campsites so the spot that would get the sun the most is the roof.

Thanks for all the input except maybe the generator I can't believe anytime I would need this with our Pop Up.

Wildcat

[retiredtravele1]

I've been dry camping for years, and to confirm what some others have stated indirectly, that 5 watt panel is useless. All it can charge is your camera. I have a 55 watt panel that just keeps up with basic needs. Running a furnace for an hour, some lights, some use of water pump for showers (I have onboard shower). We even unplug the battery from pup during the day so we don't get phantom draw from propane detector. We'll dry camp for two weeks at a time and I carry a 2nd battery.
You need to understand amp-hours, what your appliances draw in amp hours, how much actual charging you will get from that panel (probably only an amp hour or two for an entire day.

[bondebond]

red31, stop touting some of the benefits of various PUPs. Of course, you just described an extremely heavy tent that, fortunately, comes with wheels.

[red31]

I know. A 5 watt panel would provide all my power on some trips,, a few minutes of LED before bed.
Some of us PU users aren't power hogs, some are!
Some of us don't have ANY parasite loads like propane/CO detector.
Some of us have fridges that don't use 12v while on propane!
5 watt would be more than self discharge for a healthy group 24!
When you are in the PU only sleeping hours there ain't much battery use.

[jauguston]

31,

The panel the OP has is a 5w not a 15w panel.

Jim

[red31]

I put my 15 watt panel on the ground pointed to the sun. Moving it from time to time if I return to the campsite.
Some trips it provides more power than I use, a few minutes of LED before bed.
Other trips it provides for an hour or more of 40 watt furnace fan use a day.

[pianotuna]

Hi,

Based on 6 hours of perfect conditions the panel will do 30 watt-hours. That's about 2.5 amp-hours per day. A single 1156 bulb consumes that much in a bit over an hour.

[jauguston]

The potential output of that panel is so low you will most likely not notice any improvement in how long your battery lasts over not having it at all.

Jim

[red31]

Put in on the ground and move it from time to time to point at the sun.

[Wildcat63]

Thanks for all the advice, I am not looking for keeping the battery fully charged the whole time I am camping just extend the life of it an extra night or two, we really don't use much electricity just the water pump, cassette toilet, and lights at bed time and if hot enough a bunk end fan or two. It would have to be almost snowing before I would think of using the furnace.

I always carry an extra battery in the storage trunk but I am hoping to avoid having to swap batteries in the dark like the last time. I mainly bought it to help keep up the battery on my old pickup I rarely drive but figured I would try it out with the pop up since I have it.

I will figure out a couple of Bungee cords to secure it on the roof with something to prop it up with. We will be about as far north in the continental US you can get so I doubt I could get an optimal angle without some sort of brackets.

Thanks for the input

Wildcat

[time2roll]

I would put a bungee or strap on it. Even the smallest amount of shade will cut power from very very little to virtually nothing. So don't just put a strap over the top of it.

5w is best for maintaining a fully charged and disconnected battery when in storage.

[Chuck_Gail]

IMO 4 days dry camping should be ok, as I doubt you'll be using the furnace!