Solar panels - Event Date: 02 Nov 2017 - 02 Jan 2018

We did some dry camping on this recent trip also and am interested in some solar panels for our pod.

We have 2 140 watt panels on the roof. They do a fine job of keeping the batteries charged.  They do have their limitations.

I figure we could camp indefinitely without plugging in.  Limitations are that we can't use A/C or the microwave.  Also, even a tiny bit of shade or cloudiness drastically affects panel output.  We have a similar installation on our sailboat and have gone for weeks without plugging into shore power.

We have a Renogy 100 watt portable solar panel.  It keeps our two 6 volt batteries fully charged if we can get about 4 hours of direct sunlight.  the battery usage and discharge level makes a difference in the amount of time that is needed to fully recharge the batteries.   Less sun will equal less charge, as well as less discharge takes less time to recharge. 

  We like the portable setup because we can park the pod in a shady campsite and still have the solar panel in the sun.  we have a 25' cord for the panel. We will move the panels to follow the sun in the early morning or late afternoon when we are in camp.  when we leave camp. we point the panels to where we think will be maximum sun in the 11am-3pm time frame using a simple compass, knowing that the sun basically travels east to west. Not difficult to do or use.

The only drawback that we see is the necessity to carry the panel with us, take about 5 minutes to set it up and occasionally relocate it .  As mentioned earlier, we cannot use the microwave or AC.  this is usually not an issue with us as we prefer to boondock anyway.

If you are interested in using solar, I would suggest that you try to read and get as much info as possible before starting.  it is not difficult, but there are a lot of different individual components or systems available at widely differing costs.  Knowing the basics will help create a system that will do what you want and not cost a fortune. search this site for several informative articles from other owners who have installed solar panels for their pods.
Vann

Unless you're only going to use your stuff between ~~ 9 AM and ~~ 3 PM (times will be dependent on latitude and season), it's best to think of solar as a daytime battery charger. The amount of power will be more than adequate for many things, but probably not the microwave or air conditioner. Each of those devices consume > 1000 watts, and would mean a drain on a 12V battery that could easily exceed 100 amps. Batteries won't last long with that kind of drain.