Solar panel recommendations

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Honestly, if you aren't going to be running the furnace much or connecting an inverter to your Pod, you probably don't need to spend the money on a solar panel.  Your LED lights draw almost nothing, and your water pump can run a long time on your battery, a lot more than your fresh water tank capacity.  If your battery does drop to 50% (about 12.2 volts, easily measured), you can recharge it from your running vehicle with a pair of jumper cables.  Just connect positive to positive and negative to negative and run your vehicle for about an hour.  We have another active thread as well where I discuss how you can do this with a charge controller; it's healthier for your Pod's batteries, but if you aren't using jumper cables regularly, it will be just fine for the occasional charge.
If you're still really wanting a solar option, I recommend this thread. 

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WillThrill Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Senior Member Joined: 04 Jul 2014 Online Status: Offline Posts: 298	Topic: Solar panel recommendations Posted: 06 Dec 2017 at 3:04pm
	Honestly, if you aren't going to be running the furnace much or connecting an inverter to your Pod, you probably don't need to spend the money on a solar panel. Your LED lights draw almost nothing, and your water pump can run a long time on your battery, a lot more than your fresh water tank capacity. If your battery does drop to 50% (about 12.2 volts, easily measured), you can recharge it from your running vehicle with a pair of jumper cables. Just connect positive to positive and negative to negative and run your vehicle for about an hour. We have another active thread as well where I discuss how you can do this with a charge controller; it's healthier for your Pod's batteries, but if you aren't using jumper cables regularly, it will be just fine for the occasional charge. If you're still really wanting a solar option, I recommend this thread.
	"Not all those who wander are lost." Tolkien 2014 Hood River 177 2005 GMC Envoy XL

JET Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Groupie Joined: 13 Jan 2017 Location: Ashland, Oregon Online Status: Offline Posts: 72	Posted: 06 Dec 2017 at 10:15am
	Hi all I know that this must be a previously discussed question, but I never seem to have any luck with the forum's search feature in finding previous articles. Anyway, I have a 2017 178 and would like to buy a suitcase solar panel for dry camping. I want to stay at a modest budget of $300 or less (hopefully $250 or less). I really know nothing about this subject so any advice would be appreciated. When dry camping I do not plan on using much electricity, but would simply like to be out a week or two while using minimal lights, radio etc., without the batteries going under the recommended charge levels. My R-Pod has 2 6V golf cart batteries. When I buy a suitcase solar panel I want to make sure I have 100% of all necessary items to hook it up and utilize it. I know that my R-Pod is prewired for solar, but that is about the extent of my knowledge :) I would of course like to buy the best unit available for my budget. Thanks in advance for any and all suggestions and information. Sincerely, John