Potential 176T owner

Hello retiredtraveler,

Ok. Real world experience.

    We only have a 54 watt panel (and charge controller). I really should have purchased something more in the 80 watt range. We dry camp for 2-3 weeks at a time. We need two batteries to keep us going, and we're very frugal with the electric use. The main thing we're after is to run the pump for showers and doing dishes and to run the heater, very sparingly, in the mornings for a short while to warm up. We also like to listen to a radio (we're old fashioned, no laptop, TV, or anything like that). I use an inverter for the radio. 

    The obvious problem with solar is that you need the sun. We've had really nice campsites, but mostly shaded. I will place the panel out towards the street or wherever I can get the most sun in a day.  That means the panel is not affixed. We unplug the battery on the popup (during the day) so we don't get the 'phantom draw' of the propane detector or anything else. We use LED lanterns for light. With two batteries, and minimal electric usage, we get by.   
 
 Now, that is our simple camping style. We go out most of day to hike, so we're not hanging around the camper using electric. If you want to dry camp, but want your amenities, you will need more solar power.
  
   We did this as we can't stand listening to someone else's gen, so we won't do that.  In all honesty, if you're going to dry camp for extended periods as we do, and don't want to worry about usage, the gen is the way to go.