My Solar Report

We have just finished our seventh season of camping in our R-pod 179, the 2021 camping season was our first using solar. We camp 60-90 days a year and approximately 90% is without any hookups. Prior to this season a Honda EU2000i was our power source for recharging batteries and was generally used about 2 hours a day. This year I purchased a Zamp 90 watt portable solar unit it is the Legacy not the new Obsidian. In May, June, September and October we camp in the New England in July and August Colorado, Idaho, Montana and Wyoming. In the six weeks we spent out west this year we only used the generator once and it probably was not necessary. Please note that this was not a great year for solar out west because nearly everyday the sun was obscured by smoke. The Zamp worked great. Since we would be gone most of the daylight hours I simply placed the Zamp facing south in what I felt would be the best location and attached it to the trailer or table with a six foot locking cable. I would always have fully charged batteries (2x12 volt Walmart) when we returned. Back east was a different story using the same basic technique would rarely result in fully charged batteries except on days when we were around the campsite and I could keep it aligned for the most sun. 

In conclusion I would feel comfortable out west without my generator but not in the northeast. This is not a meant to be technical or scientific report just my own experience.  I found the Zamp easy to set up, we cleaned it with a soft cloth each day and it is definitely worth the price. I personally like the frame on the Legacy as opposed to the Obsidian. Just to be clear our camping style is mostly National Forest Service campgrounds. We were tent campers until we got the R-pod so we don’t use a lot of electricity mostly for lighting, charging phones, iPads and camera batteries. I have three 12 volt USB outlets which run off the trailer batteries. We can easily go three days without charging probably more if I necessary.