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Baypod
Newbie
Joined: 02 Mar 2016
Location: Annapolis, MD
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 5
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Topic: Solar Panels for boondocking Posted: 17 Apr 2016 at 9:27pm |
Hi there. I'm a backpacker too, but now that we're retired we've been camping in an RPOD 178.. We bought a RENOGY portable panel (suitcase style) for our old popup and now we use it for the POD. WE found it on Amazon about 3 years ago and paid about 80 bucks. It comes with a controller, 2 mono crystalline panels and I think we bought the 50 (or thereabouts) watt version. It recharges our battery pretty quick. A half day of full sun brings us up to 12.6Volts (we have a battery monitor too...well worth the few bucks). WE did the southwest parks last summer...North Rim of Grand Canyon, Canyonlands, Zion, Arches, Mesa Verde. We were on the road for a month and the panel served us very well. Mind you, it will not run your AC or any other big electricity users, but for bringing your 12 volt system back to full charge in a pretty short time-span, whether you have two batteries or 1, that system works fine. It folds up into a suitcase that is about 3 inches deep and about 3 feet square. The controller is attached to the back of the panel and the stands/cables and connection are all included.
I still like the solitude of backpacking or bike packing and I do not take much with me when I go, but I also like the company of my wife and dogs and fellow campers every now and then. The POD is great for that. I believe Amazon still carries the RENOGY Panels. They make several wattages. Since we're not big gadget users, the 50 or 60 works fine.
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Baypod
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IdahoBoy
Groupie
Joined: 24 Oct 2015
Location: Ketchum, Idaho
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Posts: 65
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Posted: 18 Apr 2016 at 8:30pm |
I'm mechanically challenged so the plug and play is attractive. It will come down to the health of the old checkbook. Thanks for the great information.
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bigcat
Groupie
Joined: 25 Aug 2016
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Posts: 51
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Posted: 02 Jan 2017 at 5:30pm |
Hi all, we bought our 179 last fall and have only used it once. We are looking forward to a full season of mostly boondocking, and solar is the way I want to go. Our Pod has the Zamp connector installed, but I'm leaning towards a Renogy 100w panel. I like the idea of using the prewired Zamp connector and have research ways to use other brand panels with the connector. If I were to connect the panel directly to the battery, would you all recommend clamps, or is there another connection type? I have two batteries so I'm guessing I will need to connect the panel to each one, right? Or will I only have to connect the panel to one battery and the juice will flow between the two? Thanks in advance for any advice. Ty
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Big Cat
2017 179
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CharlieM
Senior Member
Joined: 23 Nov 2012
Location: N. Colorado
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Posts: 1797
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Posted: 02 Jan 2017 at 6:03pm |
Originally posted by bigcat
Hi all, .......................towards a Renogy 100w panel. ............................
Ty | You cannot connect a 100W panel directly to the battery. You must use a controller or you risk overcharging the battery. That said, Renogy offers a solar kit that includes a controller.
If your batteries are two 12V batteries in parallel you just connect to one or the other. If you batteries are two 6V batteries in series you connect to one terminal of one battery and one terminal of the other battery.
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Charlie
Northern Colorado
OLD: 2013 RP-172, 2010 Honda Pilot 3.5L 4WD
PRESENT: 2014 Camplite 21RBS, 2013 Supercharged Tacoma 4L V6 4WD
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bigcat
Groupie
Joined: 25 Aug 2016
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Posts: 51
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Posted: 02 Jan 2017 at 8:44pm |
Thanks CharlieM. My two battery's are 12v in parallel. Thanks for the info!
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Big Cat
2017 179
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Rick Nic
Newbie
Joined: 04 Jan 2017
Location: Oceanside, CA
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Posts: 5
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Posted: 04 Jan 2017 at 4:34pm |
Howdy, we are brand new owners and members and appreciate this forum a lot! Camping World sold us on a Nature Power 18 Watt panel and control box, and we are going to try it. We'll be 3-4 days each site...Southern California. The solar plug on the 2017 R-pod exterior now says "Solar on the Side" instead of Zamp. Is the polarity still reversed so that we'd need the adapter? I'd prefer not to do anything more complicate do than that. Thanks to anyone who knows!
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2017.5 iPod 178
Oceanside, CA
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Pod People
Senior Member
Joined: 22 Sep 2011
Location: Chapel Hill,NC
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 1078
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Posted: 04 Jan 2017 at 9:20pm |
We also have the Renogy 100 watt suitcase system. We love it! It is simple, effective and they work. we were out for 3 months and it kept our batteries fully charged . The only suggestion I have is if you leave in the morning to set the panels so that the sun will be directly shining on them mid day to get maximum solar input. Otherwise, if you are still in camp, during the day you can move/adjust their angle every few hours to maximize solar gain. I also suggest that you attach a short rope to the panels and tie it to a strong tent stake so that it will not turn over. I saw one panel that had been blown over by the wind--they are glass and they will break.
Renogy has a very good customer support group-lots of answers to my questions. I had a warranty issue with the controller and Renogy sent a new one out immediately.
I would recommend them without reservation. there is a post of my installation somewhere in the archives that probably could be found by searching. Vann
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Vann & Laura 2015 RPod 179
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bigcat
Groupie
Joined: 25 Aug 2016
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 51
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Posted: 04 Jan 2017 at 11:12pm |
Pod People, great info, and a cool mod!
http://www.rpod-owners.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=8194&KW=Renogy&PN=1&title=installing-a-renogy-100-watt-suitcase-solar-panel
There was a comment on your post about how to use the installed Zamp solar port that comes installed on newer pods. I'd love to utilize this port.
Thank you!
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Big Cat
2017 179
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