Adding Solar Panels

An Honest Expectation & Practical Use Guide

Skip to the bottom of this page for a comprehensive video on all our solar options we offer and configurations. 

Solar is one of the most common questions we get and for good reason. It’s a simple way to extend your time off-grid, reduce reliance on shore power, and keep your essentials running. But solar only works well when it’s sized and paired correctly with the rest of your power system, and used primarily as a maintenance tool.

The Solar Options We Offer:

• 100W Solar Panel
• 200W Solar Panel
• Solar Cable Entry (Pre-wired, you install your own panels)

Each option is designed to integrate cleanly with the camper and keep things modular as your setup evolves.

So, do you really need solar? Well, before choosing, you need to consider what you’re powering, when, and how frequently.

• Fridges and heaters draw significantly more power than lights, fan, or charging devices
  
• Winter = less sunlight hours, and poorer performance due to weather conditions

Where solar struggles is when the rest of the system isn’t sized correctly.

Personal anecdote... Thomas and myself (Katy), took a weeks long road trip last spring up through 6 Western states. We encountered rain nearly every day on our excursion. Fun for us, but of course weather presents some challenges. Because it was still in the freezing temps, and because we are shamelessly blaming our 2 year old on not wanting to be cold, we ran our diesel heater off our 1000W Jackery most nights of the trip. Problem is, our 200 watts of solar was barely enough to keep up with our fridge and heater usage in this weather. The cloudy conditions we encountered made us re-think our whole set up. Do we need a larger power station, or was this just bad luck? Or maybe, should we just suck it up and be a little chilly for a night? We still haven't decided which way to go, because 9 times out of 10 our 1000 watt power station paired with 200 watts of solar is more than enough for most of our adventures in California. 

So, with that in mind, if your power station / battery system is undersized, adding more solar won’t necessarily fix the problem. Solar can only replace what your system is capable of storing and distributing. 

Considerations for power stations:

• Battery capacity (watt-hours)
• Input limits from solar
• Output limits for running accessories

Other Considerations When Adding Solar:

Height: Roof-mounted solar does add height. Expect roughly 2.5” of additional height with one of our panels installed. Cable entry glands come in a bit shorter, if you plan to keep it low pro with a flexible panel of your own. For most users, this isn’t a deal breaker, but it’s worth factoring in if you’re mindful of garage clearance, tree branches, or overall vehicle profile.

Redundancies: We sadly do not have an outlet in our truck bed, but many of you do. Having a backup charging method is always recommended. We charged up our power station in the cab of our truck on one stretch of a particularly stormy day of driving. Slow, but did the trick.

Solar is a great tool when it’s part of a balanced system. When your power needs, battery capacity, and expectations all align, it quietly does its job in the background. When they don’t, it can feel a tad underwhelming.

If you’re unsure what setup makes sense for your camper, drop a comment below or reach out. We’re happy to help you think through the full picture before you commit!