Escapees January-February 2024

is often unnecessary. Remember, the best approach to determining how many panels you need is to assess your daily energy needs and do a few calculations to determine the system size that best fi ts your rig and lifestyle. A couple of hours of research could save you hundreds to thousands of dollars. Not all solar panels are created equal, so it’s important to understand the various types which work well for RVs. To determine which type of solar panel is best for you, you’ll want to take the size of your rig into consideration as well as your camping style. Determine Your Camping Style • You use your RV for long road trips and boondock off-grid on public land and other overnight stays without electrical hook-ups: a combination of rooftop solar panels, a dual-input DC to DC charger* and a solar suitcase may be your best bet. • You use your RV for a couple weeks at a time and typically stay in state parks or private campgrounds with electrical hook-ups, but like to spend a night or two in between campgrounds at various boondocking spots and remote, off-grid campgrounds: a solar suitcase combined with a DC to DC battery charger* may be the best set-up for your RV lifestyle. • You are a weekend warrior in a van or small travel trailer, but like to get away from crowded campgrounds and stay on public land: a portable power station*

“I have a 32-foot travel trailer with two slide-outs. How many solar panels do I need and how much do you think it will cost?” There must be hundreds of RV owners who have installed solar on that very same model— wouldn’t it be nice to think that there is a one-sized fi ts-all solar kit? The only catch is that for a system to work for you, it has to be able to collect, store and deliver enough energy from the sun to meet your daily needs. How much power RVers use will vary just about as much as where those rigs get used. W elcome back to our RV Solar 101 series! This is the second article in a six-part series designed to help you appro priately size a solar-powered system that will meet your needs. If you missed our fi rst article in the November/December issue, we highly recommend that you start there before diving into choosing solar panels. How many solar panels do I need? While many RVers simply install as many panels as will fi t on top of their RV roof, this can be expensive, add signi fi cant weight and

Calculate Your Energy Needs

If you haven’t already, scan this QR code to download our “Solar System Sizing Worksheet” to calculate your energy needs.

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January/February 2024 ESCAPEES Magazine