{"id":13469,"date":"2022-06-03T07:02:56","date_gmt":"2022-06-03T13:02:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thecampingnerd.com\/?p=13469"},"modified":"2022-06-03T07:02:56","modified_gmt":"2022-06-03T13:02:56","slug":"best-thin-solar-panels","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thecampingnerd.com\/best-thin-solar-panels\/","title":{"rendered":"What Are The Best Thin Solar Panels For Stealth Camping?"},"content":{"rendered":"
People go camping, or sleep, in all different type of places. We don’t necessarily want to advertise that to others though, and that’s why it’s called stealth camping.<\/p>\n
Stealth camping means camping, or sleeping, in places where most people don’t go to camp. It can be in a parking lot, on the street, by a school or a church, or even a construction site.<\/p>\n
Related Product: Looking for portable power? My favorite power station right now is the EcoFlow Delta Max (click to view on Amazon)<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n A stealth camper doesn’t have to be different than a regular camper, except from what the camping setup looks like on the outside.<\/p>\n Inside the van, car, or whatever you plan to sleep in, you probably need to keep your devices charged and powered just like the rest of us.<\/p>\n So how do you harness the radiation of the sun to generate electricity in a stealthy way? That’s what I am going to tell you today.<\/p>\n What you’re going to need depends on what type of setup you have.<\/p>\n If you plan on using the solar panel(s) to charge a portable power station, also known as a solar generator, you should not use a solar charge controller.<\/p>\n Most portable power stations have charge controllers built-in and you don’t want to use two charge controllers.<\/p>\n However, if you have a regular 12V deep cycle battery, you need a solar charge controller between the panel and the battery.<\/p>\n Power stations I talk about above do also use 12V batteries, but they have more components than just the battery itself, like an inverter and a charge controller.<\/p>\n The solar charge controller will regulate the voltage and charge the battery safely. Which size and type of charge controller depends on the battery you have.<\/p>\n If you want me to help you find one compatible with your panel and battery, please leave a comment and tell me as much as possible about your setup.<\/p>\n If you look at the specifications of a solar panel you will see a lot of numbers that can be hard to understand.<\/p>\n What matters the most when choosing a panel for a power station or a charge controller is the open-circuit voltage (VOC) and the short-circuit current (ISC).<\/p>\n As an example, if we take a look at the specifications of the popular Jackery Explorer 500 (click to view on Amazon)<\/a>.<\/p>\n It tells us that the DC input is an 8mm DC port, connected to a charge controller that accepts voltages between 12 to 30 volts and up to 100W max.<\/p>\n Or if you’re going the charge controller route with something like the Renogy Voyager 20A<\/a>. In its specifications the rated charge current is 20A, and the PV input voltage range is 15-55V.<\/p>\n Now that we know what the power station or the charge controller can handle, we can take a look at a panel.<\/p>\n The flexible Renogy 100W (click to view on Amazon)<\/a> is a popular one, and it has a VOC rating of 22.5 volts, and an ISC rating of 5.75 amps. I had to visit Renogy’s website to find the ISC, but it’s usually listed on the Amazon listing.<\/p>\n Since the VOC rating is within the 12-30V and 15-55V, it’s compatible with both type of setups.<\/p>\n You should never exceed the max input voltage of the charge controller. This will cause damage and can be dangerous.<\/p>\n What about the amperage? Well, Jackery doesn’t recommend going over 100W. And while you should stick to what the company says for warranty reasons, I have used two 100W panels with my Explorer 500 for years now without issues.<\/p>\n The Renogy Voyager is rated for up to 20A, or 260W in a 12V setup.<\/p>\n You’re not going to destroy it if you connect 300W or likely not even 400W (although I suggest talking to Renogy before doing that), because the charge controller will regulate the amps. Any amps over 20A will be wasted though.<\/p>\n Our setup have a couple more requirements in addition to being able to generate electricity.<\/p>\n Here are the main ones:<\/p>\n As thin as possible<\/strong><\/p>\n The thinner the panel, the harder it is to see. Sure, if you’re mounting a panel on a small Toyota Prius people are going to be able to see the roof of the vehicle and the panel, but on a taller car, truck, or van it won’t be as easy.<\/p>\n As light as possible<\/strong><\/p>\n Weight matters to travelers whether you have considered it or not. The heavier the setup, the more fuel it’s going to take to travel.<\/p>\n But it also matters here because car roofs aren’t made to take a lot of weight, and when you add several panels the weight adds up.<\/p>\n Easy to secure<\/strong><\/p>\n The thinness isn’t just important when it comes to the panel itself, but also in how we secure it to the roof of the vehicle.<\/p>\n Solar panels can be heavy and require thick mounts, and that’s a big no-no. Therefore we need one that’s light and easy to secure, preferably without screwing into the roof.<\/p>\n Waterproof<\/strong><\/p>\n A non-waterproof solar panel shouldn’t be mounted on a roof, for obvious reasons.<\/p>\n It needs to be a panel that can handle all types of weather. Low quality panels can’t handle a lot of either heat or cold, and then you end up replacing the panel within a year or two.<\/p>\n The solar panel<\/strong><\/p>\n The type of solar panel we need is what is called a flexible panel. These are thin, lightweight, usually waterproof, and easy to secure to a roof.<\/p>\n There are a lot of different brands to choose from, but I recommend sticking with a reputable brand like Renogy, Newpowa, and Topsolar.<\/p>\n Here is a table with a couple of different panels that I recommend.<\/p>\n <\/p>\nWhat You Need To Know<\/h2>\n
Use with portable power stations<\/h3>\n
Use with 12V battery<\/h3>\n
The basics of volts and amps<\/h3>\n
The Requirements<\/h2>\n
The Answer<\/h2>\n