Zamp solar

Leeh22

has anyone been able to find the 200w portable kit in stock.  I ordered in early May and couldn't even get a response from the folks I ordered from after they said it would be August, until I filed a complaint with PayPal.  Then I got an email saying Zamp keeps pushing back delivery.  And maybe September.  Next thing I hear is that my order has been cancelled without my confirmation that was what I wanted.

Nomad

Hmmmm, seems several are having trouble getting Zamp's - Wonder what's going on there, that much demand all of a sudden?
I know that this winter in a lot of campgrounds I was in, you saw a lot of solar, even tent campers. And I got questioned all the time about my setup.

HeatherM

I had the same problem trying to find an 80 watt Zamp portable. Everywhere said it wouldn't be available until September. I ended up picking one up on EBay.

Heather

Verna

My 200 Watt Zamp is on backorder, also. The end of August is the latest word I've gotten.

JacobyO

I have been wondering about the possibility of getting a GoalZero setup and trying to integrate that with my Outback somehow. I have the Zamp 120 that I got with the trailer but would like to add to the storage capacity.

Nomad

JacobyO - More solar would give you more "input" - more "storage" would mean more battery wouldn't it?

Bill_in_Tulsa

I have been reading that people are having problems getting Zamp 200W units.
Try
http://www.rvautoparts.com/Zamp-Solar-200-Watt-Portable-Solar-Charging-Kit-ZS-200-P_p_14867.html?gclid=CM7cicPhncgCFQooaQodrGIA1g

This where I got mine last month.....

Verna

I did receive my Zamp 200 watt on September 11, by the way. 

mickietucs

Verna said:

I did receive my Zamp 200 watt on September 11, by the way. 

Verna - did you get it from the place Bill mentions (rvsautoparts.com) or from Solardealz? I've been waiting for the 160watt from Solardealz and now wonder why rvautoparts has the 160watt available. I thought they were backordered for everyone. Also the rvautoparts has conflicting info posted. One place says it comes with a 10amp controller but further down the page it says 8 amps. Makes me wonder (and whether they're actually selling the new Zamp or if they have the older model in stock).

mickietucs

I sent a note to rvautoparts about the 160w. Even that place is waiting (at least for the 160w - not sure about the 200w) --- I received this reply:

Hello Michele,
The Zamp 160 is currently on national back order with An ETA of 1-2 weeks. They will be the newest version manufactured within the last month or 2 when they become available. The charge controller will be a 15 Amp that comes with the newest version.

Verna

I ordered mine from The Teardrop Store, Little Guy's store.

Bill_in_Tulsa

mickietucs said:

Verna said:

I did receive my Zamp 200 watt on September 11, by the way. 

Verna - did you get it from the place Bill mentions (rvsautoparts.com) or from Solardealz? I've been waiting for the 160watt from Solardealz and now wonder why rvautoparts has the 160watt available. I thought they were backordered for everyone. Also the rvautoparts has conflicting info posted. One place says it comes with a 10amp controller but further down the page it says 8 amps. Makes me wonder (and whether they're actually selling the new Zamp or if they have the older model in stock).

When I saw this, I called and talked to the owner...
He said that they are the biggest dealer of Zamp in the country!!! true or not, they have the product and he had told me that no one else will probably get any product for some time to come as they have a huge standing order for product.....

Verna

I ordered it and paid for on July 8th (the day I picked up my new T@B) and I received it September 11th (the day after my finger surgery and the UPS guy had to put it in the house for me). 

mickietucs

Bill_in_Tulsa said:

mickietucs said:

Verna said:

I did receive my Zamp 200 watt on September 11, by the way. 

Verna - did you get it from the place Bill mentions (rvsautoparts.com) or from Solardealz? I've been waiting for the 160watt from Solardealz and now wonder why rvautoparts has the 160watt available. I thought they were backordered for everyone. Also the rvautoparts has conflicting info posted. One place says it comes with a 10amp controller but further down the page it says 8 amps. Makes me wonder (and whether they're actually selling the new Zamp or if they have the older model in stock).

When I saw this, I called and talked to the owner...
He said that they are the biggest dealer of Zamp in the country!!! true or not, they have the product and he had told me that no one else will probably get any product for some time to come as they have a huge standing order for product.....

Bill - I did receive a quick reply from them which was impressive -- they'll get the 160w in about 1-2 weeks so I'll return to their site then. Supposedly Solardealz will also get some in but not sure when (and rvautoparts was a bit cheaper which is a plus).

Bill_in_Tulsa

Happy this helped....Good luck

RollingLagrima

I just received my Zamp 120 suitcase (two weeks ago) from the same place you ordered Michelle. Now I think I have "w" envy.  That said, most of my camping will be in/near the AZ/CA scorching desert for the next few years, so maybe 120 w will be sufficient in the end.  Time will tell.  Verna, I hope the finger has healed. My 120 w case was heavy but manageable from front door to guest bedroom.  It will get a trial run in a couple weeks.

Verna

Thanks, Sally. The finger will take about a year to totally healed, but it's a lot better.  It's a longer road than I expected, but the surgery has helped immensely.

While I will enjoy having the 200 watts, right now it is certainly heavy!  Hopefully I can start "playing" with my loading to make sure the suitcase will fit where I want it to. It wouldn't be fun to try to load it the day I'm trying to leave and find it won't fit. 

Nomad

Verna - Mine fits angled vertically behind the driver's seat. I found that to be the quickest/easiest place to put in and pull out. Once leveled, it's my first deployment.

Billcoady

Check out Cheyenne Camping Center Walcott IA.  I bought my 80watt Zamp from them. Good service and price. 

Verna

PXLated said:

Verna - Mine fits angled vertically behind the driver's seat. I found that to be the quickest/easiest place to put in and pull out. Once leveled, it's my first deployment.

PXLated, I'm hoping it will slide in the rear seat area behind the "pantry" tubs on the driver's side and the ARB on the passenger side. The seats fold down level, so I'll find out if they fit as I want. Thanks

Nomad

I find I can load my Jeep better and more organized leaving the back seats up.

mickietucs

RollingLagrima said:

I just received my Zamp 120 suitcase (two weeks ago) from the same place you ordered Michelle. Now I think I have "w" envy.  That said, most of my camping will be in/near the AZ/CA scorching desert for the next few years, so maybe 120 w will be sufficient in the end.  Time will tell.  Verna, I hope the finger has healed. My 120 w case was heavy but manageable from front door to guest bedroom.  It will get a trial run in a couple weeks.

You mean Solardealz? I haven't ordered yet as the 160w is on back order. I may end up using rvautoparts if their price beats Solardealz. Need to bite this bullet soon so I have something for the Feb trips (both of which are no hookups).

Michigan_Mike

For anyone interested these are the specs on the Zamp panels......

Nomad

I would definetly put that extension cable on one's list - I made one. If you want a nice shaded campsite but still use your solar, that will come in very handy. Using mine right now.

Wanderoo

PXLated -- How/where does the extension cable plug into the Zamp?  I can see that one end would plug into the built-in solar port on the T@B, but does the other end plug into the Zamp panel's existing cord?   

Nomad

Yep - plug the extension cable into the Zamp port and the Zamp panel plug into the extension. Some say you'll see a drop in charging the further away your solar controller is but I haven't noticed any.

RollingLagrima

mickietucs said:

RollingLagrima said:

I just received my Zamp 120 suitcase (two weeks ago) from the same place you ordered Michelle. Now I think I have "w" envy.  That said, most of my camping will be in/near the AZ/CA scorching desert for the next few years, so maybe 120 w will be sufficient.

You mean Solardealz? I haven't ordered yet as the 160w is on back order. I may end up using rvautoparts if their price beats Solardealz. Need to bite this bullet soon so I have something for the Feb trips (both of which are no hookups. 

Michelle.  I ordered mine from rv&autoparts and used their option to pay via my amazon account at check out. I ordered on Sept.19th and didn't hear anything for a couple weeks. I sent an email to rv&autoparts who graciously offered a refund if i wanted it, but expected my 120 to arrive to them within 4 weeks from Zamp (back order). I opted to wait it out and it arrived exactly a month from date of order (so 2 weekks earlier than they were projecting). Good communication.

RollingLagrima

Hi Michelle.  I ordered mine from rv&autoparts and used their option to pay via my amazon account at check out. I ordered on Sept.19th and didn't hear anything for a couple weeks. I sent an email to rv&autoparts who graciously offered a refund if i wanted it, but expected my 120 to arrive to them within 4 weeks from Zamp (back order). I opted to wait it out and it arrived exactly a month from date of order (so 2 weeks earlier than even they were projecting). Good communication.

Bill_in_Tulsa

I had a great experience with RV and Autoparts....

mickietucs

You've all encouraged me to lean toward them (and yes, their communication was speedy when I sent them a note on a Sunday). Thanks for the recommendation - I'd never heard of them before.

jkjenn

I keep holding out hope that Renogy will come through with flexible panels, again. 47 las is heavy!