Amazon Sale on Suaoki 100W 18V Solar Panel Charger SunPower Cell Ultra Thin Flexible

dsatwork

Check Amazon now had to buy on two separate accounts to get at 135.99 each but this is a great deal.

I'm not ready to do the install yet but couldn't pass it up.

mgreen2

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01DXYNGA0

Amazon has this on sale again today only for $139. They also have the Allpowers flexible panel for $126

The flexible solar panels only have a one year warranty but it looks like most of the hard side panels, Renology etc have a 5 year warranty. Obviously if you are going to mount them on the roof the flexible ones are much easier.

For those who don't permanently install, how long have you had your panels and how did they hold up? I'm not ready to permanently install but like the look of the flexible ones to put on the roof when possible and away from the trailer if it is in shade.  

pthomas745

I bought the same panel on Prime Day, and have used it at home for practice with my emergency kit and with the Tab twice.  (Not installed on the camper, obviously.)  The panel feels like a plastic cutting board, just thinner. It feels strong and solid.   It weighs four pounds, compared to the 25 pounds my of 4 year old Renogy glass panel.  That is the beauty of it.  It is easy to move around and lift up to a table or the Tab's propane box.  I've hung it off my Outback's rear rack with ball bungees.  The panel has riveted holes along the edges.

Remember to buy an extension solar cable, since the one provided with the panel was way too short.

It works just as well as the Renogy glass panel, it is easier to move around into the sun and store in the camper or in my TV. 

The only down side is you need to find a way to prop it up, and then it needs to be secured to keep it from flopping over in a breeze.  I usually propped up the big panel with a box, etc, and it would take a decent wind from a specific direction to knock it over, but a 4 pound panel will flip over like a paper plate.  My last campsite had good sun and I just secured it to the trailer tongue with a ball bungee. At another campsite I used a box to tilt it toward the sun, and used a tent stake and guy line to keep it from flopping over.

One more edit:  After a few trips being moved in and out of the car, etc, I do have some minor scuff marks on the plastic.  I did make sure to cushion the "solar" side of the panel, but I think I will go one step further and cover it with a towel or something to prevent more scuffing in the future.

I'd buy another in a heartbeat. 

Verna

My Zamp has a 25 yr warranty, and that is one reason I bought it. 23 more years to go.....ohhh, we do not want to discuss how old I will be then, and I certainly hope I am still camping and using it then

jgram2

@pthomas745 You're onto something there-for some it might be a great solar learning tool. + controller + extra cable still isn't a huge $$ outlay.

pthomas745

When I started playing with solar about 5 years ago it was just something fun to try, to use for an emergency earthquake kit, and maybe someday use it for camera and gear charging while car camping. It was a bit bewildering at first, because web forums about solar power focused more on big setups rather than a "tiny" setup.  But info got through to me.   I wasted time and money with a small Harbor Freight kit. I bought the Renogy panel as an Amazon Warehouse deal that had a cheap controller with it, and managed to make it work.  Killed a couple of small 35ah batteries in a year because I didn't understand "state of charge" and how to monitor it.  Learned how measure a battery with a small digital voltmeter a couple of years ago, and that helped a great deal.  That 35ah setup worked great for laptops and camera batteries.  I even used a small desklamp at one campout when friends claimed it would never work all night.  The next time I brought a small fan and ran it all day, and they all went out and bought panels, too!

The only thing I had to figure out with the Tab was how to use the Zamp connector with the dreaded "reverse polarity!"   ( I just used good old alligator clips for the first couple of trips.)  I still carry around the 35 ah battery for the laptop and camera batteries, keeping the Tab's battery just for the Tab. 

I will say that solar power does not have to be so intimidating to new users.  So much advice on the web immediately devolves into equations about voltage drop or latitude for sun angles and length of solar days and amps x watts divided by the framistan.......it doesn't have to be so complicated to start out.

rkj__

pthomas745 said:

When I started playing with solar about 5 years ago it was just something fun to try, to use for an emergency earthquake kit, and maybe someday use it for camera and gear charging while car camping. It was a bit bewildering at first, because web forums about solar power focused more on big setups rather than a "tiny" setup.  But info got through to me.   I wasted time and money with a small Harbor Freight kit. I bought the Renogy panel as an Amazon Warehouse deal that had a cheap controller with it, and managed to make it work.  Killed a couple of small 35ah batteries in a year because I didn't understand "state of charge" and how to monitor it.  Learned how measure a battery with a small digital voltmeter a couple of years ago, and that helped a great deal.  That 35ah setup worked great for laptops and camera batteries.  I even used a small desklamp at one campout when friends claimed it would never work all night.  The next time I brought a small fan and ran it all day, and they all went out and bought panels, too!

The only thing I had to figure out with the Tab was how to use the Zamp connector with the dreaded "reverse polarity!"   ( I just used good old alligator clips for the first couple of trips.)  I still carry around the 35 ah battery for the laptop and camera batteries, keeping the Tab's battery just for the Tab. 

I will say that solar power does not have to be so intimidating to new users.  So much advice on the web immediately devolves into equations about voltage drop or latitude for sun angles and length of solar days and amps x watts divided by the framistan.......it doesn't have to be so complicated to start out.

My foray into solar was pretty simple.  I bough a Coleman (re-branded Sunforce) kit with pannel, charge controller, and extension cable.  Plugged into Zamp port.  Done.  I know to expect less then the maximum rated output, because of "science."