Renogy Suitcases?

[JohnMD]

Hi all,

I am considering purchasing a Renogy 100W suitcase for when we don't have an electric hookup.

https://www.renogy.com/100-watt-eclipse-monocrystalline-solar-suitcase/

I am trying to decide between the 100W and 200W. I would rather go with 100W for now because it is smaller, lighter, and less expensive. Am I correct that I could always purchase a second suitcase and connect them to gain more charging power in the future, if desired?

We have reservations for Yellowstone next July (9 nights with no electricity). I've done two weekend trips (2 nights) so far on just battery and we were okay on battery charge. It seems that our main needs are: water pump, limited light usage, toilet pump, topping of phone battery charge, and maybe the the furnace for a few minutes in the morning to take the chill off.

Does anyone have experience with the Renogy suitcases? Any other thoughts or suggestions?

Thanks,

John

[B_and_D]

I don't remember exactly which one we bought; but it's 100 watts. I like it how we can move it around. Buy some extra blade fuses if you buy one. We went through a few of them and thankfully they had them at Lake Almanor. You can save a bunch of energy by buying a 3 gallon water dispenser and putting it over the sink. Use paper towels and plates. Same with the toilet. Use the campground facilities and just get a can of spray Lysol. We upgraded all of our interior lights to LED's, and use portable lights that run on rechargeable batteries.

Less is better when you are boondocking.

[ShrimpBurrito]

I went through this same thought process several months ago, and looked at the Renogy suitcases as well as several others. Ultimately, I decided that if I was going to do solar, I was going to do a permanent install on the roof. As long as you do the install yourself, which I would do, it would actually be cheaper, and further, it would be one less thing to pack in the car, store at home, and setup and tear down at camp. Plus, you get charging while driving, and during periods when you may not want to setup a suitcase. Unless you simply don't have room on the roof, which I don't see being the case in a Trailmanor, I just don't see a reason to go the suitcase route. It's only advantage is that it's ready to go out-of-the-box, but that's a short-term advantage.

You don't really like very many large electrical loads. The water pump and toilet are negligible and not really worth taking into account because they're on for such short periods. Likewise for charging phones, unless you're fully charging multiple phones a day, or more than once a day. The biggest battery drain BY FAR are incandescent lights, followed by fluorescent lights, so you'd so yourself a huge favor in swapping those out if you haven't already. I recently saw these in action, and really liked them: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B084T73X46

The furnace is also a significant drain, about 2.5 amps (about 2 incandescent lights). If it runs for an hour, that's 2.5 amp hours. If you do that for 9 days, that's about 23 amp hours. If you have a "standard" battery as what the factory installed, you've probably got 50-60 amp hours available, tops, on a fully charged battery in good condition.

If you are really set on solar suitcases, check out the semi-rigid panels. Here's an example of what I perceive to be a higher-end brand, but there are other off-brands that might be just as good: https://www.amazon.com/BLUETTI-Station-Portable-Foldable-Outdoor/dp/B08XB4FW2H

They're far lighter and easier to manage, but certainly more expensive. I get the sense that they might not be quite as durable as aluminum-framed rigid panels, but they might be good enough if you take care of them.

Dave

[JohnMD]

Dave,

I remember your post from earlier in the year and just went back and read it again. How did you end up securing your panels? I guess I am looking for an easy solution that doesn't require a lot of work, running wires, drilling into the shells (and potentially messing something up!), etc., and allows for moving the panels into the sun when parked in the shade.

I already inventoried all of the different light bulbs and plan to replace them with LEDs that are available on Amazon. Not sure about the fluorescent fixtures yet, but I am looking at these:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07VWTBRJ2/?coliid=I2N7KTGEK8A3CO&colid=NUAX9QAGON2T&ref_=lv_ov_lig_dp_it&th=1

John

[B_and_D]

The reason we bought a folding panel and didn't mount it on the roof is because we like to camp in places with a lot of trees. It's better for us to be able to move them around to follow he sunlight.

[ShrimpBurrito]

I haven’t installed anything yet. Just haven’t had the time. But when I do, I’ll use some 3M VHB tape. But I’ll use more than 4 brackets per 100 watt panel, I think, or I may just get some long Z channel and use it along the entire length of each panel (or maybe 2 long brackets, to allow for some drainage off the roof).

Yes, you won’t be able to move the panels out of the shade when mounted on your roof, but keep in mind that your wire will have to be long enough to the panel to reach shade. Probably best to do to have such a long run, I think, between the controller and panel as that will be higher voltage than between the battery and controller. Otherwise there could be a significant voltage drop if you don’t use big enough wire. And note that most premade solar briefcases the controller is mounted to the panel, so right away you’d have to modify it. You could also readily make your own briefcase….it’s not hard. All you need is a controller, a panel(s), and some connectors. Wiring 2 panels in series will get you a higher output voltage and therefore better shade performance.

We often camp in the shade too, but I still decided against a briefcase for the reasons stated above, and I also didn’t want to be chasing sun all day. I would rather add additional panels to compensate for the shade than do a briefcase.

I only have one fluorescent fixture in my TM, and I got a conversion kit which was basically LEDs inside a fluorescent looking bulb. It may have even been cheaper at the time, though that was several years ago, but the advantage was that you could keep your existing fixture. Has worked great for us.

Where do you live, John? If someone is nearby, they may be able to come help you do an install.

Dave

[JohnMD]

As always, thank you for the thoughtful responses and insight. I was leaning toward the suitcase, but am now reconsidering a permanent install. As I think about it, the following thoughts and questions come to mind.

1. On my 3023, it looks like I would have room for three 100 watt panels on the rear shell. For three panels, with hardware, it looks like that would add around 50 pounds of weight. For those who have installed hard panels, has the extra weight made a noticeable difference in opening the shell? Is this bad for the torsion system? Since the air conditioner on the front shell weighs more than this, I presume it’s no big deal, right?

2. Regarding VHB tape vs. fasteners, I think I would be paranoid about the tape failing resulting in the panels flying off with an ugly ending on a highway. Also, I wonder if removing the tape in the future would damage the paint/finish. My concern with drilling for fasteners is that, if I ever wanted to replace the panels or change configuration, then I’d have extra holes that I don’t want. So, I was wondering about this: Using some Z-brackets and aluminum bars, install a permanent “roof-rack” (two parallel bars like a luggage rack on a vehicle) on top of which additional aluminum bars could be bolted perpendicularly wherever needed, on which the solar mounts would be bolted. Then, if I desire or need to change out the solar panels or change the configuration, I could remove the panels and redesign the “grid system” that attaches to the permanent “roof-rack.” I would just need to drill different holes in the aluminum “roof-rack” bars. Does this make sense? Also, this would potentially eliminate the issue of mounting flat, rigid panels on a curved roof, right? Thoughts?

Thanks,

John

[rich2468]

As always, thank you for the thoughtful responses and insight. I was leaning toward the suitcase, but am now reconsidering a permanent install. As I think about it, the following thoughts and questions come to mind.



1.On my 3023, it looks like I would have room for three 100 watt panels on the rear shell. For three panels, with hardware, it looks like that would add around 50 pounds of weight. For those who have installed hard panels, has the extra weight made a noticeable difference in opening the shell? Is this bad for the torsion system? Since the air conditioner on the front shell weighs more than this, I presume it’s no big deal, right?



2.Regarding VHB tape vs. fasteners, I think I would be paranoid about the tape failing resulting in the panels flying off with an ugly ending on a highway. Also, I wonder if removing the tape in the future would damage the paint/finish. My concern with drilling for fasteners is that, if I ever wanted to replace the panels or change configuration, then I’d have extra holes that I don’t want. So, I was wondering about this: Using some Z-brackets and aluminum bars, install a permanent “roof-rack” (two parallel bars like a luggage rack on a vehicle) on top of which additional aluminum bars could be bolted perpendicularly wherever needed, on which the solar mounts would be bolted. Then, if I desire or need to change out the solar panels or change the configuration, I could remove the panels and redesign the “grid system” that attaches to the permanent “roof-rack.” I would just need to drill different holes in the aluminum “roof-rack” bars. Does this make sense? Also, this would potentially eliminate the issue of mounting flat, rigid panels on a curved roof, right? Thoughts?



Thanks,



JohnHi John- I took the exact approach you've mentioned for my installation of 600 watts of solar on an array that I've placed on the rear shell of my 2922KB.

The total weight of the 6 solar panels along with the rectangle aluminum bar used for the framing weighs just over 100 pounds. I've adjusted my rear torsion bars to make up for the weight, but think that I've hit about the maximum additional weight that I'd put on the rear shell. My TrailManor is only a year old and I can adjust the torsion bar further, when needed.

My 600 watt array covers almost the whole of the rear shell (when closed)...so I'd think you should be fine with 1/2 that, but I think when you start sizing solar panels you`ll find that it makes more sense to put 4 panels up there instead of 3.

I did the math and didn't want to 8 holes in the TrailManor roof shell for each panel so I mounted my panels to rectangle aluminum bar which is fastened via riv nuts to the aluminum edge channel. This way I only have 6 holes per side.

My array has been installed for about 3 months and has sustained camping wind gusts over 45 mph and trailering winds over 75 mph. It's been exposed to multiple rain storms and has been towed over 4000 miles.

You should be fine with 1/2 to 2/3 the weight if your torsion bars are in good shape and you mind the shift in rear weight behind the axle.

[BaconLover]

Hey Rich2468, can you post some pictures? I would love to see what 600W of solar panels look like on a TM!

[rich2468]

Hey Rich2468, can you post some pictures? I would love to see what 600W of solar panels look like on a TM!Hi BaconLover,
I don't have a photo handy of just the six 100 watt array, but do have a side shot from my last camping trip.

The TrailManor's roof shells have a slight peak where they meet (the ridge is almost 3 inches higher than the sides). That wasn't initially obvious to me when I purchased the rectangular aluminum bar I used as my frame, so I had to research a way to custom bend the bar so that the weight of the array just rests at the aluminum edging where the TM'S roof comes to a 90 degree angle with the side walls (and not on the relatively soft roof shell).

I still have about 3 inches of side overhang of the rectangular bar I need to trim flush with the side walls but I was able to find end caps and am fairly happy with the installation so far.

The 6 Renogy rigid panels are placed with 2 in the front running crosswise and 4 panels running lengthwise. The 4 rear panels over hang the shell about 3 inches, which is about the same distance my backup camera sticks out.


I'll do a full write up and share once winter settles in (giving credit to Matt Carver and others who I've learned quite a bit from)...



Richhttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20211127/dd2afeb3111286091c9fe4671caabb89.jpg

[rich2468]

Hey Rich2468, can you post some pictures? I would love to see what 600W of solar panels look like on a TM!I don't have a photo handy showing a top view of the 600 watt array from overhead, but here's a side view from my past camping trip....https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20211127/423b70da4df4965795b63b6f61885cc7.jpg

[rich2468]

Hey Rich2468, can you post some pictures? I would love to see what 600W of solar panels look like on a TM!


Hi BaconLover,
I don't have a shot from overhead of the array on my TrailManor, but do have a side shot from my last camping trip. The solar panels are arranged with two running across/ end-to-end closest to the front of the rear shell and four panels running lengthwise across the back.

[BaconLover]

Hi BaconLover,
I don't have a shot from overhead of the array on my TrailManor, but do have a side shot from my last camping trip. The solar panels are arranged with two running across/ end-to-end closest to the front of the rear shell and four panels running lengthwise across the back.

Cool! So they stick out a little on the back? That’s pretty awesome. Thanks for posting - let me know if you ever get an overhead shot (maybe when the TM is closed?).

[MountainBiker]

To the original question: I own one of the 100w Renogy suitcase solar panels (https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B079JVBVL3). I find it heavy, bulky, and a little bit of pain to set up and take down. However, it's not too difficult to move once set up, but it would be difficult for child to move it. In retrospect, for a portable setup, I would buy one of the many lighter weight folding panels.

[JohnMD]

To the original question: I own one of the 100w Renogy suitcase solar panels (https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B079JVBVL3). I find it heavy, bulky, and a little bit of pain to set up and take down. However, it's not too difficult to move once set up, but it would be difficult for child to move it. In retrospect, for a portable setup, I would buy one of the many lighter weight folding panels.

Thank you for the responses. I decided to go ahead an purchase the Renogy Eclipse 100W suitcase, which actually arrived today. Regarding its weight, I don't find it that heavy to move at just over 20 pounds with the controller. I know the older model is listed at just over 27 pounds with the controller, so perhaps that would be a little more of a pain? Anyway, I set it up in the driveway to check it out and it looks nice with everything working. However, it was a cloudy day and my battery was already fully charged from being on my Battery Tender. I look forward to spring weather when I can actually test it out at a campsite!