Small camping setup

Im looking for some help looking for a small solar setup for my pop up camper. Im only looking to run a coffee pot, walmart griddle, and a small hot plate, but I'd like to be able to run them simultaneously. Ideally id like a roof mount panel and a portable panel incase of tree cover. Any suggestions?

All at once is a massive system for a pop up. I would focus on propane.
Otherwise need to list the appliance input wattage.

Oof.
Three high draw appliances simtaneously..
Tough call.
At minimum you will need 3000W continous output to support all that.
AND. A battery bank large enough to support the draw.
A 12v system will need 250Aoutput so you will need about a 300Ah bank minimum.
24V would halve the amp requirements wiring and fuses, for the same inverter capability.

If you use an induction cooktop, you will need 4Kw inverter.

Now, if you stage one or more appliances, the draw drops by 1000W or so.

Use the coffee maker first, dont let it steep, then the griddle, and then the hotplate, draw drops substantially if you stage it.

You likely won't have the carrying capacity on your pop up for a system large enough to run all three at the same time.
You probably need more than one panel on the roof also.

Seems to me you would need at the very least 400-500 watts of panels, and you would always be relying on stored power to provide all the cooking/coffee (300ah, or you could get by with 200ah with staging as supervstech pointed out) hope you camp in a bright sunny area

As others say, with all those resistance appliances you are really asking for a lot of electricity. I suggest that you adapt your lifestyle and you will save a ton of money.

First, go with a propane stove. Coleman classic highly recommended. Buy an adapter hose and can use with small propane refillable tank. OR buy a refill adapter and refill your disposable cylinders. I do both. Carry the tiniest 5lb propane tank and 3-4 disposables that I refill instead of tossing.

2nd. Get a press pot or something similar and boil water, use pot. You will love the coffee you get and they are so much more effiicient and easier to clean than machines. Coffee press pot

Electric griddle? - buy a cast iron one for $20 and use it on the stove.

The really helpful use for solar is for a fridge. The 12v ice chest types are getting very cheap. This is a cheap brand that is well reviewed. There are cheaper.

Or go with one that has a battery of it's own from Acopower. Go check the acopower website if interested and they have good folding panels as well. Don't get the fabric - go for the solid ones.

Another path more flexible than a battery in the cooler is to get one of the portable power supplies often misnamed as "solar generators. Bluetti is a well reviewed brand that is not overpriced. Ankar, Acopower or Ecoflow should be good. Buy Goal Zero or Jackery if you like to pay extra for the name.

Once you have this setup, you might get some panels to install on your roof.

Or maybe you don't even need solar with propane filling all your needs except the unmentioned fridge and lights.

I camp like this on a boat. The short answer is: Portable Electric is lousy for heating. Lighting - great. Charging devices - great. Running fans and motors - good. Running pumps - ok when done right. But heating? Nope. Propane, sterno, sticks in a hobo stove: all smaller, lighter, and cheaper. Burning anything releases a LOT of energy.

Ok, that said, I think its doable if you plan it out:
- Make your coffee first and have a good insulated pot/thermos/carafe to put it in. A drip coffee maker is most efficient in my experience, especially if you have one that you can turn the warming plate off. (I still prefer my cowboy coffee that is boiled, but that requires fire or a kitchen stove)
- THEN use the griddle and an induction hotplate with induction cookware. You are probably using the griddle at a 50-60% setting, unless you like burnt pancakes. Induction is about the most efficiant energy transfer method available in modern cooking along (arguable neck and neck with a microwave)

Use your setup at home before you ever hit the road so you know what to expect.

I have been happy with my Ecoflows that I bought last year. The big Delta Pro units can handle this, but you might want a spare battery and use plug in charging when available (are these weekend trips or a month in the wilderness?) . Think of the solar panels as a Booster or Extender when actually camping. Unless you setup a nice 16x16 canopy of panels and then you have a nice sunshade to relax under. And you'll need to relax after moving all that weight.

When you are looking at panels remember that in the real world, you will get about 10-15wt per sq foot of panel in ideal conditions. You might win the lottery and get 20 with a really good panel and desert sunshine - until they get hot. But that is still a lot of square feet to get a killowatt. And you are going to be burning through the kilowatts heating food and water.

Happy camping!

as many others have pointed out, it is hard to beat the energy density and cost of a bottle of propane. Don' take this wrong, as I travel with a pair of 100s loose and an MPPT controller on our 5th wheel, but not for heating things up. I don't bother with mounts because the best camping spots are full shade most of the day.



I can boondock indefinitely in the summer with that. Winter can be problematic if you get several cloudy cold days. Those big furnaces use a ton of battery for the two blowers. If that's the case, have Honda Will Travel.

Been there, done that.

You can do more than you think with the right tools and prep.

I got 800w of panels on the roof with space for my combiner box with no issues. I threw a 2kw LF AIO under the bench, replaced the converter with a DIN rail box and breakers, built a pair of 280ah batteries with heating pads, etc. I ended up almost completely rewiring everything inside because mine was a Friday build and there were a minimum of 3 blue splice clips in every wire from the factory.

Granted I can weld so making battery racks and fabbing up a new bumper were easy for me.