Pickup Popup campers: roof mounted panels vs. Portable panels? What is your overland camping experience for best?

[Dave in AZ]

What do you folks think about the flat roof, with solar on it, vs just using portable? I see this, but haven't decided yet:
1. Solar on roof, pros-- always there ready to produce. More theft resistant. Cons-- have to park in sun, shaded camp spots likely give little power. Flat roof on ovrlnd results in 50% power at max. Heavy on roof and air drag.
2. Solar portable panels, pros-- not on roof, can park in shade, can place panel in sun, can angle towards sun better for more power. Lighter, no drag, don't have to mess with roof, less complexity. Cons-- have to mess with them to lay out and angle, maybe adjust. Have to store in camper. More stealable when not being watched.

So, what do you all think? Roof or mobile? I have a 330w portable, and a 130w portable, so I guess I could try just using them... but if folks think roof is way better, I don't mind putting 400 or 600 up there which will fit on mine.

P.s. I have a Tacoma OffRoad, which has a 400w inverter plug in pickup bed. There is a standard mod folks do to let it deliver 400w while driving, it comes stock 100w moving and 400w in park. Running a 1536wh solar gen Pecron power station. So I will plug my power station into that and get 400w dc to dc. Can still turn it off or run 100w if heavy alternator loads. Lets me get 30A dc to dc without having to mess with a piece of equipment.

Does anyone with a popup ever leave one side down, to angle panels, like a wedge lets you do? Say park facing south, then drop the cab overhang side down once you're awake in morning? Just looking for camping or overland experience on this decision, not really any system question. Thx!

 

[Bobert]

What do you folks think about the flat roof, with solar on it, vs just using portable? I see this, but haven't decided yet:
1. Solar on roof, pros-- always there ready to produce. More theft resistant. Cons-- have to park in sun, shaded camp spots likely give little power. Flat roof on ovrlnd results in 50% power at max. Heavy on roof and air drag.
2. Solar portable panels, pros-- not on roof, can park in shade, can place panel in sun, can angle towards sun better for more power. Lighter, no drag, don't have to mess with roof, less complexity. Cons-- have to mess with them to lay out and angle, maybe adjust. Have to store in camper. More stealable when not being watched.

So, what do you all think? Roof or mobile? I have a 330w portable, and a 130w portable, so I guess I could try just using them... but if folks think roof is way better, I don't mind putting 400 or 600 up there which will fit on mine.

P.s. I have a Tacoma OffRoad, which has a 400w inverter plug in pickup bed. There is a standard mod folks do to let it deliver 400w while driving, it comes stock 100w moving and 400w in park. Running a 1536wh solar gen Pecron power station. So I will plug my power station into that and get 400w dc to dc. Can still turn it off or run 100w if heavy alternator loads. Lets me get 30A dc to dc without having to mess with a piece of equipment.

Does anyone with a popup ever leave one side down, to angle panels, like a wedge lets you do? Say park facing south, then drop the cab overhang side down once you're awake in morning? Just looking for camping or overland experience on this decision, not really any system question. Thx!

I am not an overlander but we do boondock most of the summer in the north east USA. My thought would be to do both.

 

[Dave in AZ]

I am not an overlander but we do boondock most of the summer in the north east USA. My thought would be to do both.

Lol, I like how you think!

 

[littleharbor2]

Are your usual camping locations in regularly hot locations where you want the camper shaded? Do you find more moderate temps where you go?
TBH, I had both, fixed panels and free standing panels with my 5th wheel.

 

[justinm001]

Solar panels are like 2in thick so there isn't much drag. Also the roof has very little airflow on trucks, air hits the windshield ans goes up over the roof. Having panels on roof means they're always ready to go and everyday receiving power, including while driving. They take zero additional space. You can even make a tilt mount then tilt the panels when parked to get all the sun. Mines at a slight angle mounted and I get full power.

Portable panels take up precious room inside and need secured. You're then spending time setting them up every time you change camp.

Ideally you get roof panels then a set of portable panels as spares then can bring them along depending on how you camp that trip or weather conditions.

 

[Reed Cole]

Always be charging. Roof mount hands down if you had to choose one. I would start there and see how that works for you, supplementing with portables might not even be worth the hassle.

 

[scrubjaysnest]

We have both, in AZ they are plenty. 2 100watt. If we are in shade the 3 100 watt portables come out of the box built on the back bumper. Roof panels are always on.
Maybe you can build a storage space with easy access.
Our portable panels have never been a security problem in the back country since 2012 when we got them.

 

[hugemoth]

I have a pop up camper, an unusual design. It has a pair of PVs that are hinged at the front and a couple foldable struts at the back that prop it up to about a 35° angle. I park the truck facing south to get maximum insolation when in the desert but during the summer when parked in the forest it doesn't produce enough power to keep up with demand. Portable would definitely be better for parking in the shade but I just use the generator as needed.

 

[windsurfer]

Portable panels are a pain to deal with. I carry a set to augment the rooftop panels on my van. Idea was to have a suppliment for when we park in the shade. Turns out it is much easier to go somewhere, park in the sun for a couple of hours to charge and then return than it is to set up the aux panels. Someday I will take the panels out of the van and put them back in the garage since in 3 years, they have only been used for testing.

And just say no to generators (please)

 

[wme]

Both... I have 500w on the roof, old install. Also 200w portable for when shade parking is mandatory.

 

[DrObbins]

In my opinion both roof mount and portable have the same disadvantage if camping in shady areas. If it is shady, the sun will be blocked regardless. Portable can be moved, but do you want to spend your camping time moving solar panels chasing the sun? I went with 2 - 200W panels mounted on my A-Frame trailer. Forest camping is about 95% of the time for me, so 3 - 200ah batteries are installed. During the hottest of summer nights, they will power an AC unit for 2 nights. During cooler weather, haven't run out of electricity yet.

 

[soylentgreen]

here is an example of using a lightweight, flexible, solar panel in a roof mount that can be easily removed if you are parking in shade: link

 

[Dave in AZ]

here is an example of using a lightweight, flexible, solar panel in a roof mount that can be easily removed if you are parking in shade: link

Nice, thx!

 

[AstroBob]

Both, 2x100 watt on roof, powers house batts, 1.2Kilowatt folding panels 4x320watt for AC200.

 

[Rednecktek]

I'm planning on 4x 200w bifacial panels mounted to the roof in a 4p setup. I'll be throwing some reflective material underneath to bounce a little more light up onto the back side. It's less hassle than packing panels in and out, especially with how large panels are. If you have electric lift on the pop-up, the extra weight is pretty irrelevant.

 

[0truck0]

First step is to do a survey of your own power needs:
How much power do you need?
How long will you park in one location, in the shade?
How many watts of panels are you working with?
How many amp hour of battery do you have?

For me it has always been roof only. I like the idea of parking in shade and having solar in the sun, but parking in the shade has been sufficient. Yes, you get less wattage in the shade, but for me, has still provided enough watts to make it by. I do not park in the shade for months on end, a day or two and then move on, and even in the shade I get full sun around high noon anyway, enough to stretch out my available amp hours. I do not need all my battery's amp hours every 24 hours, so I can run a deficit for a week straight (more power used than replaced with the shaded solar), and still end the week with a battery that has some amp hours left.

I have noticed that the solar panels on the roof, slightly gapped off the roof for ventilation, are the shade! The inside ceiling is cooler under where the panels are than where the sun hits the roof. More panels equals more shade!

I do things when I boondock. I do not go boondocking just to go boondocking and play with the camper toys/solar panels/gadgets. All the gadgets are to serve my needs, not the other way around. I want simplicity and to not have to fiddle with gadgets. I want to do my activities and not waste time setting up solar panels or anything else. The more streamlined the camper is the more time I have for why I am there.
I have seen people whos main objective is to go out and play camper. They love setting up panels in the sun, deploying batwings, setting up tables, setting up outdoor kitchens, setting up a metal firepit, and playing with all the many items money can buy.... Is that you? If so, then of course, bring along more stuff like solar panels that you can occupy your time serving. I dont want to deal with it. I build a camper so that when I am camping that I do not have to play camper.

 

[MattiFin]

3. Solar avning? Maybe not applicable to pickup pop-ups but side mounted panels would give shadow and adjustable tilt for optimal angle.

 

[Pudbuster]

here is an example of using a lightweight, flexible, solar panel in a roof mount that can be easily removed if you are parking in shade: link

This looks like an excellent idea. Thanks for the pics and info in the link I think I would just go with the T-nuts and skip the velcro. Since I have the ability to weld aluminum I might go with a slightly simpler design. Is the panel thick enough that it does not flap around with just the one support in the center?