Solar power has quickly become the power of choice for campers. It’s clean, affordable (no running costs), versatile (you can get kits small enough to fit in a backpack to big enough to power a house), and is easy (and fun!) to set up.

If you’re after an all-in-one complete kit that is ready to plug in and start charging a minute after taking it out of the bag, then you’re in luck. Kings have 120W folding blankets and 160W and 250W folding solar panel kits that include regulators, cables, clips and bags. These are the simplest types of solar kits to use and are the most popular among campers for this reason – simple is often best. But if you’re keen to build or assemble your own DIY solar setup to suit your particular needs, let’s take a look at the different components you’ll need to get powered at camp without blowing your budget.

1. The panel

All solar kits need a panel of course. The Kings 110w monocrystaline fixed panel is one of the best building blocks you can get for your solar kits. It is compact enough to be fastened to your roof rack, camper trailer or boat canopy. In fact, you can easily fit two to many vehicles if you’re looking for double the output. Its solid aluminium frame makes it rust and weatherproof as well, so you won’t be replacing cracked mounts after your first trip or two away.

2. A regulator

A solar panel is no good to you without a good quality regulator. A regulator is the buffer between your solar panel and battery. It converts and maintains solar output into safe and manageable levels before that is put into your battery to charge. By turning incoming voltage into safer levels for charging, a regulator essentially protects your battery from an early grave from being overcharged.

Kings have two types of regulators for you solar kit. Both are extremely good value for money and are very affordable. Both are IP68 waterproof and dustproof so they’re last a long time in the weather. They both have three stage charging – boost, equalise and float, and both are super easy to DIY install.

The PWM regulator is the most cost-effective option and transfers up to 83% of to the battery. The MPPT regulator is a little more advanced and can deliver up to 96% of solar power to your battery, meaning you get more charge for the same amount/time of sunlight. Either way you can’t go wrong.

3. Deep cycle battery

A good quality, deep cycle battery should be the recipient of your solar charge that’s come through your regulator in your solar kit. Kings AGM batteries are perfect for this. They are modern, leak and gas-proof batteries that are designed to be charged and discharged regularly. Unlike your car or 4×4’s standard starter or crank battery that doesn’t like being drained or flattened, a Kings deep cycle battery is designed to be used and then topped up hundreds of times in its life cycle. That means you can run a portable fridge for a few days, run the battery low, charge it back up, and it’ll be good to go again in a healthy condition. A standard cranking battery won’t like that.

Buy choosing a Kings AGM deep cycle battery you can put it in the boot of your wagon without stinking it up with gases. You can put either a 98aH or 115aH Kings battery in your camper trailer, boat, ute tray, or caravan, and run all your appliances off it, all the while being able to charge it from your 110w solar panel and regulator.

That’s the essentials of a solar kit – a panel and regulator and then a good quality battery to then connect your accessories to. But you can take your kit to the next level by investing in some quality CTEK charging systems and accessories.

The D250SA DC-DC battery charger, for example, will not only help charge your battery while you drive to and from camp, but it also acts as a solar regulator meaning you can skip the PWM or MPPT regulator if you’ve got a D250SA. This is a very smart charger that will allow you to run and charge multiple batteries as you upgrade your solar kit when your power-demands increase (bigger family, more electrical accessories etc).

You can also add something like a CTEK Comfort Connect battery indicator to your kit. This connects to your Kings AGM deep cycle battery and quickly shows you the charge level of your battery. This is handy as it helps you know how much charge you have left and whether or not you need to make sure you’re getting some more solar charge into your kit.

Camping solar panels are taking over campsites because they’re THAT handy. Whether you choose to buy a complete all in one kit or build your own using these steps as a basic formula, make sure you’re using quality components backed by a 12 month warranty and 30 day money back guarantee. And do your research to make sure you don’t end up paying more than you have to for quality gear – at 4WD Supacentre, we set out to make 4WDing and camping more affordable for everyone, and the price and quality of our products are proof that you don’t always need to pay top dollar for high quality gear.