{"id":8212,"date":"2021-07-18T11:36:29","date_gmt":"2021-07-18T01:36:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.4wdsupacentre.com.au\/news\/?p=8212"},"modified":"2021-07-18T11:38:09","modified_gmt":"2021-07-18T01:38:09","slug":"how-to-choose-the-right-solar-panel-for-camping-pt2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/news.emgcloud.net\/news\/how-to-choose-the-right-solar-panel-for-camping-pt2\/","title":{"rendered":"HOW TO CHOOSE THE RIGHT SOLAR PANEL FOR CAMPING PT2"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Once you\u2019ve read and researched what\u2019s important you need to decide what\u2019s right for you. Adventure Kings has a range of different types and styles of panels. There\u2019s fixed panels<\/strong> <\/a>and semi flexible panels<\/strong> <\/a>that are ideal for permanent camping vehicle setups. Plus there are portable types including folding solar blankets<\/strong> <\/a>and folding solar panels.<\/a> <\/strong>There are pros and cons of each type, but of course at the end of the day the decision comes down to you and your setup or camping style! Read on to learn about the different types available and make the right choice!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So, first do you want a Permanent Solar Setup<\/strong> <\/a>or a Portable Solar Setup<\/strong>.<\/a> Well, permanent<\/strong> solar<\/strong> <\/a>is a fixed solar panel<\/a><\/strong> or semi flexible solar panel<\/strong> <\/a>that\u2019s mounted to the roof of your vehicle, camper trailer, caravan or boat. Some of the big pros of a permanent setups include that the solar is always set up and always charging so long as\u00a0 the sun is\u00a0 out \u2013 whether you\u2019re at camp, in a carpark or even driving. Plus, because it\u2019s always charging it can help reduce fuel usage \/ emissions if used with DC-DC charger<\/strong> <\/a>with solar priority charging. It charges your batteries while driving so your alternator doesn\u2019t need to work as hard. There are a couple of cons for permanent solar panels<\/strong> <\/a>though, first you\u2019ll need to be parked in the sun at camp for solar to work \u2013 you can\u2019t park in shade and this means your camp site is hotter and your camping fridge<\/strong> <\/a>has to work harder which uses more power! Adventure Kings permanent solar panels don\u2019t come with a regulator so need to add one to your list to complete the setup. For an even better option you could choose a DC-DC charger with built in MPPT<\/strong>.<\/a> Finally, although they\u2019re super convenient and always set up and ready to go, the downside is it will take up room on your roof rack and generally can\u2019t be moved so may not get ideal panel angle to maximise power or efficiency!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A portable<\/strong> solar kit<\/strong> <\/a>is a compact all-in-one kit that is easy to transport inside your vehicle and is quick to set up when you need it. Adventure Kings Portable Solar Kits<\/strong> <\/a>are an all-in-one solar kit<\/strong> <\/a>with regulator and wiring included \u2013 ready to setup and charge your Deep Cycle Battery.<\/a><\/strong> They\u2019re generally compact and easy to move or angle towards the sun for maximum power and it means you can park your vehicle in the shade to stay cool and still easily set up your portable solar panel<\/strong> <\/a>in the sun. Of course there are a couple cons – because unlike a permanent option, it\u2019s not always setup and ready to go, so you will need to set it up daily to catch those rays. If choose a portable solar kit they can be difficult to position to face the sun if they don\u2019t have built in legs (although having legs means blankets are the best of both worlds). Finally, choosing a portable solar panel<\/a><\/strong> means it won\u2019t take up a permanent spot on your roof rack, but you will need somewhere to store inside your vehicle too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you\u2019re leaning towards choosing a portable solar kit you\u2019re still not out of the woods – next you need to decide whether you\u2019re after a folding solar blanket<\/strong> <\/a>or folding solar panel! <\/a><\/strong>First, a folding solar panel <\/a><\/strong>is two typical solar panels joined with hinges in the middle that allow them to fold down to half their size for easy transport. They are typically made with alloy frames and glass top layers to protect the cells inside. They have some very good things going for them – first of all Adventure Kings Folding Solar Panels<\/strong> <\/a>are an all in one kit. They come with a regulator and wiring, which are built into the back of the panels and are accessible when the panel is opened up. That means they\u2019re a super easy and fast setup, so you can start charging fast. Folding solar panels are typically a little more rugged than portable folding blankets thanks to the tough alloy frame and one big pro is that they have built in legs that make it easy to point at the sun to maximise power and charging efficiency. However they\u2019re a bit bulkier and heavier than a folding solar blanket<\/strong> <\/a>with the same output and the glass can crack if you mistreat the panel – not is safety glass so it won\u2019t shatter into shards and the panel will still work, but not at 100%. In some cases the fixed regulator on a folding panel can make it slightly harder to plug your panel into a DC-DC charger, but in reality it\u2019s a 5 minute job to add a new connector!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Finally, folding solar blankets<\/strong> <\/a>are made up of multiple panels covered with p.e.t and framed with a polyester material \u2013 they pack up small by folding up to a quarter or a 6th of their overall size so they easily fit in your vehicle and they are lightweight enough to easily reposition or setup. Of course they are still an all in one kit and all Adventure Kings Folding Solar Blankets come with a regulator, wiring and connectors. They\u2019re all separate which makes it super easy to connect up your portable solar blanket<\/strong> <\/a>to a DC-DC charger.<\/a> <\/strong>On the other hand they could be considered a little less rugged than a folding panel – due to their lightweight compared to heavyweight nature – and they\u2019re less resistant to accidental moisture than folding panels. Finally, typical folding solar blankets that don\u2019t have built in legs can be difficult to position pointing directly at the sun for the highest power output – that\u2019s not the case with the Adventure Kings 250 Folding Solar Blanket<\/strong> <\/a>as it\u2019s not only a portable blanket but it has built in legs too!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Once you\u2019ve read and researched what\u2019s important you need to decide what\u2019s right for you. Adventure Kings has a range of different types and styles of panels. There\u2019s fixed panels and semi flexible panels that are ideal for permanent camping vehicle setups. Plus there are portable types including folding solar blankets and folding solar panels….<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":123456,"featured_media":7965,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[1],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.emgcloud.net\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8212"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.emgcloud.net\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.emgcloud.net\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.emgcloud.net\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/123456"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.emgcloud.net\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8212"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/news.emgcloud.net\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8212\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":8214,"href":"https:\/\/news.emgcloud.net\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8212\/revisions\/8214"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.emgcloud.net\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/7965"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.emgcloud.net\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8212"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.emgcloud.net\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8212"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.emgcloud.net\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8212"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}