SUITCASE SOLAR
I am now selling these Portable Suitcase Solar systems. They are totally plug-and-play. You can be charging your battery 5 minutes after opening the box. They are 90 watts and your cost is $425 including free shipping. Email me akrvbob@gmail.com for more info.
In the photo below you see the solar panel packed for transport. It has a high quality, 90 watt, monocystalline solar panel, solar controller, and all wiring included. Not set-up required. It is totally Plug-and-Play! It weighs 43 pounds and is not difficult to handle.
In the following two photos I am have opened the suitcase and I am opening the solar panel. It is actually two, 45 watt solar panels hinged in the middle.
In this photo I have attached the alligator clips to the positive and negative posts of my battery, and I am charging the battery. It took me a total of about 5 minutes to set it up!!
In this photo you see the attached fold-down legs, solar controller, and wiring.
This is the first product I have liked enough to sell myself. The reason I love it is it will finally bring solar power to many people who would never have solar without a system this simple. For whatever reason, they are totally intimidated by solar power and would rather do without it than try to figure out how to install it themselves, and that it a real shame because solar power will revolutionize your life.
This simple system is also perfect for anyone who doesn’t want to mount anything on their van or doesn’t have space on their roof. It also has the huge advantage that in the summer you can park your car, van or RV in the shade, and move the panels out into the sun!
I wish I could sell it for less but the distributor I am getting it from will not allow me to sell below his price. But to add value to my readers I am offering free shipping in the continuous 48 states. I am also available to you to answer any questions you may have about the system both before and after the sale.
If you have any questions or want to purchase a system, contact me by email at akrvbob@gmail.com
Bob, for those of us who are not solar savvy, what are somethings we could power with this system?
Bob will give a better answer, but think of a complete solar system as merely a different kind of battery charger. It’s intended to charge one 12v flooded battery system, so although it probably could directly power a device like a fan or small cooler, you’d really rather have it charge a battery and run the device(s) off the battery. That way, when the sun dives behind a cloud, your device keeps going instead of slowing down or shutting off. So the answer to your question is…any 12v DC device that doesn’t pull so much power that it would run your battery down quicker than you want. It can also power an inverter that will let you run many 120v AC devices, too. If you look at some of the stuff in Bob’s Mobile Living Store, you can get a rough idea of just a few things it can power.
This 90W suitcase system looks to be powerful enough to charge at least one stout 12v deep cycle battery, so anything you can satisfactorily run off of your chosen battery is what you can use regularly. In a sense, the solar charger has little to do with what you can run – it’s a battery charger, not a device power source. In the sunny Southwest, a typical 100aH battery would easily recharge in a day. You wouldn’t want to try to make this system charge three or four at a time, though! You’d need more/bigger panels, and you probably wouldn’t be running such a hearty power system in a van, anyway! Overkill!
Craig, it varies by the time of the year, but it should meet nearly all your normal needs:
I think that is fairly conservative and it would easily let you do that.
Wow!! I like it !
Bob…This is something I have been waiting to hear. I just bought a 13 foot Scamp and will be pulling it with my 2001 Subaru Forester. I would car camp before this, but now I’m excited to have the Scamp. June will mark my 70th birthday..my husband doesn’t want to leave his stuff..I feel good so I’m heading for Arizona to be warm in January through March. I think this solar suitcase will be my ticket to freedom when I want it. My question/concern is..will the battery power a fan at night and my laptop off and on..on a daily basis. Guess it would be too much to ask of it to power a microwave or tv. Thanks for offering this Bob..I think my budget will allow me to purchase it next month…Jan from Oregon
Hi Jan, I have a friend who tows a small Scamp with a Subaru and she loves it! It struggles with hills, but lots of cars do. Yes, the Suitcase solar should be able to meet your basic needs. However, I would be concerned that it might be too heavy and awkward for you. You might be better off with the flexible solar panels. They are light and easy to work with. You just roll them up and put them under the bed and then lay them out on the ground to charge your battery. They can also be put on the roof of the Scamp so you don’t have to do anything.
If you can come to Arizona, I will help you figure out how to have solar. I am going to be in northern Arizona all summer and then in the fall I will move down to the desert. You are always welcome in my camp!!
Bob
You are too kind, Bob. I will take you up on your offer this summer if my son and I can’t figure it out. How much does the solar suitcase weigh? Unless it weighs a ton, I bet I can handle it. How about the battery..can I keep it mounted on the front of the Scamp like the one that is there already? I like the idea of parking the Scamp in the shade and putting the solar outfit out in the sun…Thanks again for your kind expertise, I appreciate it! Jan
Hi Jan – if it helps, I’m almost 70 and can carry this unit ok. Bob can correct me if I’m wrong, but I believe, it’s about 24 lbs. m.a.
Thanks m.a.
This sounds like the unit for me! Oh yes, I can handle that much weight..
M.A. do you have one? Or did you see them at the RTR and try carrying one around? They are 34 pounds.
I have a friend with one who lives in a Astro minivan and she found it a hassle to lift it in and out of the van every day and found it difficult to find a place to carry it. So I mounted it on her roof for her. But she drove a lot. If you are in a trailer and rarely move it, that wouldn’t be a problem.
I hope everything is going well with closing up your apartment! Have you found it difficult to let go of some of your things?
Bob
You are welcome Jan. Honestly, installing solar is not nearly as difficult as it sounds, and I would be glad to walk you and your son through it.
The Suitcase weighs 34 pound total and most marine batteries weigh around 60 lbs. You can mount the battery on the tongue of the trailer no problem and that would make it much easier. I thought about buying a 2-wheel dolly and mounting the battery on it and then I would use it to roll the Suitcase and battery as far away from the van as I needed to get it in the sun. That way all I would have to do is lift it in and out of the van. From then on it just rolled. I could mount an inverter on the 2-wheeler and use an extension cord to run the power to the van. if I had a 100 foot outdoor extension cord, the solar panel could be 100 feet away from the van to find sun. In my experience in the Sierras and the Rocky Mountains, it would be very easy to camp in full shade and find the sun, although I would probably have to occasionally move the solar panel to keep it in the sun. But if it was on wheels, that would be easy.
I’m glad to help you in any way I can!!
Bob
Thank You Bob…I’ll email this to my son and get his thoughts on it..As for me, I like the dolly idea and could just roll in up into the Scamp or even put it in the Subaru..something to think about..thanks again..I’ll stay in touch. Jan
Jan, being able to park in the shade is a huge plus and the dolly makes it easy!
Bob
That sounds perfect, Bob. I’ll be getting my van and setting it up in September. It’s a big relief to know there’s a system as simple as this. But I assume it’s too much to hope that it would power a fridge too.
There are people in the VW community who have been running the Truckfridge off a deepcell & a solar panel for some time. They get days of running the fridge off one battery.
I guess the question is would the 90w panel do it?
Rob, I am not familiar with the Truckfridge, but I use a Dometic/Waeco compressor fridge and it will run it no problem. I think the Truckfridge uses the Danfoss compressor as well, if so, it will handle it no problem.
I’m getting quite a few questions on what a 90 watt panel will run, so my next post will be about that and I can answer in more detail.
Bob
That would be great, Bob, thanks. One question I hope you will answer in your post is why you need 330 watts of solar panels plus a generator and what you run on them.
That’s simple LaVonne, MORE SOLAR IS BETTER, YOU CAN’T HAVE ENOUGH!! I’m just kidding, (not really though). The main reason I have so much is I have a complete system on the trailer and a complete system on the van. That way when I take extended trips in the van and leave the trailer behind, I will still have power. But a second reason is I have both a 12 volt fridge and the Satellite TV. With 330 watts I have an abundance even with that much draw. I don’t think just my original 190 would have met my needs after I added the Satellite TV dish and receiver. I am considering getting an electric bike and I would still have enough to keep it charged.
When people ask me how much solar they need, my answer is always “As much as you can possibly afford!”
Bob
Bob can these units be wired in with others have you tried two of these packages to obtain more volts or using them to charge quicker
Hi Royz, I have not done that. But, because they attach to your battery with simple alligator clamps (like the ones on a jumper cable) you can just buy a second unit and clip them both to one battery, doubling the amps going in. Your first thought might be that is a waste because you have two controllers, but I don’t look at it that way. I look at it as redundancy which I feel is a good thing. Living in the middle of nowhere, I like knowing that if one fails, I still have power coming in.
Bob
I purchased the 130W suitcase.The case was damaged by UPS in transport. I have emailed the vendor to let them know, even though UPS said they already notified them. I’m hoping to get the case replaced as there is no way I will be able to move this around without the handle, it is to bulky. Will let you know how well they handle this as I doubt you would want to put yourself behind a company with poor customer service.
Hi Ellie, I’m sorry for your troubles. Several people are selling them so I need to know who you ordered it from? I’m not selling the 130 watt panel because it is so much larger and heavier than the 90 watt that I’m not sure it is a good fit for vandwellers. It’s size and weight probably contributed to it being damaged in transit.
I’m sure it will get straightened out whoever you ordered it from.
Bob
I got it through Colorado Solar. They are rocking the returns! It turns out that only the case was damaged but they are replacing the whole thing
Hope you are enjoying your vacation w/Mom!
hey bob- man you are just a terrific resource as is your forum…my question is about the deep cycle battery…how many times can you charge it before it dies?? This is what I have always heard is the weakness of solar systems…the lead acid batteries just don’t have much of a life…any time frames from your experience on battery life?? Guessing you’ve gone thru a number of batteries in your vandwelling life… And there apparently are several kinds of deep cycle and marine batteries… They say these new long-life nickel something or other batteries will revolutionize solar – but when?? thx Dust
Thanks for your kind words Dust! That is a very good question! When you take a full battery and use it until it goes down to 1/2 capacity that is called 1 discharge cycle. Every battery is made to be able to do a certain number of cycles, depending on their purpose. Lets look at some different batteries:
1) The battery we are most familiar with is a starting battery and it is designed to be kept constantly charged by the battery. Because it is not expected to be cycled at all, it can only take 6-8 discharge cycles. So if you leave your lights on one night and it goes way down, that is okay. But if you repeat it and keep doing it the battery will be destroyed. Most will be trash after 6-8 discharge cycles. but, if you are careful that shouldn’t happen and the battery should last many years, 5-8 is typical.
2) A marine battery is a hybrid battery designed to do two things start a boat motor and then power it. So it is much more able to not be damaged by discharge cycles. I don’t know exactly how many cycles they are designed for, but lets guess it is 200 times. If you take your boat out on 10 weekends a year that would be 20 cycles and the battery can be cycled 200 times so it would last 10 years for an average boat owner. Pretty good. But if you put that marine battery in your van and discharge it every day, it will only last 200 days (about 7 months) not so good!! if you discharge it every other day that is only 400 days (about 13 months) still not very good!
3) Finally lets look at golf cart batteries. They are designed to be discharged 1000 times or more. So the golf course rents it out every day and it is discharged daily so it will last 1000 days and then need to be replaced. But that is just short of 3 years so it made them a lot of money and they happily replace them! Now lets assume you put them in your van and because you have solar they only run down every 4 days, they will last you 4000 days which is 11 years! they will get old and fail before that but 8-10 years is very reasonable estimate for golf carts in a van with solar that is babied.
The bottom line is if you get golf cart batteries and treat them well you should get many good years of service out of them. Whether you get lead acid or AGM is up to your risk tolerance and laziness. If you won’t maintain lead acid batteries with water, then expect to replace them after 3 years or less. I expect to get 10 years out of my AGM golf carts because I have enough solar that they rarely cycle all the way down.
Bob