How Can We Help?
Renogy Portable Suitcase Solar Panel
The Renogy 100 watt folding solar panel is light, easy to handle and very easy to set-up. It’s a true plug-n-play system to give serious consideration to.
However, that convenience comes with a price and it costs more per watt than the non-folding normal kit.
- The Portable Folding 100 watt kit costs $242 (as of this writing, all the prices I list here will change over time). Check the current price here here: Renogy Foldable Solar Suitcase 100W
- If you buy their non-folding 100 watt kit it costs $180. Starter Kit 100W panel, Charge Controller, Cable, Mounting Feet
So they charge an extra $60 for the convenience of the folding kit and if you need 200 watts then you double the extra cost to an extra $120 for two suitcase kits. You get a lot more convenience but at a high price. Only you can decide if it’s worth it to you.
The controller is mounted on the back panels so there is no permanent installation in the van.
- Because it folds, it’s smaller and much easier to handle. That mean that packing and unpacking it will be be faster and a much more pleasant experience. It also means it will be much easier to store away inside the van when you’re traveling. That’s very important if for some reason you can’t set the panel out and you have to live around it for an extended period time.
- It uses a better quality quick connects than most suitcase panels so they should last much longer. It also means that connecting it to the battery is super fast and easy.
- It has a built in stand so having it tilted correctly is very simple. Tilting it to the sun will give you a lot more power into the battery.
- The system (especially the controller) appears to be high quality and has a very good display of information. The people I know with them speak very highly of it and it has nothing but great reviews on Amazon.
- With the alligator clips that connect to the battery, you can easily move it back and forth to different batteries or even to different vehicles. For example, if your starting battery is getting low from sitting too long, you can just clip this onto it and charge it right up.
The Portable kit fold down into a small size and fits into this suitcase.
Once folded up, it easily tucks away in the van so you lose very little space while you’re driving between camps.
One great reason to buy a suitcase system is it allows you to park the van in the shade and place the panel far away in the sun. That way the van stays cool in the shade but you still charge your batteries. Something that will help you with that is a good extension cord so soon I’ll do a post about how to modify a standard 110 volt outdoor extension cord and use it for your solar panel.
The legs are very solid and hold the panel at the optimum angle for year around use.
Most portable panels come with cheap SAE controller that will soon fail; this one on the Renogy is a quality connector and will last many years. Plus, it can’t be connected wrong.
Who it’s for: It’s for you if … 1) You can’t afford to pay to get it installed and can’t do it yourself 2) You’re a boondocker who spends a lot of time on Public Land 3) You want to be able to park in the shade and still have the panel in the sun 4) You want to get the maximum power out of the panel by turning it to follow the sun and set it at the perfect angle.
Who it’s NOT for: If you live in the city then these really won’t work for you. If you set them out they are very likely to be stolen! If you don’t want to be be bothered with them they may also be a bad idea for you.
The PWM controller has an exceptionally nice display.
For an inexpensive controller, it has an exceptional number of features.
Price update: this morning Amazon shows the suitcase version at $270. The other one is still $180.
Calvin, yeah, you have to watch Amazon’s prices closely because they go up and down all the time. Renogy sells direct and sometimes they are on sale so you might want to watch there as well.
Bob
Thanks for reviewing these.
One warning. The back of these cells can get quite hot when out in the sun. Keeping this heat away from the roof of your RV is one good reason for using a portable PV arrangement. The controllers are mounted on the back of these things on a hinge so you can swing the electronics away from that heat when in use. That’s a great idea, and just one example of the serious amount of thought that went into the Renogy suitcase.
However, when they are folded the controller has to swing back against the cell to fit inside the frame. To make this easier, they use Velcro to hold the controller against the glass. They use a large area of Velcro for this.
When you first get the units, the Velcro holds the controller up against the glass so tightly it seems to be cemented there. Just pulling on it is frustrating. You will be tempted to pry it loose with something, and the something at hand is often a flat screwdriver.
DON’T DO THAT! It will require considerable force, and you may break the glass with anything metal.
After I stood looking at this thing with a screwdriver in my hand for a minute or so I finally had an attack of good sense and set it down. Then I used a plastic putty knife to GENTLY work around the edge of the controller and PATIENTLY pry it loose. It is quite a bit of trouble, but it does eventually swing down.
The good news is that after that first time the Velcro never grips that tight again, and you can just casually swing it closed and open with no trouble. I have set these things up dozens of times since without trouble. I don’t know what they do at the factory to make it stick like that, but they could have saved about half that Velcro and it would have suited their purpose just at well.
If you are in a van, a permanent mount on top will always be working, in town or out, on the road or not. Unless you like camping in the shade, which I generally do. That’s where these portable units really shine. For now I am resisting the idea of an extension cord, because any useful length – say 25 feet – would require a much larger diameter wire to avoid a lot of power loss, and thus quickly negate any additional sunlight gathered in. Thick wire also quickly turns bulky, stiff, expensive, and takes more room to store than is worth the candle for me. When I have used the Renogys in the field a while, I may change my mind.
But I certainly look forward to any experimenting along this line that someone else may want to do. A friend of mine suggested adapting some jumper cables, which with some thought to connections could still remain jumper cables. Which would be handy.
Bob, I’ve noticed the industrial strength Velcro before also. I had to yank really hard to get it to let loose on a friends system. I never did it again so it’s good news that it gets easier!
Thanks!
Bob
I have one of these and I love it. Yes, it’s more expensive, but the ease of setup and transportation makes it worth it so far. Their tech support is excellent, and the components are all high quality!
Thanks Richard, there is nothing as valuable as reports from people who own them. I’ve known other people who called customer support and they were all pleased with it just like you were. I’m glad you got such a great unit!
Bob
Yes, this IS a great unit! I bought mine a few months ago, and have used it hooked up to 2 AGM 220AH Lifeline batteries in my STEALTH cargo camper as well as my E350 van, with very positive results! Very happy with the unit! And yes, the Velcro they used at the factory must be super industrial strength, it really holds tight! And same advice on loosening it the 1st time—a plastic putty knife works great….after that, comes off easy! Highly recommend! In fact, thinking about buying another one!
Thanks for the feedback John, you are another of many happy Renogy customers. Another suitcase would be just right for your batteries and serve you really well!
Bob
If I ever buy another van it will be much simpler than the one I recently sold. This kit may well be the solar power I choose for it. Thanks for the link to it.
Linda, yours was one of the nicest vans I’ve ever seen, but it was big and complicated. Like Goldilocks, you’ll find just the right one for you!
Bob
looks handy. It also looks like they sell them without controller if you want to get a better one (MPPT for instance).
Ming, that would be an advantage because you could wire them in series and use a smaller extension cord to go further away without worrying about voltage drop.
Bob
For those who want to play with the idea of an extension cord, here is a calculator that may come in handy:
http://www.calculator.net/voltage-drop-calculator.html?material=copper&wiresize=5.211&voltage=14.4&phase=dc&noofconductor=1&distance=15&distanceunit=feet&eres=5&x=62&y=14
And here’s a quote from Renogy about extensions:
“How far are you planning to extend from the Anderson Power Pole connector? Because of the built-in controller, the current length that is included with this kit is the maximum allowed for #12 gauge for a 3% loss. If you are planning to extend the leads, say another 10 ft. we recommend around 8 gauge, so the extra loss is minimal.”
According to the calculator above: With the original 15 feet of AWG 12 wire, 14.6V as read at the controller is at most only 14.3V at the battery. So the original wiring gives you very close to the maximum loss you want to tolerate. If you change the wiring, you may want to experiment with increasing the output of the controller. Some adjustment is apparently possible, though I have not done so.
I have a small trailer, with the batteries on the tongue. The usual scenario is that I’m backing into trees from some sort of marginally navigable road, which is in sun. The wiring that comes with the suitcase will allow me to set it up just short of the doors of the pickup when it is hooked to the trailer. So, as a thumb rule for backing into shade, if there is sun in the bed of the pickup when I stop, I won’t need an extension.
Other types of rigs, with different setups, may find an extension more useful. And many a campsite will render all reasoning moot.
Very good point Bob. I use a 10 gauge extension so at 25 feet it would be about the same voltage drop as from the factory. Or you could get 8 gauge wire from Home Depot and go out to 40 feet and just crimp on Anderson ends.
Bob
10 gauge? Okay, then. When you referred to “modify a standard 110 volt outdoor extension cord” in your post, I thought you were talking about the sort you can buy at Home Depot, which are usually 14 or 16 gauge.
You’re talking about a “standard” 30A RV extension cord, I suppose. As it happens, I have one of those heavy suckers, though I haven’t actually carried it on the rig for a couple of years. I look forward to your post on how to adapt this to the solar wiring and still have it available for normal use.
I have one little dark cloud on my mind about this portable suitcase. The controller is not waterproof. It rains a lot in the mountains. Heretofore, I just tucked my generator back up under the trailer and left it running and locked to the frame when I wandered off for half a day or so. Can’t do that with the solar panel. There’s no way to expose it to the sun without exposing it to the rain.
Of course, the PV panels themselves are sealed and can be left exposed. On a “permanent” installation, the controller is usually installed inside the rig, or in a compartment. Putting the suitcase away when I leave camp is no real trouble. It just means I’ll only have the portable solar working when I’m actually sitting there with it, though. Maybe I can hang a baggie over the controller when I think it might rain. I mean, it’s not going to be actually sitting in water.
Portable is always going to be more of a nuisance than permanent. I guess I’ll learn to live with its limitations. But eventually I’ll probably get careless and get caught, and then I may be buying a new controller.
Or maybe I’ll figure a way to separate the controller from the panels. That’s where I’ll really need an extension, if this actually turns into a problem.
Until I obtain the knowledge and/or finances necessary to install substantial solar power in an urban stealth setting I will have to make do without some of the conveniences of a house. The first thing though is to have a home. Thank heaven for Bob and 7-Eleven!
Man on the Run, no doubt that for a vandweller in the city it has to be mounted on the roof and it is much harder to mount it on the roof and install the system. I just had to create a savings fund for my first system and save a little bit every month until I could afford it.
Good luck!
Bob
Bob, your comment about making an extension cord for the suitcase output wiring got me to thinking. I dug into the manual and I believe the best way to do that and avoid too much voltage drop is not to make a temporary extension cord that comes on and off, but to just permanently extend the original cord with whatever wire and length you want to use, figure (or better yet measure) the voltage drop, and compensate by increasing the output of the controller accordingly.
This is a pretty sophisticated little controller. It automatically senses and sets parameters for 12V or 24V systems. There are 4 “battery type” settings – Sealed, Gel, Flooded, or “user”. As a default, it comes set on Sealed (like most starting or marine batteries), so most RVers will want to change that. If you keep the original wiring that’s the only setting you have to change.
Each battery type setting comes with preset float, boost, equalization, and other settings appropriate to the type. The User setting can be manually set in any parameter for any voltage between 9V and 17V.
My suggestion is to make any extension a permanent extension, figure out the voltage drop, and increase the “User” output to compensate for that drop. It’s a little tricky, since there 14 different manual settings to make, but they furnish all the information you need to do it. You just increase each preset by the drop amount.
Of course, if you screw up these manual settings, you can ruin your batteries. So don’t. :o) Since the extension is to be permanent, you will only have to set them once.
Bob, that’s one way to go, but it becomes awkward to handle the long wire attached to the panel. I did that for a friend once with a 50 foot cord and he quickly got tired of this big mass of cord connected to the panel and battery.
The big advantage of using a standard outdoor cord with it’s normal ends on it is you can use it for anything. If you hard-wire the standard 3-prong ends to the panel and to the battery it is very, very simple to connect and disconnect them which makes the panels much easier to carry and stow-away. Plus you can use the extension cord for other things since it still has it’s 3-prong ends on it.
Bob
Bob, I am not an expert on solar wiring, but I can read a chart, and what I am seeing is that there is plenty of reason to doubt the absolute utility of using an long extension cord. The voltage drop on 50 feet of 10 gauge wire is not negligible. It is half a volt. That means that when your friend Dandelion’s controller tells her she is getting a “boost” voltage of 14.6V she is really getting closer to a “float” voltage at 14.1V. When she thinks she is getting a float voltage, she is really getting little more than a maintenance charge. At that rate it will take a looong time to charge up her batteries. She may well be better off to accept a bit less sun and a shorter cord.
There are two solutions to this problem, as I see it:
1. She can adjust the output of her controller to compensate.
2. She can use two 25 foot cords instead of one 50 foot (or some combination of short and long), so that when she doesn’t have to stretch so far for sun she can use the shorter cord and her battery will charge up more like it is supposed to.
For my part, I have a small Honda Eu1000i generator for those times when a short cord won’t do the job. It is a bit of hassle and makes a (very) little noise. But with the trailer’s converter plugged into it and pumping out 40A, it doesn’t take long to recharge a couple of batteries every couple of days. Certainly a 50 foot roll of 10 gauge cord is bulkier and probably heavier than that 30 lb. generator.
It seems to me the best answer to the endless solar vs generator debate is that it is good to have a little of both, if you can afford it and have a place to store it. Anyhow, that’s my two cent’s worth. Your mileage may vary.
I’ve heard that there are solar panels that you can put anywhere and even walk on them. That would be nice.
Hi Cae, you must be referring to the Unisolar 68 watt panels. They had a booth at the big tent at Quartzsite and they had one laid out as a floor matt in their booth. He said they had been using that panel as a floor matt for years at shows and after every show they hooked it up and it produced full power. I believe them!!
Unfortunatley, they were expensive and have gone out of business. Renogy is making a flexible panel and I believe it is probably just as good. Technomadia is doing a long-term review of it and I am looking forward to hearing their results.
Bob
This solar system looks awesome! A little complicated for a techno-idiot like me, though. What I need is a simple little solar unit to charge my iphone. Is anyone out there aware of a product like that? Inexpensive would be good… But I need it so bad I’d come up with some extra $$$! Thanks!
Click on the link Bob has supplied above. There are manu smallest solar charting setups for cell phones and small devices. Remember heat is the enemy of electronics so things will charge slowly or not at all if they get hot. A trickle charger on your dash with the phone set in the shade would work.
Maria, there are products like you want and they are a fairly good price. Here is an example of a little folding solar panel for $37 that will charge your iPhone:
http://www.amazon.com/ALLPOWERS-Technology-Blackberry-Bluetooth-Compatible/dp/B00LGJ32AO/
But, I promise you that you can easily figure out how to install the Renogy folding solar panel and it will make enough power to do many useful things for you and not just one very small thing. It can charge your phone, your laptop, give you LED lights at night and run a fan on a hot day. Think about how much you are going to need a fan in your van!!
Isn’t it worth just a little tiny bit of learning for all that comfort!! I promise you can do it!! I’ll send you my phone number and walk you through the whole process.
Bob
I agree with Bob. I started out with a folding Brunton solar panel and a couple of lithium external battery packs. The solar panel recharges the lithium external batteries which the smartphone plugs into. It turns out that the solar panel does not put out that much power, does not work half the time, and often I camp in the woods where there is not much sun, there are many cloudy days in the PNW…
I eventually bought a car battery booster pack with a compressor and a USB charging port. It does a good job of charging the phone for a week, and charging my AA’s for flashlights… so I’ve found a bigger system is more useful and you may find it is something you eventually spend money on anyways, so it may be worth it to skip the small charger.
Bob, you talked about beginners using those car battery boosters for power in the past. Could one of those suitcase systems be used to charge it up? How would they connect it?
Ming, I’m not that familiar with them but I think you would have to get the case open and clip the wires from the suitcase right to it.
Bob
Marie, if you are just wanting to charge your cell phone, you can purchase small solar charging units that you can hang out in the sun or even put on the dash of your vehicle. They are meant for backpackers and are quite handy. Amazon has them.
Marie, if all you are needing is to charge your cell phone, you can get a small solar unit meant for backpackers. It can be hung on a bush or even on the dash of your vehicle. They are very handy! Amazon has them.
The 100 watt kit is about the same price as the 45 watt kit that a certain inexpensive tool chain. Next time I get the money, i think i may purchase the 100 watt kit.
Douglas, right, it is a far better deal than the Harbor Freight 45 watt kits. It’s smaller, much better quality and produces over twice as much power but it only costs a little more money. It’s even much simpler!! Setting up the PVC frame of the HF kit is a pain in the but!
Bob
This looks great.
It seems like the next great (and obvious) evolution, would be to fabricate some sort of simple and secure bracket on the top of your vehicle that would lock into this bracket. Then, you would have the best of both worlds; you could use these on the ground OR on the vehicle. That would give you power when you were in the sun, when you were driving, AND when parked in the shade…
Scott, that’s a very good idea and I’m sure it wouldn’t be hard to do at all. Something as simple as aluminum angle iron bolted to the panels and then held onto ladder racks by U bolts with wing nuts would work.
Bob
This is the same exact system I bought last April. I’ve used it everyday for the last 6 months and love it.
you get what you pay for in cords. copper is more expensive than aluminum. most cheap cord is aluminum. so cord is rated for 600v. sjo is rated for 300v. sjo is your friend here. you will not put 600v thru it. only in an industrial situation or if you “sharing power” with a utility co. also some welders.
i have a 30 year old piece that hangs on the side of my house year around. s if for service. j is for junior. o is for oil resistant. w is for water resistant. so, sjo sjoow. you will do better if you folks go to a supply house. better selection and they will know what they are doing.
so is a little stiffer than sjo. get the most flexible one. sjo. or do what you want. besides being a master plumber, i’m a licensed electrician. i actually have more licenses, i just just don’t tell.
ice cream raz
Thanks Raz, that’s good info.
Bob
Hi Bob!!
Just read your book last night and now I’m checking out your website. I see that you are very knowledgable in solar. Wondering if you might have a solution to this problem.
A little foundation first…my husband and I are going to buy a Van to travel in and at some point we may go full time. We are just trying to do this cheap at first and if we like it make any affordable/necessary upgrades later.
We are looking at buying a Dodge or Chevy conversion van 18.5′ long.
I have been researching my brain to mush and still trying to find energy answers.
I cannot find any real answers regarding how many watts of solar and how much AH capacity we need to look for in batteries for our energy needs.
I suspect our needs will be (for 3 people living in the van, mind you)
– 2 lamps at 60 total watts for 4 hrs day
– 2 laptops recharged 2x day at 170 total watts for 6 hrs day
– 2 tvs at 300 total watts for 6 hrs day
– 1 game console at 300 watts for 3 hrs day
– 1 tower fan at 50 watts for 8 hrs day
If this is our energy needs for a 24 hour period of time….we use the alternator on the van (driving) to charge house batteries 4 hours per day….
1. Is a 1500 watt inverter big enough?
2. What is total watts of solar we need?
3. How many house batteries do we need? And at what AH rating?
I keep trying to learn this and coming up with different answers from every source that gives information to try and calculate this.
If you can help with this I would be forever grateful.
Thanks in advance.
Anissa
Anissa, I’m pretty sure that 500 watts and 6 golf cart batteries can meet all your needs (that’s 600 ah after you wire them in series). I’m fairly sure you are going to use less power than you think but even if you don’t 500 watts should do it. A 1500 watt inverter should be plenty, although I would get a 2000 and then you can run a microwave. Some thoughts for you:
1) With solar you have to learn power conservation because there are going to be rainy days. Only use what you need and don’t waste it.
2) Buy LED lamps and you can that draw by 90 % and have more light.
3) Buy everything native 12 volt that you can (fans for example) or find a 12 volt adapter for it. Nearly all laptops have a 12 volt adapter.
4) Use a tablet whenever possible because they use so little power and charge off USB.
5) You’re only awake 16 hours a day, will you really want to spend 12 of those hours in front of a screen. I suspect you will spend less than that once you are on the road.
6) Two TVs and two laptops all of them on all day?
I think you will find yourself enjoying life more and needing electronic entertainment less. If it’s for work, do you really want to take that much work with you on the road?
Either way, 500 watts and 6 golf carts should be enough. If it isn’t you can always add more.
Bob
I have one of those power packs. It can be charged with either AC or DC. Pretty sure I could hook the suitcase’s output to a female DC connector somehow.
Gypsy jane, if you get a chance to try it, let us know how it goes. If you already have one it makes sense to charge it from the solar panel. But on a dollar per amp hour basis you are better off with a marine or true deep cycle battery.
Bob
Bob,
Thank you so very much!!! I really appreciate all of your insight! Look forward to reading your blog. Thanks for helping so many of us who would love to live your life even if it’s only part time.
Anissa
Anissa, it’s my pleasure to see others follow their dreams whether it’s all out or just a little bit. There’s joy in the chase no matter how much you get of it.
Bob
I like that you mentioned its not for those who live in the city. I spend a lot of time in the city. Which makes me feel that it might be better to look at different options. Thanks for sharing.
Johnny, I can just imagine setting out the suitcase panel in NY City–It would be gone in a NY Minute!
They aren’t practical for the city.
Bob
Hi Bob,
I’m purchasing the 100W suitcase solar kit from Amazon for my RV setup in NH. This thread on Renogy was great help to decide which product to purchase. I looked at others including Eco-Worthy. The Renogy appears to be better constructed. Thank you. I will check back and let you know how it works out.
Jacjie, I think you’ll be happy with it. They make good stuff and stand behind it. It wouldn’t hurt my feelings if you went through my website to buy it! Just click on any link from my website, even if it is something else, and Ill make a little money and won;t cost you anything.
Bob
Hi Bob thanks for this suggestion I belkieve we are on the same page on looking at solar panels as a frugal and innovative investment for the long run. Keep up the informative articles 🙂
I’m a huge fan of solar power, how you can you not be when it provides all your power for free for the rest of your life!! No noise, no repairs, no maintenance, just clean quiet power whenever you want it! Bob
In July, while I was debating my options Renogy up graded their 100 W. suitcase from a 10 Amp Viewstar controller to the 30 Amp Adventurer controller which is what I wanted anyway. They also dropped the price of the unit from $280 to $265 (this was a sale price)and it came with the controller I wanted which would have been another $89 if bought separate. I needed to make my own cable and Connections So I started looking at Amazon and found that Windy Nation had almost everything I needed at reasonable prices. I think this is going to work for me very well. I was very pleased with the service and information I received from the techs at Renogy!
I’ve heard lots of good things about Renogy support, that’s a large part of why I recommend them.
By going solar today, you’re helping to create new green jobs in your community — jobs that can never be outsourced overseas. Equally important, your clean power investment helps to reduce fossil fuel imports from abroad.
Great! I am looking at running a portable induction hot plate rated at 800watts. I just wanted to ask if you had any experience running these off a solar system? Do you think it would run for 20 minutes or so?
I need some help. I just started being a van-dweller out of necessity. I’m in a minivan and I want to live partly in the city and boondock. However, I don’t really want solar on my roof because then I can’t park in the shade, and I’m concerned about drilling holes. I know, Bob, that you said the solar panels won’t work for van-dwelling in the city. Is there anyway that I can get it to work?? I guess I want about 400 watts so that I can run a cellphone laptop, and a compressor fridge.