Solar Power for my 1964 Fan Camper

Welcome!

I would NOT install a solar panel on the roof of any camper trailer. They vibrate going down the road and the bolts always leak.

So, a movable solar stand or goal portable should be considered.... Not sure either will supply your needs.

More research, learn....

Yes, thanks for the replies fellow campers. I spoke with a close friend of mine who is both and avid RV'er and he works for a Solar Company that sells solar for homes. He said the tech is just not there yet and I would be better suited buying myself a little Honda Whisper quiet generator to operate off. So I think I'm going that route.

I am very new to the RV world, so I've been doing quite a bit of research on how to keep these things going and having fun.

I have a Honda EU2000i. I LOVE it.

It runs like a top. They sip fuel so they are prone to carb gumming. They are best stored with no fuel, even drain the fuel bowl, and running the last tank with stabil before running out. I add the more expensive (auto parts store product, not gas station) Chevron techron fuel additive to the first tank and let it run for and hour or two for the first fire up of the season. If it won't idle right or surges that additive usually will clean it out and will it will run right after that.

On the Econ mode, low rpm idle until more power is required, is so quiet you can stand beside it and talk on the phone. I think if you built a 4 sided box of 2" foam to direct the sound up and deaden it, you could possibly run one after ours if the site beside you wasn't too close.

I would say the biggest negative is at 47 lbs and $800-$900 used they tend to grow legs and runnoft if you don't chain them down. Also, don't leave it out when you are leaving your camper for an extended period of time.

You don't have to put bolts through the roof... My plan is to have the bolts go through the j-rail while the mounting rails just rest on the roof. But people have been successfully bolting things into roofs for eons (or under water through boat hulls, for that matter). If you can seal a roof vent you can seal a few bolts. It's all a matter of how well it's done... Having said that, if you're going to depend on solar and have it on your roof, you kinda have to park in the sun all the time. Even here in Maine, with probably the heaviest-insulated Shasta ever built, it gets hot in there.

As for generators, even the quietest one can be heard a long distance away. There's no way around it.

I have (expensive) mobile suitcase panels and I love them. My are 80w and good enough for replenishing the power used by the fan and led lights, and a little radio and TV. Just don't expect them to fully charge a dead batter, it won't work!