Portable solar panels for RVs are definitely a viable option for getting solar power in your camper. The cost of a permanently mounted solar panel setup can escalate pretty quickly. A decent portable outfit can easily top up your batteries or charge a power bank.
I’ve personally used a couple of portable outfits over the years, so with input from friends and fellow RVers, I’ve put together this review of some of the best portable solar panels for RVs.
Contents
🏆 Best 200 Watt Panel
Best 100 Watt Panel
Best Budget Panel
Portable solar panels are very popular due to their simple plug and play setup.
Paired with a good solar generator (power bank) they are a great way to get free energy to your devices when needed.
Let’s take a look at some of the options.
Best Portable Solar Panels For RVs
- DOKIO 220 Watt 18v Portable Solar Panel Kit – Best 200 Watt
- ALLPOWERS SP033 200w Portable Solar Panel – 2nd Place 200 Watt
- Jackery SolarSaga 100w Portable Solar Panel – Best 100 Watt
- Renogy 100 Watt Solar Panel Kit – 2nd Place 100 Watt
- Keshoyal Foldable 60 Watt Solar Panel – Best Budget Panel
- FlexSolar 40W Solar Charger – 2nd Place Budget Panel
DOKIO 220w 18v Portable Solar Panel Kit
⭐️Best 200 Watt Panel
The Dokio 220 watt portable solar kit is my number one choice. This kit comes with everything you need to set up portable solar for your RV.
This kit will charge a battery, a power station, or you can connect smaller usb devices directly.
The kit comes in a handy carry bag and contains the panels, a charge controller and all the relevant cables and connectors that you need. When in the bag, the kit is pretty compact and only weighs 11.7lbs.
The charge controller has an LCD display, and on the front the icons are simple and clear. The instructions are also clear and straightforward.
The supplied connectors allow you to connect to most brands of power station, making this an excellent choice for portable RV solar.
Pros
Includes Controller
Clear Instructions
Compact
Cons
No Legs / Stand
Overall Rating
Performance / Efficiency
Build Quality
Features / Functions
Reviews
Value For Money
When unfolded, the panels measure roughly 7 ft in length and 21 inches high. The panels themselves are high efficiency monocrystalline (the best material for solar panels) and connect to the charge controller via the supplied 10 ft cable.
ALLPOWERS SP033 200w Portable Solar Panel
⭐️2nd Choice 200 Watt Panel
The Allpowers SP033 200 watt solar panel is my second choice as a 200 watt setup.
This is another great choice as a solar setup. This panel doesn’t come with a controller, but is available as an addition. You can find it here.
This panel is designed specifically for use with a power station. The panel comes with all the cables and connectors you need to connect to almost all available power stations.
If you decide to go ahead and purchase the charge controller, it’s then a simple process to connect to a battery setup or charge any of your usb devices.
The Allpowers panel comes with a 18 month warranty and is another good choice as a 200 watt portable solar panel.
Pros
Very Quiet
Large Reservoir
Auto Shut Off
Cons
No Controller
Overall Rating
Performance / Efficiency
Build Quality
Features / Functions
Reviews
Value For Money
When folded up, the panel is approximately 25” high x 20” wide x 2.5” deep. The whole thing is also quite lightweight, weighing just under 14 lbs.
When fully unfolded the panel is large (approx 6.5 ft). This is when you can utilise a great feature of this solar panel – the kickstand style supporting legs. These will enable you to properly angle the panels towards the sun at certain times of day.
Best 100w Portable Solar Panels
Jackery SolarSaga 100w Portable Solar Panel
⭐️Best 100 Watt Panel
The Jackery SolarSaga 100w solar panel is my number one choice as a 100 watt panel.
This panel is designed for use with Jackery Power Stations, but it is possible to connect to other brands of power station with the correct cable.
Jackery products are very good quality, and this solar panel is no exception. When folded it is nicely compact, and has a nice strong rubberised handle to carry it with.
It’s lightweight (9.2lbs), and has a zippered pocket on the side where you store all the relevant cables.
The panels are quick to set up, and when unfolded the panels are approximately 3.5 ft in length. The panels also have a good, sturdy, kickstand style support legs to angle the panels to the sun.
It’s possible to charge a battery setup, but you will need to purchase an appropriate controller.
Overall, a good choice as a 100 watt solar panel.
Pros
High Build Quality
Support Stand
Monocrystalline Panels
Cons
No Controller
Overall Rating
Performance / Efficiency
Build Quality
Features / Functions
Reviews
Value For Money
On the back of the panel you will find 2 connection outlets – 1 x USB-C and 1 x USB-A port. Here you will be able to connect and charge two smaller USB devices.
The SolarSaga 100 has monocrystalline solar cells, and will give high energy conversion rates.
Renogy 100 Watt 12 Volt Portable Solar Panel
⭐️2nd Choice 100 Watt Panel
The Renogy 100 Watt solar panel is an excellent second choice for a 100 watt panel.
The Renogy panel is designed to charge batteries and power stations, and comes with alligator clips for connection.
This setup also includes the controller, and consists of 2 x 50 watt panels that when folded measure approximately 24” x 20”. The whole package folds up into a briefcase style carry case.
Although the controller is reasonably basic, it does have smart protection which will protect from issues such as reverse polarity, reverse current and overcharging.
The solar panel is a monocrystalline, high efficiency outfit, and is another good choice as a 100 watt portable panel.
Pros
Includes Controller
Stand / Support Legs
Good Build Quality
Cons
Heavy
Overall Rating
Performance / Efficiency
Build Quality
Features / Functions
Reviews
Value For Money
When unfolded, the panels are 3.4ft in length and made of monocrystalline, which will give high energy conversion rates.
There is around 10 ft of cable to connect to the controller, where you will then be able to connect to a battery.
Best Budget Portable Solar Panels
Keshoyal Foldable 60 Watt Solar Panel
⭐️Best Budget Panel
The Keshoyal 60 watt portable solar panel is my number one choice as a budget outfit.
This is a very compact panel and when folded up measures just 14” x 10”, and comes in at only 4 lbs in weight.
When unfolded it’s a series of 4 panels, and in total measures approximately 5 ft in length. The unfolded panels have a metal ring in each corner where you can use the included hanging clips to hang the panels from anything that’s convenient.
The panel has two USB-A ports where you can directly charge smaller USB devices. The panel is also capable of charging a smaller power station.
This monocrystalline panel, although small, is a good choice as a compact portable solar panel.
Pros
Very Compact
Hanging Points
2 x USB Ports
Cons
Needs Frequent Adjustment
Overall Rating
Performance / Efficiency
Build Quality
Features / Functions
Reviews
Value For Money
The manufacturers claim that the panel will charge a 288 watt-hour power station in approximately 8-10 hours. And Keshoyal provides all the relevant cables and adapters for this.
FlexSolar 40W Solar Charger
⭐️2nd Choice Budget Panel
The FlexSolar 40 watt panel is the smallest portable panel on this list, and is just 8” x 11” when folded.
When unfolded the panel measures approximately 4 ft in length, and on each corner is a hole where you can hang the panel with the two provided carabiners.
The FlexSolar has two USB ports – 1 x USB-A and 1 x USB-C where you can plug in and charge a couple of devices. This panel is also capable of charging a smaller power station or power pack.
The FlexSolar 40 watt solar panel is a good option if you are looking for a small storable panel that you can use to charge small devices or top a smaller power station.
Pros
Very Compact
2 x USB Ports
Cons
Slow Charge
Overall Rating
Performance / Efficiency
Build Quality
Features / Functions
Reviews
Value For Money
The panel has smart IC chip technology and will also provide protection from overcharge, short circuit and overheating.
What Size Solar Panel For An RV?
When it comes to solar panels, the bigger the wattage rating the better.
Bigger wattage = Faster Charging.
Permanent roof mounted 200 watt solar panels on an RV are commonplace, 400 watt setups are standard for full time RVers.
Remember that the energy output of a solar panel will vary a lot, depending on sunlight intensity and weather conditions.
Charging Example
There are too many variables to put exact numbers to an example, so use this example as a rough idea.
A 200 watt panel produces roughly 50-70 amp-hours (Ah) of energy per day under ideal conditions.
In perfect conditions, a 200 watt solar panel would take 10 – 15 hours to charge a completely empty 100(Ah) lithium-ion battery.
A 100 watt portable panel is perfectly capable of topping up a 100 (Ah) battery. It will just take roughly double the time (20 – 30 hrs) a 200 watt setup would take.
It’s good practice to never run your batteries or power bank lower than 33%. With that in mind, topping up your battery or power station should take significantly less time.
How To Use Portable Solar Panels
By far the best way to utilise portable solar panels, is to use them to keep your batteries topped up. Or for storing the charge on a power bank or solar power station.
Most portable solar panels will have a couple of usb outlets where you can charge a phone or tablet. This is fine for an emergency top up, but in reality, not really much use for running anything in an RV.
Ideally, the charge generated from the panels needs to be stored for later use.
Connecting A Portable Solar Panel To A Battery
If you plan on hooking up your solar panels to a battery, you can’t just connect them directly to the battery, you will need a charge controller.
Good portable solar panels will come with a basic charge controller as part of the package.
A charge controller will regulate the fluctuating charge from the solar panels, and send it in a safe manner to the battery.
Portable Solar Power Banks
Solar power banks are a great thing to have even if you already have a good battery setup. You can use the solar panels to keep the power bank topped up.
Good portable solar panels will come with a selection of cables and connectors that will connect to most types of power bank.
If you are using a solar power bank to store the solar power charge, you won’t need a charge controller. You can just connect directly to the power bank.
Portable solar panels for RVs can work if used in the right way.
Combine a good quality portable solar panel with your existing battery setup, or use them to charge a power station. A great way to make use of free energy.
The Dokio 220 Watt Solar Panel would be my first choice.
See how we test and rate products in our reviews here.
Please see my other RV equipment reviews.
FAQ’s
Do Solar Panels Need To Be Cleaned?
Yes. You can clean your solar panels whenever they are dirty. Don’t use harsh chemicals, just use ordinary dish soap and water with a sponge.
Can I Run Appliances Directly Off Solar Panels?
No. Running directly off solar panels can result in overcharging and electrical damage.
