Solar Camping Gear: Powering Your Next Adventure

NAVIGATION

Choosing solar camping gear can make or break your off griding experience. Whether you are hoping to immerse yourself in the great outdoors for a quick weekend getaway or are looking forward to several months in the mountains, having solid solar camping gear saves you the hassle of setting up utilities while trying to relax.

How To Choose Solar Gear When You Go Off Grid Camping

Off-grid camping isn’t a new concept; true nature lovers have been venturing out into the middle of nowhere to escape the daily hustle for decades, if not centuries. Also known as dry camping or boondocking, it is a very rugged and removed experience.

If you are planning a boondocking excursion, ensuring you have the right solar camping gear is essential. Off-grid camping can be one of the most rewarding and rejuvenating experiences if you set yourself up well from the start!

I have heard all too many horror stories from those who go remote camping and didn’t consider things like water access or extra batteries for their lights to get back to a trailhead. With this in mind, I want to tell you to do your research about the challenges you may face out in the wild.

I’m not a survivalist, per se, but I do think my exploration into self-sufficiency over the last decade would be my best friend in the middle of nowhere. I have tried many different kinds of solar camping gear products and off-grid setups to find the ones that make my life easy and meet my needs when I’m off the grid.

How Many Panels Will You Need?

The first question you probably have is how many solar panels you need to install. Installing solar on your homestead requires an entirely different level of power than you need for a simple camping trip.

For solar camping, 300 watts is probably a good metric to go with when estimating how much power you need. If you want to run just the basic RV or camper accessories during the day, you’ll likely be alright with about 300 watts of solar panels.

If you’re primarily running only these devices during the day, 300 watts will get you by. However, if you hope to run your RV fan or devices through the night, you may want to bump this up to 400 or 500 watts of solar.

Now, the number of panels you need to install for optimum wattage off the grid will depend on the quality of the panels you have. Traditional panels put out around 250 to 400 watts per panel, while portable panels like GoSun’s camping panels, typically put out 100 watts. Let that metric inform the number of panels you need for your RV or off-grid campsite.

Two to three solar panels is probably the sweet spot for getting power to your RV or campsite. In my own experience off-grid camping, I only really needed two panels to get the power I needed, but I wasn’t camping with a family. More people will require more power and more hot water, so keep that in mind as your plan your off-grid excursion.

How Big Of A Battery Will You Need?

Knowing how many batteries you need to power your solar camping gear is also an important consideration. For about 300 watts of power, you can get by with a single 12-volt battery at about 100Ah. If you need 400 watts of power, you likely need two 12-volt batteries, or two 6-volt golf cart batteries, with between 200 to 250 Ah to power your RV.

Building The Perfect Off The Grid Camping Setup

Before diving right into choosing solar camping gear, consider what type of gear you and your family actually need to create the ideal off-grid camping setup. What I’m trying to say here is that the perfect off-grid camping setup comes down to what your own non negotiables are and how much power you need.

Camping off the grid in a tent or an RV long term is no joke, but if you play your cards right, it can be an incredibly rejuvenating and rewarding experience for you and your family and friends. I have honestly found that some of my most rewarding experiences have occurred in nature, either alone with my thoughts or surrounded by loved ones.

What Solar Camping Gear Will You Need On Your Next Adventure

If you’re thinking about heading off of the grid soon, you’ll want to make sure to have all of your ducks in a row to get the power, hot water, and other essentials you need to have a successful trip. This is where solar gear can come in as your best bet.

Best Solar Generator For Off Grid Camping

Solar Cooking

Solar cookers operate by converting the sun’s rays into heat energy that is stored within the food tray. This stored heat causes the water, fat, and protein molecules in your food to vibrate and become hot, similar to the way a greenhouse traps heat to warm molecules within plants. The GoSun Go Pro Pack cooker is a good example of a solar cooker that concentrates the heat and keeps it locked in while your food cooks.

Using a solar cooker on your homestead or while you’re boondocking is one of the easiest and most efficient ways to cook your meals to perfection. Solar cooking allows you to prepare a simple dinner without accessing the power grid or sending fumes into the atmosphere with fuel.

Solar Camping Stove And Grill

Investing in a solar camping grill or stove is an awesome way to go if you’re looking to grill out with your buddies while camping out, but aren’t able to connect to the grid. Out of all the solar cookers I have tried, I genuinely liked the solar camping grill and solar camping stove from GoSun best because they cooked my meals the fastest.

After testing several cookers, I gave away all of them except the GoSun cooker. I loved GoSun’s because it cooked my food quickly and it’s designed to also cook at night when the sun is not visible.

Cooking time is also shorter in the GoSun solar cooker. Unlike other ovens I’ve tried that would take most of the day to cook, the GoSun usually could cook my meals in about 20 minutes on a sunny day, 90 minutes for larger meals, and even can cook on cloudy days because of the solar tubes, just takes a little longer. That means if you get to your campsite later in the day, you can still set it up and cook without worrying about running out of sunlight.

12-Volt Battery Powered Solar Fridge

Using a solar powered fridge is an absolute game changer if you want to live off the grid long term or you have a lot of people to feed on your camping trip. A12-volt fridge makes a lot of sense when you are considering dry camping any longer than a couple of weeks.

Be sure to do your research when looking for a battery-powered fridge, as not all solar fridges are created equal. There are lots of coolers and fridges out there called “thermoelectric coolers” that attempt to label themselves as solar powered fridges.

These two labels aren’t the same thing. Thermoelectric fridges are not the way to go, as they don’t have a compressor, require a lot more power than battery powered solar fridges, and they take forever to get cold.

Instead, consider a 12-volt, lithium battery solar fridge like the refrigerators made by GoSun. I love this fridge because I never have to fret about my food being cold enough off the grid. The GoSun fridge keeps your food cold or frozen for up to 40 hours before needing a recharge and has intricate temperature controls to match the groceries you want to store.

Solar Powered Heating And Solar Cooling

When it comes to heating and cooling an RV or campsite off the grid, things can get very difficult quickly. In warmer climates, you can really only use a fan to keep cool, which easily run on solar. There isn’t really an easy way to heat your space on solar, unless you’re using propane, which is highly accessible in an off-grid camping setup.

Solar Fan

Solar AC

In most off-grid setups, it is very difficult to have running A/C — you’ll probably just need to stick with a solar fan like the one mentioned above. However, the GoSun Camp 365 is the closet thing I’ve found to a practical solution for heating and cooling off grid.

Mini-split systems are a very popular route these days for running A/C in a mobile tiny house or a recreational vehicle. Installing a mini split system that runs on solar can take some legwork, but it’s one of the best ways to keep your off-grid RV cool.

What’s awesome about the GoSun camper is that it actually has an option for a AC system included in the camper cools, which is an optimal solution for off griding and a pretty rare find. This is especially helpful if you’re looking for a way to camp in frigid winters or scorching summers.

The camp 365 comes standard with the GoSun Breeze a super efficient solar powered brush-less fan. You also have your options on full A/C if you want it. Either a larger unit that you will need plug in power or a generator, or a more compact portable unit.

Solar Powered Heater

If you’re planning to go off grid in the middle of winter, it’s important to have a plan to keep warm. It can be from a cozy camp fire, a propane Mr. Buddy heater, or even something solar powered.

Heating off of solar is a challenge as anything with a heating coil typically draws quite a bit of power. The two practical options are a propane heater that uses solar for the igniter or a heated blanket.

A heated blanket is great because it’s low enough power that you could run it off a solar setup. It keeps power usage so low because it only has to heat your body directly. If you like this idea, this one from GoSun runs on 12-volt batteries and is heat adjustable up to 45 watts.

Solar Powered Camp Shower

Solar Powered Lighting

A light or lantern is a must have for a successful off-grid camping trip. Especially at night when critters and animals like to lurk, you’ll need a powered light to stay protected. Whether it’s string lights for your encampment or a solar lantern for late night walks, solar powered lighting is a must for off gridding long term.

Campsite Solar String Lights

On an off-grid campsite, solar string lights work through photovoltaic effect, where the solar cells convert sunlight into direct electric current that the battery stores in an inverter. This is converted into power that lights up your campsite! You can find solar camping lights on Amazon or at most places that sell garden supplies.

Solar Lantern

Consider An All-In-One Solar Powered Trailer

If buying all of these solar products individually doesn’t seem like the route for you, you can buy them all in one instead. I honestly feel like buying all the products as one component instead of as individual pieces will make your life easier, which is where the GoSun Camp365 solar powered trailer comes in. As a guy who likes to travel often, the idea of being able to power my trailer through solar while hopping from campsite to campsite is incredibly appealing.

What Does The Camp365 Solar Powered Camper Include?

The GoSun Camp365 trailer has everything you need for an idyllic off-grid camping experience while using solar power to meet your needs. The Camp365 is equipped with essential appliances for cooking, refrigerating, showering, and A/C control while boondocking.

It is designed to double as an entertainment area, offering 100 square feet of interior space with 7 foot, 6 inches of headroom when fully expanded — plenty of room to spread out and enjoy your time. It is made from high-grade aluminum that doesn’t rot when exposed to inclement weather, so you can use it in the rain or snow too!

The trailer solar charges entirely on its own, giving you access to all the utilities you need off the grid without having to work extra hard or mess with the solar setup on your own. It folds up nice and compactly so you can easily pull it behind your vehicle on the open road.

As someone who loves camping off the grid and spending time in nature, I can testify that this camper provides everything you need to easily relax and getaway with loved ones (and pets!). You don’t have to worry about the tedious process of setting up off-grid access to electricity, hot water, hot coffee, or delicious meals; it’s all part of this one hassle-free trailer.

What Does The Camp365 Cost?

The bulk price of The Camp365 from GoSun is $34,250, which may seem pricey on paper, but actually isn’t all that expensive for the bang you get for your buck.

Setting up utilities on your own off the grid can be so complex, especially if you’re new to off griding. Investing in a trailer that does it all for you is worth the price. GoSun also gives you the option to pay for this product in four interest-free installments if that bodes easier for you and your wallet.

In my own life, the best-off grid camping experience is the kind where I can kick back, relax, and take my mind off of all the daily chaos. For me, this means being able to grill out, play music I love, work on my writing by lamplight, and crack open a fresh, cold beer.

I have found that solar gear built to be portable has been the easiest way for me to have this kind of stress-free experience in the mountains or the woods. Trying to adapt stationary setups into something portable is often clunky and not as durable. I hope you’re able to find a setup that works for you so you can escape to nature by yourself or with your loved ones.

Your Turn!

• What kinds of solar camping gear would make your off-grid experience better?
• What needs to you have that solar camping gear could help fill?

By Ryan Mitchell on September 29, 2022   /   Homesteading   /   1 Comment

Tags: Off Grid, Solar