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09-06-2017, 08:25 PM
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#21
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Senior Member
Join Date: Feb 2012
Location: Steveston B.C., British Columbia
Trailer: 2012- 17'B.... 2016 Tacoma SR5 TRD
Posts: 504
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Yes, I use two portables as well .Those metal brackets Pushing through the roof and all that silicone are Ugly...
__________________
I've almost been everywhere man.
Almost been everywhere.....
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09-06-2017, 11:00 PM
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#22
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Senior Member
Join Date: Jan 2014
Location: North Van., British Columbia
Trailer: 2014 Escape 19, sold; 2019 Escape 21, Sept. 2019
Posts: 8,866
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Mike Lewis
I was really surprised to discover how much difference the change of seasons made on output from my rooftop solar panels. To me that's one more reason to supplement a rooftop system with a portable panel. In the winter you could aim the portable panel directly at the sun and get a lot more output than from a similarly-sized rooftop panel.
Also, the rooftop panels are not entirely maintenance-free: you need to clean them.
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I agree. I only have one 100 watt panel. But I can tilt and pivot it and "follow" the sun. In January, when the sun's low, it really makes a difference. In the morning my panel is pointing to the left of the low hill in the background. During the day I give it a few tweaks. Not much effort when you're used to doing it as a matter of habit. Works well for me and gives me everything I need but I'm not using my furnace.
My panel is always visible, even in the low position. It gets filthy pretty quickly and I clean it frequently. I sometimes wonder how many rooftop installations are cleaned often for maximum output.
Ron
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09-06-2017, 11:30 PM
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#23
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Senior Member
Join Date: Feb 2013
Location: Santa Rosa County, Florida
Trailer: 2014 Escape 21 Tow: 2024 Toyota Tundra
Posts: 3,107
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Ron- you need to put a clock drive on that thing.
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Mike Lewis
She don't lie, she don't lie, she don't lie-- propane
Photos and travelogues here: mikelewisimages.com
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09-06-2017, 11:49 PM
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#24
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Senior Member
Join Date: Jan 2014
Location: North Van., British Columbia
Trailer: 2014 Escape 19, sold; 2019 Escape 21, Sept. 2019
Posts: 8,866
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Mike Lewis
Ron- you need to put a clock drive on that thing.
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No, but I've considered an equatorial mount. A friend put one on his solar panel. Yup, that would be the ultimate in solar optimization.
Ron
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09-07-2017, 12:23 AM
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#25
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Senior Member
Join Date: Sep 2016
Location: North Vancouver, British Columbia
Trailer: 2019 Escape 21 towed by F-150 with 2.7l eb, formerly Escape 17B 2017
Posts: 563
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Quote:
Originally Posted by J Mac
I guess a person could bring the battery and the portable panel in the truck for the day and then relay the charged battery to the trailer when back at the camp site... couldn't you?
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Have you ever tried lifting one of those batteries, they are "fairly" heavy!!
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09-07-2017, 12:31 AM
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#26
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Senior Member
Join Date: Sep 2016
Location: North Vancouver, British Columbia
Trailer: 2019 Escape 21 towed by F-150 with 2.7l eb, formerly Escape 17B 2017
Posts: 563
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If you have the money, there would be an advantage to having both. The roof top panel, providing it is the right weather, is always on and charging and you don't need to set it up. Yes, you do need to ensure that you have the right kind of site and heavily treed sites are an issue and to be honest, my wife and I hate being hemmed in by trees and much prefer an open site anyway. The portable has to be stored somewhere, schlepped around and set up. The sheer convenience of the rooftop is so much easier and IMHO wins.
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09-07-2017, 09:16 AM
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#27
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Senior Member
Join Date: Sep 2010
Location: Kelowna, British Columbia
Trailer: 2008 Escape 17b
Posts: 1,868
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Chris & Patricia
Have you ever tried lifting one of those batteries, they are "fairly" heavy!!
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Why lift it? Just run jumper cables to the trailer battery. Wouldn't that work?
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09-07-2017, 10:40 AM
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#28
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Senior Member
Join Date: Sep 2016
Location: North Vancouver, British Columbia
Trailer: 2019 Escape 21 towed by F-150 with 2.7l eb, formerly Escape 17B 2017
Posts: 563
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Quote:
Originally Posted by J Mac
Why lift it? Just run jumper cables to the trailer battery. Wouldn't that work?
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I think your suggestion was that you bring a battery with you in your truck as you go out for a day and charge it with your portable solar panel.
Just seems to much hassle to me.
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09-07-2017, 11:23 AM
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#29
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Senior Member
Join Date: Jan 2014
Location: North Van., British Columbia
Trailer: 2014 Escape 19, sold; 2019 Escape 21, Sept. 2019
Posts: 8,866
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Chris & Patricia
IThe portable has to be stored somewhere, schlepped around and set up. The sheer convenience of the rooftop is so much easier and IMHO wins.
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Although the semi-flexible, very light weight panels are a bit of a game changer. They're very easy to handle and use as a portable panel.
Ron
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09-07-2017, 11:54 AM
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#30
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Senior Member
Join Date: Jan 2017
Location: Lake Country, British Columbia
Trailer: 2017 Escape 19
Posts: 168
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I went with a portable setup for many of the reasons mentioned already; you can move it around to maximize solar collection, easy to clean, lightweight, no aerodynamic concerns during travel, and doesn't spoil the clean roofline aesthetic.
This portable is a flexible folding 100W unit which weighs under 5 lbs and stores in our 19 against the fridge wall - it slides between the mattress and the wall very nicely. There is an 80W flexible panel I found later that will fit in this same location and if I was starting over I'd get two of those instead.
I installed a small PWM solar controller inside of the battery box and also attached a small 7.5W panel to the top of the battery box to keep the battery charged up when we're not out camping.
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09-07-2017, 12:16 PM
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#31
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Senior Member
Join Date: Mar 2016
Location: Burlington Twp., New Jersey
Trailer: 2010 Escape 19
Posts: 7,146
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Micheal K
This portable is a flexible folding 100W unit which weighs under 5 lbs and stores in our 19 against the fridge wall - it slides between the mattress and the wall very nicely. There is an 80W flexible panel I found later that will fit in this same location and if I was starting over I'd get two of those instead.
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Nice setup. Can you provide the make of the solar panels and charge controller you used?
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09-07-2017, 12:39 PM
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#32
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Senior Member
Join Date: Sep 2010
Location: Kelowna, British Columbia
Trailer: 2008 Escape 17b
Posts: 1,868
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Chris & Patricia
I think your suggestion was that you bring a battery with you in your truck as you go out for a day and charge it with your portable solar panel.
Just seems to much hassle to me.
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that was the original suggestion but now I'm wondering, since that suggestion seems like too much of a hassle, why not leave a battery in the tow vehicle, attach a portable solar panel to the tow and park. Upon returning to the camp site, a tether could connect the newly charged battery to the trailer.
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09-08-2017, 11:11 PM
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#34
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Senior Member
Join Date: Jul 2015
Location: Surrey, British Columbia
Trailer: 2013, 17B 'Mini Pearl' and a 2010 Highlander
Posts: 400
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My vote is for roof panels
I still have my 100w portable that i used before I got the escape but have never taken it with me.
If i go somewhere during the winter months I will think about taking it based on answers others have given.
We have never run out of power but i know that the heater in cold weather could kill the batteries in 3 days
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
__________________
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John
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09-12-2017, 08:54 PM
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#35
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Member
Join Date: Mar 2016
Location: Boulder, Colorado
Trailer: 2017 19 Escape
Posts: 200
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Portable. Recent 3 month trip to Alaska with my 120 watt Go Power panel connected to my 7 pin (sometimes using a 30 ft extension) gave me considerable flexibility. Keeps the top of my 2017 19 simpler. It folds small with nice case. Plus if the weather is bad, u don't have ur panels sitting out there very exposed.
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09-12-2017, 10:03 PM
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#36
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Senior Member
Join Date: Feb 2013
Location: Santa Rosa County, Florida
Trailer: 2014 Escape 21 Tow: 2024 Toyota Tundra
Posts: 3,107
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Okay, portable panel people-- how do you connect your panel to your battery? Connecting via the 7-pin plug would mean the charge would have to go a long way in an Escape 21. There must be a more direct route.
__________________
Mike Lewis
She don't lie, she don't lie, she don't lie-- propane
Photos and travelogues here: mikelewisimages.com
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09-12-2017, 10:21 PM
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#37
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Senior Member
Join Date: Jul 2015
Location: Juneau, Alaska
Trailer: 2016 Escape 19
Posts: 556
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Mike Lewis
Okay, portable panel people-- how do you connect your panel to your battery? Connecting via the 7-pin plug would mean the charge would have to go a long way in an Escape 21. There must be a more direct route.
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I wired up a duplex 6 gauge wire to the battery via a charge controller in the storage box on our 19. I have an anderson plug on the tounge of the trailer by the propane bottles that I can connect my 40 foot 6 gauge silicone (very flexible) duplex cable to. I have the same kind of connector on my Renogy 100 watt portable suitcase panel. I actually have the charge controller set up with anderson connectors so I can remove it. I can then hook those wires togeather in the box which makes the plug outside go directly to the battery in case I want to hook a charger run off my generator. I also have been thinking of running the same kind of wire to the battery in the tow vehicle to reduce voltage drop form the TV alternator. I could hook that wire directly to the connector on my tounge. I really like the Artic flex wire (I get it in Alaska) see picture.
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09-12-2017, 10:45 PM
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#38
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Senior Member
Join Date: Mar 2017
Location: Fort Collins, Colorado
Trailer: 2017 Escape 19
Posts: 119
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We are having Escape install a Zamp solar port through the wall of our storage box (dual 6 volts inside box). I will plug my Renogy portable 60 watt unit (with controller) into the Zamp port. As a backup plan, we also just asked Escape to prewire for a rooftop panel.
__________________
Linda
"It is better to travel well than to arrive" - Buddha
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09-13-2017, 09:06 AM
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#39
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Member
Join Date: Mar 2016
Location: Boulder, Colorado
Trailer: 2017 19 Escape
Posts: 200
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With a Go Power kit u get several adapters: battery clips, Zamp connector etc. The 7 pin is optional and costs about $40. After talking with Escape we decided the 7 pin was the best way on a 19 as the wiring is heavier than one gets with the Zamp solar plug (although certainly a viable option) and it is a "port" that already exists-one less hole in the fiberglass.
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09-13-2017, 09:13 AM
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#40
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Senior Member
Join Date: May 2013
Location: ..., New Mexico
Trailer: 2013 Esc19/'14 Silvrado
Posts: 4,193
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Here's my portable solar (2 ea. booked 50watt) connections, next to the batteries inside my tongue box.
__________________
Myron
"A billion here, a billion there...add it all up and before you know it you're talking real money." Everett Dirkson
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