solar safety

[RBRV]

I picked up one of harbor freights new solar briefcase 100 watt panels to attach to the factory installed zamp port that I determined was wired standard so I do not need to swap wires or get and adapter. Harbor freight panel seems quite nice and will give me an option when the 160 watt panel on the roof is in a shady spot. I have started thinking about using this setup and I am concerned that these sae connectors may not be safe in rainy conditions. Any thoughts on this topic? Could moisture short the system out?

[HABBERDABBER]

Anything and everything is always possible, but it's not likely that rain would short out the connection.
If it's acid rain, that increases the probability, I guess, so stay away from that.
The SAE connectors are not the most robust or weatherproof type out there, but they work. If you suspected rain, you could do a quick wrap of electrical, duct or packing tape around the interconnection for your peace of mind, but I wouldn't usually think to do so. It does need to be sunny for the panel to be useful.
You could investigate marine or other harsh environment electrical connectors and replace both ends of your connection.

For additional POM (peace of mind), splice in a DC watertight fuse holder (widely available at auto parts stores) and an appropriate fuse (10 amp?) on the positive solar panel wire. Then....

Fuggetaboutit.

[Centex]

FWIW, for many years I rode a motorcycle with a very exposed inline standard SAE connector feeding my 12VDC @ ~15A heated riding gear, I unplugged and re-plugged whenever getting off/on the bike, rain or shine. Thousands of miles and hundreds of hours in every sort of rain, never once any electrical problem.

Yep, I enjoyed riding in rain on the open road.

[kernwig]

I have a ground solar panel to an SAE port that I installed myself; it maintains the trailer's batteries when parked at home. It has been plugged in rain or shine for two winters now with no trouble. The connection seems quite water resistant.

[RBRV]

Thanks for the real world experience and advice. I may seek out some waterproof connector covers like those sold for extension cords and if I get around to building a better cable, then change to more substantial connectors.
For anyone interested, I was able to grab this folding panel with metal legs and padded carrying case for just over 140 bucks with 25% off. Everday price is 189.

[HABBERDABBER]

That is a good price for 100W of juice. Did you obtain it recently? They've stopped offering the 20% or 25% off deals around here.

[RBRV]

It was a memorial day sale 25 percent off, I could have bought it the week before at 153 with my membership. Same or very similar unit under a different name is at Camping World for 299.

[Brian B-P]

The same type of SAE-standard "bullet contact" connectors are used for 4-pin and 5-pin flat tow vehicle to trailer connectors, which are exposed to the weather. They're garbage (in my opinion), but they do generally work when exposed.

[John in Santa Cruz]

my F250 diesel truck batteries are connected to a SAE pigtail that sticks up in the space between the cowl and drivers door, and is used to plug in a 10 watt solar battery tender when I'm not using the truck for more than a couple weeks. that has never been bothered by rain, its parked outside year around.

[AKCamper]

Smear a good coating of dielectric grease on your connections. Waterproofed

[RBRV]

All good thoughts and tips, thank you all.