ckent323
Senior Member
Thanks Vic.
The only concern that could think of for the large residential panels is possible higher susceptibility to damage from vibration on a camper that experiences a lot of rough roads due to the larger span between the supporting frame around the panel.
However, I can conceive of adding some damping material to the mounting (somehow) to damp out some of the vibration of off road driving. I don't actually know if this is a legitimate concern or not. I have never read of a solar panel fracturing as a result of a vehicle driving on rough roads.
These larger panels are worth considering for new install. I think for many campers 160 W is a tad on the not quite enough side if staying in one place for days and if there is any cloudy weather of partial shade during the day or a combination of fan or other 12v use is high (due to hot weather - vent fan or cold weather - heater fan, etc).
For similar weight and not much more money a 200 watt to 360 watt panel will provide margin against successive days of cloud cover or higher fan use, etc.
I am still crunching the comparison numbers. ;-)
The only concern that could think of for the large residential panels is possible higher susceptibility to damage from vibration on a camper that experiences a lot of rough roads due to the larger span between the supporting frame around the panel.
However, I can conceive of adding some damping material to the mounting (somehow) to damp out some of the vibration of off road driving. I don't actually know if this is a legitimate concern or not. I have never read of a solar panel fracturing as a result of a vehicle driving on rough roads.
These larger panels are worth considering for new install. I think for many campers 160 W is a tad on the not quite enough side if staying in one place for days and if there is any cloudy weather of partial shade during the day or a combination of fan or other 12v use is high (due to hot weather - vent fan or cold weather - heater fan, etc).
For similar weight and not much more money a 200 watt to 360 watt panel will provide margin against successive days of cloud cover or higher fan use, etc.
I am still crunching the comparison numbers. ;-)