BIEDERMANCOOKS
New Member
- Joined
- Feb 9, 2023
- Messages
- 6
Good morning- I have a 2022 raven on a 2019 f150. I am looking to upgrade the shell model to use a portable solar system. what's everyone's thoughts?
newish FWC owner looking to upgrade
- Thread starter BIEDERMANCOOKS
- Start date
TacomaAustin
Senior Member
My install was a whole different kettle of fish, because back in 2007 the campers were not pre-wired for solar. Your 2022 on the other hand should be pre-wired for a solar install. See the link below.
Welcome to the cult.BIEDERMANCOOKS said:
You might check out Vic Harder he has a lot of posts on solar.
Also when you post a topic give it a few seconds to post before hitting post again.
That will keep the post from duplicating several times.
This site has lots of info.
Frank
We have lots of thoughts.BIEDERMANCOOKS said:
Can you give a few more specifics on what you are wanting to accomplish?
ckent323
Senior Member
TacomaAustin, et. al.,
Actually some campers in 2007 were prewired for solar (I'm not sure when they started doing this but I think it was in 2006 or 2007). Out 2007 FWC Keystone had OEM wires in the ceiling for solar.
I contacted FWC and Terry Budd gave me the location of the wires based on my serial number. I was easily able to find them once I git the info from FWC. So it is worth contacting FWC to find out before assuming they are not there. ;-)
I hope this information is helpful,
Regards,
Craig
Actually some campers in 2007 were prewired for solar (I'm not sure when they started doing this but I think it was in 2006 or 2007). Out 2007 FWC Keystone had OEM wires in the ceiling for solar.
I contacted FWC and Terry Budd gave me the location of the wires based on my serial number. I was easily able to find them once I git the info from FWC. So it is worth contacting FWC to find out before assuming they are not there. ;-)
I hope this information is helpful,
Regards,
Craig
rubberlegs
back country campers
I had been using a portable folding angel, 22 lb, stores in a zippered case. But I just got a 5 lb flex panel and will experiment with that. Of course, it’s wired with opposite polarity! So check that.
UmkaAndHawk
Advanced Member
I don't care for parking my camper in the sun because it gets very warm, rather quickly. As a result, I'm quite happy with my suitcase solar which enables me to place my panel about 20ft from the camper and find some sun. It further enables me to adjust for maximum current and keep shade off the panels (you will be surprised how inefficient the panels become with just a bit of coverage over some panels).
My camper came pre-wired and it was fairly simple to just connect the right bits. I made my own cable for the panel to balance resistance losses with length and size (and also cost!) of the cable.
Everyone's use case is a little different, but we use very little power in our shell and it's usually charged upon arrival to our destination (two deep cycle marine batteries). It takes us about 2 - 3 days to use it (basically charging phones, LED lights, and the furnace in the morning, maybe a bit before we go to bed). I measure the voltage with a little voltmeter plugged into DC. This is highly unreliable and depends on a bunch of things like temperature and load (or even when you removed load), but watch it enough and compare the voltage to the state of charge vs. temperature chart I've printed out and taped to the inside of the battery door, and I think it's giving us a good feeling of charge.
We got the solar in case we stay one place with out any substantial driving for more than those two days, but it hasn't been very frequent for us. (But again, everybody's use case is different!
My camper came pre-wired and it was fairly simple to just connect the right bits. I made my own cable for the panel to balance resistance losses with length and size (and also cost!) of the cable.
Everyone's use case is a little different, but we use very little power in our shell and it's usually charged upon arrival to our destination (two deep cycle marine batteries). It takes us about 2 - 3 days to use it (basically charging phones, LED lights, and the furnace in the morning, maybe a bit before we go to bed). I measure the voltage with a little voltmeter plugged into DC. This is highly unreliable and depends on a bunch of things like temperature and load (or even when you removed load), but watch it enough and compare the voltage to the state of charge vs. temperature chart I've printed out and taped to the inside of the battery door, and I think it's giving us a good feeling of charge.
We got the solar in case we stay one place with out any substantial driving for more than those two days, but it hasn't been very frequent for us. (But again, everybody's use case is different!
SantaCruzin
Member
As budget allows, I've been slowly building out my solar setup with Goal Zero stuff. They make really high quality products, and the mobile/modular nature of them allows me to use them as home backup power when needed.
My current setup includes a Boulder 50 and Boulder 100 mounted to the factory aluminum roof rack for 150w of solar. I haven't sorted out the cable routing perfectly, but it works. I run it through a small hole in the roof vent until I get the cajones to drill through the roof itself.
I then have two Yeti 400 (not the Li-Ion ones) tethered together. This runs my fridge, charges my phone, and runs a small electric fan without issue. I can also tether it to the "house" battery which powers the exterior and interior lights. In a pinch, I can easily connect it to my truck through the back window to double up the charging while I'm driving. This has come in handy when combining a shady camping spot with an overcast day.
They have this whole ecosystem which works really well together. I have their lantern, 3 light-a-life string lights, and their Sherpa 100 power bank for emergency backup. Customer support and all that have also been top-notch.
My current setup includes a Boulder 50 and Boulder 100 mounted to the factory aluminum roof rack for 150w of solar. I haven't sorted out the cable routing perfectly, but it works. I run it through a small hole in the roof vent until I get the cajones to drill through the roof itself.
I then have two Yeti 400 (not the Li-Ion ones) tethered together. This runs my fridge, charges my phone, and runs a small electric fan without issue. I can also tether it to the "house" battery which powers the exterior and interior lights. In a pinch, I can easily connect it to my truck through the back window to double up the charging while I'm driving. This has come in handy when combining a shady camping spot with an overcast day.
They have this whole ecosystem which works really well together. I have their lantern, 3 light-a-life string lights, and their Sherpa 100 power bank for emergency backup. Customer support and all that have also been top-notch.
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