TheSamba.com :: View topic - Experience with Renogy Eclipse Solar Suitcase

Sat Feb 16, 2019 11:37 pm

In winter time if I camp for 2 nights I could use a few more amps so I limit how far my house battery is drained. I am looking to gain between 5-10 amps a day and was thinking about the 50watt Renogy Eclipse folding suitcase model. It seems when it is folded it would fit in the slot between the closet and side window. I don't carry my front table so that slot is empty. My plan would be to prop it up on the dash or set it up in the luggage rack depending on the situation with the sun. Renogy claims 2.85 max amps so I figure on a cloudy day 1 amp could be realistic.

Is anyone using one of these? Do they fit well in the front window and where do you store it? What's a good real life output on a cloudy day? I am using 35% of the max output to guess at a fair number, should I be using 20% of max output for a realistic cloudy day output?

At the moment Renogy has a special if you buy 2 however I am only interested in one. Here is the link https://www.renogy.com/renogy-2-pieces-50w-eclipse-lightweight-suitcases-without-controller/

Sat Feb 16, 2019 11:53 pm

My experience is that 50W might not be enough, especially given our shared latitude. if you can get it with a return option, I'd be interested to hear what you find. I have a 100w panel hanging out now and it seems to be essentially keeping with the draws from a solar charge controller and ACR. No fridge or lights. Hoping for more sun this week for more data

Sun Feb 17, 2019 2:03 pm

Not encouraging that a 100 watt panel doesn't add amps during winter time clouds. As much as I like the form factor of that eclipse 50 watt panel it may be a non-starter if it can't produce amps.

Sun Feb 17, 2019 3:56 pm

A 100 watt flexible panel disappears under the rear cushion (above the engine hatch), my point being that it's nearly as easy to stash as that 50 watt suitcase. FWIW, YMMV.

Sun Feb 17, 2019 4:12 pm

I admittedly know little about solar......

But I do wonder if that suitcase is a dinosaur today having been replaced by newer and better technology?

Dave

Mon Feb 18, 2019 9:13 am

SSWesty wrote: Not encouraging that a 100 watt panel doesn't add amps during winter time clouds. As much as I like the form factor of that eclipse 50 watt panel it may be a non-starter if it can't produce amps.

I'm a sample size of one…I encourage you to try it and see what you get. The PNW is a marginal place for winter solar that isn't on S or W facing rooftops. In summer, we'll be in surplus by 8AM but not this time of year.

EDIT: were I to do it all again, I would go the suitcase route if I could get one that had 100W. Sourcing all the components and all of that has been a hassle.

Now, to the issue of amps, mine is very slowly dripping power into the battery, even on a day like today — 30s, overcast, no sun at all. Your options are a lot of storage (200aH or more, so you can draw it down between charging drives) or lots of panel (200W or more) and even then, I think both is the only reliable solution.

Mon Feb 18, 2019 3:51 pm

I am a solar newbie so I was under the impression that solar panels did better on cloudy days. I called Renogy to get a better understand of the Eclipse Suitcase panel and here is what I learned:
-Panels are semi-rigid, not as flexible as a "flexible panel" but more flex than a rigid panel
-Cloudy day output can be 10-25% of max output, varies a ton with conditions. I had no idea that clouds can have that big of an impact.
-Off peak sun hours can decrease output down into the 40% range
-For clouds and low hours of peak sunlight(Seattle in winter) they recommended hooking up panels in a series. The goal being to increase voltage, so for example instead of having one 100 watt panel producing 10 volts use two 50 watt panels in a series to get 20 volts. Apparently that will translate into more usable amps.
-In the Renogy 50 watt eclipse kit it comes with two 25 watt panels which they only sell in that suitcase kit. The tech thought if I could put three of the 25 watt panels together in a series that could be a good solution. Unfortunately they don't sell that 25 watt panel as a standalone so no dice on building a small array from them.

Although I am intrigued by solar and the form factor of that folding eclipse kit it is probably easier and less expensive to either:
-Let my $100 house battery take a hit a couple times a year on winter trips. If I get 5 years out of my house battery instead of 6 years that's not bad. My 6 year cost breaks down to $16.67 per year and at 5 years it is $20 per year. A little battery abuse looks pretty cheap.
-Start the engine and fast idle it for 5-10 minutes to boost the battery on a day we're not driving.

So solar goes to the back burning for now and improving my interior lights continues. Superbrightleds has a deal this weekend that has me motivated to make some changes.

Thanks for the inputs.

Fri Apr 24, 2020 2:36 pm

Found another option that might work okay. This panel looks like it will fit in the slot between the rear closet and window. https://www.amazon.com/Renogy-Flex-Portable-Outdoor-Output/dp/B07QCRBY4Q?ref_=ast_sto_dp

I've been watching this for awhile on Amazon and they dropped the price to $140 which seems reasonable for a 100 watt suitcase. When it gets delivered in a week or so I'll let you guys know how the test fit goes and how the panel performs.

Fri Apr 24, 2020 3:41 pm

biggest trick to solar is not how much you can make but how much you can store fabricator john
85w is plenty if ya have 3 batts

Fri May 01, 2020 2:41 pm

Panel came today and it fits in the slot between the closet and window. Since it's a different panel than what this thread was about I started a new one where I'll post more information. Here is the new thread.

https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=735629

Fri May 01, 2020 8:32 pm

Lensun just came out with their foldable 200w and 300w sets! https://www.lensunsolar.com/Foldable-solar-kit?product_id=359

Sat May 02, 2020 1:16 pm

I have the 100W Renogy Solar Suitcase and really like it. I have it hooked up to their Rover 30A MPPT controller. Having a panel permanently mounted would be nice, but I like being able to move the suitcase around to be in the sun. My only problem now is storage capacity. One 95AH Lead Acid battery drains very quickly. I would love to get into some LiFePo batteries, but still pretty expensive.

Sat May 02, 2020 1:31 pm

I have a 100 watt suitcase that fits perfectly behind the upper mattress for storage...

Sat May 02, 2020 2:25 pm

GWTWTLW wrote: I have a 100 watt suitcase that fits perfectly behind the upper mattress for storage...
I love that space behind the mattress for my camp chairs. These Westfalias are like an organization puzzle where you try to figure out all the spaces you can use and what can go where.

Sat May 02, 2020 3:41 pm

SSWesty wrote: GWTWTLW wrote: I have a 100 watt suitcase that fits perfectly behind the upper mattress for storage...
I love that space behind the mattress for my camp chairs. These Westfalias are like an organization puzzle where you try to figure out all the spaces you can use and what can go where.

I keep mine behind the upper mattress with a Coleman stove next to it. Got a Rocket Box for camp chairs, table, camp mat, levelers, propane cans, fire pan & sundry items.

I figure between me & Jack Bombay we're bench-pressing a couple hundred pounds.

Dan