Renogy 100 watt Solar Suitcase Review

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HudsonZRoamer

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  • My full review of the Renogy 100 watt Solar Suitcase is up on my blog. I spent a lot of time refining the material on this review to help make it better for you guys. I wanted the review to be informative and direct while at the same time having it not feel like I just threw it together in five minutes like so many other reviews out there. Thanks to Texas Vanagons for providing me information and allowing me some guidance on this topic. Hope you guys enjoy the review and find it useful.
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Tim

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Nice write up, lots of useful detail. Been thinking about going down the solar route for awhile but can't decide whether to fit something permanent or go with the portable option. More food for thought. Cheers.
 

1Louder

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I have the same setup. Other than being a bit big and heavy (29 lbs) I have been very happy with it. I also have the SAE Connectors on everything but the one on the panel is thicker gauge. I also have a 60 watt roll-out panels but this works much better in lower light situations like partly cloudy skies. Everything is a trade off. $$$, space, etc.
 

HudsonZRoamer

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Nice write up, lots of useful detail. Been thinking about going down the solar route for awhile but can't decide whether to fit something permanent or go with the portable option. More food for thought. Cheers.
Im all about portability because I can use it wherever I want. But you will need to figure that out for your own needs. Thanks for the props.
 
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Winterpeg

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Any danger of the panels being cracked as when they fold the panels are on the outside rather than the inside of the fold?
 

HudsonZRoamer

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Any danger of the panels being cracked as when they fold the panels are on the outside rather than the inside of the fold?
they fold up rather nicely..are pretty well built for what they are..ive banged them around a bit and they have been fine..for the price these cannot be beat, as of right now.
 

tom

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+1 for the Renogy suitcase. There are more than a few of us in NCLR that use them and they are a very efficient power source consistently putting >13v into the battery depending available sun, etc. One thing we did do is add 10g (or thicker) leads that are longer than stock. I have (2) 25' sections that can be joined (Anderson connectors, etc) which allow me to "chase the sun" vs. hard mounted rack options. Sure, there is some line loss to the longer leads, but some engird from sun 40' away from truck (RTT, can be hard to move sometimes) is better than none.

The suitcase is wonderfully convenient and storage has been easy. Take it out, set it up and ARB Fridge, etc... all happy ;-)

Thanks @FozRoamer for the write-up.
Tom