01/20/2026
🚐 Planning RV solar? Stop. You're probably doing this backwards.
Here's what everyone does (including me when I first started):
Step 1: Watch YouTube videos showing "400 watts of solar!"
Step 2: Buy 400 watts of panels
Step 3: Realize 3 days into camping that something's very wrong
Either your batteries are full by 10am and you're wasting solar production... or your batteries are dead by day 3 because your tiny solar array can't keep up.
Been there? Yeah, most of us have. 😅
**Here's the CORRECT order:**
✅ Calculate your daily power usage (fridge, lights, fans, charging stuff)
✅ Size your BATTERY BANK first (store 1-2 days of power)
✅ Then size your SOLAR PANELS (recharge those batteries in one sunny day)
✅ Pick the right charge controller (the brain of your system)
**Example from the carousel:**
Say you use 2,500 watt-hours per day (pretty typical for weekend camping with a fridge, lights, fans, phones, laptop, TV).
You need 400 amp-hours of battery (2 days storage).
That needs 800 watts of solar to recharge.
Total cost? $3K-$5K for the complete system.
**What that gets you:**
🔋 Camp off-grid indefinitely (if you've got sun)
❄️ Keep your fridge cold 24/7
💡 Lights all night, no worries
📱 Charge all your devices
🌀 Run fans in Texas summer heat
**What it does NOT get you:**
❌ Rooftop AC (that needs 4x bigger system, $12K-$20K)
❌ Microwave or hair dryer (too much power draw)
**Quick sidebar:** If you're spending $3K-$5K on solar for your RV that you use 20 days a year... have you thought about solar for your house? You live there 365 days/year, and if you're in Texas, Arizona, Colorado, you know the grid goes down.
**Quick sidebar:** If you're spending $3K-$5K on solar for your RV that you use 20 days a year... have you thought about solar for your house? You live there 365 days/year, and if you're in Texas, Arizona, Colorado—you know the grid goes down.
Just saying. Free home solar assessment link is also in bio if you're curious. 🏠⚡