7 Best Portable Solar Panels for RVing and Camping

Looking for a guide that makes finding the best portable solar panel for your RV adventures easy?

There are a lot of great reviews out there for portable solar panels. 

However, we’ve found that they’re all either focused on a single brand– from that brand, so the information is unreliable– or convoluted lists with an overwhelming amount of information. 

So, we’ve put together a straight-to-the-point list of the best portable solar panels on the market in 2024 that makes shopping for one simple and easy. 

The purpose: to help you choose which portable solar panels are best for you without wasting tens of hours. 

From affordable to portable and everything in between, whether you’re looking for power or something more lightweight and easy to fit inside your RV, you’ll find what you’re looking for below.

7 Best Portable Solar Panels for RVing

We’ve separated each of the best portable solar panel options below into a few major categories to help finding what you’re looking for faster:

• Best all-around
• Most affordable
• Best portable
• Best generator+panel combo
• Most power (mounted panel)
• Best for boondocking
• Best lightweight

Best All-Around: Jackery SolarSaga 100

If you’re looking for an incredible all-around portable solar panel, you can’t go wrong with the Jackery SolarSaga 100.

It’s not only super portable but has incredible charging power, beating out virtually every other solar panel on the market for its capacity. It also has all the weather resistance features you’d want from a portable panel. 

Despite this, it’s also one of the most inexpensive portable solar panels we looked at, being priced lower than virtually all of its competitors.

And to top it all off, while not a performance consideration, as a bonus the Jackery SolarSaga 100 also has one of the best-looking designs as well.

Pros:

• Inexpensive
• Incredible charging speed
• Simple and straightforward design

Cons:

• Folds a bit awkwardly

Most Affordable: Eco-Worthy 100-Watt

While a great solar panel on its own, the Eco-Worthy 100W solar panel really shines when it comes to pricing.

Typically priced around $60, it offers incredible value for its price. Easy mounting options, IP65 waterproof junction box, and sealed tempered glass make this an all-around durable panel considering how affordable it is. 

It doesn’t skimp on features, either. It offers a convenient integrated kickstand and lightweight frame, making it a great all-around choice and surprisingly portable for a mountable panel. It also offers weather resistant features for everything from snow to wind.

The one drawback is their awkward shape and size, which can make them a bit of a pain to set up but also easier to damage. 

Pros:

• Incredible value
• Waterproof, weather-resistant
• Integrated kickstand

Cons:

• Awkward size makes them somewhat easily damaged

Best Portability: Renogy 100-Watt 12-Volt Foldable Solar Suitcase

The Renogy 100-Watt 12-Volt Foldable Solar Suitcase is our pick for best portability.

With both a lightweight frame and foldable solar suitcase design at 19.9 x 27.2 x 2.8 inches fully folded, it offers unrivaled portability if you’re mainly just looking for panels that are easy to carry around.

It offersIP65 waterproofing and weather-resistant design fit for everything from snow to rain and strong winds. 

It also includes a charge controller with LCD display and corrosion-resistant aluminum stand. 

If space is a paramount concern but you don’t want to sacrifice on power, the Renogy 100 Solar Suitcase is a worthy consideration. 

Pros:

• Convenient solar suitcase design makes it highly portable
• Corrosion-resistant aluminum stand
• IP65 waterproofing
• Heavy-duty handle

Cons:

• Folds easily, but panels are rather bulky

Best Generator + Panel Combo: Jackery Explorer 2000 Plus Solar Generator Bundle

If you’re looking for both panels and a generator, the Jackery Explorer 2000 bundle is a great option.

The bundle pairs two of their most popular products, the Jackery 2000 Plus generator as well as (two) Jackery 200W SolarSaga panels.

The Jackery 2000 Plus has a 2000-watt-hour capacity which will suffice most travelers while remaining portable enough to be moved when needed. It also offers a 25A plug, making it perfect for RV living. 

The Jackery 200W SolarSaga panels are both lightweight and portable while providing great charging capacity and full weather durability (while looking pretty nice).

Pros:

• Incredibly durable
• Can make use of Jackery’s full suite of connected products
• Heavy but portable, with a durable handle and wheels that make it easy to move

Cons:

• Jackery panels are rather expensive, which makes adding more costly

Most Power (Mounted Panel): Renogy 200 W 12-Volt Monocrystalline Panel

Renogy’s 200W 12-Volt Monocrystalline solar panels are our pick for best all-around portable solar panels, and for good reason.

Their installation process is quick and simple, while the ability to work seamlessly with Renogy’s family of other products offers lots of additional benefits.

While this is a mounted panel, it’s lightweight and designed for first-time users. Combine that with its weather resistant features to everything from rain to snow, via an aluminum frame and corrosion-resistant coating, and this is an exceptional beginner-friendly pick.

However, keep in mind that the Renogy 200 Watt panels are best for mid-sized RVs and not well suited for smaller rigs such as van conversions.

Pros:

• Fast and simple installation
• Great for beginners who want easy-to-use mounted panels
• Lightweight as mounted panels go
• Works with Renogy’s suite of products if you’re looking for additional power or functionality

Cons:

• Designed for mid-sized rigs

Best for Boondocking: ECOFLOW 220-Watt Bifacial Foldable

The EF ECOFLOW 220W Bifacial Foldable solar panel is our pick for best boondocking solar panel.

The ECOFLOW Foldable’s bifacial tech allows it to absorb sunlight from not one but both sides of the panel, allowing it to take in 25% more energy than the typical solar panel.

This is particularly handy on overcast days where solar panels can often have difficulty capturing sunlight.

To pair with this, it has a weather resistant IP68 design that allows it to combat rain as well as wind, snow, and high heat. 

While sturdy and dependable, it’s also flexible and easily foldable as well. It includes both a kickstand with adjustable tilt for ground charging as well as straps for mounting. 

Everything taken together, the ECOFLOW 220W Bifacial Foldable offers the complete package for any boondocking setup. 

Pros:

• Lightweight (20.9 lbs) and foldable
• Flexible charging capability with mounting straps and an adjustable stand
• Bifacial tech allows for 25% faster power output

Cons:

• Higher price than comparable foldable panels (without bifacial design)
• Not as powerful as a mounted charger

Best Lightweight: Renogy Flexible 100-Watt 12-Volt 

Renogy Flexible 100W 12-Volt solar panels are not only incredibly lightweight at just 4 lbs each but super flexible, making them arguably the most convenient solar panels on the market (at least in terms of physical design). 

The flexible design makes them great when you don’t have a perfectly flat surface, such as the tops of vans, pairing well with the fact that they can be both mounted and ported.

They come with a silicone adhesive for installation, allowing you full flexibility if you’d like to mount them permanently on top of your rig at an odd angle.

However, if you do plan on mounting your panels then it’s worth noting that these don’t offer a ton of power. If your energy needs are high you’d be better off going with a true mounted panel like the Renogy 200 mentioned earlier. 

Pros:

• Just 4 lbs
• Both mountable and portable, with the ability to bend and flex to fit difficult uneven surfaces
• Simple and easy installation

Cons:

• Not as much power as its competitors

How We Selected the Best Portable Solar Panels for RVing

To select the best portable solar panels, we researched all major solar panel brands on the market, most notably their latest and best offerings.

We aggregated first-person accounts and consumer reviews of the product’s use as well as research via major specialty outlets to form a well-rounded perspective on each product researched.

To choose which solar panels were selected in each category, we studied features such as power/capacity, pricing, flexibility, portability, durability and dependability, as well as any unique features the product offered above and beyond the norm.

We also made sure to check that all information was recent and accurate as per each company’s product listings and website. 

Things to Consider When Shopping for a Portable Solar Panel

Not sure what you should be looking for in a good portable solar panel?

If this is your first time shopping for a solar panel for your RV, there are a few things to consider (other than pricing) before making a purchase.

Take a look at: 

Weather-resistance

Weather resistance is a pretty standard feature across major solar panel brands, but this is still something to look out for.

You’ll want to make sure that the solar panel brand you’re considering has a high waterproofing rating (such as IP65) giving it the ability to hold up against intense rain as well as standing up to strong winds, snow, and high heat. 

Materials

In addition to this, consider the materials the panels are made out of. 

The best and most common material used in modern solar panels is monocrystalline, which more efficiently captures solar energy than older polycrystalline panels. 

Before purchasing solar panels, make sure to check that they’re monocrystalline (when possible) to ensure you’re capturing the maximum amount of energy.

This is especially important when you consider the fact that weather isn’t always optimal, such as in cloudy weather when solar panels capture less sunlight and therefore less energy. 

Construction

It’s also important to consider their construction as not all solar panels are shaped equally, neither are all rigs. 

If you’re using a van conversion, you might need something flexible, while most mid-sized RVs and above can use pretty much any standard mounted solar panels fine (many portable panels also have mounting tools included as well).

Another thing to consider is unique construction aspects that could be beneficial, such as bifacial design. 

Bifacial solar panel design allows a panel to capture sunlight from both sides of the panel, leading to increased efficiency. 

Portable or mounted?

Next, consider whether you want to be able to port your solar panels around or rather just mount them above your RV.

Portable solar panels allow you the ability to place them anywhere, making them more convenient and optimal especially when boondocking.

However, while traveling, mounted solar panels can be more convenient provided they’re safely mounted and well-constructed. They also tend to be more durable, as they need to be given they’re generally sitting outside the RV on the roof. 

Another thing to consider is how easy portable solar panels are to use. Mounted solar panels can take some work to install, while portable solar panels are generally plug-and-play.

Efficiency and overall power

How much power do you need? For most, that’s somewhere between 100-500 watts of power, which should power your lights and small devices and appliances such as toasters.

Larger appliances such as a refrigerator need more power and are generally better left being powered by a generator. 

Also important to consider: the wattage and power generation listed in a brand’s product specifications apply to optimal conditions.

Solar panels don’t capture much sunlight in cloudy or overcast weather, which means there may be times where you’re not capturing nearly enough energy to power your rig as you normally would.

For this reason, it’s typically best to have a generator/solar panel combo to make optimal use of all available energy while maintaining power for all your devices throughout the day.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many solar panels do I need to fully power my RV?

Everyone’s needs are different, but most find that somewhere around 300-400 watts of power is more than sufficient for basic use.

With that said, don’t expect solar panels to fully power your RV unless your power needs are low, especially in cloudy weather. 

What will a 200 – 400W solar panel run in my RV?

A 200-400 watt solar panel will typically charge small devices such as laptops and smartphones and your lights in a typical day depending on weather conditions.

However, 400W of power isn’t enough to power large appliances such as an air conditioner or refrigerator. 

What is the most efficient solar panel for my RV?

A bifacial solar panel is more efficient than the typical solar panel, as it has the ability to capture sunlight from both sides of the panel. 

Check out something like the EF ECOFLOW 220W Bifacial Foldable if efficiency is what you’re after.