Best solar panels to mount on a GFC Superlight RTT - Rich Solar 80w CIGS Panel
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 11 ก.ย. 2021
- In-depth review of the Rich Solar 80 watt CIGS solar panel and how it found and easy way to mount solar panels to my Go Fast Campers (GFC) Superlight roof top tent (RTT) with no holes in the roof required. This panel is super rugged, shade tolerant, and works great with it’s self-adhesive backing.
Rich 80w CIGS panel:
richsolar.com/products/80-wat...
160w version - wish I had gone with this!
richsolar.com/products/160-wa...
3M primer I used - I’d do 2x next time
amzn.to/3GfvmhD
3M VHB Heavy Duty Mounting Tape 5952, 2" width x 5yd length (1 Roll)
amzn.to/3FRFFXs
The pocket/windscreen material was a re-purposed bag from my Solo stove. Seems to fade in UV quickly.
GFC Superlight tent:
gofastcampers.com/pages/super...
Will Prouse’s review of this panel:
• Renogy Rover Boost + C... - วิทยาศาสตร์และเทคโนโลยี
I KNOW Will Prowse recommends Rich Solar......that just about says it all in terms of Rich Solar as a company that backs up their warranties.
Thanks for including a link in your "Description" to the 160W panel.
A 5 year warranty is great. Most flexible panels only have 1 year and die soon after if left out every day
Would def love a full video comparison of all of them!
Hi Todd, thank you for this. I FINALLY received my Superlite today (ordered in February) and decided to look up videos about mounting solar panels on top. This video came up first in my research. I have absolutely zero knowledge regarding solar. I’ve never even looked into it. Your video looks like a great place to start!
Glad it was helpful! You’ll love your superlight
I have the GFC Superlite and was thinking about how to add solar. Definitely helpful!
Yeah, these panels work great on the Superlight. I wish the top surface was a bit more smooth but I seem to have decent adhesion.
A comparison video would be really cool.
never seen your videos before .. but I like it.. i like the way you structure your videos and how you organize your thoughts.. its very helpful. thanks. i left a like and subcribed.
Thanks for watching and subscribing, I really appreciate it
Hi Todd thanks for the review. I had been thinking of getting cigs panels for my HighTop van for months now. But there weren’t many current videos reviews on them . When Will put out his video it left me with more questions than answers. Yesterday I made my decision and ordered two 160 cigs panels. My son found your video review and we are both very happy with our choice of panels. I’ll let you know what happens . Thanks for sharing 💕
Awesome, I think you’ll really like them
Thanks Todd.....helped with my decision. Seems like CIGS are a no brainer, especially if one is to go the Zamp solar panel route. These CIGS are just a little more than standard flex and I'll get many many more years out of them. It wasn't that long ago that CIGS were very expensive.
Excellent video! Looking forward to your future camping rig update :) Also Subbed to the channel
Thanks! Working on that video right now, stay tuned.
@@todd.parker sweet! Our channels kinda go along the same lines, I'm still new to this youtube stuff though haha so trying to improve my content all the time
Great review. Please do a full panel review.
The lazy in me would have placed the replacement panel right on top of the burned out panel. Thanks for the video.
Very cool ideas…thanks! I have been thinking about putting my portable solar panels onto a foldable fabric awning that I can hook onto the drip groove on my van and so provide shade over the side doors of the van which meanwhile recharges my Bluetti power station. I have salvaged some aluminum poles from an old tent which will hold up the awning. Hoping it all works out!!
Good luck!
I know how to install VHB tape and Eternabond tape with alcohol and applying pressure, and thought it might be the same a my new Bourgerv CIGS panel, but i wanted to check and Bourgerv really does not say much except "stick it on", lol. Thx for the installation part of this video!
Glad it helpful. Mine held pretty good after a year outside but I did need to peel back and repair 2 corners
Thanks for the review. Very helpful. Please consider doing a head-to-head video with all the other panels shown at the ~5 min mark.
My latest video fir the XTAR panel shows that comparison data
@@todd.parker Thank you!
Thank for the vid. Just what I was looking for.
Also...just because I had never heard the phrase you said "if I had my druthers" and thought it might be helpful:
"This is an American phrase and not used widely elsewhere. People elsewhere in the world might want to know what druthers are. Druthers is a shortening of 'would rathers'. The phrase originated in the late 19th century and is first cited in the January 1870 edition of Overland monthly and Out West magazine, in a story_ called Centrepole Bill, by George F. Emery:"If I was a youngster, I 'drather set up in any perfession but a circus-driver, but a man can't always have his 'drathers."
I just retuned mine because the manual said it should have clearance underneath to prevent it from burning, I had the same intention of attaching it to my inspired overland (fabric) top
Excelent video!!!
Perhaps the white damaged spot was created by the jar of water you used to weigh down panels after installing. I’m thinking it like magnified sun ray burn.
Sweet solar!
very nice from Japan👍️✨
Super thin panel and that's including the adhesive. Nice choice.
There are some used/open box CIGS panels (another brand) of various wattage on ebay if you are ok no warranty. They don't have adhesive on the back but are cheaper.
Awesome review. Subscribed! Looking forward to exploring your backlog.
Do you think these are durable enough to just lay down on my deck?
I don’t see why not. The only issue is they are meant to be stuck down and have goopy adhesive on the back that will leak out when hot.
Love this review. I want some CIGS panels. Rich Solar sounds like they have a great product. Anyone have ideas on how I can mount this to the roof of my RAV4? I want to be able to remove it and not damage the paint.
You’d probably need to stick these to some sort of backing. A thin magnetic sheet might work, the kind they use for signs on work vehicles
love this. I hope the prices fall by 40-50% tho
Good stuff here, Todd. Thanks for sharing. I'm due for my GFC RTT V2 install next weekend! Definitely trying to get power sorted out. It's been a while since these went on, how are you liking them now? Any thoughts on just a hanging type panel to charge a battery bank?
Still liking the panels but will need to glue down a few edges. You have more mounting options on the v2 than the Superlight because of the side rails so you might be able to rig up a glass panel but if you want simple install, these peel and stick are easy, light and rugged. I’d go with the 160w instead of 2x 80
Thanks for the great video. How’s the Superlite treating you? I have one on order and can’t wait to try it out.
Ive really liked it so far. It’s not fancy but works as advertised. I should do a video review at some point
Enjoyed the video,
Since you put the cables on the hinges side of tent and the front. I would like to know how you run the cables from solar panels to vehicle.
Thank you
I ran them doesn’t inside the sliding door. Check out this video around 31 minutes: th-cam.com/video/wMMYf7pREcg/w-d-xo.html
Hey todd i would be very interest in seeing a head to head on all the panel as i have yet to pull the trigger on solar yet as cost is my biggest road block let alone other figure in with them overall
I think the CIGS panels are definitely the way to go for mounting on a RTT like the Superlight, just peel and stick. They now make a larger version that is double the size which would be even better
Enjoyed your video. How hard was it to remove the panel? Was their adhesive residue?
It took a lot of slow steady pulling but it came off pretty cleanly. The only issue is the 2 panels were very tight together and I accidentally damaged the edge of the new panel but prying too fast. Just cosmetic.
How would you mount these to a van roof that has ridges built into the roof? Are they flexible enough to follow the ridges? How difficult was it to remove the broken panel? Thanks
I don’t think they are flexible enough to cover small ridges so I don’t know how well these would work. The broken one came off pretty easily, took a fair amount of slow pulling
I need to do this for my ikamper. Did you have just your GZ 1k for this trip?
Yep, that worked well to run my Iceco fridge, charge devices, and run a small microwave
Wondering how to peel the bad panel.
Welp, I has to because one of mine failed. If you peel slowly the adhesive will release. It does leave some residue but it’s not bad.
How did you remove the panel? Did it destroy anything?
I just peeled it back slowly. The panel was probably messed up after but it came off cleanly.
Which generator do you recommend a goal one or the bluetti?
That’s a tough question because there are a lot of factors. Tell me more about what you want to power and I can give some opinions
I want to know the differences between the solar panels
Hmm, that’s a big topic I can’t cover here but generally glass panels are best for permanent installation, foldable panels are best for portable setups where you only put them out on sunny days. This cigs panel is an interesting hybrid because it’s flexible but can be permanently mounted outside and handles shade better than other types
Are you still happy with your choice? Have you experienced any other issues?
I've been very happy with these so far. The edges lifted a bit in places but I used VHB tape to stick it back down. They now offer larger panels so I'd go with one big one
The defect could have been from setting all that stuff on it... what is required to charge a 65W laptop straight from the solar panel with no battery in a sunny state like southern California?
You really can’t. The battery is needed to keep the power steady
@@todd.parker My laptop has a battery... are you saying that the solar panel output is too inconsistent to charge a device directly? Then how does it charge a battery since a battery is a device... I was looking at Bruuner solar panel to go on top of my SUV. It has USB C output and it's always blazing hot here in So Cal. When I camp, I wake up in the SUV and it's 100F inside and the sun has been blazing on the roof for a good 4 hours which would easily charge my battery at even less than the rated output of the Bruun...
This is the one I'm looking at getting...
BRÜUN - 120W Portable Solar Panel - 2 USB Type A and 1 Type C Port - Perfect Off Grid Mini Foldable Water Proof Panel for Power Station Use - $114
So your advice is that I also need a travel battery? What kind of travel battery do I need just for a 65W laptop who's battery lasts between 3-5 hours depending on the screen brightness... I need to get a 12 hour work day out of the laptop offgrid. It takes about 1.5 hours to 2 hours to fully charge... it takes 30 minutes to charge to 50%...
• HP Fast Charge: Go from 0 to 50% charge in approximately 30 minutes.(72)
HP ENVY x360 Convertible
15m-eu0033dx
hp envy x360. They claim the battery will last 11 hours, that must be a different model or different type of work than I do, mine typically lasts 3-5 hours. So I will need to charge it 2-4 times during a 12 hour work day... I may be adding a MIFI 5G hotspot so I will need to power that as well... for a 12 hour workday.
Can you recommend the lowest cost and fastest charging battery and rooftop solar for me for a small SUV? I don't want to glue anything to the top of my vehicle... I don't mind some 3M sticky tape and some zip ties. I want it to be as stealth as possible, so the smallest panel and if I can take it off easily that would be good. That's why I was considering that Bruun panel... I'm sure I would have full sun most of the day...
Last time I researched a couple months ago the Eco Flow River Pro seemed the best due to it's 1 hour charge time since it will probably be charged at a Starbucks or from one small solar panel and from the car driving sometimes, but the travel battery niche seems to improve quickly so there is probably something better by now.
@@todd.parker I called Goal Zero and confirmed that the formula is just Wh divided by how many watts your power supply uses... my power supply is 65watts so I can get 10 hours out of a 650Wh battery... and my latop takes about 1 hour to charge so that's about 10 charges more or less... so if I need 3 charges a day for a 12 hour work day then I need 200Wh to 500Wh battery... depending on screen brightness and usage. Thanks for letting me bounce these questions off you.
@@VenturaIT if your panel can output usb-c then you might not need a power station but they typically don’t output much via usb. The one you’re looking at is rated at 5v/3a = 15w for usb-c and to charge a laptop you need 100w power delivery so that won’t cut it. The River Pro is a good choice. The Delta Mini is also good. The EB70 from Bluetti would be good once they update it to match the EB3A. For panels, it really depends how you’re mounting them. For permanent, any glass panel is good or the peel and stick CIGS. Avoid flexible panels. For portable, folding 100w one by XTAR are my top pick.
@@VenturaIT cool. Keep in mind that there are losses so take 20% off the capacity to account for that. And don’t buy a Goal Zero, they are way outdated compared to Ecoflow and Bluetti
Hi from Danmark 🇩🇰💃🌍🌈
How did You get it off
The bad panel? Lots of slow peeling!
@@todd.parker Hi, may I know do it mess up the top layer of your RTT ?
How are these holding up after a year.
I had Renogy flexible panels before, and they delaminated but they recalled them and gave me a full refund.
Still working well. Had to glue down a few corners but otherwise going strong
@@todd.parker thanks! I’m debating about adding these to my 2021 Sienna to keep the fridge powered. The 1500w inverter helps a lot, and paired with my River 2, as long as I drive it daily my fridge runs fine. Waiting for another sale to use your code for the River 2 Max. It maybe the Goldilocks size for me. The River Pro is too big to fit under the center console on my van.
Just checked Rich solar’s site. The 5 year warranty is now 1 year on the CIGs panels. I’ll probably skip solar and just go with a larger battery
How does it works goal zero
It works fine with all popular solar generators, including Goal Zero. You just need a MC4 to 8mm adapter
@@todd.parker thx for the fast answar
Ps. Can you get them in eu. I am from danmark.
Love your vid with goal zero, keep up the good work
@@MortenRoskildeRasmus Thanks! I’m not 100%, check the Rich Solar site for EU shipping. BTW I used these panels with my Goal Zero Yeti 1000 for this whole build, works great.
Old school ooftop tent, right. Really basic. I wonder why you went for an expensive power station that probably costs more than the tent? I also see you went for two and not 3 panels, the roof would have had the capacity for them. 60 volts in series is a very good value for a mppt controller. you would have had 200 Watts of usable power to charge or even run a mini airco, fridge or TV by using passtrough charging. You do wanna have a chill in the evening.
I’ve had the Yeti for a while so that’s what I used. I couldn’t quite fit a 3rd panel but that would have been better
The silicon fake 'flexible' panels should be outlawed...
On the cigs panels each 'cell' is actually a mini solar panel in parallel...
You mean the typical flexible panels that delaminate and burn out in a year or two? Yeah, they're bad
Thank god you did fall for the fake flexible panels....they are complete crap!!!
They really are and I knew if I mounted them they would likely fail super quick