GAR2
Illinois
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Joined: 11/03/2018
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StirCrazy..............sent PM
In the market to buy a T/C
2002 F350 4wd CC DRW 8’ box
Load Lifter 5000 rear air bags, front Timbrens
Rancho 9000 shocks
Brighton, Illinois
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mbloof
Beaverton, OR
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Joined: 11/27/2014
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Back in the day, 'solar' (for JUST the panels) cost $10-20 a Watt!
(Current cost ~$1-2 a watt)
The charge controllers have come down as well, while sometimes 'free' as a package deal with some panels, they can cost anywhere from $40-400.
However, the #1 problem with solar is not the cost it is with the availability of LIGHT - sunlight that is.
Forgetting for the moment that you will NEVER see the rated output of ANY solar panel you purchase, solar works best with the most unobstructed (no shade!) view of the sun as it moves across the sky from sun-up to sun-down.
So if your in the desert with no mountains or trees it will work much better than (for example) in a dense forest it won't work well or at all.
As an example, there are places that I park where my battery will be fully charged by 12:00 noon (if not by 2PM) and others where I get NO charge at all.
IMHO: Considering the cost of a Generator $400-2000 tossing ~$200 for some solar can be cost effective.
- Mark0.
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ScottG
Bothell Wa.
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Joined: 02/25/2005
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Lifepo4's are generally rated appx. 4000 cycles at 80%. So if you drained them flat and recharged them every day, they would still have 80% of their capacity after 10+ years of hard use.
So given how most of us would really use them, there's no reason to worry about being nice to them.
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StirCrazy
Kamloops, BC, Canada
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Joined: 07/16/2003
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mbloof wrote:
Back in the day, 'solar' (for JUST the panels) cost $10-20 a Watt!
(Current cost ~$1-2 a watt)
- Mark0.
much much less than that now, unless you're talking about buying from a rv dealer. 350watt panels go for 230.00 or less if you shop around now
2014 F350 6.7 Platinum
2016 Cougar 330RBK
1991 Slumberqueen WS100
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theoldwizard1
SE MI
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Joined: 09/07/2010
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GAR2 wrote:OK, thanks guys! I was also thinking a 12V electric blanket or invertor with a 115V AC heating pad for colder deer hunting weather.
Heated mattress pad is the way to go ! My Dad's old cabin had very poor heating in one of the bedrooms. The heat mattress pad made it very comfortable.
Skip the electric blanket ! Just add a second regular blanket
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GAR2
Illinois
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Joined: 11/03/2018
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Thank again for everyone’s feedback. I’ve been working on creature comforts this past week; a rope handle to make the tailgate easy to close and lower from the inside, gasket between the tailgate and and back of bed, and new plastic seal for glass door to fit tightly against tailgate protector.
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