Fixed panels on the roof are the most common setup, but they have one limitation: if you park the camper in the shade to avoid roasting, they stop producing. That's where the portable solar panel comes in, one you can move and aim at the sun while the camper rests somewhere cool. Is it worth it? It depends on your case. Here's a clear answer.
What it is and how it works
A portable solar panel (or folding panel) is a panel that isn't fixed to the roof but is instead set out on the ground or propped up, connected to your installation or to a battery. Its strength: you can move and aim it so that it takes direct sun head-on, which raises its output, even if the camper is in the shade.
The advantages
- Camper in the shade, panel in the sun: the big draw, above all in summer, when you're looking for shade because of the heat.
- Optimal angle: being able to tilt it towards the sun, it captures more than a flat fixed panel.
- Flexible: you get it out when you need it and put it away; also useful as a top-up alongside the fixed one.
- No permanent installation and no holes in the roof.
The drawbacks
- You have to set it up and pack it away every time (and keep an eye on it, because of theft).
- It takes up space when stowed.
- It doesn't produce while you drive (a fixed one does).
Portable, fixed or both
It isn't one against the other: the ideal is usually a good fixed panel on the roof (it produces all the time, including on the move) backed up by a portable one for those days when you park in the shade or need a bit extra. If you're only going to have one, the fixed panel is the foundation; the portable is an excellent complement (see solar panels).
Make the most of it with a good battery
There's no point capturing more sun if you can't store it: a lithium battery (LiFePO4) accepts more charging current and makes better use of those production peaks than a lead-acid one. Panels (fixed and portable) and lithium work together to maximise your energy (use the calculator).
In short
A portable solar panel is worth it above all as a complement to the fixed one, because it lets you capture sun with the camper in the shade and aim it optimally, in exchange for setting it up and putting it away. The step you can take today: if you already have a fixed panel and fall short in summer (when you're looking for shade), a portable one is a great addition; and make sure you have a battery that can make use of all that energy. Combine it with the solar panel guide.