Is 200 Watts of Solar Enough for Your RV? Real Boondocking Data
This video explores whether a modest 200-watt solar setup can genuinely power an RV during off-grid camping. Colorado Camperman shares nine months of real-world experience running an HQST 200-watt monocrystalline system paired with a 200 Amp-hour battery, breaking down what this compact system can and cannot handle in a working camper. The focus is strictly on boondocking scenarios—no hookups, no shore power—making this practical advice for travelers serious about self-sufficiency.
This experience suits RV owners who camp unplugged, run modest electrical loads (lights, pumps, phone charging, laptop work), and want to know if they can skip the generator for everyday use or at least reduce their fuel costs. If you're considering a solar install but worried that 200 watts is too small, or if you're already boondocking and want to verify your setup is reasonable, the video delivers honest benchmarks based on actual trips and battery voltage readings.
Key Moments
Key Moments from This Solar System Review
- The HQST kit specs and price: two 100-watt monocrystalline panels, 20-amp charge controller, minimal extra hardware needed, around $220 on Amazon
- Why 200 watts works: low-wattage devices only (radio, lights, phone charging), generator on standby for AC or microwave, 200 Amp-hour battery storage as the backbone
- Real-trip usage example: running water pump, furnace at 23°F, baby monitor, and lights simultaneously; battery dropped only to 12.4 volts overnight and recharged to 13.8 volts in three hours of morning sun
- In-laws' system performance: installed the same 200-watt setup on a family member's camper; they rarely touch the generator and maintain battery voltage above 12.7 volts all weekend
- How to size your own system: using Renogy's online calculator to input your estimated usage and local sunlight hours to determine if 200 watts is right for you
- Supporting gear: 3,500-watt inverter generator as backup, portable solar power banks for cloudy days without running the generator
What You Should Know Before Sizing Your Solar Setup
- Battery capacity matters as much as panel wattage. The video emphasizes that a large, dedicated battery (200 Amp-hours in this case) is non-negotiable; without it, 200 watts of panels alone won't sustain you through cloudy days or heavy evening loads.
- Weather and location affect real-world output. Cloudy days significantly reduce charging; you'll need to rely on battery reserves or run a backup generator. Sunlight hours vary by season and region, so calculate your specific location's averages.
- Usage patterns determine sufficiency. 200 watts works if you avoid high-draw appliances like air conditioning and microwaves on solar; run those on propane, a generator, or not at all. Phone charging, laptop work, lights, water pumps, and furnace fans stay well within this system's capability.
- A generator is a practical complement, not a failure. The owner runs a 3,500-watt inverter generator for high-demand appliances, and recommends having an alternate power source as part of any solar RV strategy.
- Portable power banks are a useful addition. Small solar power banks can extend your range on gray days, letting you charge phones or small devices without firing up the generator.
- Use a sizing calculator before buying. Renogy and other battery manufacturers offer free online tools where you input your usage, location, and sunlight hours to confirm your panel and battery requirements.
Frequently Asked Questions About 200-Watt RV Solar Systems
Is 200 watts of solar really enough for full-time boondocking?
According to the video, yes—but only if your usage is low and your battery is large. The owner runs lights, water pumps, a furnace, and phone chargers on this system without stress. However, running air conditioning or a microwave on 200 watts is not realistic; a generator or backup power source is needed for those loads.
How long does it take to recharge a 200 Amp-hour battery on 200 watts?
The video shows the battery recovering from 12.4 volts to 13.8 volts in approximately three hours of morning sunlight. Full recharge speed depends on sun angle and cloud cover, but even modest winter sun performs well in this scenario.
What is the cost of a 200-watt solar setup?
The HQST panel kit shown runs about $220 on Amazon and includes two 100-watt panels, a 20-amp charge controller, brackets, and wiring. The battery adds significant cost; a 200 Amp-hour LiFePO4 or gel battery typically ranges from $1,500 to $3,000. Installation labor varies if you hire a technician.
What appliances can run on 200 watts of solar?
The video confirms you can run 12-volt devices like lights, radios, water pumps, phone chargers, laptops, and furnace fans. Propane handles your refrigerator and furnace heating. A generator covers air conditioning, microwaves, and other 120-volt appliances that draw more than the system can supply.
Do I need a generator if I install 200 watts of solar?
Not always. The owner's in-laws rarely use their generator at all with the same 200-watt setup. However, having a backup generator (like a 3,500-watt inverter model) provides peace of mind for cloudy stretches and any high-load needs, and the video recommends it as a practical addition to any solar system.
- Renogy 200 Watt Solar Kit
- 200 AH Redodo LiFePO4
Browse our travel guides →Key Terms
- Boondocking
- Camping in an RV without electrical, water, or sewer hookups at established or dispersed sites.
- Monocrystalline panels
- Solar panels made from a single silicon crystal that offer higher efficiency and better performance in low light than other panel types.
- Amp-hour (Ah)
- A measure of battery storage capacity, indicating how much electrical current the battery can supply for one hour.
- LiFePO4
- Lithium iron phosphate chemistry used in modern RV batteries, offering longer lifespan and better performance than older gel batteries.
- Charge controller
- An electronic device that regulates power flow from solar panels to the battery, preventing overcharging and damage.
- Inverter generator
- A portable generator that produces stable, clean electricity suitable for sensitive electronics like laptops and phones.
Sources: Boondocking · Monocrystalline panels · Amp-hour (Ah) · LiFePO4 · Charge controller · Inverter generator — definitions cross-referenced with Wikipedia
Video by Colorado Camperman on YouTube. If you enjoyed it, please subscribe to their channel and show your support for the great video.
Description
Renogy 200 Watt Solar Kit: https://amzn.to/432U9jM *HQST is no longer available, this kit is similar
200 AH Redodo LiFePO4 Battery: https://amzn.to/48mmQMf *Gel batteries are a thing of the past, get this instead
30Amp In-Line fuse: https://amzn.to/3oadnyn
250 Watt Power Inverter: https://amzn.to/3blIz8B
Solar Power Banks: https://amzn.to/4rDkSNC
0:30 - Our 200 Watt HQST Solar System
1:22 - Is 200 Watts Of Solar Enough?
1:33 - Why Is 200 Watts Enough?
3:21 - Factors To Consider For Solar
4:16 - Our Experience/What We Run On 200 Watts of Solar
5:30 - How To Figure Out If 200 Watt Of Solar Is Enough For You
5:59 - Summary & Closing Thoughts
In this video, I talk about our HQST 200 Watt Monocrystalline solar setup. Since I installed this kit, a lot of people have asked me, is 200 watts of solar really enough for your RV? Well, in this video, I answer that question! We primarily boondock and camp without hook-ups. So I answer this question from a boondocking perspective.
Around 9 months ago, I installed the HQST 200 Watt Monocrystalline solar kit with a 20A PVM charge controller. Here is a link to that video: https://youtu.be/v_omW_iK9NQ
So far we have really enjoyed this solar setup. Our solar system's backbone is our Renogy Deep Cycle Gel battery which has 200 Amp hours. That thing is a beast! Without that battery, our system would probably not be as great as it is. I also did a video about that battery: https://youtu.be/spW1XXhan9o
Please let me know if you have any questions about our setup. Thanks for watching!
DISCLAIMER: This video and description contains affiliate links, which means that if you click on one of the product links, I’ll receive a small commission at no additional cost to you. This helps support the channel and allows me to continue to make videos like this. Thank you for the support!Video transcript for “Is 200 Watts Of Solar Enough For An RV? - Boondocking With 200 Watts of Solar on Our Camper” Accessibility
A full written transcript of this video, provided for accessibility. Select any timestamp to jump the video to that moment.
hey guys colorado camper man brian here so in today's video we're talking all about solar ever since i installed our 200 watt system on our camper in the fall of 2020 i've had quite a few guys say hey brian is 200 watts of solar really enough for your camper so in today's video i'm going to answer that i'll put a link
to the installation video so if you are looking to install your own system i'll put a link to the video on how i installed our system so our system is hqst i bought the kit on amazon it was about 220 dollars and with that we got two 100 watt uh monocrystalline panels with the brackets and the mounting
hardware as well as the wires to feed down to the charge controller and then we got a 20 amp charge controller with that uh really the only thing i had to buy was dicor and then i bought a couple of in-line fuses as well the other aspect of our solar setup is our giant 200 amp hour renegy deep cycle
gel battery now we bought this directly from renergie i'll put a link to where we bought that as well as a code that you can use to save on your purchase but that battery is amazing and that is a huge part of our solar system the short answer to is 200 watts of solar enough the short answer is yes
it definitely is at least for us so let's talk about why i think that's enough and why or how that works out for us first off our usage is pretty low uh we primarily use in our camper our radio obviously our lights when it's cold out we use our furnace we'll charge up our cell phones or
gopros things of that nature so all of our low level stuff really they all run on 12 volt they just run on our battery we do have a generator which will operate our higher appliance stuff like say our air conditioner or our microwave our refrigerator we just do on propane so we don't do that
on solar or our generator but why it's enough is because we use low wattage devices on our battery all the higher appliance stuff like i talked about with the ac and the microwave we have a generator and in my opinion if you're going to have any type of solar setup you should have an alternate source of
energy you got to have a generator we have a 3 500 watt um predator it's an inverter generator so it's a quiet one and that thing works out great for sure so another reason why our setup is good enough too is because we also have these little battery packs with us now we don't use
these all the time but these are great little additions and you can plug your phones into this you can get quite a few charges and again these are very good to have like say if it is a cloudy day out and you don't want to run the generator these you can use to charge your phone gopro whatever and they work out great
so a couple other factors in this question you know is 200 watts of solar enough yes it is if you're getting sunlight you know if it's a cloudy day out you're not really going to be able to do too much and you're going to have to rely on your battery which is another huge factor um you have to have a pretty decent
sized uh battery that's meant just for solar and that has a large amp hour storage um in order to have a really good solar setup and then obviously it is going to depend on your usage for us this works out perfect because we don't run a lot of heavy appliances and we have our generator when we need
to run the higher appliance stuff um if we didn't need to run our ac or our microwave frankly we would have no use for a generator and in my opinion we wouldn't really even need one so some of you guys might be wondering what exactly did you do on your trip and how do you use your your 200 watts for our trip
again during the daytime we can pretty much do whatever we want for example we could have our tank heater pads on we could have those on while charging our cell phones and listening to music on a radio and we would be fine we would not be discharging our battery at night time you know we're
taking our son uh takes a bath so we're running our our water pump we have lights on uh it got down to 23 degrees on this trip so our furnace was kicking on um and then we had a baby monitor so we had some pretty heavy usage on our system and our battery when we uh first started doing all this stuff is
at 13.8 volts and uh in the morning time we were down to 12.4 volts we still had plenty of energy um and that was after very heavy usage what's awesome about even just 200 watts we went from 12.4 volts in the morning time and then probably three hours later we were back up to 13.8 volts on our battery
so one thing that's really great that you can do if you're wondering if 200 watts is going to be enough for you is go to renigi's site and this is not sponsored or anything but they have a great calculator where you can plug in what your estimated usage is and how many hours of sunlight you get and you
can figure out the size system that will be good for you so that'll be for your solar that you'll put on your on your camper as well as your battery bank so overall guys i would definitely say 200 watts of solar is more than likely going to be enough for you if you're looking to be able to
run your lights at night and your water pump and be able to charge your phone maybe run your laptop if you need to do some work you know in my opinion i think 200 watts of solar is definitely plenty kind of with the caveat that you need to have a decent battery like we have in order
for that 200 watt system to be enough one other example my in-laws i installed 200 watts of solar on their camper before i did on our camper with another renegy agm 200 amp hour battery and once i saw how great their system was i was like okay 200 watts is definitely going to be good
enough on our camper they actually rarely ever use the generator because we share a generator and they they don't really ever use a generator they have no use for a generator they were here this entire weekend and they did not touch the generator at all and they were 100 percent fine with with running everything and
their battery never probably dipped below i think it was 12.7 was the lowest that i saw so if you're wondering is 200 watts of solar enough for your camper i hope this answered that question for you again i'll put a link to the installation video on how to install this and amazon links
in the description below where you can find our setup so thank you guys for watching give her a thumbs up if you liked it and i look forward to seeing you in the next one [Music]
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