I believe everybody has answered the fridge question.

The answer to solar or generator is BOTH. A 80-125 watt panel will keep your batteries charged enough for lights(LED), water pump, and other minor power draws. You need the generator for the microwave, TV, etc. and larger power draws. 

Solar panels are cheap. Get both.

More info here:  http://usbackroads.blogspot.com/2012/06/solar-or-generator-for-camping.html

Thanks Vladimer! All help is greatly appreciated!

I won't say that "some" rigs might be able to survive on under 125watts of solar, that is not at all typical. There is also a difference between being able to run a rig for several days without an active charge and get home with a fairly depleted battery and actually being long term sustainable.

Ie., you have 100ah available, you're burning 40ah/day but putting back 20 via solar. You're losing 20ah's capacity a day, but that's perfectly doable for 5 days or so. If you're only burning 30ah's/day your "stay time" increases.

With a single 80-125 panel... best case scenario... 15-25ah's of solar production per day. That's where the type of rig you have and the amenitites you have come in to play. Every rig will have "some" amount of parasitic energy draw. Obviously, a pop-up tent camper won't have the same parasitic draw as a 35' 5er. In a "modern" fully outfitted rig, your parasitic draw may be greater than 24ah's/day. In that case... with an 80-125watt panel you're fighting a losing battle without turning a single light on.

Bottom line... stating a "blanket" panel size to, "only run a few lights and the reefer" is pretty much impossible without putting in the homework time and doing the math.

Having 125 watt solar panel takes the edge of the battery drain.

During the day I turn on lights, watch a small TV, use the water pump for showering and dishes, and the furnace fan if it is cold. At night, I run the generator for an hour or so while cooking dinner. The 125 watt panel does keep the battery from draining.

A lot depends on your RV. I don't have ANY parasitic draws in either the 5th wheel or the Casita. I don't run the fridge off the battery...it runs on propane. 

It isn't a blanket size for a panel. Larger is better. I used a 125-watt panel for fall camping. Currently, with the Casita I use this 80-watt panel setup. It is easy to set-up:  https://www.amazon.com/Go-Power-GP-PSK-80-Portable-Controller/dp/B009MIPH36/ref=pd_sbs_263_3?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=B009MIPH36&pd_rd_r=WG5SDW6ZM8W4RWPPGMXF&pd_rd_w=lRrem&pd_rd_wg=0j5Uq&psc=1&refRID=WG5SDW6ZM8W4RWPPGMXF&dpID=519rcc0NEUL&preST=_SX300_QL70_&dpSrc=detail

My point is that many people think the choice is between a generator and solar. I think you really need both to be comfortable. Also I hate generator noise so the solar does help minimize generator run-time particularly during the morning and day when it is most annoying.

During hunting season we run three RV's off one Honda 2000 generator. It generally loafs along especially since all three RV's have LED lights. Only request is to tell the other folks when you are going to run the microwave.

  On 2/9/2018 at 5:37 AM, Vladimir said:

I don't have ANY parasitic draws in either the 5th wheel or the Casita.

There may be more than you think. I've never met a 5'er that didn't have some amount of parasitic. Even a reefer running on LP requires 12v to run the control board (even when idle), thermostat and ignitor. The gas detectors, radio memory (if so equipped), power management monitors/remotes, WH board, sensors, etc... and just general line loss all contribute to "parasitic draw". Even 1/2amp doesn't seem like much, but that's 12ah's/day... or... 2+ hours of solar production off a 100watt panel out of ~5. Some rigs may have as much as a full amp+ (or 24+ah's/day without a single light on).

"My point is that many people think the choice is between a generator and solar. I think you really need both..."

Absolutely agree. Any amount of solar is good. More solar is even "more gooder", but even a well planned solar system with every "margin" added in will, occasionally, benefit from a cord.

I have added 800 watts of solar (with a 120 watt portable 'suitcase' panel if we are parked under dense trees) and a 60 Amp Tracer controller to charge 200AH LiFePo4 house batteries connected to a 2500 watt PSW whole house inverter. We have boondocked for several weeks and never had to start the genset. Onboard propane is 64lbs with a 30lb backup tank. As long as we don't need the AC we have plenty of power for a long stretch, with water being the limiting factor (72gal). I do have a 40 gal water bladder with pump to make water runs in the TOAD. (providing we are somewhere it is OK to trickle the grey water) So you can go totally solar (minus AC use) as lone as you have sun.

  On 8/14/2018 at 5:13 AM, Jesse S. said:

I have added 800 watts of solar (with a 120 watt portable 'suitcase' panel if we are parked under dense trees) and a 60 Amp Tracer controller to charge 200AH LiFePo4 house batteries connected to a 2500 watt PSW whole house inverter. We have boondocked for several weeks and never had to start the genset. Onboard propane is 64lbs with a 30lb backup tank. As long as we don't need the AC we have plenty of power for a long stretch, with water being the limiting factor (72gal). I do have a 40 gal water bladder with pump to make water runs in the TOAD. (providing we are somewhere it is OK to trickle the grey water) So you can go totally solar (minus AC use) as lone as you have sun.

As we can attest, as you have, it is very doable to go for long periods w/o electric hookups or running your generator.  

It is always so obvious the people who reply to various posts that you can't--or it is very difficult to-- dry camp or boondock relying only on battery and solar have NO experience in the real life use of solar and batteries.  

There are literally hundreds if not thousands of RV'ers who boondock comfortably for weeks and months at a time with solar and don't run their generator.  Just drop by the desert southwest in the winter in southern CA & southwestern AZ and you will see lots of RV's with their solar panels. 

On our trip to Alaska in 2016, just the part from when we crossed into Canada and then back into the lower 48, we went 147 of 149 days w/o elect hookups and only ran the generator for about 1.5 hours one day to charge our batteries.  We have 650 watts of solar in a pair of 325 watt residential panels and 400AH of lithium batteries. A 2000 watt inverter powers all our 120V electrical needs.  Sharon also uses a power wheel chair and we have a large 4 wheel power scooter for her as well.  Both are recharged w/o generator use. 

We boondocked a lot. We only had 300w solar and we used a catalytic propane heater rather than the furnace (not overnight - we like it cold).  The propane heater doesn't use electric like a furnace and it's more economical on propane usage.  In the summer you really don't need heat.  Put on the stove top perculator in the morning for coffee and it will heat your RV up fast.  Our propane lasted all summer.

  On 8/14/2018 at 7:17 PM, Al F said:

It is always so obvious the people who reply to various posts that you can't--or it is very difficult to-- dry camp or boondock relying only on battery and solar have NO experience in the real life use of solar and batteries.  

Here here! It's quite more than doable to live "very" comfortably on solar... and not only on 12vac alone. I'm not without my 120vac appliances. Portable ice maker, washing machine and spin dryer... TV, internet... use my nuker on occassion and "comfortably" keep my battery dependant accessories charged.

A bit of planning goes a long way utilizing full solar production, but it's certainly not rocket science. ? My rig hasn't touched a shore line more than 4 times in the past 7 years and rarely turn over my gensets more than once or twice a month.

For a boondocker... I would say the main limiting factors are waste tank capacity, refer storage space and fresh produce.

You "could" life on canned goods... but not a lifestyle I would chose. Fresh grocery and dumping tanks are generally what will drive me into town.

In the grand scheme of things... electricity is quite the least of my concerns. 

Edited August 15, 2018 by Yarome

It's interesting to see this bumped up. I've been boondocking since January pretty exclusively. We were using a Honda 2k for 98% of the time and maybe fired up the Onan 5500 now and then to exercise it. Back in April, I finally got an inverter and then while boondocking with some friends, I got to borrow a 100w solar suitcase setup. If I was running my inverter and a few computers and things, the 100w wasn't enough to keep up, but it sure did keep me from running the genny as much and if I left the inverter off, in full sun, it would bring the batteries back up. 

about 3 weeks ago, I installed 800w of solar, bumped up to 6 6v batteries for 690ah total, plus a hybrid 2000w inverter. I haven't had to run a generator yet since I put the solar on and in full sun with my batteries at 100%, I can run my double fridge off electric for 5-7 hrs or so and not drag myself down. A few more panels would have made a nice difference. 

The solar is an absolute game changer for boondocking and I hate that I waited as long as I did. Now that it's installed the boondocking is even more amazing. I have kept a closer watch on my propane use and 14-18 days per 30# propane tank seems to be pretty normal. I can extend that of course if I run the fridge off electric some.