When it comes to solar panels and camper solar panels, there are five important factors to think about.

It’s critical that the total wattage of your solar panel array is able to sustain your daily energy usage. But how many watts is enough? 100-watts? 300-watts? More? That answer is entirely dependent on how much electric power you require to power and charge all your electronic devices (lights, laptop, heater, etc). In general, unless you’re running a bare-bones electrical system, we would recommend at least 200-300W worth of solar panels.

If you really want to get technical, knowing the actual dimensions of your vehicle’s roof is a good place to start. Once you know the roof dimensions, you can look up the dimensions of the different solar panels available and get an idea of how they would fit on your roof. This is exactly what we did when planning our solar build. Using Adobe Illustrator, we simply superimposed the dimensions of the Newpowa solar panels on a rectangular area representing our Ford Transit roof. We saw that the panels would neatly fit in the rear end of our van with plenty of distance away from our MaxxAir vent fan.

How important is stealth camping for you? Only you will be able to answer that question. If it’s a top priority for you, rigid solar panels may not be your best option. Even without a roof rack, rigid solar panels can be seen and identified from the roadside to people who know how to look out for them. Aka: The police and potential thieves. If camping discreetly is your thing, look into flexible solar panels or even suitcase panels to meet your needs.

If you intend to be traveling/living in your campervan for longer than a year or two, you should prioritize solar panel build quality. Personally, we would stay away from flexible panels due to the tendency for the panel’s surface to scuff and scratch. The longevity of flexible panels is also questionable due to their inability to properly dissipate heat. Rigid solar panels for your campervan should be the ideal choice if long-term van life is in your plans.

If you decide to go with rigid solar panels, you’ll either need to install a roof rack or drill the panels directly onto your van’s roof. But with holes comes the risk of leaks when it rains. And leaks are nobody’s idea of a good time, especially for van lifers. In our Installing Solar Panels post, we took great pains to make sure our drill holes were watertight. And so far…so good. But if drilling holes in your campervan’s roof makes you queasy, flexible solar panels might be the way to go.

If stealth camping is a primary concern for you, consider looking into a suitcase-style solar panel for your camper.

When not needed, simply fold the solar panel away and store it inside your van. There won’t be any evidence of a solar panel installation anywhere outside your van.

Unfortunately, this also means you won’t be able to harvest any energy while the suitcase panel is folded and stored. For this reason alone, we would not recommend suitcase panels over traditional rigid and flexible solar panels.