Developed some concern about my 4Runner battery drain-operating and charging small devices while camping. Hate those RV generators and wanted to go solar.
I had a conversation with a couple RVers at a motorcycle rally about the differences between solar panels-the advantage of those that still charge in partial sun. And so I have been searching for an inexpensive efficient and storable solar panel to maintain my 4Runner battery without having to get too elaborate with extra batteries and fancy inverters with meters and the like.
So here is what I discovered at Harbor Freight. A $64 dollar 25 watt simple solar panel with a $20 solar regulator that works under partial sun and stores nicely for transport. I just returned from a week of camping and had the piece of mind. Unit setup quickly and cord provided was long enough to reach the cargo area regulator and plug into the 12 volt socket.
OMG, (miracles upon miracles) the panel fits (glass side up against the headliner between the double clothes hooks in the cargo area! Its a nice tight fit and stays up without any additional straps, no worries. But to fit the panel has to go glass-side up, which is what I wanted anyway.
See the pictures below of the Thunderbolt Magnum 25 watt solar panel setup from Harbor Freight. Also here is a link to the other mods I did for camping with a bed in the back of the 4th gen 4Runner:
Mods for 4th Gen Platform Bed