This is not a solar system, and it is not trying to be. It is a 10 watt panel whose one job is stopping a battery going flat while the vehicle sits — the trailer that lives on the side of the house, the project truck, the camper between trips, the boat on the trailer.

Every vehicle has a small constant drain from alarms, clocks and memory keeping, and over six weeks that drain is what turns a good battery into a dead one. Ten watts is enough to stay ahead of it and no more, which is exactly right for the job: there is no risk of overcharging and nothing to set up. Put it on the dash or the deck facing the sky, run the leads to the battery, walk away.

If you want solar that actually powers things while you camp, you want panels and a charge controller instead. If you want the battery to still start the engine in March, this is the cheaper and simpler answer.

Specs

• 10W solar panel, portable
• Battery maintaining — not a charging system
• Manufacturer part number SC-10
• Shipping weight: 2 lb

Bundle and save on shipping. Small parts like this ship in the same box as the rest of your order — add a few to one order and you pay shipping once.