Alu-Cab Canopy Camper Roll Call

[mquetel]

Just tried an 80/20 roll in t-nut with M6 thread and it works.

I'm using the economy t-nuts for the Maxtrax mounts, but if I were to add something without wanting to disassemble the rack, the roll-in t-nuts would be the way to go.

This is the product number I have here that worked:

https://8020.net/25-1966.html

They aren't stainless though. That reminds me that the t-nuts I'm using LOOK like stainless, but don't actually seem to be, they are slightly magnetic and 80/20 claims "zinc finished". Weird. Need to see whether I should replace these with stainless versions.

Thanks so much, I appreciate the confirmation!

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[cug]

In case people are curious about this:

My truck WILL fit into a standard 20' shipping container! Yeah!

The truck is 231cm tall (7' 7") at the highest point, still is on 33" tires, but since you can let air out to get through the door, tire height isn't that crititical. There is a 3" Terraflex HD lift kit on the truck, so it sits significantly higher than stock.

A standard 20' shipping container has a door height of 228cm, so the truck is just 3cm (1.2 inches) too high, letting air out of the tires will get it comfortably under 228cm. Length is standard Gladiator lengh, so 554cm or 218 inches. Internal length of a 20' shipping container is 590cm or just over 232 inches. 14 inches to spare ... that SHOULD just work. Oh, and the truck hasn't even all the weight in yet, the furniture is currently partly stripped, the seat platform removed, no fridge, no other stuff.

There was always the high cube options, but these are normally only available in 40' which means more than twice the cost or share the space with someone else.

 

[Geared4adventure]

In case people are curious about this:

My truck WILL fit into a standard 20' shipping container! Yeah!

The truck is 231cm tall (7' 7") at the highest point, still is on 33" tires, but since you can let air out to get through the door, tire height isn't that crititical. There is a 3" Terraflex HD lift kit on the truck, so it sits significantly higher than stock.

A standard 20' shipping container has a door height of 228cm, so the truck is just 3cm (1.2 inches) too high, letting air out of the tires will get it comfortably under 228cm. Length is standard Gladiator lengh, so 554cm or 218 inches. Internal length of a 20' shipping container is 590cm or just over 232 inches. 14 inches to spare ... that SHOULD just work. Oh, and the truck hasn't even all the weight in yet, the furniture is currently partly stripped, the seat platform removed, no fridge, no other stuff.

There was always the high cube options, but these are normally only available in 40' which means more than twice the cost or share the space with someone else.

I was very curious about this! Thanks for sharing. I finally received my Glad / AluCab on Friday and needed to do measurements.

 

[Lowelife Explorer]

small change of subject, the alu cab water wall storage bag board (not sure the real name) fits great with a rear seat delete, it made sense to me as I am putting the 813 molle panels on the water wall for shower and star link harness. Pictures aren't the best, but you get the idea.

 

[813 Fabrication & Design]

small change of subject, the alu cab water wall storage bag board (not sure the real name) fits great with a rear seat delete, it made sense to me as I am putting the 813 molle panels on the water wall for shower and star link harness. Pictures aren't the best, but you get the idea.

Took me a minute to realize that was inside the cab! Good way to reuse the pouches. I hope you like the MOLLE panels!

 

[caryt]

Redarc 200w panel 2ea orientation..is their a case to be made mounting length wise parallel to the canopy camper or 90*? There is enough room either way. They measure 39.1"x43.7".

 

[813 Fabrication & Design]

Redarc 200w panel 2ea orientation..is their a case to be made mounting length wise parallel to the canopy camper or 90*? There is enough room either way. They measure 39.1"x43.7".

Not sure it matters as long as it fits, the cables reach the camper input and looks the way you like for your setup.

 

[cug]

It’s a lot of weight up high. I decided, at least for now, to not use hard panels and also to go with a smaller solar setup - still undecided on which CIGS panel to go with.

 

[mquetel]

It’s a lot of weight up high. I decided, at least for now, to not use hard panels and also to go with a smaller solar setup - still undecided on which CIGS panel to go with.

Are these type meaningfully improved from other flexible panels? The promise of a lightweight, flexible panel that can be direct bonded are obvious, but I'm suspicious of having premature failures and excessive derating due to the direct mount on a dark, metallic surface.

 

[cug]

Are these type meaningfully improved from other flexible panels? The promise of a lightweight, flexible panel that can be direct bonded are obvious, but I'm suspicious of having premature failures and excessive derating due to the direct mount on a dark, metallic surface.

There aren't many long(er) term reviews out there for these types of panels. There are the typical tests, where the panels fare really well. Like this one:



But only very few long term reviews and I don't know how trustworthy they are. There are also quite some variations with them. BougeRV has some, as does Renogy.

When I asked the installer of my AluCab cabin what they use/recommend, they said that they're using Sunflare Xplor series panels. Mostly two of the smaller ones in parallel since the Redarc solar controller can't handle the open circuit voltage of the large one. I do trust TinyRig in general, they did great work installing my cabin and it seems that they tend to use parts that don't come back to bite them (which makes sense).

On issues, there were some reports of delamination of early CIGS panels and from what I remember, it was attributed to an exposed front edge of the panel – when driving, wind and water (rain) got in there and cause the layers to delaminate.

My take is: they seem to be at a point where I'm okay trying one, maybe with some additional tape to protect the front edge. Given my experience with Renogy's customer support, I'm probably not using their panel. I might (MIGHT) splurge for a Sunflare panel, although BougeRV's warranty is also pretty appealing. The most interesting part of the Sunflare is that I could fit two 140W panels on the roof for a total weight of around 8kg.

But, given the price of these panels, I'm very, very carefully calculating what I actually need in terms of solar capacity. A single 140W to 180W panel might be more than enough to extend my battery life to the point where I plain don't need anymore. I tend not to stay too long in places where the weather sucks and I would get very low solar output.

The other thing is that I have two solar controllers: one in the Manager 30 and one in the BCDC25 that I have re-installed yesterday, which means I can run two independent solar sources. Since I'm all electric (apart from the diesel heater), I need the battery and charging capacity, so 200Ah batteries and 200W solar has always been my target. In combination with a 200W solar blanket, this would give me the option of staying four to six days in a single place without driving and that's well beyond how long we typically stay in one place.

 

[cug]

And one more note: I'm also not going to use hard panels since I don't want to increase the height of the rig. Sure, I could take them off for shipping, but it's additional steps, lose things typically break in transport, etc.

 

[mquetel]

There aren't many long(er) term reviews out there for these types of panels. There are the typical tests, where the panels fare really well. Like this one:



But only very few long term reviews and I don't know how trustworthy they are. There are also quite some variations with them. BougeRV has some, as does Renogy.

When I asked the installer of my AluCab cabin what they use/recommend, they said that they're using Sunflare Xplor series panels. Mostly two of the smaller ones in parallel since the Redarc solar controller can't handle the open circuit voltage of the large one. I do trust TinyRig in general, they did great work installing my cabin and it seems that they tend to use parts that don't come back to bite them (which makes sense).

On issues, there were some reports of delamination of early CIGS panels and from what I remember, it was attributed to an exposed front edge of the panel – when driving, wind and water (rain) got in there and cause the layers to delaminate.

My take is: they seem to be at a point where I'm okay trying one, maybe with some additional tape to protect the front edge. Given my experience with Renogy's customer support, I'm probably not using their panel. I might (MIGHT) splurge for a Sunflare panel, although BougeRV's warranty is also pretty appealing. The most interesting part of the Sunflare is that I could fit two 140W panels on the roof for a total weight of around 8kg.

But, given the price of these panels, I'm very, very carefully calculating what I actually need in terms of solar capacity. A single 140W to 180W panel might be more than enough to extend my battery life to the point where I plain don't need anymore. I tend not to stay too long in places where the weather sucks and I would get very low solar output.

The other thing is that I have two solar controllers: one in the Manager 30 and one in the BCDC25 that I have re-installed yesterday, which means I can run two independent solar sources. Since I'm all electric (apart from the diesel heater), I need the battery and charging capacity, so 200Ah batteries and 200W solar has always been my target. In combination with a 200W solar blanket, this would give me the option of staying four to six days in a single place without driving and that's well beyond how long we typically stay in one place.

Appreciate you walking me through your thought process. The sunflare panels are the only one I had considered in this form factor, but the price premium has kept me on the sidelines, so far.

Currently I deploy a 180W folding array (I like to park in the shade) and augment with alternator based charging of my 100AH LFP home-brew battery box. It works great as long as I have decent solar conditions, but I am also mixing propane cooking and heating in with my electrical usage. A roof based panel at this point is mostly a convenience so I don't need to deploy the portable unit and regularly reposition to track the sun.

 

[cug]

A roof based panel at this point is mostly a convenience so I don't need to deploy the portable unit and regularly reposition to track the sun.

Makes sense. One nice thing about the Redarc charge controllers is that they can mix power sources and prioritize "green energy". E.g. driving in sunny conditions might mean 15A from solar and only 15A from the alternator to achieve the max of ~30A charging (I'm seeing mostly 32A though).

 

[HooliganActual]

My take is: they seem to be at a point where I'm okay trying one, maybe with some additional tape to protect the front edge. Given my experience with Renogy's customer support, I'm probably not using their panel.

My experience with Renogy's customer service was decent. When they shipped my initial system they forgot to include the wiring from the panels to the MPPT. I called them and they shipped out the same day. Maybe I had a lucky day.

Anyway, I know there aren't a ton of long term reviews out there as you've said, but I have been running Renogy's 100W flexible panels; started with 1 for a year and then expanded to the 2nd and have had that for almost a year.

When I added the second, I was getting about 18a in full AZ summer sun. Nowadays I will routinely see them putting out about 14-15a

Initially I was worried about the leading edge. I'd seen some people use angle or flat stock (depending on where they mounted them) for that leading edge, but I just used about 8 screws and then siliconed the whole leading edge to prevent the wind catching the edge and have had no issues for two years. Food for thought.

Since I mounted them directly to this roof rack, they get air flow and probably don't get as hot as if they were mounted directly to an RTT roof.

 

[HooliganActual]

Makes sense. One nice thing about the Redarc charge controllers is that they can mix power sources and prioritize "green energy". E.g. driving in sunny conditions might mean 15A from solar and only 15A from the alternator to achieve the max of ~30A charging (I'm seeing mostly 32A though).

My Renogy MPPT does this as well. It gives priority to Solar.

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