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How/where to mount rooftop solar with cap?

snoolobster

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Hi all! I have a mojave, with an RSI smartcap. Any builds / recomendations on how to add solar on the roof? I currently have an external foldup solar panel that charges an ecoflow battery. Any roof only solar options that don't use the cap? On the cap, should I mount solar directly to the cap, or, somehow use a roof rack system so I can take the panels off if I want to add cap roof storage in the future? Any recommendations on panels / sizes?

Thanks!
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Bandit’s Lair

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You can go with a hood mounted panel like Cascadia or the other brand (forget the name). Those work fairly well from what I’ve read. The panel you have now will work well if you do something like an alternator charger to your power station while the vehicle is moving.

Solar panels that don’t actually mount to the outside of the vehicle are good because it’s one less thing to worry about getting damaged scraped scratched while out on the trail. Even if you do fairly calm trails Mother Nature has a way of making her presence known at the worst possible time in the worst possible way.
 

Free2roam

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RougeShot12er

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I don’t have a smart cap but this is how I did mine. I designed and printed some brackets to mount it with.
Wanted something to go under the basket since I do not utilize it a lot.
It charges a 100ah LifePo4 through a solar charge controller. Works great!
Jeep Gladiator How/where to mount rooftop solar with cap? IMG_7443
Jeep Gladiator How/where to mount rooftop solar with cap? IMG_7442
Jeep Gladiator How/where to mount rooftop solar with cap? IMG_7449
 

BourbonRunner

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@Bandit’s Lair Lensun is the other hood panel company.

@snoolobster do you have a factory hard top? You can mount a panel to it easily using any number of low profile gutter feet/mounts out there. I'd look for a something along the lines of what Thule makes, but eliminate the cross bars and mount a fixed panel to the feet keeping as low to the roof as possible, but isolated with rubber/neoprene pads between the panel and the roof.
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