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I got tired of picking my trailer up from storage with low or dead batteries. I also wanted to keep my batteries topped off during the day on dune trips while we listened to the stereo, charged phones, ran the vent fans, etc. So it was time to install a solar on the trailer. I did this on our Sprinter van when we built it so I figured it would be stupid to NOT do it on the toyhauler. Everything I bought was off Amazon and extremely easy to install so I figure I would pass along the info from my install. I bought two 100W Renogy panels. I could always add more later, but for now this was plenty of juice. Z brackets attach the panels to the roof. The trickiest part of the whole install was getting the wiring from the solar panels from the roof, down the walls, and to the fuse panel. I located a couple gray tank vent pipes in a wall where I wanted to mount the solar controller to. I carefully measured about 129 times and went for it. I used a long drill bit because I had to get through the roof, then about 8-10 inches of "attic"/ insulation space), then the actual ceiling of the trailer. After I drilled the hole, I used a fish tape to make sure the wire would make it all the way down the wall. Once that was confirmed, I used a large hole saw to drill a hole in the wall in a space that you wouldn't see (behind the drawers in the kitchen area). When I knew that wall would work for running the solar power wires, I fished them through a sealed cable gland. This seals them off on the roof and prevents any water from entering through the holes. (I also siliconed the holes.) Then I used some 3M Marine adhesive to seal/ glue the gland to the roof. A bucket of water worked well to keep some weight on it while it cured. All cured and water tight. I made a cardboard template and cut the hole for the solar controller in the kitchen wall. I made sure the other control panel wires were clear before I cut into the wall. The hole was cut and the wires were dropped down from the panels on the roof. Installing the power and ground to the solar controller is easy. Positive & negative power in and positive & negative power out. 👌 I yanked the power distribution/ converter out so I could access the back side to run the wires to it. I ran the wires through the cabinet and connected them to an open spot in the fuse center. I added a 30A fuse and walla. Power from the sun! The controller is very simple. It takes the high voltage (approx 19-20V) produced from the solar panels, and charges the batteries according to their needs. On an average sunny day, the solar setup produces about 7-10 amps. After I knew everything was working and permanent, I sealed off all the brackets, screw holes and cable gland with Dicor lap sealant. This whole system only cost me about $325. There are even better systems available and you can go much bigger, but for the money this setup is exactly what I was after. It keeps the batteries topped off at 100% all day for when it's time to run lights, heater, etc at night. There's plenty of space on the roof to add more panels too if I feel I need more. Here's the parts breakdown. 100W Solar panels: ~$200 Z brackets: $15 Dicor lap sealant: $10 3M 4200 adhesive: $17 Solar cables: $25 Cable adapters: $10 Solar controller: $35 Cable gland: $11 __________________________ total cost $323

yep Jeff Kalb. we always went to the dunes and shared camps