400W Lightweight Portable Panel Review: A Comprehensive Guide
We’ve had the opportunity to test out and use nearly every portable panel and solar suitcase Renogy has made since 2018 – from our 21W E. FLEX portable solar panel that we take with us on backcountry adventures to this amazing NEW 400W lightweight solar suitcase!
We’ve recently incorporated the 400W lightweight solar suitcase into our small solar powered system and it has quickly become a game changer – especially when we need a big boost of power after a few cloudy or rainy days, or when we want to park in the shade while we are working from the road (i.e., using a good deal of power with our laptops and satellite internet running wide open). Check out our video review below…
Advantages of 400W Solar Suitcase
Great Power to Weight Ratio: For the size and weight of this panel, the power production is phenomenal! (see chart below to compare with other solar suitcases and portable solar panels) On a very sunny day with no clouds, we’ve seen the power production fluctuate between 350-375W. Even on very cloudy days, we pull in between 80 and 100W. And, with just some passing clouds, we typically get between 200-250W.
High Voltage / Low Amperage: The optimum operating voltage is 40V, but only about 10A of current, so you can safely use a 20-25’ 8-10 AWG extension cord combined with a 15A inline fuse.
Easy Portability: The entire panel weighs in at just over 30 pounds and folds down to approximately 28” x 33.5” x 3.2”, making it relatively easy for most adults to carry and store away. In a vertical orientation, it stores perfectly on the back seat of our Nissan Frontier truck.
Easy Power Station Charging Source: This solar suitcase is designed for large power stations such as Renogy’s 1000 Power Station. As long as your power station can accept a DC input voltage of at least 48V, this panel is a perfect pairing. Safety warning: Do not plug this unit into a power station that does NOT have a rated DC input voltage above 48V.
Simple Kickstands: The 4 kickstands (one per panel) can be operated with one hand, making it easy to angle the panel to the sun. Or, if you want to lay it flat when completely open and keep it out of the mud, sand, or snow, it fits on a large picnic table.
High Quality Construction: Hinges, frame, and kickstands seem well constructed and made from coated aluminum alloy, protecting it from most things that Mother Nature will throw at it, as well as being rust resistant.
Protective Coating: With fiberglass reinforcement and ETFE coating (which is even lighter, more durable, and transmits more light than glass), even hail would have a difficult time damaging the materials that protect the solar cells.
Durable Carrying Case: The carrying case is lightweight, made out of durable nylon, has dual zippers, and a handy pocket on the outside to carry the solar extension cord that you’ll need in order to keep your RV in the shade and the panel out into the sun (sold separately).
Solid Warranty: Five year warranty on materials and workmanship, though we suspect that will last much longer if treated well!
Disadvantages of 400W Solar Suitcase
Difficult to Maneuver When Open: With the panel completely open, the 4 connected panels measure 111.8” x 33.7” x .8”, which is half again as long as a standard twin bed (75” x 39”) and about 5” narrower. While it’s lightweight, it is BIG! The dual handles make it easier to move, but you still have to fold in both outside panels first in order to move the panel and follow the sun throughout the day.
Strong Wind Advisory: Because of its size and lightweight construction, strong gusts from behind could blow it over, so we recommend that you weigh down the kickstands with rocks, water bladders, tent stakes or even pieces of firewood.
Kickstands Don’t Click into Place: There are only two options for the position of this panel…completely flat or at about a 45 degree angle. The kickstands won’t stay in place at any other angle in between. It would be beneficial for them to click into place at various angles to maximize solar gain throughout the day.
No Built-in Charge Controller: For those who are seeking an easy “plug and play” solar solution for their RV or van, this panel is almost there, but not quite. You will need to install an appropriately-sized charge controller inside your RV or van in order to regulate the power going into your battery bank. Safety Warning: Do NOT try to connect it directly to your batteries.
Comparison Chart of Renogy's Solar Suitcases & Portable Panels
How does this 400W lightweight solar suitcase stack up against their other portable options? Check out Renogy's current lineup of portable panels and solar suitcases in the chart below.
Using a 400W Solar Suitcase with Our System
While we have room for 2 x 100W flexible solar panels on the roof of our camper, sometimes we need some extra solar surface area or want to park in the shade. Having a lightweight, high-wattage portable panel on hand to charge up our 2 x 100Ah LiFePO4 PRO battery bank is invaluable in a few real world situations:
- If it’s been cloudy or raining for a few days and our battery bank is low, we put this panel in the sun for a fast-charging boost.
- We prefer to work when it’s raining and play when it’s sunny, so if we use a lot of energy on a cloudy day while we are working, this panel doubles our solar surface area at a better sun angle.
- We like to park in the shade to stay cool in the summer, but still need solar to maintain our battery bank. We put this panel out in the sun on a 25’ extension cord.
- From October through March in the northern hemisphere, the sun angle remains too low most of the day for our flat rooftop panels to produce all the power we need. This panel more than doubles our charging efficiency due to its wattage and angle.
After a week of testing during different times of day, under different sky/weather conditions, etc., we are impressed with this 400W solar suitcase! We can recharge our 200Ah LFP battery bank (at a 50% SOC) in 4-6 hours depending on the clarity of the sky. Using our Renogy ONE Core to monitor our power production, this panel typically produced 350-375W in the bright sun during peak production between 10am to 2pm. During the morning and evening hours, we recorded 200-250W of typical energy production.
How to Integrate This Panel into Our Small System
The 2 x 100W flexible panels (wired in parallel) on our camper roof are rated at 200W (20.7V x 9.7A). This 400W solar suitcase is rated at 40V x 10A. While our Renogy 40A Rover Charge Controller could easily handle the combined amperage (19.7A) coming in from both arrays, we need to keep these two arrays separate because 200W and 400W simply don’t play well together. Anytime you combine two arrays, it’s important that they are very similar in wattage because the overall system will go to the lowest common denominator, thus negating the additional power output of the higher wattage panel.
To deal with this pesky issue, we added a battery switch in our solar cabinet, allowing us to choose which array we use to charge our 2 x 100Ah LiFePO4 PRO battery bank. For instance, if we are driving down the road on a sunny day, we use our 200W rooftop array; but if we are parked in the shade, we put the 400W solar suitcase out in the sun and turn the switch to our ground array.
Outside the camper, we added an 8 AWG / 25 foot extension cord with MC4 connectors on one end (which connect to the pre-installed MC4 connectors on the back of the 400W panel) and an Anderson connector on the other (which is the receiver we already have on our external “pigtail”). Depending on your set-up / plug situation, you could install an SAE plug, etc. on the other end so that it coordinates with your system or just leave the MC4 connectors that come pre-installed on the extension cord. Lots of options!
Inside the camper, the positive wire of this pigtail (along with the positive wire from the rooftop array) are wired into the previously mentioned switch, then wired into our 40A Rover charge controller. Both wires are fused with 15A circuit breaker switches.
So, if you are like us and have very little space for panels up top (or simply don’t want to drill scary holes into your RV/van roof), this 400W solar suitcase is a fantastic option to keep it light enough to travel!
Shari Galiardi & David Hutchison have turned their higher education backgrounds, desire for life-long learning, and thirst for adventure travel into writing, photography, video production, and public speaking tours from coast to coast. Known to their friends as simply Shari & Hutch, you can learn more about their full-time, solar powered adventures on their website at freedominacan.com. Or, follow them on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube as “Freedom in a Can.” Save an additional 10% off most products using our promo code CANLIFE – even on sale items!
