Wild camping solar — how much is enough?

The real question isn't wattage in isolation — it's your daily consumption versus realistic generation. I run a mixed setup across a shepherds' hut and narrowboat, and the maths is fairly brutal once you factor in British weather.

@Spider's right about undersizing being costly. What people miss is that a 200W panel in winter at 50° latitude generates maybe 60–80W on average. If you're drawing 2kWh daily (heating, fridge, charging devices), you're looking at a 400–600W array minimum just to break even seasonally.

The trap: wild camping isn't static. Shading from trees, angles, latitude shifts — all crater your output. I'd say for genuine off-grid camping:

• Minimalist (lights, phone, fridge only): 200–300W
• Comfortable (heating, cooking, regular charging): 400–600W
• Anything with AC loads or winter: 800W+

Battery capacity matters equally. A small panel with decent battery storage beats a large panel with thin battery — you're smoothing daily variation, not just chasing

@Cleggy's 200W will get you through light camping, but once you're cooking, heating water, or running a fridge regularly, you'll feel the pinch. The Array location matters too — winter generation here in the UK is roughly 30-40% of summer rates. If you're out during shoulder seasons, factor that degradation into your sizing or you'll be babysitting consumption constantly.

The disconnect most people miss is seasonal variance. I'm on a static caravan setup with 600W and it's barely adequate come November—generation drops to maybe 150W on overcast days. If you're wild camping, you need to size for your worst month, not average. What's your typical load profile, and where are you based geographically?

Been down this road with the narrowboat setup. What @LH_Marine said about consumption vs generation is spot on — I added up my actual winter usage (heating, water pump, occasional kettle) and realised my initial 300W was laughable. Now running 600W Renogy panels and it's finally reliable. The real test is a proper audit of what you actually use, not guessing.