Power Your RV Site with Solar Lights: Beating the Winter Short Days

Winter RVing is magical, but short days drain solar lights fast. Don’t let your campsite plunge into darkness. Use these strategies to extend your light and ambiance.

Strategic Placement is Everything.

Panel on the Dash: Place your portable solar lanterns inside your RV’s windshield during the day. It acts like a greenhouse, capturing ample sun even on cold days.

Lights on the Awning: Hang lanterns from your awning roller bar, but angle their panels outward to catch the low winter sun, not the underside of the awning.

Leverage Your RV’s Main System. This is the pro move: Use a 12V to USB adapter from your RV’s house battery to directly charge your solar lanterns’ internal batteries during the day while you drive or run the generator. Let your big solar panels do the heavy lifting, and use the lights’ own small panels as a helpful top-up.

Choose the Right Gear. Opt for rugged, dual-purpose lights like those from Goal Zero or LuminAID. They are solar chargers for your phone and lanterns, making them invaluable multi-tools in your winter kit.