The rugged and reliable 200w Heavy Duty Portable Solar Mat with 15A Smart Regulator and Crocskin® Cell Armour from Hard Korr will have you covered for solar power on the road.
It can be an absolute disaster if your solar panel fails mid-trip. This is why the A-grade monocrystalline cells have a solid copper cell backing and are coated with Crocskin armour for durability. This mat is made from 1680D canvas, which is double the strength of most other mats and using the inbuilt legs, the panels can be angled towards the sun for maximum efficiency.
The system also comes with a 15A 5-stage digital controller as well as an Anderson plug and all the necessary cables you could need. For dependable power when camping and touring, check out the 200w Heavy Duty Portable Solar Mat with 15A Smart Regulator and Crocskin® Cell Armour from Hard Korr.
Can I use these panels to jump start my zero volt lithium battery
G'day Steve,
This will connect to a lithium battery although I wouldn't be 100% that this will jump-start your zero volt lithium battery. Hard Korr advised it would be better to use any other 12v battery to help jump-start the dead one.
If my start battery went flat, could I charge it using this product?
G'day Andy,
You can, just make sure you're using the solar controller with the correct charging profile for your crank battery chemistry.
If you want to use the raw pannels, its possible with battery alligator clamps, but you'll need to manually monitor the voltage.
Hi is hardcore going to make a similar panel but a 300w?
G'day Geoff,
HardKorr do make a 300W blanket which you can find here.
They haven't done the 300W size in the Crocskin style panels at this stage, and not sure if they're planning to in the future.
I'd say as solar technology progresses the chances are good, but couldn't say when.
Is this solar mat sufficient to charge the specified battery on a sunny winter's day? Can the regulator be set match the following requirements: 20A max charge current; Bulk 14.2V; Float 13.7V?
G'day KC,
The regulator provided with the Solar Mat has a max 15A output. Assuming you've positioned the panels in a clear area facing the sun, with no cloud cover, you'd probably be able to expect around 8-9A in ideal conditions on a winter day.
Generally 200-250W solar is the standard most people go with for a 100Ah battery.
Hope that helps.
Will this work to charge the Hard Korr deep cycle battery?
G'day Aimee,
Yep, you shouldn't have any issues with that at all.
Shoot us an email or give us a call if you have any other questions.
Hi, would this be compatible with a Sphere 120 Lithium battery?
G'day Susan,
Yes, this would work with the Sphere 120AH Lithium Battery, you can connect the panels via the regulator with the supplied battery cables to top up your battery.
I notice in the video, that the “panels” appear to be bending when set up. Will that get worse over time ?
G'day Paul,
Solar blankets are made from flexi-panels, not fixed panels, so a certain amount of flex is normal and expected.
I know people who have owned these panels for 5 years and had no issues at all. The flex doesn't worsen over time.
Will this work to top up 300a lithium battery and 2600 inverter in caravan. As it’s new it has its own controller so would blanket just plug into Anderson plug on van
G'day James,
You'd need to check the specifications of the solar controller. Given your set up it sounds like you'd be a-ok, but as long as the charge controller is rated to receive more than 12A you'll be fine.
Can I attached this mat directly to my caravan battery via the controller to charge battery, whilst my solar panel on caravan is charging the battery thru a separate controller
This should be fine, Alex, just as your alternator charges a battery at the same time as a fixed solar panel would. If you have a DCDC charger or PWM controller on the caravan then you'd be best using that for both if possible to achieve a better charge profile.
When securing the panel with a cable is it secured through the eyelets?
G'day Russell,
Yep, you can secure the solar blanket through the eyelets - no worries! Also of people also make loops with zip ties and then use something like carabiner, making it super easy to get them up and down.
When panels set up ready to receive input & the legs fully extended are they the best angle to get the most wattage imput Have HardKorr factored the optimum angle for best results when designing the legs
G'day Barry,
Generally yes. The best solar panel angle range is anywhere between 30-45ºc, which the legs account for.
Hope that helps.
Would this be adequate to keep batteries charged on a camper trailer with an Evakool DU295−DZ fridge, led lights, water pump? Batteries are 2 x 100Ah lithium. Off grid for 3-4 days. thanks
G'day David,
Yeah, they absolutely would be. They produce 11A max in tested conditions, although they're hard to replicate in real life you're still likely to get 8-10A in ideal conditions. Your load would probably pull 5A max with everything on at the same time, and 2-3A on average. So that's a good input/output ratio.
In winter or poor solar conditions, you may just need to move the panel direction a couple of times a day to maximise their output, but its 100% manageable & you should still be getting some reasonable power generated.
For the most part, the 200W panels are the most popular size for campers.
Is it compatible with the above?
Hi Rob. With regards to matching hte size of the panels to the powerbank it shoudl be fine. The Rovin looks to have a buit in MPPT controller so you would need to leave the included regulator out of the system.
You would need to confirm the solar inputs on the Rovin though, t looks like it has a smaller solar input than the regular Anderson plugs that come with the Hard Korr panels.
Hi, Is this compatible with the Itech500P ? Thank you
G'day Steven,
I've checked the ITech500P specifications on their website. They list that the solar input as: Max power in 120W (11-24v)
Based on this information, the 200W panels won't be compatible as the output power is 200W.
Can this mat be used without the regulator? I.e., pligged straight into a battery management system with it's own regulator?
G'day Cam,
Yes, you can use the 200W Solar Mat without the regulator if your battery management system has its own regulator. Just be sure to check the output specifications of the panel will suit your battery systems requirements.
Hi there, if this is being used for long off-road trips, would the mat be a better option or the blanket? Is there a difference in efficiency or toughness?
G'day Blanche,
By 'blanket' I'm assuming you mean the Hard Korr Lifestyle 200W Solar Blanket?
If that's the case, I would probably recommend the Heavy Duty 200W Mat. The Lifestyle Blanket is a great entry level or budget friendly option, which still performs wonderfully but has some limitations - namely, its not off the shelf compatible with lithium batteries & does have the same level of weather protection.
I do believe the mat will give you abit more flexibility with set up, and will have the durability required to see you through the kind of use you have described.
Hope that helps!
Do they give an efficiency rating for these panels?
G'day Laine,
Generally, panels designed for camping don't come with efficiency ratings, this is something that you more commonly see on commercial or residential system panels, where there can be a greater variance between brands.
If you are picking up a camping solar panel set that comes from a reputable brand you can be pretty certain that they have been independently tested to ensure the max output is going to be pretty close to what's specified, in ideal conditions.
If your query is relating more to overall efficiency of performance in less than ideal conditions, there generally isn't much specs around this for camping systems. The best way to get more info on this is to jump on YouTube and check out videos where people have lined up a few different brands and done immediate comparisons of outputs, etc in the same conditions.
Hopefully, this is what will give you more of the info you are after.
I saw on the hard korr website that this panel's regulator is a PWM regulator, but i have read in a lot of places that PWM should not be used with Lithium. Do you know if the regulator that comes with this panel is actually PWM, and if so if there are any potential drawbacks or risks for using it with a Lithium battery?
G'day Kevin,
PWM v MPPT is only really relevant to the solar panel output, whereas battery charging is a different issue. If you have a lithium-compatible solar controller, it doesn't matter if it's PWM or MPPT.
MPPT charge controllers are known to be more efficient, however, in small-scale systems like portable camping setups, the difference isn't huge.
MPPT's have benefits if you are wanting to series panels to have a higher overall voltage (which is important for some inverters) or they can sometimes help maximise what you get out of the panels in poor conditions.
I think the product reviews/feedback on these panels speak for themselves, they're always come with a PWM controller and there's little disadvantage of that. You can always upgrade to a MPPT controller down the line if you choose, its just a matter of swapping them out.
With Rover there is a small cable that fits into Rover in put dock with an Anderson plug at the other end I will get my HardKorr Heavy Duty Portable panels next week I have been assured that I can connect the Rover to HardKorr by bypassing HardKorr controller Is that correct
G'day Barry,
Yes, that is correct - the terminals on the Hard Korr panels are Anderson plug, and are compatible with the Rover 70.
I have an XTM 40 litre 12 volt single zone fridge and a newly purchased Companion Rover 70 Lithium Power Station Will the Hard Korr 200 watt Heavy Duty Solar Blanket be ample (suitable) to supply solar power during daylight hours so my fridge will have enough power supply to cover the night hours fridge runs
G'day Barry,
The Rover 70Ah has an 80% capacity, which gives you 56Ah without any recharge. We dont sell XTM fridges, so I'm not familiar with their power consumption, but hypothetically if your fridge is drawing 2.5A that will give you 22hrs running solely off the Rover.
The Hard Korr Panels have a max output of 11.11A, so I'd say in ideal conditions you'd be getting around 9A, maybe half that in winter months in clear sky.
Basically, the short story is yes, they'll be more than enough - just keep an eye on in it very overcast or poor solar conditions.
As what I've understand the rover 40a got a built in MPPT. It says that it will limit the charge to 5A even if the solar can provide more? Please correct me if I'm wrong.
The Rover 40Ah has a maximum solar input of 18-20v 5A.
Given there is a small margin of extra amps that a charge regulator can handle on average, you can get away with an additional Amp, which takes you to 100-120W panels.
The 200W Solar charger has an output of 11A, so essentially this panel has more than double the maximum input of what you are trying to charge.
The Rover 40Ah inner wiring and componentry is rated to the 5A MPPT specs. A charge regulator cannot cut off power beyond its capabilities.
The primary purpose of a solar controller is to regulate the flow of charge into a battery from solar panels, based on the feedback it's getting from the battery itself, of up to the maximum current it can handle - it doesnt limit or throttle the charge.
Cutting off power when it exceeds 5A is definitely a function, but it is there only really as a failsafe for the odd occassion over the life of the unit - therefore it's relying on people understanding what these specifications actually mean, and pairing it with compatible solar panels.
Regardless of what battery and solar panel & regulator combo you are using you must make sure the solar panel and input V and A requirements are compatible. Unless you want to sit with your panels and battery all day and manually disconnect the panels when they exceed 5-6A output, you will have an inoperable system.
Can I use this mat to charge my Companion 75 litre fridge freezer with inbuilt 40 amp hour lithium ion battery,regards Russell
G'day Russel,
We've had questions on solar compatibility for this fridge before.
This fridge requires you to set the charge current to 12.8V max, which is different to the standard lithium setting that solar regulators have. Unfortunately, there's no other solar panel option that we carry that will do this except for the Companion Solar Charger panels.
I'm not aware of any other solar panel sets with this capability on the market, but you may be able to find a stand-alone solar controller with this capability to pair up with a solar panel of your choice.
Hi all, are you able to connect two solar mats together in parallel connection if I have a mppt controller that can handle the current?
G'day Paul,
You can, but not with the supplied gear.
You'd need a high current piggyback Anderson cable which you can pick up relatively cheap from somewhere like Jaycar.
Hope that helps!
Hi,Can I use this solar setup to charge the Companion Rover Lithium 40 Ah power station?
G'day Betty,
The output of these panels are too much for the Rover 40Ah power pack.
Its input specs are Solar Input: 18-20V 5A, which means you'd need around about a 90-100W raw solar panel that's within the 18-20V output.
Hope that helps!
Hi Snowy's, I have an 80Ah lithium battery & the Victron charger already installed together in my teardrop. So I'm not really understanding if I leave the HardKorr controller unit off the panels completely & the Victron unit does the solar management for me. I know very little about how different units work together. Thanks for any advice.
G'day Helen,
Generally if you have a solar charger in the system already you'll need to connect the panel directly into the system without the solar controller being attached. Just be sure to check the manual for your battery and Victron charger regarding their maximum voltage and amperage.
Can I connect and replace the controller with a KickAss 20A 12/24V MPPT Solar Controller
G'day Jon,
Yes, absolutely. If you want to use an alternative solar controller you just simply swap them out.
The panels have Anderson connections & I'm not sure what is provided with the KickAss regulator, so you may need to hit up Jaycar for bits to make it all work, but its more likely it will be a straight swap.
How do you secure the solar panels to prevent theft when needing panels out to charge batteries but leaving campsite for a few hours.
G'day Pacita,
That's a great question, and not something I've ever considered in my many years of camping!
I haven't really come across anyone who does secure their solar panels - I think it's just the unspoken code between campers.
I suppose if you felt like your panels were going to get stolen you could somehow padlock them through the eyelet holes along the edge of the solar blanket.
What or how you would do that comes down to the kind of setup you have.
Hi. Would this charge a battery that is being charged by a Redarc BCDC1225D (mppt) at the same time? Cheers.
G'day Justyn,
No, as far as I'm aware you cannot have more than one solar input going into a battery.
The solar controller (MPPT or PWM) requires a feedback voltage from the battery to determine how it needs to charge, and if there is a secondary solar input it will mess with that feedback read. If that happens that battery may not be charged correctly which isnt a great outcome.
Just in regards to bypassing the MPPT controller for the Companion Lithium 70Ah power station, does that just mean you wouldn't connect the Hard Korr controller and the anderson clip would just connect the solar panel straight to the power station?
G'day James,
Yep, thats absolutely correct, you'd just plug the panels Anderson Cable straight into the Anderson solar cable for the Rover 70Ah.
Will charge the Yeti 200x
G'day Richard,
The Yeti 200x has an 8mm port solar connection and requires 13-22V up to 7A, 100W Max. input.
The Goal Zero Boulder 100 would be a great choice.
Will the blanket still generate power if I only unfold 3 panels, just reduced of course?
G'day Andrew,
I've actually got one of the Snowys crew who has these panels at home to test this out, and they certainly will still generate power. You might assume that each panel produces around 50W but that's not necessarily the case. The output ratio wasn't consistent at all, so it's not something we recommend doing regularly or relying on. Best to fully unfold wherever possible.
Hi, are these panels compatible with the Companion Rover Lithium 70Ah Power Station if you bypass the regulator/controller on the panels?
G'day Ellie,
Yep! They are, and one of the common match ups within our range.
The Rover has the built-in MPPT, so you are correct that you'll need to bypass the CrocSkin panel regulator.
Are these solar panels compatible with the Companion Rover Lithium 40Ah Power Station if you bypass the regulator/controller that comes with the panels?
G'day Ellie,
The output of these panels are too much for the Rover 40Ah power pack.
Its input specs are Solar Input: 18-20V 5A, which means you'd need around about a 90-100W raw solar panel that's within the 18-20V output.
Hope that helps!
Hi there, would you be able to confirm if a 15 AMP MPPT Solar Controller (KickAss brand) can be used in conjunction with the 200W Heavy Duty Portable Solar Mat by Hard Korr ?
G'day Sam,
Absolutely, you should have no trouble swapping out the 15A PWM for the 15A MPPT controller.
Are these 200W Portable Solar Panels compatible with the Dometic PLB40 Portable Lithium Battery (40Ah)?
G'day,
No, they won't be. The PLB40 has an onboard BMS which means you'll need solar panels without a regulator (or bypass the regulator that comes with them) which have a maximum output of 10A. Generally, 200W panels have a higher amp output, so you'd be looking at 170W or less
I have an Anderson double plug. Is there any problem running both the Hard Korr 200W solar panel with crocskin, in addition to another 120 W solar panel for charging my batteries?
G'day David,
Yes, there is. You'll need to ensure your solar panel voltage output specifications are the same. If they're not the same, you won't be able to series them I'm afraid!
The AGM battery system in my camper trailer already has a solar regulator/controller built in. As such, I have been advised by the manufacturer that you can't run a solar regulator that is also built into the solar panel. Can the solar regulator in the 200W Crocskin be detached or removed from the solar panel?
G'day David,
Yes, you can absolutely bypass the solar regulator on the 200W Portable Solar Panels with Crocskin Cell Armour.
Will this solar panel be suitable to power the Companion 75L Lithium Fridge Freezer? I was watching the Companion video and Ben mentions there is the possibility for non Companion branded solar panels to trip the power supply if the voltage exceeds 12.8V.
G'day Andrew,
No, not as they stand 'off the shelf'. The solar charge regulator on the Hard Korr200W Portable Solar Panels with Crocskin Cell Armour cannot be set with a specific voltage range. You will need to buy an alternative compatible charge regulator that has this function, and swap them out, or alternatively look at the Comapnion 200w Solar Charger
What size Anderson plug do you need?
G'day Scott,
We've had a chat with Hard Korr and they have said that a standard Anderson Plug up to 50 amps is needed.
Can two of these panel controller combos be used in parallel with each other? I have a dual battery setup that takes more amp hours to fully charge. Can 2 systems be used at the same time to provide 400W of input power?
G'day Cherbie,
Unfortunately, you won't. Obviously you're only able to use 1 charge controller in you solar set up.
The Solar Controller that comes with the Hard Korr 200W Crocskin panels has a maximum input of 25V / 15A / 375W.
If you were to parallel the panels you'd end up with 18V / 22.22A / 400W. Whilst there is a small amount of wiggle room on the Amps, thats much too far over the max capacity of the charge controller.
If you did want to parallel these panels you'd need to purchase a separate charge controller that can handle the overall increased output specs.
Is the 200watt crocskiin solar panel system compatible with an AOR Quantum with 3 x 100Watt lithium batteries with its own MPPT controller?
G'day Stuart,
The 200W Croskin Panels come with a solar controller, but if you're wanting to connect them directly to your Anderson input and use your own built in MPPT controller then that shouldn't be a problem. They come with a 1.5m Anderson cable that should connect directly into your system, and your MPPT controller will do the job to protect your batteries.
I do not need the controller. Thank you
G'day Andrew,
We're only able to supply this item as is with the solar controller included. Hard Korr used to sell these without the solar controller, but only directly on their own website. It might be worth reaching out to them to see if they still offer this.
Can this be connected to the trailer plug that usually goes into your anderson plug on your tow vehicle to charge your batteries? Thank you
G'day Kimbra,
It will depend on the wiring and the set up of your trailer and batteries, and whether there are any fuses or regulators in the setup. However, theoretically you should be able to connect the panel into the system using the Anderson plug.
Thanks Leese, I should have said - I already have a Companion 44Ah Power Pack which has a single input/output Anderson socket. If I connect a fridge and solar controller to this socket using a splitter, will the battery power the fridge and charge/float at the same time?
Hi again Steve,
Thanks for the follow up, sorry for the previous confusion. As far as I can tell the Anderson connection is either input OR output, with splitter cables designed to push out to two devices, or push in from two power sources. I don't believe it is possible to use a splitter cable to allow input and output via the one port.
On a regular sunny day how many amp hours would I expect this to generate? I was going to Connect it to a Deka Intimidator Group 31 12V/105AH AGM Battery
G'day Mark,
The maximum output of the panels under ideal conditions is 11.11A, so if you get consistently perfect weather for 8 hours of the day you might be able to generate around 80A in the day, however, this is the theoretical maximum, most users report the average output around 9A over the course of a day in non-cloudy conditions.
The Companion Battery Pack has a single input/output Anderson plug. Can I fit an Anderson splitter to it and have solar and a fridge attached at the same time?
G'day Steve,
This should be possible, without the need for a splitter, the Rover Lithium solar input is via the Anderson adapter cable, the output is a standard 50A Anderson Output.
Hi, is the total weight 9kg incl. the bag, cables etc? If not what is would the total weight all up be? Thanks
G'day Bastian,
The total weight of the carry bag is 11kg, including all cables and pegs, etc
Hope that helps!
Hi Snowys, I was wondering whether this Solar blanket would be suitable to charge a Engel Smart Battery Box?
G'day Matt,
Yes, you can use the Crocskin 200W Panels to charge the Engel Smart Battery Box Series II. You'll need to use the supplied solar regulator, and connect the panels to the box using the alligator clips supplied with the solar panels.
You can connect the panels to the Engel box via the Anderson input
G'day Yap,
Thanks for that, yes you could also use the Anderson port as the solar input if you didn't want to use it as an output.
You’ll need a the connector to for the Goal zero, but do you need a Solar regulator or can you connect it directly to the yeti via the Anderson adapter?
G'day Ruben,
The 200W Crocskin Solar Panels aren't compatible with the Yeti 200 or 500 unfortunately. They won't connect (the Yeti uses a brand-specific 8mm port), and the input from the panels is also a little too high for either of these powerstations. We'd recommend sticking with the Goal Zero Solar Panels to charge the Yeti power stations.
Hi, I already have Projecta 12V Portable Power Station ( https://www.projecta.com.au/power-management-products/12v-portable-power-station-suits-n70-battery ) with Deep Cycle N70T Century battery ( https://www.centurybatteries.com.au/resources/battery-finder/product/battery/n70t/info ) Will this panel charge / work with Projecta? Or do I need to buy additional items? Thank you
G'day Al,
We're not familiar with the Projecta Power Station, and I couldn't find a reference to the charging options or recommended inputs for the Power Station on the listing you shared. I'd assume it has standard positive and negative terminals, so if it has those, then I think you should be ok with the 200W Portable Solar Panels using the supplied alligator attachment clips.
Hi there Just wondering if this will be fine to charge my coolpower raps 44 (which will run my dometic CFX50W) and 18v lithium-ion 3.0ah Makita batteries? Thanks
G'day Rachael,
The 200W Portable Solar Panel will charge your cool power raps 44 battery, and I think you should be able to charge your Makita batteries, you'll just to double-check that the batteries don't have a limitation on input amperage.
Hi, will this solar panel system work with the https://www.snowys.com.au/heavy-duty-battery-box 'Heavy Duty Battery Box? We will eventually get a Lithium battery to use with it. *sorry I'm new to solar - still learning these things!
G'day Heath,
You'll have no dramas using the Hard Korr 200W Portable Solar Panels with your Hard Korr battery box.
Is the controller a PWM or MPPT?
G'day Russell,
The Controller on the 200W Crocskin Panels is PWM.
Hi. I’m planning to use this with my own mppt solar regulator. Do you know what the open voltage is of the panel ?
G'day Troy,
The open-circuit voltage of the 200W Crocskin panels is 21.24V.
Other panel setups show 2 Anderson plugs connected to the controller. How do you connect the controller to the solar panels and then to the andesron plug lead going to the battery. We are not using a DC-DC charger
G'day Margaret,
The digital controller is connected via an Anderson plug, then the output cable is also an Anderson plug. If required you can also connect the end of the Anderson cable to the battery clamps if your battery has standard terminals on the top.
Or is there another that would be more suitable?
G'day Julie,
This should be fine, but you'll need to check the maximum input power of the battery itself. The panels are able to be used to charge Lithium batteries and has an inbuilt 15A 5-stage controller.
Already have solar controller and would like to know if I can purchase item without?
G'day Tom,
Yes you can use the 200W Solar Panel without the regulator. You just disconnect the controller from the system.
Will this charge up a Dometic PLB40 lithium battery?
G'day Michael,
The maximum charging current the PLB40 can accept is 10A, so the 200W panels are a little too large for this battery. You'd be best off sticking to the Dometic Portable 180W Solar Panel.
ok thanks. I have gone for a Dometic Portable 120W solar panel instead. That should be right to recharge the PLB40 hey?
Hi again Michael, yes the 120W will also work.
Hi, Is the Anderson plug on the blanket compatible with red Anderson plugs? I want to use it without controller with my DC-DC controller, but also with controller to charge a standalone battery.
G'day Rob,
I've called Korr and checked with them, unfortunately, you'll only be able to use the Grey Anderson plugs with these panels. They did say that if you know what you're doing you could swap it over to Red plugs if you wanted to use it with your DC-DC controller.
Need to confirm if it’s the 15 or 20Amp
G'day Jez,
Its the 15Amp controller.
Hope that helps.