Thanks for watching! I just got back from a fantastic two-week trip to Colorado, and the videos from that trip will start next week. Stay tuned! -Tristan

I did special electrical modifications for government armored Chevy suburbans . if you take off the plastic rear panel above brake light, there is an access point to the interior of the vehicle, giving you a clean factory look. we also used wire dressing and magnetic studs(amazon) to dress cabling along roof rack.

Let me voice one concern about the routing of your cables. At the point where you bring the cables into the interior of your car, you have the cables sandwiched between the rubber molding and the metal of the body on which the molding normally sits. Each time you close the hatch, the cables will be pressed against that metal. At this point you may already have an indentation in the cable insulation. As time goes by, there is the potential for the insulation to be severed to the point where it will short out against the metal. My solution might be to drill and file the metal so that the wire insulation is not compressed between the molding and the metal. Just a thought.

I really appreciate that you found your Thule used.....it's real life for most of us. Meaning you didn't search them out for free or buy one new.....that's another reason I like your channel so much, you are keeping it real !! I can't wait to see your new adventures.

Actually you just need to turn the 4 brackets 90deg so that the narrower part of the bracket is along the slope of the box. If you want it’s also easier to bend the leg part of the bracket to match the slope of the box cover.

Good deal Tristan. Bit of advice if I may with using the Jackery 1000 with a solar panel in a car in the manner you’re using. Plug the solar panel into the Anderson input and reserve the 8mm input to receive power from a switched cigarette adapter. The way Jackery have wired the precedence of the inputs will allow you feed it from the alternator /starter battery when the engine is running and from solar at all other times automagically. That’s how I have mine (90W panel from Cascadia4x4) wired up. Pretty mind blowing, actually.

Looking good. If I can make a suggestion. I would recommend a larger fender washer on the underside for maximum surface area so there is even less of a chance for rip out.

When I installed my four Renogy panels on the roof of my fifth wheel, I used nothing but nye-lock stainless nuts. Haven't had any loosen up. If your not planning on installing any more than one panel, you could get away with a lot smaller wire size. Max output from a 100 watt panel is about 6.8 amps. Size 14 stranded wire would have worked great and takes up less room. Like always, you did a great job on your installation. Hope you don't get offended by my idea. Thanks for sharing.

Some low strength Loc Tite (242) on those threads for the wingnuts will keep them from backing off as you are driving down the road. Enjoy all your videos !

Thank you, Tristan! I have wanted to do this on my Expedition, but my son didn’t think that it would work. Now, we even have a “how to” video! ❤️

thanks for your video. You are one of the first KZfaqrs that actually show the thought/mounting process for the install.

Thank you Tristan...I just bought a used Thule off Facebook marketplace and going back and forth on solar options. Still haven't decided 100% on either a portable powerstation or battery with inverter but have 100% decided to mount my panel on top of my cargo box after seeing this video. Thanks again...love your videos 😉

PERFECT. This helps me get a better idea for my solar configuration. Thank you for the update at the end of the video!

Well done, Tristan! Great tutorial video. I want to do the exact same thing on a Thule cargo box. That will leave one side of my roof top platform room for a canoe or fishing kayak. You made it easy to understand and provided information on the necessary parts to get the job done.

I will never be doing anything like this myself, but I enjoy watching you doing it none the less.

I did a similar set-up with my Crosstrek. Bluetti/ICECO/Renogy100watt mounted on my expedition basket for an Arizona to Wisconsin and back camping roadtrip in September. Other than all the deer (omg) and mosquitos, my only issue for me was the dc cigarette car cord connecting the Bluetti and ICECO that was easily dislodged and had to be checked often. I will never travel or camp with ANY type of ice cooler ever again. I even made hot coffee with this system every morning. I do wish I had more headroom in the Crosstrek on those nights I didn't want to set up my tent. Love your videos!!!

Thank you Tristan, I learn so much from you sharing your experiences.

Now that I have redone my Sunurban build inside this is my next step. Thank you once again for a great video.

I’m n Florida, always seal your holes!!! Water will find a way

Thought about doing something similar but not attached solar panels to a Thule box. Looks good and now something else to consider for a future project. Cool! Thanks for the videos.

What a fantastic idea! I have the same cargo carrier for my Subaru Outback, makes great use of space and function!

Thanks for this video. You did such a neat job and I appreciate you showing the details of how you did it.

Anytime you add things to the roof you should measure the new height so you know when driving around.

That looked so easy lol. It will be nice to have the solar on the jackets all the time no worries for power. Can't wait to see what you got into im Colorado! Thanks for sharing your adventures!

Well done. Seems like an awesome setup. Enjoy!

Great job, Tristan. Can't wait to see the footage from this trip. 👍

Yukon looks awesome. Nice job on solar.

Great tutorial! I need to do this project on my SUV. We're gonna see lot more solar panel on cargo box on SUVs on the road now on. 👍🚙👍

Cool👍😊glad this set up for your solar panel & Jackery work well. Looking forward to seeing your continued travels👍😊

Coool... while I'm recovering from hip injuries, getting so much out of your trips..thank you! Geoff Marsh

Great execution. You have addressed my issue and provided a great solution. Thx. for sharing.

Has your set up experienced any wet weather? Curious about water leakage through the back door. 😂 "Bolt" 😂. Thanks for another great tutorial.

The routing of the cables under the lower rear door weatherstrip would be my only concern with this setup. If you get rearended or back into something hard enough to push your rear door in, there is a REALLY good chance that you will completely cut through one or both wires. Or worse yet, short your wires either together or against that horizontal body seam. If you choose to leave it there, you might consider an inline fuse as close to the panel as possible.

Excellent! Now I know I can mount solar panel on my Outback. Thank you!

Tristan thank you for answering my questions about finding camp sites. In reference to the video about installing a solar panel, I think the wiring install could use some improvement. Time 10 minute 29 seconds on the video. May I make a suggestion or two. The routing under the weather stripping, across what may be scarp metal may not be wise. You may find that under the large piece of plastic that is above the tail light may be a hole that is meant the vent the body to the outside. Wires fed into such a hole would be accessible be pulling them under the inside body panel (yes the big plastic one). Routing them this way they could exit the panel inches from the Jackery. This way require cutting two holes in plastic. If correctly placed they will not be very noticeable, detracting from appearance and resale value of the vehicle. What if there is no hole under the plastic piece? A hole drilled in the body where the lift gate meets the body will lead to the same place. A large grommet would be required to protect the wiring as it went through the body. If I were there I would know more and even help you which the install. If you are ever in norther California near Yosemite let me know.

That’s exactly the set up I would chose. Already made up my mind on it over a yr ago. Renegy to Jackery.

Thule has been out of a lot of their boxes for quite sometime now - so it's great that you were able to find a used one.

Pretty cool. Can't wait to see your adventures.

Good job! Jackery are VERY protective of their proprietry 8mm input and do not like MP4 adaptors being used, though of course it works. It just means you probably won't be getting free Jackery Solar Generators or gear as you did with Renogy who I also use for my 2 x 200W panels.

Thanks for the great tips.nice build

That's about what I did with the cables on my SUV. Gorilla tape is good for holding wires in place. In a couple of places I used sticky backed velcro if I thought I might need to move it out of the way in the future.

You earned my subscription because this is so helpful how to shine bright in dark places well done

Great idea. You have a natural tilt for the panel when the Thule is open. I too see future problems where the wiring is routed through the weather stripping. Maybe with a grinder you could cut a small piece out of the metal to allow the wiring to pass without chaffing?

As to routing the cable into the SUV, I've had a Goal Zero panel on top of my 2004 Grand Cherokee for about 3 years now. Just fed the cable in through the rear driver side door, which I don't use much, and let the door gasket deal with it. It's worked fine with no water leakage so far with no hole in the Jeep and minimal work to install. I did use two aluminum angle bars to make a frame on the roof that connects to the pre-existing roof channels, then I bolted the panel into that frame.

Thank you for sharing. Awesome 👍😊

This is a very nice way to do the solar panel. I like this idea a lot. Thanks for sharing.

.... lovin' the attentions given to detail ✨

Good job on your solar panel. Can't wait to see your trip to my state of BEAUTIFUL COLORADO.

I would have loved to hear how often the solar panel topped off your Jackery 1000 based on normal usage. and how it performed on various weather conditions.

Thanks, Tristan. This is not something I will be doing but it is great to share ideas with those will. Take care.👍🎶🤗

A word of warning, I do not recommend running the thick wires through the rear door seal. It can cause exhause gases to leak into the cabin. Also, as others have noted, larger fender washers on the inside of the carrier.

Thank you for this moving. Just starting SUV life full time so I appreciate this video. So there was no leaking through the neoprene washers either or did you experience any rain? Thanks!

Great explanation on installing the solar panel. Looking forward to your Colorado videos. We were in the Flat Tops Wilderness Area north of Glenwood Springs over Labor Day; we love that area.

Nice job, good idea!

Your Channel popped up in my queue and so Happy / New Sub your simple detailed genius solar panel cargo box mounting i did not think of solves I thought I had NO more?? roof top install space. GREAT JOB‼️Vid‼️👍👍⬆️

Using composite shims like when you're installing doors would level out those panels

Great setup. I wish I would've put a set up like that on my Subaru, "Adventure Wagon". I noticed you called your rig "The Adventure Mobile". I'd been calling my camper Modified Subaru Forester, "The Adventure Wagon", for quite a while.

Hack of the year! Love it! 👍😎🇨🇦🌞

Great video!

Ive been looking for a way to mount another solar panel on my cargo box and make use of that space. Good call with the rubber washers and the panel's inset mounting holes!

Your new starship is looking real good sir:)

Gracias por tu alluda nos sirbe. Mucho felizidades por tus ensenansas

Just opening and closing the tailgate would cut through the insulation on the wire and cause a short that could possibly lead to a fire. You could possibly run it through the top where the other wires for the tailgate is run it would be a much cleaner install and not to mention a safer.

I have exact cargo box. Love it

From an engineering perspective you really need to fit extra large flat washers either round or square with rounded corners on the inside of the panel mount's to distribute stress loads so the panel doesn't fly off and become a flying projectile.

Great video, broke it down very well and will be adding my panel next weekend. Question, you run the solar panel to the jackery , then do you just plug your fridge to the jackery always? Or do you plug the fridge into solar and use the power station at night/no sun?

I think I would have gone ahead and just used an Anderson cable (with adapter) instead of those bulky MC4 cables. With one 100 watt panel, that should work fine. Also, I'm concerned about how you routed the cables behind the weatherstripping. Your wire is pushed up against that metal edge and is probably going to wear over time. At the very least, you need something to keep that wire off of the metal. But I'm sure other commenters would have better ideas for routing that wire.

You could even place wood on Thule's bottom side and drill through it to make it more secure.

Nice solution. You might consider putting a small air damn around the leading exposed edge of the panel to prevent bugs and road debris from damaging the panel's underside.

Very cool 😎

love it thanks

Excellent 👍

Keep a watch on where your cables enter the vehicle at the bottom of your lift gate. There could be chaffing where the cables rub against that metal edge . I would have ground out a section for the cables to go in further and added some more protection around the cables. Just an idea...

Like, as usual. :) Thank you, Sir!

I'm so glad to see someone actually get solar straight to a power bank I couldn't find many videos of people doing that so I'm glad you did because I don't have the room for a battery and inverter and all those extra cables I just want to hook straight to my power bank

I think you were only seeing 50w because the battery was at 96%, I expect the internal solar controller was limiting the current. Would be good to see what you achieve in full sunlight with a half full battery 🙂 thanks for the vid 👍

What about using composite shims,(HD, Lowe's), cut to size, to stabilize connections on the curves ?

Impressive. Not a simple thing to get right and not have leaks or hear minor rattling from the wires.

Great video! I'm new to solar and would like to know more about the Jackery. is it like a battery/inverter combo? Is that how you were able to not need a separate AGM or Lithium battery?

I love how you think these things through!

NOTES TO SELF: 1) Turn the brackets (and possibly bend) so they lay flat on the Thule box. 2) Use 4 nylon lock washers inside. 3) Use 4 large fender washers inside the box.

Your very creative

I have a van the size of the NV200 and found that I can put a folding 100w solar panel out on the long sloping dashboard under the windscreen and leave it there permanently - an indoor solar panel that clearly doesn't need holes to wire into the battery.

Cool! Before watching the video, I was wondering if you would be placing the panel INSIDE the cargo box for stealth and protection of the panel when not in use.

Been looking at used "rocket boxes" here. Was your Thule set up, kit-wise, to go on your vehicle, or did you have to use some hacks to attach to the vehicle?

In the long term, did the cables experience any wear/damage from either the top of the hatch, or where you threaded them through the seal?

Nice video! Is it possible for you to review Xtar SP100 portable solar panel?

Should you use longer bolts and add backing plates (wood or metal) inside in cargo box for an added measure of sturdy securing?

Very nice setup with one exception. The wires entering the vehicle may short against the body and perhaps cause a fire. I would do that part differently to make it safer. Greetings from sunny Jamaica.

Great videos. I've always enjoyed watching your travels. Please be careful with the seals on your vehicles. Carbon monoxide might become an issue 🤔. I'm not an expert, but just a thought 👍

Thanks B

Did you experience more wind noise? Thank you for your inspiring video!

New roof boxes should be designed for solar panel add-ones. Same applies for the pop-top.

Does the weight of the solar panel make it difficult to lift the cargo box lid?

Hi I'm thinking of doing this I'm just worried about the lid and panel flying off at 75 !! Have you had any issues ? Thanks Great Video

Are you aware Yakima sells a cargo carrier with a solar panel attached. It is the CBX 16 Roof Box starting at $1200.00. Great video and ingenuity build.

Hello Tristan! I was wondering if you could tell me the name of the trail outside Phoenix that has the cliff dwellings in the unbelievable canyon. The video title is "Jaw Dropping! " Thanks!

I'm a firm believer in Locktite. I was a trip when my spare gas tanks worked their way loose on my roof rack. Luckily none fell off.

Nice video

Tristan, how do you keep water from leaking into your roofbox now that you have holes in it?