By Cheri Sicard
For car campers, roof-mounted solar can turn into a project that drags on for days. The Honda Element build in the video at the end of this post from Tristan at SUV RVing took a much simpler route. Instead of building custom brackets or changing the whole roof setup, Tristan tried a clamp-based kit made for roof crossbars. The goal: mount a 100-watt rigid panel fast, keep it solid, and avoid extra noise on the road.
A different way to mount a solar panel
On past builds, our host had used two main ideas. One was mounting a panel directly to a cargo box, which had worked well before. Another was the setup from a Land Cruiser build, where a skinny panel sat on top of a rifle box beside the cargo box.
This time, Tristan wanted something new. The product he landed on was the BougeRV Solar Panel Crab Mounting Kit, a roof-rack clamp system he bought for about $90.
What comes in the crab clamp kit
The kit is simple, and that is part of the appeal.
- Four Z-shaped brackets
- Four crab clamps
- Allen wrenches
- Printed instructions
The key part is the crab clamp. Each one attaches to a bracket on the panel, then pinches down onto the roof crossbar.
How the panel went on the Honda Element
Our host’s aftermarket crossbars measured 29.5 inches from center to center. Since the factory holes in the panel frame did not line up with that spacing, he marked new hole locations using the panel’s center reference hole and the bracket itself.
Tristan then center-punched each mark and drilled the aluminum frame in stages, first with a small bit, then a larger one. A scrap piece of wood sat under the frame so the drill would not hit the panel below.
Tightening the panel to the roof rack
Once the holes were drilled, the Z brackets went onto each corner of the panel frame. After that, the top bolts on the crab clamps were loosened so the clamps could fit over the crossbars.
The panel dropped into place beside the cargo box, and each corner was tightened a little at a time until everything sat square. The result looked clean and felt solid. Any movement came from the crossbars, not the clamps.
The video also notes a second setup option. By flipping the Z brackets, the panel could sit lower for a tighter profile.
At first, there did not seem to be enough room for recovery boards under the panel. A few days later, Tristan found a way by sandwiching the boards around the crossbars and holding them in place with heavy-duty UV-resistant zip ties, smaller helper ties, and paracord as a backup.
Getting power into the car
For wiring, MC4 extension cables ran under the cargo box, around the crossbar tower, and through a rear gap in the Element. A few zip ties kept the cable tucked into the corner, and one trim piece was loosened so the wire could sit more neatly.
Inside, Tristan chose an MC4-to-Anderson connector instead of an MC4-to-8mm. When plugged into the power station, the display lit up and showed about 60 watts coming in.
Road test and final take
Fuel economy was not the main concern here. Tristan figured any roof gear would cost some efficiency, and this setup did not seem worth worrying over.
The bigger question was wind noise, so to test it out, Tristan drove the Element at 75 to 80 mph on a windy day. There was no extra whistle, and afterwards, the drive panel still felt solid.
For a quick roof-mounted solar setup for car camping, this one really worked.
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