Installing a solar system on your RV can be expensive, and complicated, and once installed it stays put. You could easily spend over $10,000 on equipment and installation. And once it’s done, it stays on that RV so when you go to sell it or trade it in, you end up installing another new system on your next RV. Finding a balance between affordable, portable, and simple solar can be a challenge. Does the Lion Energy Safari ME Deluxe kit meet that challenge and is it a viable option for RVers?
Lion Energy Safari ME Deluxe Kit
The Lion Energy Safari ME Deluxe Kit combines individual Lion Energy products into one very capable package. The core of the kit is the Safari ME solar generator. It houses a 922-watt hour lithium iron phosphate battery, a 2000-watt pure sine wave inverter, and eight outputs for powering virtually anything you can run on a 15-amp standard wall outlet. The next major addition is the Safari ME Expansion Pack which is a 2000-watt lithium iron phosphate battery. The addition of the battery takes the energy capacity up to nearly 3000-watt hours.
The kit also comes complete with six (6) 100-watt 24-volt solar panels and a 25-foot solar extension cable. The long cable allows you to have the panels outside harnessing the power of the sun while the unit is inside powering your needs. One of the advantages of the Lion Energy Safari ME is that it has a pass-through system so you can charge the unit while using it.
The system utilizes lithium iron phosphate (LiFePO4) batteries vs lithium-ion. The LiFePO4 battery is the safest on the market and is more stable than a standard lithium-ion battery. It stays cool in higher temperatures, and if it’s exposed to harsh temperatures or hazardous events it won’t start a fire. They’re also fast to charge and have more life cycles than a lithium-ion battery. The Safari ME is rated to 2,500 lifecycles and the Expansion pack is rated to 3,500.
Charging the Safari ME Deluxe Kit
There are two ways to recharge the Safari ME and Safari ME Expansion Pack products and both are among the fastest on the market. The first is via a standard wall outlet. The Safari ME can be charged from zero to full in as little as 83 minutes and the Expansion kit in about 3-hours. Charging the units on solar is nearly as fast as when using all six of the 100W 24V solar panels. The panels can charge the Safari ME in 95 minutes on a clear day with full sun, and the Expansion pack in about 3.5-hours.
We tested the recharging capabilities on our Safari ME Deluxe Kit a few times. The first time we charged just the Safari ME from zero to full and it took 125 minutes. It was a sunny day but there were a lot of rolling clouds that continually blocked out the sun. Then we ran the unit back down to zero and charged both the Safari ME and the Expansion Pack. It was another partially cloudy day and it took a little over 5-hours to completely charge. Both times were extremely impressive and are faster than the rates of other competitors.
I have never used any solar panels or generators before and I found the setup and charging extremely simple. It just takes opening up the panels and setting them out facing the sun. Then connect them from the output of one panel to the input of the next until all six are connected. Then you take the output of the last panel in the series and connect it to the Anderson charging cable on the back of the Safari ME. The unit automatically switches on and into charging mode.
If you’re charging both batteries at once, or just the Expansion pack, you need to connect them. You cannot charge the Expansion pack on its own, it must be connected to the Safari ME. The process here is simple as well. Either stack the Expansion Pack on top of the Safari ME or next to it. Then attach the Expansion pack cable to the back of the Safari ME via the “external battery” port.
Using the Safari ME Deluxe Kit
The portability of the Safari ME Deluxe Kit makes it very easy to move it where you need it. The fact that you can use just the Safari ME or expand its capability with the Expansion Pack adds to its flexibility. During our multiple RV boondocking experiences with the product, we found that it all depended on what we were doing. If it was just being used to charge a few items and make a cup of coffee we’d just use the Safari ME. On the days when we needed to charge a lot of products, use the microwave, make coffee, and Suzannah needed to use her hairdryer and straightener, we’d bring the full kit inside and connect them.
It was fun to see how much we could throw on the system and see how it performed. Whenever the system is in use the screen will tell you the time left to empty and we would try and fill every output to see what it could do. The frustrating part was trying to get it to zero to test out the charging capabilities for this review. It’s hard to use all that energy because 3000 watt-hours is more power than our family of three needed for a few days. This could easily cover a family’s power needs for a weekend trip!
Safari ME Deluxe Pros
Portability, ease of use, and charging have already been covered. The Safari ME Deluxe Kit covers those bases very well. But there are a few other things that we like about the product.
The first is the design and ruggedness. Lion Energy didn’t set out to win aesthetically pleasing design awards with the product. Instead, they built a solid, rugged, and functional platform that will work in an RV, in the home, or on the job site. The handles on both the Safari ME and the Expansion Pack are sturdy. The functional rectangular box design of each makes it easy to stack and store. We found it easy to get the units in and out of both our front and pass-through storage areas on our fifth wheel.
The second thing is the quality of the six (6) 100W 24V monocrystalline solar panels. They’re foldable, easy to carry, and each one comes with a neoprene case. The strong frame and construction mean that they’re built to last and at 22-lbs they’re portable yet strong enough to stand up to wind. We dealt with quite a bit of wind on charging days but the panels didn’t even budge. They’re also rated to last up to 20-years which means that you’re getting your money’s worth.
The third thing we liked about the product is the number of lifecycles. If you’re going to invest in a product it’s nice to know you’re going to be able to use it for years. With over 2,500 lifecycles you could empty and fully recharge the Safari ME Deluxe Kit every day for nearly 7-years before having to worry about issues.
Safari ME Deluxe Kit Cons
The first thing we’d like to see improved upon on the product is the screen. The high gloss appearance means you get a lot of reflections and it can be difficult to see in the sunlight. Switching over to a matte finish screen and providing a screen brightening option would help with this issue.
The second area they need to improve upon is the solar panels. While they’re sturdy and built to last, they could improve upon the setup/teardown aspect. Currently, you have to use the thumbscrews to adjust the legs. It can be time-consuming and they sometimes slip if you don’t get them set perfectly. Predrilling the legs and using spring-loaded pins would make adjusting the legs much easier.
The final area Lion Energy needs to improve on is adding a true 30-amp output to the unit. You can dogbone down from a 50 or 30-amp cord to a 110 plug, but it would give RVers more flexibility to have a 30-amp output. It would also make it easier to just plug your RV directly into the unit to run the lights, refrigerator, and outlets.
Is the Safari ME Deluxe Kit a Viable Option for RVers
RVers looking for an affordable, easy-to-use, and portable solar solution will find that the Safari ME Deluxe Kit meets a lot of their needs. The 2000W pure sine wave inverter means that you can power your electronics and medical devices like a CPAP. The number of outlets gives you the flexibility to plug in a lot of items at the same time. It’s portable so you can throw it in the RV and go. It’s rechargeable so you can pretty much go wherever you want and know you’ll have renewable energy. There is no maintenance required on the unit as compared to a gas generator that requires fuel, oil, sparkplugs, etc.
It’s also extremely quiet so you have a generator you can run whenever you want which is in contrast to gas generators. If you’re visiting National Parks or State Parks, they have decibel and runtime restrictions on gas generators so you can’t use them all the time. And some boondocking locations won’t allow you to run them at all. You don’t have to worry about any of those limitations when using a solar generator. Whether you’re a weekend warrior or full-time RVer, the Safari ME Deluxe Kit gives you the flexibility and capability to RV the way you want and with the power, you need to do it. It will change how you plan your RV adventures.
Pricing & Lion Energy Discount Code
Solar power options for RVers aren’t cheap. If you go the traditional route of adding batteries, updated cables, an inverter, and solar panels to your RV you can easily go over $10,000. The Safari ME Deluxe Kit is much more affordable and an investment you can take with you when you go from RV to RV, RV to home, or even just RV to job site. As of April 2022, the price of Safari ME Deluxe Kit is $4,999 but you can save 15% on that, and any other Lion Energy product, with our Lion Energy Discount Code. Just use discount code HINTONTHETRAIL when you checkout.
Safari ME Deluxe Kit is Affordable, Portable, & Easy
Traditional Solar Power on an RV means expensive, complicated, and non-portable. Many RVers are looking for an affordable, easy-to-use, and portable option so they can RV how they want and with the power they need. Finding the balance can be a challenge but the Lion Energy Safari ME Deluxe Kit is a great option to make it all happen.
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