School Me On Off-Grid Power Solutions

[lalalofsky]

Hello All!

I am about to start the process of designing and building a off road camper to pull behind my jeep. Ideally I will be traveling with my wife, and our puppy. I know little to nothing about power solutions, but have been doing some reading on, solar, heating, power boxes and power storage. I am looking for clear cut knowledge, that would help point me in the right direction. Typical travel times would be no longer than a week.

Thank you!

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[mnjeeper]

Need more info. Do you need HVAC? Or is a rooftop fan good? A 12V system is easy. Once you go into AC it gets more complex. What do you plan to power? How big will the camper be? Like a squaredrop?

 

[tomd]

Following. I have a similar build in the near future.

 

[ericdrob67]

A couple 12v deep cycle batteries, an inverter & solar panels are the basics... really depends on what accessories/appliances you plan to run & for how long.

here is just an example....
https://dakotalithium.com/product/d...-truck-12v-100ah-off-grid-solar-power-system/
you could build your "system" more cost efficient if you source all the parts your self... but that would require some electrical knowledge.

 

[Jim1964]

Will you be driving every day to charge the storage battery, or parked in one place for multiple days?

A DC to DC charger can be a good solution for traveling types.
Parked for a long time solar is generally the way to go. IF you like camping in sunny places. Solar is not going to work in shaded campsites, it needs full sun for most of the day to be effective.

 

[Ratbert]

You'll definitely want to go with LiFePO4. They're quite a bit more expensive up front, but they're significantly lighter, smaller, can be drained nearly 2x as far (feels like you have ~2x the capacity for a given Ah), and can be cycled many times more than AGMs. They end up being cheaper in the long term.

If you're in a colder climate then make sure their BMS has a low temp cutoff. That is: don't ever charge them below 32F.

 

[Dyolfknip74]

I have the Cascadia 4x4 VSS on mine. The Rubicon version is rated for 30w. Mine pushes about 25 v in the end of winter sun. More than enough to keep battery topped up or even charge from dead. Super easy install.

 

[Ratbert]

I have the Cascadia 4x4 VSS on mine. The Rubicon version is rated for 30w. Mine pushes about 25 v in the end of winter sun. More than enough to keep battery topped up or even charge from dead. Super easy install.

Unfortunately a 30w solar panel would take 80 hours to charge a 12v 200ah battery, so that might not be sufficient for an off-grid solution.

 

[Industrialwrench]

Checkout goalzero. They have lightweight power and charging options.

 

[2drSportOC]

Consider basing your power system off of a self contained portable power station such as a Jackery or Goal Zero unit. Go with a unit that is big enough to power what you plan on running in the trailer. These units contain your battery, charging system and meters to determine available power and current power being used. You can simply use a fuse block to run your wiring to outlets, fridge and lights, etc. and power the fuse block with the power station. All the units have inverters that will power your 120 volt stuff if needed but run time will vary depending on what you are running. Hair dryers will use up the available power quickly.

To keep the power station charged, you can use a mounted solar panel (not the best if you want to park under a tree), a portable solar panel (great for parking in the shade and placing the panel in the sun, plus you can move it to follow the sun for the best charge), 12 volts from your tow vehicle while traveling or 120 volts if you choose to plug in somewhere.

This type of system uses a modular concept and can easily be replaced or repaired without having to haul your trailer into a shop. You will also have the power station available for around the house in a power outage.

 

[Jazzicon]

This guy knows everything solar.....

https://www.youtube.com/c/WillProwse

 

[lalalofsky]

Will you be driving every day to charge the storage battery, or parked in one place for multiple days?

A DC to DC charger can be a good solution for traveling types.
Parked for a long time solar is generally the way to go. IF you like camping in sunny places. Solar is not going to work in shaded campsites, it needs full sun for most of the day to be effective.

Most likely will be a mix of both. Depends mostly where we end up camping. I planned to have a solar system, For stationary trips, but am interested in the DC to DC system. Ill read into those.

Need more info. Do you need HVAC? Or is a rooftop fan good? A 12V system is easy. Once you go into AC it gets more complex. What do you plan to power? How big will the camper be? Like a squaredrop?

No HVAC, roof top fan should be all that we need. I dont plan to run AC at the moment, in fact it didnt even cross my mind when I was thinking about it. I plan to run some basic 120V style outlets, usb banks, a small since my wife loves her movies. I would also like to run some simple exterior lighting for night or morning.

I dont plan to run a heating system, but if I did I’d go with propane.

Camper should be a squaredrop style, I’d like to have a hatch on the rear for small kitchen.

Camper will be no larger than enough room for my wife and I to sleep, and thats about it. I didnt plan to be able to “walk around” inside.

 

[lalalofsky]

Consider basing your power system off of a self contained portable power station such as a Jackery or Goal Zero unit. Go with a unit that is big enough to power what you plan on running in the trailer. These units contain your battery, charging system and meters to determine available power and current power being used. You can simply use a fuse block to run your wiring to outlets, fridge and lights, etc. and power the fuse block with the power station. All the units have inverters that will power your 120 volt stuff if needed but run time will vary depending on what you are running. Hair dryers will use up the available power quickly.

To keep the power station charged, you can use a mounted solar panel (not the best if you want to park under a tree), a portable solar panel (great for parking in the shade and placing the panel in the sun, plus you can move it to follow the sun for the best charge), 12 volts from your tow vehicle while traveling or 120 volts if you choose to plug in somewhere.

This type of system uses a modular concept and can easily be replaced or repaired without having to haul your trailer into a shop. You will also have the power station available for around the house in a power outage.

This is super helpful. Honestly being able to base my system off a unit like this would be great. I have seen the Jackery and have heard maybe those are the best in class for this kind of a thing. Goal Zero makes a nice portable solar panel, I believe the largest Ive seen at my local sporting goods store is a 50W version.

This is very helpful. I I think a modular system that can theoretically be moved to a different setup in the future, or in fact just into the Jeep if I plan to go without my trailer. I think this is the best way to go, thank you.

 

[RubiBlueJLU]

With the exception of the hair dryer, everything on your list can be done with 12v equipment. A small inverter can get you the 110v you need. Exterior lighting is typically 12v, as that is what is the norm.

Battery and solar all come down to what you NEED to do what you want. Quality solar charge controller is a must.

Our 42’ Class A diesel pusher has 430ah of wet cell acid batteries. 2200w inverter. 850w of solar on the roof. All pieced and built by me. I can work on my dual monitor desktop computer all day, wife can watch tv, even microwave lunch, and still charge the batteries. I know that is more than you will need, but an example of what you can do.
Do a LOT of research, it will pay off in the end. Don’t be afraid to piece it together yourself. It’s all just positive and negative in the end.

Good luck!

 

[Ratbert]

Fundamentally: keep everything 12v if at all possible.

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