Vagabond Drifter Camper Buildout and Mods

Can it be done- yes
Has it been done - yes it did it.
I used a kit from https://www.moleoverland.com/product/3rd-gen-tacoma-complete-dual-battery-system/.

 

I've been pondering this exact same setup! Planning on some Lithium Iron Phosphate battery or another (~100ah), the RedArc charger, and SunPower flex panels. Was wondering about mounting the battery under the hood.

Great conversation, will have to dig into the links. Anyone else who's already done this, please chime in...

 

What do you think of it? Do you like it? Worth the money? What lithium battery did you use? Do you run solar as well? Issues with too warm or cold in the engine bay?

Whole bunch of money for a nice setup but if it's close to future proof it might be worth it.

 

idk man... I got a G31 odyssey for cheap running my camper and its like not even that heavy...

 

Hey....Don't make this so easy! I have at least 5 months until my build is done and I need things to overthink!

 

I feel ya man! in all seriousness my house battery is a big MFer. A battey that can do the same with less than a 70lbs weight is the way to go lol

 

I am a huge fan of Lithium Iron Phosphate. Light, long life, can run them to zero... I built myself a 90Ah battery from used eBay medical batteries and love it. I would be worried about the heat in battery compartments. LiFPo loves room temps, so, I think they are better installed in the living area of the camper. I think you would kill them in half the time in the engine bay. They are so light, I just keep mine in the house unless I am using my rig.

I would recommend calling BattleBorn. They always answer the phone and have great techs.

 

Agreed. I called Battleborn and they warned against putting LiFePO batteries under the hood for temperature issues. They were even skeptical of having it in the bed of the truck unless it was in a battery blanket due to it not being able to take a charge in cold temperatures, but I think that's a stretch. Something like 15 degrees or lower and it won't charge, but you can discharge it. I ended up going with a dual battery system from Off-Grid Engineering and X2 AGM batteries (net gain of about 50lbs under the hood), but only because I need all the extra space in the bed that I can get.

 

Thought I’ll suggest one more auxiliary battery location. In the cab behind the back seats. If you haven’t pulled out the oem plastic bins yet give that a try.
Temps will be most ideal and it’s good dead space to use up. For anyone else with car seats this is excellent use of space that is not easy to access anymore

 

Yah Battleborn gave me their parameters and I know the bed would work fine in a box of some sort with a fan and heat blanket if I stuff a charge controller in it too. Just wanted a cleaner, longer term setup. I am sure I will be happy with whatever I get.

 

Okay. I'm pretty ignorant when it comes to this electrical system stuff. I've been reading, but the comprehension has been slow in coming. So I'm going to throw this out there, and if any solar wizards want to tell me where I'm wrong (or right) then I'd be stoked and very appreciative. Details, then questions:

DETAILS:
1) I think my max daily power consumption will be around 40ah. I've been told this means I should have about 175W of panels to be safe (not considering alternator tie-in).

2) I'm going to use flexible panels. I wanted to use the SunPower 170W - one and done - but then realized it has a pretty high open circuit voltage (~35V). Their 110W panel is ~23V, so I could use two in series and maintain that voltage (EDIT for future researchers - I had this backwards. Parallel maintains voltage. Series maintains current.).

3) Planning on using a RedArc charge controller. I like that it is a dual-input for solar and alternator. Both the 25A and 40A chargers have a max input voltage of 32V. So that appears to rule out the 170W panel.

4) Planning on a ~100ah LiFePo battery, BattleBorn, or the new Trojan maybe.

QUESTIONS:
1) Sizing the wattage at 175W doesn't take into account the alternator tie-in, which I will definitely be doing via the RedArc controller. Since a ~100ah battery could cover my ~40ah/day usage for over two days with no solar input, and I don't often stay in one spot longer than a couple nights, am I nuts to think I could get away with a single 110W panel pretty easily?

2) Is there a rule of thumb when considering charger output alongside battery size? For example, 25A charger = good with ~100ah battery, 40A charger = good with larger (or multiple) batteries?

3) Anyone know if the RedArc max input voltage of 32V is solar and alternator combined? Seems low if we're talking about 23V from the panel and then up to 14V from the alternator. Perhaps it only accepts one source at a time? (I've asked RedArc, just waiting on a reply.)

4) Anyone run the new Trojan Trillium lithium battery yet?

I know, lots of questions. That's what forums are for. Ask a question if you have one, leave an answer if you have one. Thanks in advance!

 

I know just enough to get myself in trouble, but here's my thoughts. General rule of thumb, for every 100W of solar, you will produce 30aH per day, but I tend to think that is on the best sunny days. Keep in mind that lithium and LifePo you use almost the entire capacity of the battery without harming it. AGM you can use only 1/2 of the stated aH capacity. Consulting with a solar engineer friend last week he advised to always go bigger in solar panel watts so they keep your battery healthy and as you will never get the advertised performance, whether it be cloudy days, shading from crossbars, etc. I have a similar power consumption need as you, and ended up getting an auxiliary battery 92aH AGM (so 46aH) and I got the RedArc bcdc1225. I was looking at 160W panels as well, but got a deal on a 220W flexible panel that will fit better on the roof in between crossbars. Everything is under the hood using the OffGrid Engineering trays. Note, in theory I wouldn't "need" fixed solar panels on the roof as an alternator + portable panel setup would be just fine. But, my truck sits parked at home for longer periods than most and I want to keep the fridge on and the batteries healthy.

As far as RedArc is concerned the 25A is good up to 200aH batteries, anything larger, they recommend the BCDC1240. I think the Redarc max voltage of 32V is just solar only and the Sunpower 170W you are referencing has a max voltage of 29.4VDC. I think you'll be fine. Check out the Victron controllers too. For LiFePo batteries, I would also consider Relion batteries, they are supposedly some of the best out there. For flexible solar, be careful as I've seen a lot of the cheaper panels get foggy on the surface after 6-8 months and lose their efficiency. Merlin is apparently very good and I believe Phil can get those. He has one on his Drifter.

 

I figured I would add some more info about my setup.
My start battery is an Odyssey 31R-PC2150. I upgraded when I added a winch. I also have a spod connected to this battery for switchable accessories.
The house battery is a Relion RB75. It is currently powering the drifter light and a frig when I figure out what to get. At this point, I can't say what if anything the heat of the engine bay is doing to the battery. Will the engine bay be hotter than 113F, likely.
I think I will add solar, well that is the plan. I was going to put cells on the roof of the drifter, but I've been looking at these https://www.flexible-solar-panel.com/portable-solar-panels/ that way I can move it to the sun and not the truck.
So much to think about! It is always interesting hearing what others are doing.

 

Thanks Garrett! Yep, was looking at the Relion batteries too. The open-circuit voltage on the SunPower 170W panel is listed at 34.6V, higher than the nominal rated voltage of 29.4V, and also higher than the RedArc chargers' max input, unfortunately. I've heard really good things about the SunPower panels - much more durable than Renogy and the like, with a different surface laminate for much better life, no hazing, delam, or other issues. What little I've heard about the Merlin stuff sounds awesome... but I hadn't been able to source them reliably, didn't know VO could source them. Will have to ask about that, but I'm almost afraid to know the pricing on those suckers!

On your OGE battery setup - for the second gens, I've heard multiple accounts of the oil filler neck being snapped off by the OGE tray under motor torque movement. Is this setup different for third gens, or have you just not had any issue? I have a second gen so I'm loathe to try the OGE system...

 

The two Auxiliary batteries fit nicely there

 

-Make sure to check with someone smarter than me on the voltage on the Sunpower panel and if you need Vmpp or Voc...
-4thD Solar is the only "dealer" that I know of for the Merlin panels. They are definitely not cheap. I don't know if Sunflare is any good, but I've seen those around.
-My 3rd gen with the OGE setup does not interfere with the oil filler neck, but I only have a Group 27F battery in that spot. I think that might be an issue if you run a larger battery in that location. I have seen some aftermarket aluminum oil filler necks that have a different bend to them. Mole Overland makes one I think.

 

@joeydurango, I don’t know how nerdy you want to get, but I will hum a few verses and see what you think. [Disclaimer, I am an EE, but they don’t teach you 12v solar and batts in school. And, my knowledge is theoretical until I get my Drifter.]

DETAILS:
1) Solar Capacity:
I think 3x to 4x your daily consumption is a good rule of thumb. This is all based on where and when you camp, though. I get 6 peak solar hours in Eastern WA in July and 2 in Dec. So size accordingly.

2) Flexible panels. Make sure you are happy with the actual lifespan. The don't last 20yrs like rigid panels. Also, I think more lower wattage panels are better because they are more shade tolerant (depending on design). One leaf can shut down an entire panel.

3) Combined charge controller. Make sure you are going to be happy if the solar charger side craps out and you have to buy a whole new setup. I am a fan of separate components for alt and solar.

4) Battery capacity. Two things to think of is aging and temps. BattleBorn warranties their battery for 10 years. That means it will have at least 75% capacity. Also, at 30 degrees, the capacity is reduced 10%. Will that be enough power for you?

QUESTIONS:
1) Sizing ... “am I nuts to think I could get away with a single 110W panel pretty easily?” No, just be prepared to have the battery less than full on cloudy days. Real world is messy.

2) Charger size. BattleBorn specs max charging at 1/2 Capacity. So, 50A for the 100Ah. This gives you two hour charge times but is super expensive. Lithium has a pretty simple charge process that will accept 100% of power up to last few percent of charge. Your trade off is cost vs charge time. 10A will take 10 hrs to charge. Won’t hurt anything to be cheap in this area.

3) “Anyone know if the RedArc max input voltage of 32V is solar and alternator combined? “ I would guess solar only. Alt is assumed you be 14v.

I am happy geek out on this stuff on a DM if you like. It is just book knowledge after all. Good luck with your design. Dont burn the place down. [/QUOTE]

 

Just more food for thought on solar panels. I came across this seller not long ago b/c we buy stuff from them regularly for work and honestly the pricing seemed pretty good from what I know (not a ton!) on costs of panels. They have flexible, rigid & portable options.

https://www.aimscorp.net/Solar-Panels/

Their portable option is priced significantly below the one made I have seen sold by Overland Solar (https://overlandsolar.com/collectio...gout-120-solar-charger?variant=31353586843711) and would appear to have very similar specs.

Still trying to decided between roof mounted or portable. For those that get to camp in the woods, I like the idea of panel I can rollout or hang somewhere, and don't need to be dependent on having the rig parked in the direct sun.

 

Here's a good source of info for solar. I have one 100w panel and it works for my uses which is basically my fridge. I do run my outside lighting from it too but those don't get much use as I like to keep light pollution to a minimum.The panel isn't mounted which means vehicle placement is not reliant on the track of the sun. I like to park so my vehicle is pointed towards the exit path should anything happen where I need to depart quickly.

https://www.expeditionportal.com/forum/threads/solar-power-faq.60087/

 

Hella science up in here