Finalizing camper cap build plans...need some final wiring guidance

Newbie here…looking for some help in developing plans for a shell camper. So far, I’ve decided the following:


1. I’m going to mount my house battery in the engine compartment

2. I won’t be using a power inverter so I’ll need several 12v plugs in the cap to power a vent fan, a small 12v table fan, LED lights, and chargers for my laptop and phone.

3. I’m going to get a 200 watt portable solar system and connect it to the house battery through the front of the truck grill when I need to charge the house battery.

4. I plan to build a shelf in the extended cab area for a fridge/freezer.

My wiring plan is to run power from the house battery for the fridge on the back shelf of the cab using a dedicated 12v plug, but would appreciate some guidance on how to run power to the camper shell from the engine compartment house battery. What gauge wire should I use? Where should I locate ground? Should I tap into the existing wiring that already runs to the shell, or is a dedicated run better?

Thanks, in advance, for your guidance.

SmokyJoe

 

The wire gauge depends on the current you will draw. I would definitely use a dedicated run. Otherwise you are likely to overload the existing wiring. Ground on the nearest chassis or body point (metal, not the bed) should be satisfactory. Be sure to fuse it.