Wedge Campers & Assorted Oddities

I'm going with the same panel. It's a little more expensive but I'll only get two, at the most, so might as well go with the best/most efficient. It's interesting that the bumpy surface is said to be more efficient accepting light at low angles. I'm going to use this panel to charge this lithium-ion power supply.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B017WCOKGI/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

What do you plan to power with that? I'm guess you would only need one panel if that is all you are powering. I have a 60Ah battery that I charge with the one panel and I charge at least 2 phones and have a fan going all night along with the various LED lights we use. These all run on that one battery and it can go at least two nights without a good charge with no issue. I'm sure it can do more I've just never tested it.

While the battery you are looking at doesn't hold as much juice, two panels would probably end up being overkill unless you drain it often and are in the sun a lot. More battery would be needed to get proper use out of a second panel.

 

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Lithium batteries don't need to have as much capacity as lead-acid or AGM because they can be discharged to 20% vs. 50% before sacrificing future cycles. They also charge faster and can discharge faster without damage.
I plan to power refrigeration, recharge various devices and use USB powered lights. I just got the lithium power bank as couple days ago. I fully charged it in my living room ambient 70F, hooked up the 51 qt. refrig., set temp. to 30F. It was empty so this was worst case senario. Four hours later the power bank was down about 20%. That should work for me as long there's enough sun in the daytime to power the load plus recharge the battery.
I'll start with one 100W panel and add another if necessary. I might have to add another power bank if I don't want to integrate my starting battery into the system. That would add about $400 to the cost.
It would be great if the camper electrical system was totally isolated from the truck system. That would make for a system with fewer component parts and wires here and there. With the power bank I don't need a solar controller, battery monitor, isolator, etc. All those parts and more add up cost and increase complexity. USB lights with integrated batteries will greatly simplify wiring and are very efficient. The power bank has 4 USB outlets for charging or direct power. It also has a 300W integrated inverter for light AC loads.

 

@rajacat9 Sounds like you thought this through and have a good plan. Please let me know how it goes and if you need another panel or battery later after some testing.

My system is completely separate from the truck's main power. I do have a solar controller to maintain the AGM battery in the bed and so far it has worked well. The only thing I thought would be good for connecting the truck's electrical to the camping system was so I could charge the main battery with the solar panel if needed. I have never had my battery get very low though because I don't have all the off-road extras that others have.

 

@ace7196 What do you mean by "4 hours seems low"?
After 8 hours of the frig running solely on the power pack it would only be down 40% which is well within the level that's suggested as a point where you should start charging it again. Lead acid and AGM batteries should be recharged @ 50%.
I'm using the power pack that I posted above.

 

4 hours down 20% tested. I haven't tested for 8 hours but I'am extrapolating that would be down ~40%. Go to Amazon and read the reviews. This power pack should easily provide enough power for overnight running refrig. and maintain ~30F.

 

A good test for a fridge, is to fill it with room temp water bottles and see how it does to cool those down. An empty fridge cools down pretty quickly.

 

That's true although once it cools down an empty fridge requires more energy to keep cool than a full one.

 

I’m not sure, when my fridge is empty the only areas that get cold are the walls and they get icy when nothings in there for a while. My guess is it retains the cold better when empty.

 

while that is true, it will use more energy to cool when filled with room temp water bottles. takes more energy to cool more mass. once cold though the mass helps regulate it easier and less convection

 

Yes, the cooled mass will act much like ice, a cold sink. It will help stabilize the temp. therefore the fridge will cycle less.

 

his point was to test how well the pack uses energy while the fridge is actually cooling stuff (which again will use more energy compared to cooling air). granted it may not be a huge difference anyways but i think its a valid test

 

Yes, it's a valid test. Of course, cooling stuff uses more energy.

 

I look forward to hearing how well the battery pack works for you @rajacat9. It's a nice weight savings vs. a lead acid battery, but the cost makes me hesitant to be the guinea pig.

 

I doubt that there would be much difference in cost. With a lead acid system you still have to take account the cost of the battery ($100+), multi-stage charge controller/isolator ($200+) , more switches, solar controller and more wire.

 

I have an AGM battery, and yes the battery is expensive though I got a discount through Johnson Controls. The solar controller for 1 panel is only ~$20 and as long as you aren't hooked to the main truck electric then that will handle all the charge control functions and you don't need an isolator. The rest would be the same for me no matter what battery style I chose.

That said, I think your method is a good plan and easier way to go for those who don't want to mess with electrical systems more than they have to. You do get more power and outlet options with less weight and fuss.

 

Smelly, I’m doing the same thing but running the Inergy Kodiak instead. Still 12lbs but should easily power my ARB for 4 days or more. Quite a bit larger battery capacity but the same idea. Keep the camper isolated from the truck. Plus these “solar generators” as they’re called can be pulled right out and used in camp or at home. The Kodiak will even power a small microwave ext if you’re in a power outage. Plus as Rajacat mentioned all the solar controllers are built right in. Plug in a panel and you’re done... pretty cool.

Oh and for what it’s worth i know several people actually running Kodiaks with very very good results so no guinea pig. Lol

 

wait.. this Inergy Kodiak?

https://www.inergysolar.com/product/kodiak/ref/

$1800?!

 

Those Kodiak units are very nice, just a little more $ than I wanted to spend. If I need more capacity, I might buy a second bank@ $369. I'd then have more capacity as well as a backup unit. Nevertheless, I'd still not have the capacity that you have and the very handy 1500W inverter.