Portable battery pack

[Slipshodman]

Hey all,

I couldn't find any talk on this so reaching out for any advice or real life experience.
To start I do not want to add a second battery to the JT. I just do not want to mess with the electricals for the time being.

But I do want to get a fridge for camping adventures. So thinking an option may be using a portable battery pack.
For me the battery pack will really only be running the fridge when the car is not in use (overnight etc).
I have run power from an Aux switch to the tray so I can run the fridge off that when vehicle in use, and just plug into the battery pack when not.
Potentially getting solar as well to maybe charge the battery pack while its running the fridge to extend battery life, but I am not sure if you could charge and use at the same time. That could maybe depend on brand.
There are a few out there options out there but after some experience or knowledge on use, run times with a fridge etc

Probably the last thing to note is I have not bought the fridge yet either as depending on others experience it may sway me with which fridge to go with particularly thinking of current draw etc.

Anyway, would be great if you guys and gals could share any knowledge you have

Cheers

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[ShadowsPapa]

Hey all,

I couldn't find any talk on this so reaching out for any advice or real life experience.
To start I do not want to add a second battery to the JT. I just do not want to mess with the electricals for the time being.

But I do want to get a fridge for camping adventures. So thinking an option may be using a portable battery pack.
For me the battery pack will really only be running the fridge when the car is not in use (overnight etc).
I have run power from an Aux switch to the tray so I can run the fridge off that when vehicle in use, and just plug into the battery pack when not.
Potentially getting solar as well to maybe charge the battery pack while its running the fridge to extend battery life, but I am not sure if you could charge and use at the same time. That could maybe depend on brand.
There are a few out there options out there but after some experience or knowledge on use, run times with a fridge etc

Probably the last thing to note is I have not bought the fridge yet either as depending on others experience it may sway me with which fridge to go with particularly thinking of current draw etc.

Anyway, would be great if you guys and gals could share any knowledge you have

Cheers

You can charge and use at the same time.
You can also chain solar panels together.
I only know of GoalZero (Bass Pro Shops, etc.) and they can charge via a 110v adapter, your vehicle's 12v outlet or solar.

They have 110v AC outlets and USB ports and a 12v port for power output.
You can chain together solar panels and run a fridge at the same time - the screen will show power gain or loss to the unit.
If the sun is right, i can keep a cheap Coleman cooler going (they take a ton of power for their cooling effort) through the day with the solar panels often offsetting the power the cooler is drawing. With another solar panel, I could have a better net gain during the day. I can keep chaining panels together as I can afford them.

 

[Lost1wing]

I have an ARB fridge freezer. I also have the portable accessory battery. If you start out with the fridge at 42f, you have about 18hrs of battery at 80f outside. Time degrades fast if you set the temp lower than that. Couple that with a solar panel and you are set.

 

[chorky]

Like Shadowpapa said you can definitely charge the battery pack while also using it to run a fridge. Although that is not a very efficient method to use. It would be better to have the fridge plugged into a 12v source and just use a power pack when at camp.

I would also look into Zamp solar for some panel options - I have been very happy with mine, and hand made in the US. Bluetti also has some good products.

As for a fridge - Engle is about the best you will find. Lowest power draw of any option, most efficient, and uses a rotary compressor still. Some of their fridges still in use are going on 50+ years old....

It is also an option to have a group 31 battery in your bed, connected to your main battery, separated by an isolated or smart solenoid. There are 'better' ways, but that is one of the cheaper options that is tried and true over the years, and significantly cheaper than lithium. Up the cost a bit and you can get a DC/DC charger. triple that cost and you can get a good lithium setup. By far, power packs, though not the cheapest way, are the simplest way.

 

[ShadowsPapa]

By far, power packs, though not the cheapest way, are the simplest way.

And can be carried to a camp area to power lights, charge phones, or run a small TV or something for a while. that's one reason I'm doing that - it's not tied permanently to my JT - I can take it with me with any vehicle I choose to take anywhere. Set up solar panels and keep it charged while running stuff.
Heck, I can drive my little Eagle with a small trailer behind it, tent camp, and have a way to run lights and charge cell phones and hearing aids or run lights or whatever while the car is elsewhere. it's the most versatile and flexible of any option, IMO.

 

[chorky]

And can be carried to a camp area to power lights, charge phones, or run a small TV or something for a while. that's one reason I'm doing that - it's not tied permanently to my JT - I can take it with me with any vehicle I choose to take anywhere. Set up solar panels and keep it charged while running stuff.
Heck, I can drive my little Eagle with a small trailer behind it, tent camp, and have a way to run lights and charge cell phones and hearing aids or run lights or whatever while the car is elsewhere. it's the most versatile and flexible of any option, IMO.

Yep thats the coolest thing about power packs. Way versatile compared to an on board system. My dad keeps looking at options for his setup and I keep telling him to go the power pack route. They just make a lot of sense, and they work really well these days compared to 5 years ago.

 

[Lost1wing]

Amazon just sent my phone an advertisement for a DC to dc12v converter. I obviously need to check my app permissions.

 

[Glad Jeeper]

I was just talking to another Jeeper today about this and how I operate.
I have a combo fridge/freezer that I have in the cab (40% seat delete). I plug that into my Jackery 1000 and the Jackery into the 110 outlet in the back console. It stays charged while we drive and still has full charge for when at camp. This works awesome. I also utilize solar panels if needed.

 

[Slipshodman]

Thanks everyone,

I plug that into my Jackery 1000 and the Jackery into the 110 outlet in the back console

Pretty much what I am thinking except I have run 12v via aux switch to the bed which would be the power supply

Not super savvy so can you help with the amp draw question, hopefully as simple as I see it but not 100% sure
https://www.oztrail.com.au/45l-single-zone-fridge-freezer
This fridge states 1 a/h average draw (probably in perfect conditions so I will take that with a grain of salt) so from a calculation point of view "under average conditions" a 24 a/h battery should run this unit for approx 24hrs ... 1 amp x 24 hrs
I expect most of these types of units will stop when they hit 20% of battery power left "ish" so in essence is practically probably more like 18 hrs, or 18 a/h actually available to use at a stable 12v output
But from a calculation point of you is that conceptually correct - ?
1 amp hour draw x 24 hrs = 24 a/h required from the battery to cover that period of time

even something as simple as this ?‍
https://www.kickassproducts.com.au/...MI0OSml5mOgwMVyPpMAh3y7wygEAQYDyABEgLb9_D_BwE

Cheers

 

[chorky]

Thanks everyone,

Pretty much what I am thinking except I have run 12v via aux switch to the bed which would be the power supply

Not super savvy so can you help with the amp draw question, hopefully as simple as I see it but not 100% sure
https://www.oztrail.com.au/45l-single-zone-fridge-freezer
This fridge states 1 a/h average draw (probably in perfect conditions so I will take that with a grain of salt) so from a calculation point of view "under average conditions" a 24 a/h battery should run this unit for approx 24hrs ... 1 amp x 24 hrs
I expect most of these types of units will stop when they hit 20% of battery power left "ish" so in essence is practically probably more like 18 hrs, or 18 a/h actually available to use at a stable 12v output
But from a calculation point of you is that conceptually correct - ?
1 amp hour draw x 24 hrs = 24 a/h required from the battery to cover that period of time

Cheers

There is no chance that only draws one amp. Maybe if it's 40 degrees outside. I bet it pulls more like 10 amps for start-up and 5-7 amps running. This is where engle far excels - they actually provide benchmark specifications with real world temperatures. nobody else does that, or if they do they wont give you that information. I know this for sure because previously I had a snow master fridge that was specified to pull 2 or 3 ah, but real world testing showed it pulled 7.5 ah at a 80% duty cycle for a 85 degree day. Big difference from their claim. Now it sits in the basement as a second freezer. The big factor is what the duty cycle is as that can make a profound impact. My fridge pulls a max of 2.75 amps, usually much less. The typical duty cycle I have calculated, on a 95 degree day, is 75%. Meaning it pulls about 2.06 a/h on a typical hot summer day. So you should either a) get the actual spec data sheet from the company, which they likely will not provide, or b) do some real world tests several weekends before going on a big trip.

So to do the math, you need to know the specification (high, low, average) of the a/h draw, at what temperature - so be realistic with your real world situations. Then add it up sorta like you did. Now depending on what power pack you get, you might only have a DOD arability of 70%. It could be 90%. That's another specification thing to get from the manufacturer. But it matters because 70% of 100ah is only 70ah, but 90% of 100ah is 20 more ah. Another thing to consider is wattage. most of these power packs talk in terms of watt hours. So that will have to be converted to amp hours. Or the other way around to make sure you are calculating like specifications.

Then the same thing goes for solar for the most part. For example, a 100w panel usually puts out 5 amps max - but, depending on the manufacturer and the quality of the components, that may be in perfect sun. One reason I like the Zamp panels is I saw 4.5a charge rate with only 50% sun covering the panel. Pretty good. Not all panels are alike. But, to make it simple assume 5 amps. Thats 5 amp hours. So your recharge rate is 5 amp hours. So, if you got to camp at 1500 with direct sun until 4 hours, you would effectively charge 20 amp hours. Of course you need to factor in what you are consuming at the same time. So if your fridge is pulling 3 amp hours, you net 7 amp hours.

 

[chorky]

Look at post #15 as an example

genesis-batteries-lets-do-some-math.62165

Any fridge company that can't or wont provide such specifications is definitely not telling the truth with their advertisement. Thats not saying you should not get that fridge - it might be a great one. But it does mean you need to know the real world numbers in order to figure out what battery capacity you need for the type of trips you want to do. All that can be figured out by testing things with a spreadsheet, some math, timers, and volt/ohm meters.

 

[Slipshodman]

Man, ?
post #15 is friggin awesome , And thank you for the effort in the detailed responses
Not within my capability as such but Not totally lost on me either
but need a little time to digest and investigate further but looks like the power pack with the right fridge could be a viable option if considered correctly, solar and what not , just gotta get the "true" specs to make an appropriate calculation

"google , here I come again "

Thanks all , back soon lol

Cheers

 

[MattK]

I use a Bluetti EB70S power station which is an older model now. It is capable of charging and discharging at the same time. All Bluetti products can do this now and they all carry a 5 year warranty which is industry leading. They use LifPo4 (lithium iron phosphate which gets more charges than straight lithium at the cost of some weight). I highly recommend Bluetti if you're going to do a portable power setup. I use their 200 watt solar panel when base camped and it charges from my oem bed inverter while on the road and the fridge is plugged into the Bluetti at all times. The only complaint I have is as it's an older model it has an external AC adapter (newer models are internal).

For my fridge I use an Iceco VL 45 Pro. It is a budget friendly fridge, sitting somewhere in the middle of the price ranges and uses the same Secop compressors the high dollar brands use. Save your money unless you're into the big brand names and won't be seen without one.

These products are trail proven on my rig and have sustained me on two - three-week self-supported adventures in all weather conditions from desert to snow.

Good luck!

 

[MPMB]

Man, ?
post #15 is friggin awesome , And thank you for the effort in the detailed responses
Not within my capability as such but Not totally lost on me either
but need a little time to digest and investigate further but looks like the power pack with the right fridge could be a viable option if considered correctly, solar and what not , just gotta get the "true" specs to make an appropriate calculation

"google , here I come again "

Thanks all , back soon lol

Cheers

I do the same thing you want to do.

I have a 100W solar panel (usually on a roof rack with cables through the back window). I feed that to an Ecoflow River w/ extra battery (576Wh) to power our BougeRV fridge. We have another River, w/ no extra battery that's 288Wh.

The fridge runs 45W in ECO mode, max 60W.

In '22 we did an overnight hike in Glacier Nat'l Park in Montana. I parked in an "open" lot; trees on both sides, so maybe from 10-3 direct sun exposure; not the best. My wife has medicine that has to be refrigerated. So we needed to power the fridge for ~30hrs.

My hookup was Solar > 576Wh River > 288Wh > BougeRV fridge.

I had the bigger battery charge the smaller battery to power the fridge; a waterfall effect. Since we camped the night before the hike, the big battery wasn't at full charge (I don't remember the exact %), and we didn't have a long drive from the campsite to the trailhead (about 5 miles).

If my math's right (I don't do electric, so I could totally be wrong), I'd need 1350Wh (45W x 30hrs). I had 864Wh capacity, so I'd need to get solar charging to make up about 500W over 7 hours of direct sunlight, which was possible given our panel size and expected weather. I figured we'd be close.

As it was, the power ran out around 11-noon, by my guess. The fridge was in the 40s when we got to the truck around 1pm (I have thermometers in it). The fridge doesn't have a good seal or top insulation.

So short answer - solar panel, battery, and fridge will work for you. Do real world testing to know how long it'll actually run.

 

[Blade1668]

A quick question on the temperature range you are planning for? Now if you don't mind a simple DYI job a LiPo battery in a battery case with a few power ports added with a battery charger and a small MPPT solar controller then you can add a solar panel or two.

this is my simple stand alone system that costs less than $200.°° it has 2 36 amp hour batteries 2 50 amp Anderson connector 12 power ports SAE plug 2 12 volt ports and a USB port. It is capable of running a fridge/freezer for 3 or so days straight.

this is my second one the first is in my JT full time and running for over 2 years now

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