Overlanding build out/Adventures

[Flyin6]

So here's a couple thoughts if you do go this route:
1) I totally get the weight concerns (my current build scaled at 200# over GVWR fully loaded just before Overland Expo West) but the Renogy 100W Flexible panels are only 4.2# each. That's pretty light and the value they bring to your experience is worth more than that (IMHO).

2) Depending on your power needs, you may not need 2 batteries. There are 200aH batteries as well. The challenge is that it has a bigger footprint and might not fit where you need it to.

3) Pay close attention to what you want from your battery as far as features. I was in a discussion with someone in a different thread who was going to have to buy additional components because he bought the wrong battery. Specifically, he wanted to be able to monitor SOC (State of Charge) but had not bought one of the Renogy batteries that has the built in BT Xmter. He had bought a version that had a built in heater because of his cold weather use; but that one doesn't come with the BT Xmtr.

More on this topic (you may already know all of this but I learned some expensive lessons along the way and someone else reading this may find it helpful, so...apologies if necessary)
4) You will definitely want a way to monitor your system and its performance (I bet you love to fly by instrumentation, lol). I know the other Solar system companies do something with their system but here's how Renogy works. The DC-DC MPPT system does not have built in BT (at least mine didn't, maybe they do now) so I had to buy the plug-in BT module. In the pic above you can see it in the top left with the green light on and says BT-2. That communicates my charging system status. My 100aH battery has an onboard BT Xmtr. Both of those talk to the DC Home app on my iPhone (and supposedly can be loaded on the Garmin Tread but I haven't tried that yet) and provides screens like this:
This pic is the front page of the app
"Before" Charging_____________________"After" Charging

Drilling down into the DCC, I can see in this pic that alternator is contributing 15.44A and solar is contributing 3.41A for a combined 19.01A charge while I was driving down the road.

there are some drill down menus that also graph your day over day, month over month amp/volt/charge performance but I don't have a pic of that to post.

EDIT: Found an old pic. There are about 10 parameters it graphs. Drop down month selector at top of screen and day of month on the graph X-axis.

Cheers

A couple of takeaways. Flexible panels #...hmmm makes me wonder if they will attach to the fiberglass shell of the IKamper???
Knowledge is power and the charting of battery use/life remaining could be enormously helpful.
Dedicated vs removable???
Since I sort of use the Jeep as a run-about and leave the big 1-ton parked, I like the option of removing nonessential stuff.
Thinking
I need to get after it. There is a lot of stuff to buy and not a lot of time before we burn up the highways again.

Sponsored

 

[HooliganActual]

Flexible panels #...hmmm makes me wonder if they will attach to the fiberglass shell of the IKamper???

They tout that the flexible panels are made for just such an application. I went a different route with my install. The flexible panels can actually drop in efficiency when they get hot. A lot of info out there with folks gluing them to the roofs of RVs and seeing lower performance when they heat up. I opted to mount mine on a roof rack so that there could be air flow/circulation underneath.

 

[ttn333]

A couple of takeaways. Flexible panels #...hmmm makes me wonder if they will attach to the fiberglass shell of the IKamper???
Knowledge is power and the charting of battery use/life remaining could be enormously helpful.
Dedicated vs removable???

I use 3M vhb double side tape. Been on there for almost a year. I did rough up the area where I wanted to tape it to. Also built the battery in a battery box for portability.

 

[Flyin6]

No time to dilly-dally here.

100Ah LIPO battery/charge controller/cables and a 175W flexible panel on order
Also ordered a 50 qt 12VDC fridge.
Need advice on which diesel heater to pick up? 5K or 8K?

The thing is we launch on the 20th of Sep, so have to get everything here so I can mount/sort everything before leaving.

 

[HooliganActual]

No time to dilly-dally here.

100Ah LIPO battery/charge controller/cables and a 175W flexible panel on order
Also ordered a 50 qt 12VDC fridge.
Need advice on which diesel heater to pick up? 5K or 8K?

The thing is we launch on the 20th of Sep, so have to get everything here so I can mount/sort everything before leaving.

Roger that. Pitter patter.

I have no personal advice on the diesel heater. I'm in AZ so I should be looking at A/C's..lol. As an engineer and a long time Jeep builder I subscribe to the "Buy once, cry once" mentality. We don't enjoy cold weather camping so we don't do it. But if I did enjoy cold weather camping, I suspect I would want one that puts out the most BTU's. Theoretically, the higher BTU output would also mean less cycling and less wear and tear on things. BUT...and it's a BIG BUT, what I would definitely try to get is one of the diesel heaters that automatically adjusts for altitude. Otherwise you have to do manual calibrations/adjustments to prevent soot build up.

A very well respected Skoolie Builder swears by this one:
https://www.lavaner.com/pd.jsp?id=26

 

[ttn333]

No time to dilly-dally here.

100Ah LIPO battery/charge controller/cables and a 175W flexible panel on order
Also ordered a 50 qt 12VDC fridge.
Need advice on which diesel heater to pick up? 5K or 8K?

The thing is we launch on the 20th of Sep, so have to get everything here so I can mount/sort everything before leaving.

The smaller the better. These are built for RVs and our tent is pretty small comparatively. It puts out too much heat even at the lowest setting. I had to vent the tent. I've ran a couple of these chinese one. Best form factor is my current Hcalory unit. Plastic case is pretty cheap but usable. Everything fits inside.
https://hcalory.com/products/hc-a01-diesel-heater-handheld-toolbox-all-in-one?variant=40357494784043

 

[HooliganActual]

The smaller the better. These are built for RVs and our tent is pretty small comparatively. It puts out too much heat even at the lowest setting. I had to vent the tent. I've ran a couple of these chinese one. Best form factor is my current Hcalory unit. Plastic case is pretty cheap but usable. Everything fits inside.
https://hcalory.com/products/hc-a01-diesel-heater-handheld-toolbox-all-in-one?variant=40357494784043

That actually looks like it would be perfect for an RTT style setup. I like these suitcase options.

 

[Flyin6]

Roger that. Pitter patter.

I have no personal advice on the diesel heater. I'm in AZ so I should be looking at A/C's..lol. As an engineer and a long time Jeep builder I subscribe to the "Buy once, cry once" mentality. We don't enjoy cold weather camping so we don't do it. But if I did enjoy cold weather camping, I suspect I would want one that puts out the most BTU's. Theoretically, the higher BTU output would also mean less cycling and less wear and tear on things. BUT...and it's a BIG BUT, what I would definitely try to get is one of the diesel heaters that automatically adjusts for altitude. Otherwise you have to do manual calibrations/adjustments to prevent soot build up.

A very well respected Skoolie Builder swears by this one:
https://www.lavaner.com/pd.jsp?id=26

Good advice as always...Engineers...

I'm the guy who just comes ripping in low level, drops the bubbas or ordnance or goes Winchester with my GAU-17's, then asks later if I got any of it right 8-0

They are relatively inexpensive and mostly are altitude-compensating. Blue tooth, 8K BTU, altitude compensating and remote or cell phone controller all well under $200.Surprising!

Acknowledging the feedback from another member here, who did the Corkscrew in Sep...He woke up to sleet and 30F!
My wife is uncomfortably chilly at 70F, so I have the opportunity to kill this whole overlanding quest in one little trip.
For me, I love the cold. Looking forward to doing the whole KAT this winter. Hoping for a snowy campsite one night. Takes 3 days to complete. I plan to go with a group this time on a guided adventure.

 

[Flyin6]

The smaller the better. These are built for RVs and our tent is pretty small comparatively. It puts out too much heat even at the lowest setting. I had to vent the tent. I've ran a couple of these chinese one. Best form factor is my current Hcalory unit. Plastic case is pretty cheap but usable. Everything fits inside.
https://hcalory.com/products/hc-a01-diesel-heater-handheld-toolbox-all-in-one?variant=40357494784043

Why mess with success...I ordered it!

 

[Flyin6]

Have inbounds from multiple sources.

Let's discuss arranging all this stuff if we can so I can solicit ideas from the smart folks (Aviators are daring, but not smart...But we do get all the pretty girls ;-)

OK, I think the 5 lb. propane tank goes aft on the driver's side way up high.
I am feeling the frig is mounted on a slide-out tray on the right side and pushed aft as much as possible.
Right in front of that, I am envisioning a sturdy hard plastic waterproof shipping case for the battery and electrical components which I think should be mounted off the floor to free up space but also keep it out of standing/puddling water. I would like to keep the floor cleared for cargo if possible. So a bedside/rear hoop mounting. I think I would like to at least set the heater in a fixture held down by a strap that I could remove seasonally. The rest of the bed is a couple of action packers for stuff, a table and chairs and whatever else pops up.

Thoughts?

 

[badger719]

Get 5k for your diesel heater. 8k is way overpowered and will cook you out on the lowest setting.

 

[fourfa]

There are 2kW heaters too; even that is overkill

 

[HooliganActual]

Let's discuss arranging all this stuff if we can so I can solicit ideas from the smart folks

Kind of a tough call since I don't know your "style" when in camp. I'll give you some thoughts on how we decided to arrange our setup and the rationale behind it.

So we kind of looked at it as a "clean side" and a "dirty side" of the vehicle when in camp.

Let's start with the Passenger Rear. We did a rear seat delete because this is a dedicated overlanding vehicle (we have an empty nest and 2 other 4 door cars). Ideally, we place clothes bags and things we don't want getting dirty/wet behind the passenger seat and backpacks (which will be dirty) behind the driver seat:

Staying on the passenger side, we have our awning which is the main "outdoor living space", complete with my wife's required ground mat:

The passenger side also is the access point for my electrical control center, water fill, etc.:

Moving to the back, my kitchen is arranged to work from and have access to the "clean side":

When we are done cooking, I'll boil some water, wash the dishes in my collapsible sink and then my wife will rinse on the dirty side (which means she stands on the driver's side of the kitchen "island") with my water hose/sprayer that is set up on the driver (dirty) side. You'll have to use your imagination here, but that is a standard RV port for an outdoor shower attachment (during install so not fully painted).

Continuing with the "dirty" theme, on this driver's side is where my spare fuel is also stored (this is before the kitchen was installed). This mounting location allows me to use a fuel hose with a jiggler fitting to put gas straight in the gas tank without removing the RotoPaxes:

Please note that the gas cans are actually more securely mounted than what is pictured here. This was during fitment checks just before the kitchen install. Also that ladder mounting location was just an idea but it's not there anymore and we actually use an entirely different ladder for the RTT now...so please ignore that nonsense. Shovel and axe are actually mounted there though.

Continuing the "dirty side" theme, my air compressor and it's manifold are installed in the driver's rear:

And then we also have a privacy tent for showers and sh!tters that gets set up right by the driver's rear door (sorry, apparently I have no picture of it set up) which then allows the outdoor shower hose to reach from it's mounting in the front of the canopy.

Now I know I didn't answer your specific questions, but maybe the concept allows you to really consider the way you use gear in and around camp and that might inform the decisions you are looking to make.

 

[ttn333]

I'm still working on my final setup. It's gone through a couple of reorganizations as needs and desires change. I've come to prefer quick setup and easy break downs. One of my favorite piece of gear is the fridge/table slide. I've used it on every single trip for cooking and prepping. Very convenient.
Also, found this battery box from Ironman 4x4. Makes building a battery system super simple and I like built in fan. Has all the usual outlets including a couple of anderson connectors which I use for mppt charger quick disconnect. https://ironman4x4america.com/portable-battery-box/
Here's a photo of the inside of my battery box.

 

[Flyin6]

Really good and helpful comments/discussion here, thanks gentlemen!

I really like the slide out stove arrangement.
I am onboard with clean/dirty side arrangement.
The fuse panel within the battery box is clever!
So, I have an idea for the "Electrical box" you both may find interesting. Sorting that mentally at the moment.

Now, allow me a pretty big caveat. Given that I have a tad over 30 days until launch and I am startin' from scratch. I will develop an acceptable level of campsite support but really not have time to fully sort the thing out. I think I'll just create an action packer for the stove/cooking stuff and live with that. Water will come from standard NATO cans, since I have always used them. Read: Rudimentary.

The one thing other than the electrical shenanigans I want to complete prior to departure is building a slide out for the frige. I may want to drill down farther into some area as I get into the actual assembly of my system, dunno.
On the Goose stuff. I built my own flat cargo ramp, sans both rear (Unneeded) seats. So, check with respect to that. I have a small compressor that I just toss in a bag and find a spot for it. I have been avoiding installing my heavy old hi-lift jack. I really want to find one made from aluminum...

Sponsored