Battery banks?

[OTH Overland]

I used to do more winter camping with some friends of mine. we used to challenge each other to see who could ride out the weekend with the least amount of "comfort". we would sleep in holes in the snow or a tarp over a branch.
now that I am getting older I am looking for more comfort and maybe enough power to run a diesel heater for a weekend and have a nice warm tent. seems like every time we go out its raining now and not snowing which makes for a miserable weekend lol. Basically temps could be anywhere from 10 C to -45 C ( usually closer to -15 to -25 ). I was thinking about getting a kit with solar panels, but if they don't charge in the cold they may not be any good to me.

We stopped carrying our solar panels unless we are going to an event or camp for three or more days, just never use them when the battery gets topped off by moving each day. I spent way to many cold wet nights during SAR operations back in the day, still love cold weather camping but with a bit of style now. the diesel heater is a life changer for us. We both like to sleep cold and leave our bedroom window open year round, but what I hate is condensation and or a wet / frozen tent to put away. The diesel heater on low all night completely eliminates all moisture in the tent. When we get up in the morning I bump the heater to full blast, this drys the outside of the tent (if its not pouring) and cleans any carbon build up out of the heaters burn chamber. not having a clammy tent the next night is awesome.

 

[OTH Overland]

I love all the input. Based on what I'm reading, I might add a small gas generator/inverter combo to the mix. It's pretty much the same price range as an additional 200ah bank, but may offer some additional benefit of providing charging/on demand power when solar is not the best charging option (cloudy day, night time)?

Just like in the world of batteries, there are options for generators. I ordered the components (cells and associated components) to build my 200ah bank. It cost @ $350 when completed. A significant savings over commercially available offerings but I dare say competitive in function. Probably saved 50% or more doing it that way. I also found a Champion 2500 Watt inverter/generator at a pawn shop (like new/used) for $300. New they are about $600. Still a bargain if you are in the market for a high end gas generator/inverter that can run upwards of $1500+ new.

If I had not found my generator when and for the price I paid, I would certainly had built a second battery bank. I run the same things many do- fridge, lights, CPAP, phone charging, etc. The 200ah bank I have works for me, as a bare minimum. One of my kids gifted me a Bluetti EB70 at Christmas last year. Now THAT is a super cool gift, but more importantly it showed me I did not NEED the power of another 200ah bank. It is a lot smaller (figuratively) than the diy bank, but nicely augments what I have and for what I need. I can charge either from the truck power while driving, from Solar when in camp during the day time or by the gas Genny if solar is not an option...

All this to say consider options like a generator, even if you are completely invested in the idea of solar. Like an old Drill Instructor used to say (scream) "Better to have it and not need it than need it and not have it"... Or maybe his was "Improvise, adapt and overcome ... Maggots!". Ha ha.

Good luck in your quest for power!

I do not have a need for a generator, but have been curious about the ALPS propane generators, seem like a good price and like the idea of not having a gas powered generator in the rig bouncing around with potential leaks and smells, same goes for the chainsaw, love my battery saw.

 

[Red_Leaf_Overland]

@OTH Overland i do a few events a year usually where I camp in one spot for 3 or 4 days ( all times of the year) and one that I volunteer for that's a week of guided offroad trail runs. That 1 event has me changing something in my camp year all the time because it's exhausting lol. Any extra bit of comfort for the few hours of sleep I get each day really goes a long way lol. It's made me consider a RTT and a fridge instead of my cooler and gazelle lol. Which snowballed into looking at power and so on lol.

 

[grubworm]

Hahaha yeah the Keurig is a weird mod. I found one in a thrift store for like $10. It's a slim one. I just said it would be cool to mount it in my truck topper shelf. At camp we grind beans and use a percolator. But I figure when we're on the road driving we can stop real quick and make coffee, hot chocolate or tea and hop back on the road. My CTEK charger has the ability to recognize when the truck is running and switches from the renogy battery to the truck battery/alternator. So if I'm running compressor or anything of the inverter while the truck is running it wont run down my rear battery

i dig it and it makes a lot of sense being a single use unit...perfect for camping/travel. i tried going all elec. with 12v and every 12v coffee maker ive seen was just a hair above being totally useless. i even tried the 12v immersion heater for coffee...just runs down the battery with minimal heat transferred to the water. from what ive seen, the best thing going is a good quality inverter and a unit like your keurig. the truck stops have a lot of 12v appliances for truckers and while 12v coolers are pretty efficient and work very well, heating water and food with 12v is still an issue.

sounds like you have a great system. im totally solar, even with my camper shell im running a 2nd battery strictly off solar, so that CTEK charger is pretty nice so you can charge when driving. i have gotten jammed up when the sun hasnt been out for a few days and my battery is dead. im definitely getting a charger like you have...and maybe even a keurig

 

[GMC Tank]

Hahaha yeah the Keurig is a weird mod. I found one in a thrift store for like $10. It's a slim one. I just said it would be cool to mount it in my truck topper shelf. At camp we grind beans and use a percolator. But I figure when we're on the road driving we can stop real quick and make coffee, hot chocolate or tea and hop back on the road. My CTEK charger has the ability to recognize when the truck is running and switches from the renogy battery to the truck battery/alternator. So if I'm running compressor or anything of the inverter while the truck is running it wont run down my rear battery

i dig it and it makes a lot of sense being a single use unit...perfect for camping/travel. i tried going all elec. with 12v and every 12v coffee maker ive seen was just a hair above being totally useless. i even tried the 12v immersion heater for coffee...just runs down the battery with minimal heat transferred to the water. from what ive seen, the best thing going is a good quality inverter and a unit like your keurig. the truck stops have a lot of 12v appliances for truckers and while 12v coolers are pretty efficient and work very well, heating water and food with 12v is still an issue.

sounds like you have a great system. im totally solar, even with my camper shell im running a 2nd battery strictly off solar, so that CTEK charger is pretty nice so you can charge when driving. i have gotten jammed up when the sun hasnt been out for a few days and my battery is dead. im definitely getting a charger like you have...and maybe even a keurig

I have solar also but haven't perfected its use yet. I have 180 watts permanently mounted to truck topper. I built swivel arms to tilt panels when needed. I also have a portable renogy panel. My system has a lot of redundancy and I'm starting to realize I have a fear of lack of juice!

 

[freak4life]

Big reason I'm adding the second battery is the fact (or opinion) that you're not supposed to run AGM down too much or it will ruin them. So to say I had a 200 amp hr battery wasn't really true if I cant use 200 amp hrs. I feel like having 400 amp hr bank will NOW give me 200 amp hrs

Edy, remember to charge your AGM with at least a 14amp charge otherwise it will never reach a full charge.

 

[freak4life]

I have solar also but haven't perfected its use yet. I have 180 watts permanently mounted to truck topper. I built swivel arms to tilt panels when needed. I also have a portable renogy panel. My system has a lot of redundancy and I'm starting to realize I have a fear of lack of juice!

Most of us have the same fear.