A friend wants to go boondocking off-grid in an old school 90’s camper van.
What are the best choices for enough power to go safely off-grid, such as solar or huge battery bank, etc.? Do you have any recommedations on particular product?
There’s a whole culture called “van life” with tons of videos on YouTube.
Bob Wells of Cheap RV Living is the grandfather/guru of van life. You’ll get more info from his videos and forum than any other source. (Real info, not Pinterest/Instagram photogenic millennial van life nonsense)
It’s going to depend greatly on exactly how “rough” they want to get while “roughing it”. My wife and I have a fairly small tow-behind hardshell camper that works fine for 5 days or so on just the 12 volt deep cycle battery and two 20lb propane tanks. Of course, we can’t use the air conditioner or microwave while doing that, but that’s OK with us as long as we’re not out in the desert or somewhere else that’s REALLY REALLY HOT. If I was going to do any hot weather boondocking I would probably purchase a sufficiently sized generator (as quiet as I could afford) that could be run on gas or propane and call it good. Then the limit becomes how much water (both potable and waste) you can carry before you need to dump or refill.
Along the lines of mikecurtis, I recently saw this video while I was researching converting an old car to EV. There is a lively aftermarket for salvaged Tesla car batteries (often removed after the cars are totaled, etc.).
Camper Van Beethoven.
When I was driving big rigs we eventually had APUs (Auxiliary Power Units) installed on the tractors. They provided 120 VAC, AC, and Heat for 0.1 gal of diesel an hour versus 1 gal per hour of engine idle. It had a small 1 cylinder diesel engine.
I thought the exact same thing when I saw the title.
You can survive with no electricity at all: After all, our ancestors did it for most of human history. So first, decide just what it is that you want (not need) electricity for. Depending on that, you might be able to meet your needs with nothing but batteries, or maybe with solar panels. Or maybe you’ll need a full-time generator, and buy more gas for it than you do for driving the vehicle.
If the van happens to be a VW Vanagon there are a ton of videos that will be specific to that van (probably with Euro Vans, too). I’ve rented a Westy with aux battery system charged by the alternator and a Eurovan with solar. They solar system didn’t work that great, but I don’t think they had it very well installed. The alternator system worked great and we boondocked for 3 days easy powering lights, a small fridge, and phone chargers. There are plenty of examples of vans out there with both.
Yep, just like GMACANADA every time I browse by this title, it breaks my brain for a second while it realizes, “nope, not that Camper Van”. But, I get “Eye of Fatima” stuck in my head instead.
We’ve done this as well. The OP doesn’t say how long they’ll be boondocking, but one option is bringing another (charged) deep cycle battery along. Much cheaper than a generator or large solar setup, and doubles your maximum time off-grid. Like @Stana_Claus, we’re normally good for 4-5 days in the camper if careful. Switching to the backup battery gives us around 9 days of dry camping. Traveling partially using full-hookup parks allowed me to recharge these.
I modified a truck tool box to hold a 2800 watt generator, with temp-controlled fans and an exhaust plenum to carry the heat overboard. This rested in the forward part of the truck bed and provided power and even air-conditioning when needed. After several years, we realized we seldom used it due to noise and park limitation (generators prohibited). I don’t even bother with a generator anymore – they’re more trouble than they’re worth (imo).