Solar or shore power?
While trying to be as budget friendly as possible, I opted for a pretty simple electrical setup. To run the 6,000btu AC unit and the Frigidaire mini fridge, I have a 110v pass through mounted behind the drivers-side fender flare. I have already stayed at a few different campgrounds and having the plug in a normal camper spot made for easy setup. I knew I wouldn't need much 110v power, so I once again went the most simple route. I have it plugged into a heavy-duty surge protected power strip and have only tripped the fuse once while running the AC at 64 degrees in July... oops.
Here's a link for the 110v pass through:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B009A ... UTF8&psc=1 I try to use as few electronics as I can when camping, but laptops, phones, and cameras always need to be charged. In preparation for off-grid camping this summer, I went ahead and invested in a Suaoki 444wh portable solar generator. I spent a lot of time researching solar generators, and for only $350 I decided to give the Suaoki a try. One feature I wish it had was an actual percentage reading of the battery, similar to the lithium goal zero yeti, but for $250 less I don't mind only seeing the battery bars (1 through 5, 5 being full). When reading reviews online, I couldn't find anyone that mentioned running an ARB fridge on one of these and I was curious to see if the 12v socket would be able to power it.
Link for the Suaoki:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01M2 ... UTF8&psc=1 I've had the ARB fridge for about a year and a half now as I used it with an expedition trailer I built back in 2015. I had some problems getting it to run on a 12v system I had setup myself but I have yet to have an issue with the Suaoki. Being only 444wh, it wont run the fridge for days on end. When running full power to cool the fridge down, it draws around 60 watts. Now after a simple calculation dividing 444wh/60watt, the fridge will run for a little over 7 hours. On paper at least. The beauty of these 12v fridges is their shutoff capabilities when the desired temperature is reached. This is easily one of the greatest benefits of the product, as it only consumes the power it needs and nothing more. Additionally, I will turn the fridge off completely and use it as a cooler to extend the life of the battery pack, but thats without any charge from the sun or shore power.
My solar panel setup is underpowered to say the least. Currently, I only have a small 15watt Acopower polycrystalline panel that I wired some MC4 connectors to. I'm planning on a 100watt briefcase style solar panel soon and will mount the MC4 connections under the trailer to keep them out of the way. I debated a rigid panel on the roof but similarly to the roof vent, I want to leave it alone and free from any holes. The solar panel is sufficient for now, I'm not doing any long-term dry camping and it is more of a convince factor than anything. the Suaoki has a built in charge controller so all I have to do is connect the solar panel and let it do the rest. I'll give the Suaoki 9/10 stars for the price and functionality.
Link for the 15w solar panel:
https://www.amazon.com/ACOPOWER-HY015-1 ... olar+panel Along with the Suaoki, I have recently wired a 112ah deep cycle battery under the front cabinet to run the water pump, lights, and 2 usb outlets. Yes, I am aware that the deep cycle battery is far more capable than a 444wh solar generator. The battery is a few years old and I'm still trying to figure out just how much solar and storage I will need for longer trips. As for now, it works perfectly and I just plug a battery charger into the 110v pass through to keep it topped off while at home. Like I said, still a work-in-progress.
Now that was a lot of information. If there are any specific parts that I didn't mention or any questions about the Suaoki, I'll do my best to answer them.
Thanks,
- Connor