First, some background. There are a lot of ways to charge phones and run fridges and lights at camp. I've tried them all over 5 years:
Needless to say — I'm a big fan of Goal Zero and other solar generators. They got us through the last 5 years of camping an overlanding. In ideal conditions, our little 400s + 100w solar would run a fridge indefinitely. However it's not always sunny here—in fact our last two camping trips were cut short due to two cloudy days and running out of power.
The logical answer would be to buy a bigger battery, like a 1000x or 1500x. However while they have more capacity, they aren't perfect:
Planning
First, I was immediately inspired by this thread:
I loved the idea of tucking the components away from sight in the wing. I also crawled around @Eric Sarjeant's amazing install at LCDC to get some ideas. Here's what I came up with:
For those of you paying attention—there is one key element missing that I would get from a Goal Zero—and that's an MPPT controller. I may add one at some point.
Build of materials
- First-gen lead acid Goal Zero Yeti + solar
- KISS-style single battery plus solar PWM controller
- Lithium Goal Zero Yeti + solar
Needless to say — I'm a big fan of Goal Zero and other solar generators. They got us through the last 5 years of camping an overlanding. In ideal conditions, our little 400s + 100w solar would run a fridge indefinitely. However it's not always sunny here—in fact our last two camping trips were cut short due to two cloudy days and running out of power.
The logical answer would be to buy a bigger battery, like a 1000x or 1500x. However while they have more capacity, they aren't perfect:
- They are lithium ion, not lithium iron phosphate. The native cell voltage is only ~10v. The original 400 had a problem where it would be below the voltage cutoff for most fridges. Goal Zero offered a bandaid by selling a "regulated" 12v connector. It was clunky. Note that higher-end models (1000 and above) all now have regulated 12v outlets.
- Fast charging is not really possible without a lot of solar. The inverter will only put out 60w, and the "Yeti Link" is nearly $500.
Planning
First, I was immediately inspired by this thread:
LiFePO4 battery sizes that fit in 200 drawer wings
I searched around for a while, found a few scattered posts, but I thought it may be helpful to have the reference info in one place for others that are in the same situation. Lithium appears to be the direction the industry is going as far as house batteries, so this would be a good place to add...
forum.ih8mud.com
I loved the idea of tucking the components away from sight in the wing. I also crawled around @Eric Sarjeant's amazing install at LCDC to get some ideas. Here's what I came up with:
For those of you paying attention—there is one key element missing that I would get from a Goal Zero—and that's an MPPT controller. I may add one at some point.
Build of materials