Expedition Energy

04/19/2023

https://www.offthegridcamper.com/post/off-grid-air-conditioning-for-rv-s-vans-and-boats-a-math-problem

Air conditioning costs! There’s just something about extracting cool air out of the hot air surrounding you that is taxing on our off grid electrical systems. It’s really a math problem, and a pretty simple one. When you weigh the amount of power you are going to be able to produce on your RV, V...

04/18/2023

https://www.offthegridcamper.com/post/the-perils-of-flexible-solar-panels

04/03/2023

Itty bitty camper with some serious power! ⚡️ That’s the new definition of this little Egg Camper. Despite the limited rooftop space we managed to squeeze 400 watts of solar and two max air fans in a clean and sleek arrangement.
Due to this being a Texas camper, some level of air conditioning becomes a necessity. So with 600ah’s of on board, the little 5000btu ac in this unit can run over 12 hours even without solar. To finish out the system we prepared it for a ground solar array. With exterior plug, extra solar controller and pre-fabbed extension cords, this customer can easily add a ground array equal in size to what’s on the roof. This client should have no trouble getting lost and staying charged!

12/20/2022

I do have a love for unique projects. So when I got asked to go out to an island in the Puget Sound to help pull out a generator with a tractor, so we could build an offgrid system into the generator space, I had the feeling this project might fit the unique ticket.

There’s something satisfying about finding some scrappy solutions. Using the old generator mounting bracket, lined with a 1/4” piece of stainless steel salvaged from an old commercial kitchen counter definitely meets the scrappy definition.

So what are we left with in this unique and scrappy Class C install? Power…lots of power.

With 400 watts of solar on the roof, 400 amp hours of lithium batteries where the generator used to be, a 3000VA inverter packed into a weatherproof exterior cabinet, DC to DC charging for alternator outputs and advanced monitoring with our 7” touchscreen, we were left with quite the little off grid beast.

I can’t say this will be my most photogenic install I’ve ever done, but it is the only one I’ve gotten to involve a tractor into so that’s gotta count for something! ;)

I know I overuse saying this, but this truly was a blast of an install, and the only time I’ve used my Westy camper as my traveling install base.

Unique, scrappy, van camping, off grid power, what more do you want out of a project? Oh I know, how about making some friends in the process!

I’ll let these folks keep their anonymity, but it was a blast getting to know you all and hope we run into each other again down the road. 🍻

11/29/2022

It’s been a LOT of Airstream projects this year and every one of them has been completely unique. This 27FB came to me with many customer customizations and an ever expanding list of upgrades.

What was originally supposed to be a battery and converter upgrade morphed into a full off grid system and a lot of accessories.

To keep this Airstream weight balanced and expandable I had to get creative with laying out the system around the customer’s customized front beds.
Final project list was:
•400ah’s of lithium batteries with room for up to 800ah’s someday.
• 3000VA inverter charger
•touchscreen system monitor with remote monitoring capability
•600 watts of rooftop solar
•rebuilding 50 amp shore cord with smart plugs and adding an additional 30 amp plug at the front
• installing GPS tracking system
•installing wiring for DC fridge upgrade
•adding 120 volt outlets
•easystart soft starter in rooftop AC
•prewiring for peplink cellular system
• maybe something else I forgot?

This was a fun and challenging project that definitely kept me hustling to stay on schedule with all the add ons. But the real joy in this project is that a few weeks ago I got a message from the owners thanking me that this system has already served them through thick and thin. Life threw these folks some curve balls and having their power independence has been instrumental in them weathering those metaphorical storms. Hopefully this coming year is full of smooth off grid adventures for these two.

If you’re interested in seeing more of this project follow the link in our profile to the YouTube video.

11/23/2022

Another Airstream gains its electrical independence!

I always try to give my all to a project, but sometimes things just fall into alignment and your know it’s going to be an extra special install. That’s exactly what happened with this Airstream.

With 700 watts of solar on the roof, 600ah’s of , a Victron 2x120 inverter and the GX monitoring system, this Airstream is definitely a rolling power plant.

We packed this power system under the forward portion of the bed in what is normally the least convenient area for storage. It’s just a little too far back to be convenient to access from the front cabinet, and a little too far forward to conveniently access from under the bed. In other words, it’s the perfect spot to mount all the electronics that will rarely, if ever, require direct access.

Thanks to scoring some white laminated wood from the local hardware store, and taking time to play a thorough game of Tetris, a space saving layout kept plenty of convenient storage and made this system look almost factory. Let’s just say the biggest give away that it isn’t factory, is that it’s dramatically tidier than the factory spaghetti spaghetti wiring they used to be in that area.

This was a blast of a project and the finished product came out so clean I can’t help but smile. This family will have no problem keeping the power on and turning heads with how tidy everything is.

If you want to see more of this project follow the link in profile to the YouTube video.

11/21/2022

Well it’s recently come to my attention that I’m at least a half dozen install posts behind. Time to start catching up!

This little micro camper, called the Intech Sol, was a fun challenge to lay out cohesively. I don’t generally do a lot of small projects, but when I do, I always walk away thinking they were super fun!

This little micro camper got quite the power system for its small footprint. With the 200ah’s of lithium batteries, that has room to double in size in the future, and a Victron 2000VA compact inverter, we were totally surprised that even the air conditioner managed to fire up from our new power plant.

We may end up adding a solar array to this pocket camper in the future, but for now they’re setup up to go on multi day excursions off battery power and have a small Honda generator if they need a top off. Not to mention they now have full functionality, or as I like to call it “shore power simulation,”while far away from campgrounds.

I don’t have a ton of pics from this project but if you’d like to see it in more detail follow the link on our page to the short YouTube video I made about it.