It's been a long time coming but I had the chance to go on my first test trip to see what changes, extras and what works and doesn't work, I went a massive 50km from home to a little camp site just south of Winchelsea Vic. I spent 4 days 3 nights in the bush with minimal sunshine, which is really what I wanted so I could get an idea of how well my solar system would cope in poorer conditions.
I had replaced my dc to dc charger with a newer lithium capable setup, I ordered a backup 30A PWM controller but it had not arrived, so I just used the cheap 20A MPPT supplied with the solar blanket and connected the 2 new 145w panels. The solar was the last thing to setup as the battery was fully charged by the dc to dc when I arrived, when I got up the next morning I kept an eye on my system for a few hours and was quite amazed that it had fully charged before lunch and spent the rest of my time there just wondering around the tracks and doing those things you do while camping. I checked the state of my system every morning and never gave any thought to adding to the 2 panels already setup.
A few more things needed just to add those comforts of home. and I had to test out the quality of the local fire wood (you know make sure it would burn)
And yes it did lol. so now I'm just waiting for my orders to arrive from China and then buy the victron 100/50 controller and a couple of extra things like fold away tables and I'm good to go.
Looks like a lot of fun - I do notice you lit a fire directly on the ground, no rock barriers and masses of leaf litter/sticks. Please set-up your fires correctly, pack a nail rake to clear 2-3 meters around you intended fire.
I noticed that there was puddles around camp and the risk of fire spreading may be low but, remember the bush is unforgiving regarding fires.
Looks like your ready for your next adventure
Happy travelling
Radar said
10:12 AM Oct 20, 2021
Your set up looks amazing.
When we were working and the both of us doing ridiculous hours, how I would of liked to hit the road with our camper trailer but now we have the caravan, we are older and medical appointments get in the road, the camper trailer would never work for us now.
Get out there enjoy your set up.
peatop said
03:50 PM Oct 20, 2021
Possum3 wrote:
Looks like a lot of fun - I do notice you lit a fire directly on the ground, no rock barriers and masses of leaf litter/sticks. Please set-up your fires correctly, pack a nail rake to clear 2-3 meters around you intended fire. I noticed that there was puddles around camp and the risk of fire spreading may be low but, remember the bush is unforgiving regarding fires.
The fire is actually in a hole, the ground was wet as, and I had my shovel and water close by, and the pile of dirt next to the fire I know a little about fire and bush having owned 40 acres of it and being a CFA lieutenant for a number of years. I sat by the fire the whole time and then put it out and buried it when done. I normally never light fires these days only use gas but might look into a fire box of some kind in the future. The fire looks bigger in the photo than it actually was too.
STRETCH ARMSTRONG said
03:07 PM Oct 23, 2021
Hi peatop, nice set up.
I think it is good for everyone to keep up with camp fire regulations. For Vic they can be found at this page. https://www.ffm.vic.gov.au/permits-and-regulations/fire-restrictions-and-regulations.
-- Edited by STRETCH ARMSTRONG on Saturday 23rd of October 2021 04:07:05 PM
peatop said
04:04 PM Dec 4, 2021
Yes true but that was only for show and of not much more than a few twigs and was put out not long after lighting, my next trip I actually had a fire which I raked around the area of all loose debris for a 3m Dia.
My latest additions have been a small coal/charcoal/wood fire, some extra power outlets (Cig lighter and Anderson plugs) a couple of extension leads for 12V, 1 of 2, 9.5Kg gas bottle holder and after my trip last week testing out my shower I bought a 12V shower pump and made a solar water heater.
Anyone have one or made one of these? Next week I'm going to have new light truck tyres fitted to the camper, these should keep me out of some trouble I might invest in some tubes to carry just in case as well
Looks like a lot of fun - I do notice you lit a fire directly on the ground, no rock barriers and masses of leaf litter/sticks. Please set-up your fires correctly, pack a nail rake to clear 2-3 meters around you intended fire. I noticed that there was puddles around camp and the risk of fire spreading may be low but, remember the bush is unforgiving regarding fires.
The fire is actually in a hole, the ground was wet as, and I had my shovel and water close by, and the pile of dirt next to the fire I know a little about fire and bush having owned 40 acres of it and being a CFA lieutenant for a number of years. I sat by the fire the whole time and then put it out and buried it when done. I normally never light fires these days only use gas but might look into a fire box of some kind in the future. The fire looks bigger in the photo than it actually was too.
Yes, it is obvious that you have dug it in, you can see the dirt mound on the left side, for those that bother to look!!!
You will have too forgive some on this forum, plenty of critics
Still, have fun
Ian
peatop said
05:42 PM Mar 19, 2022
Hey guys and gals, its been a while but im still alive lol, been out of area or just too busy to get back on.
I am currently in lake Tyres area but I started some traveling heading to Yarrawonga for a few weeks before Xmas then home for a day or 2 before my annual Portland fishing trip pfft was great but no Tuna or Kings (too much time chasing the Tuna for kings lol) But what I found in Portland that my solar setup was so lacking, my 2 145W panels needed to be moved constantly to capture the sun because there was just too much shade, 3 days in and I got on the net and ordered another 2 panels, went home to pick them up then returned and found 4 to be the magic number.
Spent another 2 weeks there then home for a few days before heading east to Lakes Entrance to say hi to the gran kids and daughter, before head far far far east to Lake tyres lol about 30K from Lakes is a nice little free camp that produces prawns,,,, and let me tell you awwwww yummy ha ha. My idea coming here was just to get a few prawns then head north into NSW following the pelagic fish but with a cyclone that traveled south from QLD that was not an option so now im stuck in Lake Tyres (lucky me) not really im no way stuck well by choice yes but hey only for about a month and a half so far lol. it rained for a few days and the prawns went off so I was going to reluctantly head home but then I got a good behavior bond and granted to clear water and prawns back to put in the freezer.
Ok so a general round up of my experience so far: I started with a bare bones camper trailer and built it up to a livable camper trailer. the 120Ah agm was somewhat a fail, changed to a Lifepo4 105AH home made battery, this proved to be the fix however I had to upgrade my solar just to cope with shade in one location, this was somewhat expected but unplanned, now with the extra solar I know I need to add more battery power for standby situation so I'm thinking make another 200AH and put the 105AH in the car and run a smalleyr fridge of it and also as backup, as for the original 120A AGM it has proved to be invaluable to date but when I build the 200A battery it can live with my son ;)
I haven't found power an issue since adding another 2 145W panels but I think that coming into the winter months just having the 105A Lifepo4 and the 120A AGM will more than test the limits hence I will order 8 more cells and run them in a 4s2p to get 12V at 210A with a 100A BMS this should be far more than I require but then I will have room to move should something not go right.
the camper trailer: Wow what can I say it was just purchased to setup and experiment with to see what I needed or would need to live outside conformity ;) in Yarrawonga there was a guy who had shade cloth extending from his caravan awning, I thought this was a good idea so I priced it up, yeah doable but hey when I got to Portland I saw all the gazebos with their mesh walls and wondered Hmm that could work! well $26 a wall 2.4m stretch I bought 2...... best $50 Iv'e ever spent lol, ok so toilet and shower..... I have been finding that some/most free camp sites have toilets but not showers (I have a shower tent and pump) in Portland I found that if you head into the main town every few days then it was fine to use the free shower, Yarrawonga I used my shower tent, here there is a free shower in Lakes Entrance but it's a 30+k trip I have my shower tent setup.
Water has been my only real issue since I started and I only carry Hmm now carry 50L this seems to be more than enough for a single person and I fill up every week depending on how hot it is.
what else can I say? oh yeah that thing poop pfft where I am I got here dug my hole then everyone moved in like WTF ok no problem I will dig a new hole (yeah right) before I could there was nowhere to go....... went an bought a thunder pooper $45 and it's quite good but you just don't get the same feeling as goin in a hole :( lol so yeah but hey I gotta say if you get unwanted neighbors just leave the lid up an they soon leave ......oops I didn't say that did I? well I did ask "i'm not in your way am I?" oh no mate your fine pfft lol
.../
What would I do again? everything: It's been a real learning curve, what changes would I make? well isn't hindsight a lovely thing? this has been both a rewarding and personal experience I would not change anything, but hey thats who i am.
I will try to load some photos at a later point as my laptop seems to have a mind of how it wants to do things atm and i'm not agreeing with it lol
Stewart said
12:01 PM Mar 20, 2022
A great read thank you. Always interested to see other setups. Have fun Cheers Stewart
Wannabe nomad said
09:48 AM Mar 24, 2022
Yes a great read,
I too am on a learning curve and have wasted a few $s here and there but am getting more organised as I go along. it took me 2years to realise that instead of flipping up the 'bum' bit of the back seats of the x-trail you could actually remove them easily as they are spring loaded. So now my air bed fits perfectly in the back instead of squeezed in the back and I have a whole lot more storage space (I've never claimed to be bright lol). I'm going away this weekend and get to try it out for the first time.
It's been a long time coming but I had the chance to go on my first test trip to see what changes, extras and what works and doesn't work, I went a massive 50km from home to a little camp site just south of Winchelsea Vic. I spent 4 days 3 nights in the bush with minimal sunshine, which is really what I wanted so I could get an idea of how well my solar system would cope in poorer conditions.
I had replaced my dc to dc charger with a newer lithium capable setup, I ordered a backup 30A PWM controller but it had not arrived, so I just used the cheap 20A MPPT supplied with the solar blanket and connected the 2 new 145w panels. The solar was the last thing to setup as the battery was fully charged by the dc to dc when I arrived, when I got up the next morning I kept an eye on my system for a few hours and was quite amazed that it had fully charged before lunch and spent the rest of my time there just wondering around the tracks and doing those things you do while camping. I checked the state of my system every morning and never gave any thought to adding to the 2 panels already setup.
A few more things needed just to add those comforts of home. and I had to test out the quality of the local fire wood (you know make sure it would burn)
And yes it did lol. so now I'm just waiting for my orders to arrive from China and then buy the victron 100/50 controller and a couple of extra things like fold away tables and I'm good to go.
I noticed that there was puddles around camp and the risk of fire spreading may be low but, remember the bush is unforgiving regarding fires.
Happy travelling
Your set up looks amazing.
When we were working and the both of us doing ridiculous hours, how I would of liked to hit the road with our camper trailer but now we have the caravan, we are older and medical appointments get in the road, the camper trailer would never work for us now.
Get out there enjoy your set up.
The fire is actually in a hole, the ground was wet as, and I had my shovel and water close by, and the pile of dirt next to the fire
I know a little about fire and bush having owned 40 acres of it and being a CFA lieutenant for a number of years. I sat by the fire the whole time and then put it out and buried it when done. I normally never light fires these days only use gas but might look into a fire box of some kind in the future. The fire looks bigger in the photo than it actually was too.
Hi peatop, nice set up.
I think it is good for everyone to keep up with camp fire regulations. For Vic they can be found at this page. https://www.ffm.vic.gov.au/permits-and-regulations/fire-restrictions-and-regulations.
-- Edited by STRETCH ARMSTRONG on Saturday 23rd of October 2021 04:07:05 PM
Yes true but that was only for show and of not much more than a few twigs and was put out not long after lighting, my next trip I actually had a fire which I raked around the area of all loose debris for a 3m Dia.
My latest additions have been a small coal/charcoal/wood fire, some extra power outlets (Cig lighter and Anderson plugs) a couple of extension leads for 12V, 1 of 2, 9.5Kg gas bottle holder and after my trip last week testing out my shower I bought a 12V shower pump and made a solar water heater.
Anyone have one or made one of these? Next week I'm going to have new light truck tyres fitted to the camper, these should keep me out of some trouble
I might invest in some tubes to carry just in case as well
Yes, it is obvious that you have dug it in, you can see the dirt mound on the left side, for those that bother to look!!!
You will have too forgive some on this forum, plenty of critics
Still, have fun
Ian
I am currently in lake Tyres area but I started some traveling heading to Yarrawonga for a few weeks before Xmas then home for a day or 2 before my annual Portland fishing trip pfft was great but no Tuna or Kings (too much time chasing the Tuna for kings lol) But what I found in Portland that my solar setup was so lacking, my 2 145W panels needed to be moved constantly to capture the sun because there was just too much shade, 3 days in and I got on the net and ordered another 2 panels, went home to pick them up then returned and found 4 to be the magic number.
Spent another 2 weeks there then home for a few days before heading east to Lakes Entrance to say hi to the gran kids and daughter, before head far far far east to Lake tyres lol about 30K from Lakes is a nice little free camp that produces prawns,,,, and let me tell you awwwww yummy ha ha. My idea coming here was just to get a few prawns then head north into NSW following the pelagic fish but with a cyclone that traveled south from QLD that was not an option so now im stuck in Lake Tyres (lucky me) not really im no way stuck well by choice yes but hey only for about a month and a half so far lol. it rained for a few days and the prawns went off so I was going to reluctantly head home but then I got a good behavior bond and granted to clear water and prawns back to put in the freezer.
Ok so a general round up of my experience so far: I started with a bare bones camper trailer and built it up to a livable camper trailer. the 120Ah agm was somewhat a fail, changed to a Lifepo4 105AH home made battery, this proved to be the fix however I had to upgrade my solar just to cope with shade in one location, this was somewhat expected but unplanned, now with the extra solar I know I need to add more battery power for standby situation so I'm thinking make another 200AH and put the 105AH in the car and run a smalleyr fridge of it and also as backup, as for the original 120A AGM it has proved to be invaluable to date but when I build the 200A battery it can live with my son ;)
I haven't found power an issue since adding another 2 145W panels but I think that coming into the winter months just having the 105A Lifepo4 and the 120A AGM will more than test the limits hence I will order 8 more cells and run them in a 4s2p to get 12V at 210A with a 100A BMS this should be far more than I require but then I will have room to move should something not go right.
the camper trailer: Wow what can I say it was just purchased to setup and experiment with to see what I needed or would need to live outside conformity ;) in Yarrawonga there was a guy who had shade cloth extending from his caravan awning, I thought this was a good idea so I priced it up, yeah doable but hey when I got to Portland I saw all the gazebos with their mesh walls and wondered Hmm that could work! well $26 a wall 2.4m stretch I bought 2...... best $50 Iv'e ever spent lol, ok so toilet and shower..... I have been finding that some/most free camp sites have toilets but not showers (I have a shower tent and pump) in Portland I found that if you head into the main town every few days then it was fine to use the free shower, Yarrawonga I used my shower tent, here there is a free shower in Lakes Entrance but it's a 30+k trip I have my shower tent setup.
Water has been my only real issue since I started and I only carry Hmm now carry 50L this seems to be more than enough for a single person and I fill up every week depending on how hot it is.
what else can I say? oh yeah that thing poop pfft where I am I got here dug my hole then everyone moved in like WTF ok no problem I will dig a new hole (yeah right) before I could there was nowhere to go....... went an bought a thunder pooper $45 and it's quite good but you just don't get the same feeling as goin in a hole :( lol so yeah but hey I gotta say if you get unwanted neighbors just leave the lid up an they soon leave ......oops I didn't say that did I? well I did ask "i'm not in your way am I?" oh no mate your fine pfft lol
.../
What would I do again? everything: It's been a real learning curve, what changes would I make? well isn't hindsight a lovely thing? this has been both a rewarding and personal experience I would not change anything, but hey thats who i am.
I will try to load some photos at a later point as my laptop seems to have a mind of how it wants to do things atm and i'm not agreeing with it lol
I too am on a learning curve and have wasted a few $s here and there but am getting more organised as I go along. it took me 2years to realise that instead of flipping up the 'bum' bit of the back seats of the x-trail you could actually remove them easily as they are spring loaded. So now my air bed fits perfectly in the back instead of squeezed in the back and I have a whole lot more storage space (I've never claimed to be bright lol). I'm going away this weekend and get to try it out for the first time.
Good read leaving me a little envious.
Good luck, enjoy your travels.