Easy 12 Volt Low Budget Setup for Camping or Van Life - HOW WE STAY POWERED ON OUR LAP OF AUSTRALIA

[@ROUGHROADPH]

Excellent advice buddy. Out goes the fixed in comes the blanket panel.

[@LimestoneCoastCustoms]

With Electrical it certainly pays to start off small & work out your needs. We're starting (it's taking ages) another fit out & learnt heaps from the last one (which wasn't our 1st) but our style of travel has changed as we've gotten older, so our power needs have changed too! I would dearly love to turf the AGM's too, 2 x 140amp, so they are HEAVY! but they have served us well running 2 fridges, 1800 watt inverter etc etc etc (even a coffee machine) I'm right about to mount the batteries again, even though they have been in there for a year temporarily, the rear fit out is really only just beginning as we camped with things loose (no storage) just to get a handle on the different vehicle, which turned out to be smart, our original design has changed after a few short trips. I also run a 2nd battery under the bonnet which runs all the accessories (radios & Lighting) but the HF radio requires "clean power" so it is off the starting battery as is the winch. I can also start from my 2nd battery if need. Oh, did I mention I do stuff on a budget so no flash stuff for us, we just have added or changed as we've needed to over the years. One of my best purchases was a good battery monitoring system. Ours is a 712 Victron with Blue tooth & my last 240 volt charger died so I bought a Victron at the same time (Can also be monitored via the Blue tooth app) Also good quality solar is a must. as my vehicle is a daily driver to work (lucky to be 5 mins each way) I can still run both my fridges all day with just the mounted panel & yes, I too carry a blanket. I'd better stop prattling on now or I'll be here for ages. Good Job! 👍

[@itsJackandMegan]

Hey rod thanks for the comment! Very right we have learnt so much since we actually got out and used all the gear on our trip. Like you said start small and work it all out as you go it’s all part of the fun! 😊 forgot to mention the winch is also hooked up to the main battery 👍 Thanks for watching appreciate it 😊

[@ottouring]

Hi, Just read yr comment re 12v system. Have a look at my videos and may also be helpful for yr set up. Cheers Out There Touring

[@kparker4894]

Nice and simple setup. Lithium has come along so well now, it's pretty much the way to go. I'll be doing mine as my old AGM's fail. At the moment for me, weight isn't a huge issue as we're not touring. You've got the bones of a good system that will not be too hard to upgrade as you go. Your voltage seems pretty low there, so I bet your not too far off starting your upgrade!! Don't let anyone talk you into a complex system, just keep it simple and it shouldn't let you down! Great vid again!!!

[@itsJackandMegan]

Thanks k your exactly right lithium battery very soon! Thanks for watching 👍😊

[@ryanphotostudio]

Love these kind of videos J&M, sometimes it’s good to watch technical content from non professionals- gets your head around it in layman’s terms before deep diving into the professional installer stuff. Cheers

[@PaulHackettAdventureTravels]

I run an Engel Series 2 smart battery box with a lithium battery in the Jeep...built in 300W inverter, usb, Anderson plug and Engel posit for the fridge so it never falls out and a similar set up to yours in my repurposed tradies trailer to camping trailer I built myself. The Engel is awesome for if you want to move your power around the campsite and super light with the lithium. Agree with your comment on Kings products, some items are great others........hmmm.

[@itsJackandMegan]

Hi mate yeah I’ve seen those battery boxes they look the goods! Yes a few kings items are a bit how you going 😂

[@3frenchtoast3]

Thanks for solar tip. Great point.ive been debating about fixed or blanket buy you definitely helped me decide

[@itsJackandMegan]

Glad I could help!

[@jorjimaco5331]

A good AGM works as good, even better when it’s cold. I’ve got almost the same set up. I run 500w on the ground, plentiful.

[@itsJackandMegan]

hey mate yeah I might have to invest in a larger solar blanket! thanks for watching 😊

[@abovethefog1016]

I purchased a physically bulky Inverter called a pw600 by Projecta. Old school maybe, its 330mm x 180mm and weighs 2kg, but it has a big heatsink to vent the heat. It will stay on spec and last a long time. Heat kills components inside inverters - they all get hot because, hey, they are ripping 12v into 240v. Yes they all have a little fan venting as fast as possible... but compact heat sink inverters turn into landfill in a short period. Good thing Battery World were so helpful. We have lithium and the same isolator. Your sub-$1000 setup - its how we go too. KISS and DIY can really pay off - you don't periodically spend time hunting up an auto-electric shop when you should be going places. (If I can't replace it at the next Bunnings or fix it after a quick youtube lesson... I don't buy it.)

[@itsJackandMegan]

Hey mate thanks for watching Gotta love a DIY. A quick KZbin video and a Bunnings is all you need I love it 😂😂😂

[@martysib6547]

Hi Jack, good vid and set-up. You're on the right track with getting a lithium and getting rid of the deep cycle and solenoid under bonnet. Keep it simple. The redarc BCDC is amazing bit of tech. Can't believe you're not going up to the Cape. Make sure you get there before going home to 'Busso'. Marty from Perth

[@itsJackandMegan]

Marty how’s it going mate! Just watched your rig rundown vid. Nice GU You will be happy to know I have a soft spot for the old 4.2td Nissan motors. I absolutely love them, I’ve had a swb gq, coil cab gq and a beautiful old untouched GQ 1993 TI model with electric windows- it had about 650,000kms on it and was like brand new, I loved that car! Your car Is probably one of the most well thought out setups I have seen. That fishing rod pole you made up is a classic and you have so much space up in the bed area that’s what you want! And yes the redarc bcdc chargers are pretty bloody good! Not going to the cape, we thought we would save it and come back with a few mates so we can really have some fun tackling the tracks up there!

[@aosfbnoibnoiw]

You should always have a fixed solar panel, especially when you're running a Redarc bcdc charger. Theyre programmed to choose green energy first(solar). This reduces the strain on your alternator and automatically switches to vehical(alternator) charge when there is little or no sun available.

[@louiskudlak2241]

Everyone has a budget buddy 👍👍

[@itsJackandMegan]

Exactly right mate!

[@danielpedulla1890]

Loving the videos😍 Giving me so much inspiration! Just a heads up and I know a few others already mentioned it but the AGM battery shouldn't be going below around 12.3V. Got mine from battery world (had great customer service from my store as well) and he specifically told me it shouldn't - it's terrible for the batteries health and performance.

[@itsJackandMegan]

Yeah ours has had it doesn’t hold over 12v any more so definitely due for a new one.

[@ilove2explore]

I concur, since i added my lithium i very rarely even bother with the solar blanket

[@itsJackandMegan]

It sounds like we are going to be in the market for one very soon just gotta save a few more pennys 😂

[@ilove2explore]

@@itsJackandMegan I purchased a Revolution 60ah usable lithium on clearance, it’s more than enough to keep me going for a few days, typically i use around 25 ah per day, so don’t think you need too big a battery, remember that you can use pretty much the whole capacity unlike an agm and in an hr or two of driving the battery will be full again

[@itsJackandMegan]

@@ilove2explore that’s what I like about the lithium’s the fact that you can completely drain the battery is a huge bonus! As we are editing a fair bit we require the inverter on a lot of the time so that’s what’s been killing our battery we think. Doing some research today to find a good brand to go with. 😊

[@ilove2explore]

@@itsJackandMegan ok just be careful then about the bms, mine for example can only handle a 600w inverter which is more than ample for me.

[@itsJackandMegan]

Thanks yeah we have the 400watt. But will definitely make sure cheers mate!

[@MynameisGeoff82]

Great video bud! Just goes to show you don't need every 'game changer' 12v acc on the market to go bush and have a great time 👍🏻

[@itsJackandMegan]

Cheers mate! So far it has been getting us along just fine 👍

[@ottouring]

Hi, Just read yr comment re 12v system. Have a look at my videos and may also be helpful for yr set up. Cheers Out There Touring

[@patrickevison8282]

Your bcdc charger should also be as close to the aux bat as possible. This will increase charge rate

[@itsJackandMegan]

👍 thanks for the tip mate.

[@SWhite-hp5xq]

Lithium for sure 👍🏽Buy once, cry once

[@itsJackandMegan]

That’s it mate!

[@SWhite-hp5xq]

@@itsJackandMegan good man for sharing your tips and experiences with your setup too. Good advise to hopefully prevent another from making the expensive mistakes of buying the wrong things from the start. All the best

[@VideoShowMeHow]

Great vid mate love the setup! Just putting together a new setup in my new rig too, some good ideas :)

[@itsJackandMegan]

Thanks for watching mate 👍😊

[@ottouring]

Hi, Just read yr comment re 12v system. Have a look at my videos and may also be helpful for yr set up. Cheers Out There Touring

[@iztoss1172]

I found the same power box on Amazon US

[@firedupadventures]

You need make yourself a 2 into 1 anderson plug so you can use roof and portable solar panels at the same time

[@itsJackandMegan]

this is a good idea might look into it!

[@jacksimpsonmusic]

So what happened to your inverter? I’m curious 🧐

[@itsJackandMegan]

Never got an an answer unfortunately mate.

[@Rafiki_lec]

Whats the biggest power user? We've got 115amp agm, and we can stay for a few days without moving and even longer when we hook up the 200w blanket. We've got a 60L fridge, 1000w inverter, all the lights haha, and were travelling through tassy atm so a heated blanket for the cold nights.

[@itsJackandMegan]

It’s our inverter mate we run it flat out with the laptop that’s our killer we think! When we don’t run that the AGM will last around 2.5 days with no solar but that’s pushing it. We are pretty certain our agm is not in good shape. Looking at getting a full charge via 240v to see if this helps in anyway.

[@quikstop4347]

JM... Sounds like you’re running the laptop off the charger whilst you are using it? Does the laptop battery not hold out? Wouldn’t it be better to charge the laptop whilst you’re driving and then run it off it’s internal battery when you stop? When it goes flat there’s the sign to catch the sunset/stars/moonrise (have you seen the Kimberley staircase to the moon yet?) and forgo the dozen eps of GOT 🤪). Inverters use power even when “idle” and the ratio of power used to power out is disproportionate, so I can see why your consumption is high. IMHO, tablet devices are far more power friendly, using 5V for charging, maybe an iPad or similar for entertainment... really enjoyed the content so far, will have to binge catch up!

[@paulquinn8917]

Thank’s that was good

[@itsJackandMegan]

No worries thanks for watching 👍😊

[@Raajj6L]

Be mindful if you do get a lithium they do not like to be charged or discharged at freezing temperatures, it will cause damage to the battery. Most (but not all) have a low temperature cut out I've seen these not work though so be careful with cheap batteries

[@itsJackandMegan]

Thanks for the tip! Appreciate it mate.

[@blingscreensavers3881]

In Australia 🤣 there is only 1 place that gets down to 0 to 5 degrees

[@tomduff2491]

Hey mate Late to the video but thabks for your ideas. I'm looking at a cheap set up as well. Any batteries you would recommend that you've looked into? I want lithium. But so expensive. Found some for about 400 but scared of the quality. Also. I'm thinking under bonnet mount for my second battery with the dc charger under the bonnet too. Leaving just the switch panel inside the canopy. Any thoughts? Seems like it would be better and save space not having a big battery in the back

[@itsJackandMegan]

Hey mate thanks for watching! you should definitely look into a Itech world 120ah lithium battery they are under bonnet compatible! And have seen so many great reviews on them 👍😊

[@ottouring]

Hi, Just read yr comment re 12v system. Have a look at my videos and may also be helpful for yr set up. Cheers Out There Touring

[@kevinbarker359]

You lost me after 2 minutes ,I know bugger all about this subject .We want one set up just to watch TV. Have a Fridge and maybe a camp buddy... thanks mate ,the lights are a good idea. Thanks again for the informative video.. Kev from chiang rai

[@itsJackandMegan]

Kevin sounds like you would need just a nice simple setup like what we have under the bonnet and a solar panel to charge the deepcycle. Thanks for watching! 😊

[@ottouring]

Hi, Just read yr comment re 12v system. Have a look at my videos and may also be helpful for yr set up. Cheers Out There Touring

[@wildaustraliaphotography-m2099]

Hi Jack & Megan this might seem like a stupid question, but i am new to this so can I ask, does the redarc smart charger only recharge to battery you are running the lighting/fridge etc off, and neither of the two under the bonnet. Also, I assume that battery doesn't get charged while your driving, or is the solar recharging only necessary if you camp up for a few days. This was one of the most useful vlogs ive seen on setting up the duel battery system for your rooftop tent Regards Michael

[@itsJackandMegan]

Hey mate you’re spot on. The car does charge all the battery’s while it’s running. Also the smart charger uses the solar panel on the roof to charge the battery behind my seat whilst driving to take some load of the alternator. I’ll normally plug the solar blanket in whilst set up at camp for the day to follow the sun.

[@ottouring]

Hi, Just read yr comment re 12v system. Have a look at my videos and may also be helpful for yr set up. Cheers Out There Touring

[@willeveryday]

Why don't you utilise the fused Anderson plugs on the front of the kings control box?

[@itsJackandMegan]

Hey mate I do sometimes use it for with the travel buddy oven. 👍😊

[@bugsy1254]

Do you have a DC to DC charger? What size wiring from the cranking battery to the charger?

[@ottouring]

Hi, Just read yr comment re 12v system. Have a look at my videos and may also be helpful for yr set up. Cheers Out There Touring

[@astondriver]

is the alternator charging the AGM too?

[@itsJackandMegan]

Hey mate yeah it is. 😊👍

[@FroggysGoldProspecting]

Lost me at kings

[@itsJackandMegan]

Not all kings stuff is crap! But some of it actually does the job 👍