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LiFePo4 is now reasonable, but it is an evolving market with all the risks. You can currently get 200 mostly useable amp hours for $800 from a cheaper vendor. A little bit less if you go a self build from China, a bit more for a more reputable brand. For US availability people are liking...

Presumably used.  LiFePo4 has gotten more affordable, but there are still plenty of emerging market issues to deal with.

Being able to program the safety considerations into the design program would be a big plus. You'd need years of build experience as well as web design experience to do that properly - if not an EE degree. That said, if you kept the choices limited and included wiring gauge calculators it...

It is possible to get an insulated pop up, it's basically just insulated material on the popup portion.  The small size does make it easy to heat.  The most important thing in this regard is the weatherization of the 'wet' portions of the build.  You will likely want both insulation and...

We need to restart the civilian conservation corps, including expanding dispersed camping areas. Working with homeless is not easy.

You might inquire with the pharmacist a bit more. Fair chance refrigerator temps are ok. On the other hand some sort of thermos or cooler might be good enough. I sometimes use a good yeti style cooler without ice as a ‘root cellar’ - onions, eggs, nuts, and roots.

You ought to be able to figure it out before hand. If you have a plan b that involves removing the seat just go ahead and try it. I would never use any replacement with a human.

Using a house a/c instead of the vehicle a/c would be the simplest solution.

As said previously if your batteries are near full they won’t take the full charge. Another way to test this is to put a substantial load on and see if that bumps your amps. Not sure how you test each panel with that setup, but you should do so - as well as the wiring at every step.

The risky period is early morning. A controller based temperature control could easily warm up faster than the large thermal mass of the battery.

At some point that will need to happen. Transportation funding is a huge subject and gets to the heart of the modern economy. That big box retail development you built won’t do very well unless you’ve got a nearby freeway off ramp.

My battery was pretty close to full, the higher voltage makes a lot of sense.  I’ll test that out over the weekend.   Hopefully I’m ok short term with the Victron, I’d presume I’m not the only one to make that input/output mistake.   Thanks very much.

Due the high volume I like popcorn for my carb fix. Kashi makes some lower sugar snack bars at a reasonable price. Plain sardines in water mixed with your own sauce and maybe a few spicier veggies on a cracker is good. I like the whole grain Wasa. I used to like sunflower seeds, but the...

Good words of advice. I try to eat fresh as much as possible, but also carry a week or two of canned. I’m now based out of SW Colorado, living on my disability in quality employee housing just outside of Telluride. The weather forecast looks good for the next week. Reports are of a...

I’m doing the final tweaks on my new 280ah Luyuang build, adding a second panel on a second controller.   It was working fine yesterday when the vehicle was parked under the carport and only the smaller panel was receiving sun.  Today I moved out into the open and only the larger panel is...

Only thing I can think of is to replace the battery with an optima deep cycle and add a small solar panel. You will want a low voltage alarm. Going totally separate is a lot simpler. Of course buying a Prius or the like makes it even simpler.

I use an online service, EyeBuy direct.

Chances are the panels are good, not so much on the battery depending on use and care. The manufacture date may be on the battery. What type of charge controller? Will the cables work for your setup? Any extras?

I'll second the no, the aerodynamics of the rigid panel could rip the entire top of the Thule off - in addition to the other risks. This might be a reasonable place to try a newer flexible panel. SUPPOSEDLY they've gotten better, and I've seen prices under a $1 a watt.

Anything you can do to lessen the wind/water pressure on that junction would be prudent. Sealant would help, plus an actual barrier, even better. Heck, just jamming a rag in there, after the sealant, might do it.