Some thought's about Solar...

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I started fulltime life January 3rd of this year as I left Cincinnati for the WRTR.  I hadn't planned to go fulltime, but I hadn't really planned to go to the WRTR this year.  My family talked me into it.  So my plan was simple, go to the WRTR, then go to LA for a week or two to give friends and family out there a hug, and then come back.  That was the plan.

Instead, I went to the WRTR, met amazing women, camped with them, went to the RTR, camped more, and then joined Caravan 3 and camped with still more awesome women.  On Febuary 6th while moving my minivan so that a friend could get out in the morning, my minivan wandered off, and died at the bottom of a 50 foot ravine with all my stuff in it. Everything.

The women of Caravan 3 including Suanne and Phyllis of HOWA came together and made what I thought was an utter catastrophy, into a bump in the road.  One woman who had a Gen3 Spot pressed the SOV button and my rig got pulled out of the ravine, then Suanne loaned me her trailer (the one from the WRTR that had shcedules and such posted on it, and in it) and they took everything out of my dead van and put it in the trailer.  And I spent the next more than a month still travelling with Caravan 3 and Phyllis came and towed the trailer every two weeks to the next spot we were going too.  I will forever be in thier debt for all the help, and the opportunity I had to get to know them better and see them for the amazing women they are.

So of course I came out with a phone, tablet, kindle, and a 20ah backup battery, and living in the trailer I had no power to run them.  One of the women had a 28watt folding solar panel with two USB ports on it. And I had two LUCI lights for lighting.  So I spent more than a month keeping everything running with just that 28watt folding panel.  The 20ah battery was backup for nights and cloudy/rainy days (of which there were plenty this year) and so every morning I'd start my day by laying out the LUCI lights and the panel with things plugged into it to charge.  When they finished charging, I'd swap out the devices and charge the others.

And wouldn't you know it everything kept working and fully charged.  So I spent more than a month depending on this 28 watt panel and two solar lights to keep me going.  I'm still using that 28 watt panel, it sits on the dash of my Ford Van next to the LUCI Lights, and charges up my stulff.  Yes, I'm going to get some panels for the roof, 200AH in batteries, or more, and build out my rig, but that 28watt panel is ALWAYS going to be my backup!

Which is my really long way of saying that even if you start small, you'll be amazed at what you can do with solar, and how little you really need to get so much done!  This is the panel I've been using. 

https://www.amazon.com/BigBlue-Char...+solar+panel&qid=1562101633&s=gateway&sr=8-10

I'm considering upgrading to this panel since it will also charge my laptop and have this as my backup system:

https://www.amazon.com/SUAOKI-Charg...95c-f2dcc36b911a&pf_rd_r=NS6J4A24Q2PN5G0MRKCV
 
Wow...what a welcome to van life!! I think that's the best thing I've read in awhile, compassion, camaraderie, innovation and resilience all come to mind. Thank you for sharing that!
 
MaTaLa said:
Wow...what a welcome to van life!! I think that's the best thing I've read in awhile, compassion, camaraderie, innovation and resilience all come to mind. Thank you for sharing that!

It was an amazing experience, and yes, very much all those things you mentioned.  I wouldn't have changed a thing.  I'm glad you appreciated what I wrote. Thank you.
 
Wow, thanks for sharing! :)

What's the status of your van? Did you have to replace it or was it repaired? Did your insurance company pay up?

greeneyedggirl said:
I'm considering upgrading to this panel since it will also charge my laptop and have this as my backup system:

https://www.amazon.com/SUAOKI-Charger-Portable-Foldable-Efficiency/dp/B0752TQ5Y7/

I shortened your link, then checked it out...
that's exactly what I bought just over a year ago (together with a 150 watt lithium power pack), for my summer of experimentation in my car. :)

I subsequently bought an old lovingly-converted (by a tribe member) cargo van, with roof mounted 200 watts of panels and a 2x 85 amp-hour battery system.

I still have & use my original portable pair, and they're definitely very nice to have as backups. :)

Recently, my main system was down to 64%, so I was only using it for essentials, but had my backup system for use for everything else, which was a major stress reduction.
 
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