Stepped Up My Camping Game

[941Punk]

I finally pulled the trigger on at new Smittybilt rack and roof top tent. My idea of off roading is "overlanding" and this setup will get us into some backcountry. Set up time is about 5 minutes.

I'll be adding an awning and annex in the next month. (holy hell this thing needs a lift)

Stoked!

 

[Hardly Satisfied]

Nice setup

 

[mesquito_creek]

I made a bunch of overlander style improvements to my old chevy 2500 for camping. The best mod with bang for the buck was a 12v fridge and house battery isolated from the starting battery. The most luxo improvements I made were the 100w solar panel and 1500 inverter to run a coffee pot! The most frivolous, but nice to have was the pressurized 6 gallon water tube for cleaning up dishes etc..

 

[941Punk]

I made a bunch of overlander style improvements to my old chevy 2500 for camping. The best mod with bang for the buck was a 12v fridge and house battery isolated from the starting battery. The most luxo improvements I made were the 100w solar panel and 1500 inverter to run a coffee pot! The most frivolous, but nice to have was the pressurized 6 gallon water tube for cleaning up dishes etc..

A fridge would be super lux! Duel battery is most def on the list of things to do. I would hate to be stranded in the middle of BFE because of something stupid. I have a battery jumper as well and would like to charge it while either driving or solar.

 

[Advantage 1]

Very cool! Back in the day, I used egg crate foam & sleeping bag on the bed of my pickup when I rolled up to Big Bear... your set up is MUCH nicer

 

[Backlash]

Nice tent to get you up off the ground where all those critters roam! Where are you guys planning to head??

 

[941Punk]

Nice tent to get you up off the ground where all those critters roam! Where are you guys planning to head??

That's what got this started, we were ground camping in AZ years back and something big was in our camp. Wife said hell no we're not camping again unless its a trailer. But she was down for this.

Florida to Wyoming, Montana, Colorado, Utah, Arizona and back again. Another trip planned is the Georgia Traverse West to East then up Tennessee, North Carolina, to Virginia for Overland East Expo. Come winter, down to the keys

 

[t&y]

Very cool! Back in the day, I used egg crate foam & sleeping bag on the bed of my pickup when I rolled up to Big Bear... your set up is MUCH nicer

Lol.. Same thing, but we upgraded to an air matress in the back of the truck for the desert trips.

 

[Backlash]

That's what got this started, we were ground camping in AZ years back and something big was in our camp. Wife said hell no we're not camping again unless its a trailer. But she was down for this.

Florida to Wyoming, Montana, Colorado, Utah, Arizona and back again. Another trip planned is the Georgia Traverse West to East then up Tennessee, North Carolina, to Virginia for Overland East Expo. Come winter, down to the keys

You gotta post some threads when you guys hit the road! Badass for sure!!

 

[DLC]

Nice set up

If your looking for a fridge / freezer
this guy makes them he is in Escondido, San Diego north county, these actually have the ability to freeze stuff and make beer slush or even keep ice cream.

fridge freeze

 

[236eagledave]

Have you seen TrailRecon on youtube? Pretty good channel dedicated to overlanding and all the gear and gadgets.

Overlanding Adventures | TrailRecon

At TrailRecon, we are all about getting dirty and having fun in our Jeeps as we explore off-road trails, go on overlanding adventures, review the latest off-road gear, do Jeep modifications, and share tips & tricks we’ve learned from our adventures.

www.trailrecon.net

 

[mobldj]

dont get up to pee drunk,thats a drop.lol

 

[mesquito_creek]

I use the dometic CFX 50 12v/120v fridge... works really well, and it will freeze stuff if you set it that low. I have a x2 energy AGM Deep cell with 70 amp hours of storage. With a 100 watt solar panel in the trees of AZ I can get through a 2 night weekend with a little help from the truck alternator for an hour or so each morning..

 

[Ziggy]

Very cool.

 

[WhatExit?]

Nice setup! I like RTT's just can't have my wife going down the ladder at night to pee so we'll stick with ground tent with inflatable queen size mattress.

I'm going to get the Genesis dual battery setup - spendy but a great product and easy to install. https://www.genesisoffroad.com/Jeep_c_24.html


We got out of the cooler and ice program some years ago and went with a big 62 quart Whynter fridge/freezer - got it at a great price from Home Depot and have an extended warranty from them (usually don't do it but on this it made sense)...

Whynter 2 cu. ft. 62 Qt. Dual Zone Portable Freezer in Gray FM-62DZ - The Home Depot

This Whynter Dual Zone Portable Fridge / Freezer offers premium quality and innovative design to your frozen/ refrigerated needs. With two separately controlled temperature zones, you can set either zone

www.homedepot.com

 

[Dana757]

I have a Dometic fridge. Bounce between my Jeep and truck. I use a Goal Zero 1000 to run it if sitting. Have a 100W solar panel but rarely use it. Also can charge it off 12v or 120. It ran the fridge all last weekend with room to spare on a single charge. If out camping / wheeling aka moving everyday I leave the Goal Zero behind. The fridge will shut off before it kills the Jeep battery. Happened once when parked at my house. Never on the trail. The 20 min drive each way to work is enough to keep battery charged enough for fridge. It's awesome and I never turn it off.

 

[Sleek-Jet]

Overlanding... Hipster speak for camping, LOL.

I'm kidding...

Cool set up, I always have wondered how cold those tent setups get with nothing below them. Even in the summer places like Colorado get cold at night.

 

[941Punk]

You gotta post some threads when you guys hit the road! Badass for sure!!

Sure man, I would love to.

I have a Dometic fridge. Bounce between my Jeep and truck. I use a Goal Zero 1000 to run it if sitting. Have a 100W solar panel but rarely use it. Also can charge it off 12v or 120. It ran the fridge all last weekend with room to spare on a single charge. If out camping / wheeling aka moving everyday I leave the Goal Zero behind. The fridge will shut off before it kills the Jeep battery. Happened once when parked at my house. Never on the trail. The 20 min drive each way to work is enough to keep battery charged enough for fridge. It's awesome and I never turn it off.

That's a lot of good info, thank you!

Have you seen TrailRecon on youtube? Pretty good channel dedicated to overlanding and all the gear and gadgets.

Overlanding Adventures | TrailRecon

At TrailRecon, we are all about getting dirty and having fun in our Jeeps as we explore off-road trails, go on overlanding adventures, review the latest off-road gear, do Jeep modifications, and share tips & tricks we’ve learned from our adventures.

www.trailrecon.net

Yeah, been watching Brad for years. He's been there and done that and i've been inspired for sure. My wife watches sometimes with me and says "This guy is going to cost us money" lol

 

[941Punk]

Nice setup! I like RTT's just can't have my wife going down the ladder at night to pee so we'll stick with ground tent with inflatable queen size mattress.

I'm going to get the Genesis dual battery setup - spendy but a great product and easy to install. https://www.genesisoffroad.com/Jeep_c_24.html
View attachment 877773

We got out of the cooler and ice program some years ago and went with a big 62 quart Whynter fridge/freezer - got it at a great price from Home Depot and have an extended warranty from them (usually don't do it but on this it made sense)...

Whynter 2 cu. ft. 62 Qt. Dual Zone Portable Freezer in Gray FM-62DZ - The Home Depot

This Whynter Dual Zone Portable Fridge / Freezer offers premium quality and innovative design to your frozen/ refrigerated needs. With two separately controlled temperature zones, you can set either zone

www.homedepot.com

That Genesis system is reallllly spendy. I've looked at it but not in depth. I know Smitty makes a bracket for 90 bucks, i'm trying to understand where the extra 400 bucks (before battery) comes from.

 

[Dana757]

Sure man, I would love to.



That's a lot of good info, thank you!

You're welcome. I didn't go with a fixed second battery in the Jeep so I can take it to the river too. Just went out and looked, fridge at 34 degrees, pulling 7 watts with 46% left in the battery. Not bad 2:40 PM on the Monday after.

 

[JD D05]

If you need any tips on Utah, Montana, Idaho I am here for you.

 

[traquer]

That is a badass setup! Pull the ladder up and you'll be safe from bears too. That's the only thing that makes me sleep less than perfect. Camping in the desert where there are no bears I sleep like a log

 

[Shlbyntro]

I finally pulled the trigger on at new Smittybilt rack and roof top tent. My idea of off roading is "overlanding" and this setup will get us into some backcountry. Set up time is about 5 minutes.

I'll be adding an awning and annex in the next month. (holy hell this thing needs a lift)

Stoked!

View attachment 877716

Nice! I have this same setup with the annex and a batwing awning sitting in my office at home waiting for me to mount them on the Excursion. I can't wait to see how they do.... You'll have to keep us posted!

 

[mesquito_creek]

You're welcome. I didn't go with a fixed second battery in the Jeep so I can take it to the river too. Just went out and looked, fridge at 34 degrees, pulling 7 watts with 46% left in the battery. Not bad 2:40 PM on the Monday after.

I think you mean 7 amps?. and that would be similar to my dometic 50 that draws 6.8 amps when cycling the compressor on my Klein amp clamp.

So those yeti 1000 are super cool with 97 amp hours of storage with 80% available... You theoretically could run the fridge solid for 11 hours... obviously they cycle off an on providing many many more actual hours of fridge fun time... I would love to invest in some lithium ion battery’s like your yeti.

 

[2Driver]

Pretty sweet. The bad guys and bears will never get you up there.

 

[Dana757]

I think you mean 7 amps?. and that would be similar to my dometic 50 that draws 6.8 amps when cycling the compressor on my Klein amp clamp.

So those yeti 1000 are super cool with 97 amp hours of storage with 80% available... You theoretically could run the fridge solid for 11 hours... obviously they cycle off an on providing many many more actual hours of fridge fun time... I would love to invest in some lithium ion battery’s like your yeti.

No, it says watts right on the display. Mine's a single zone 40. Dual zones draw more.

 

[941Punk]

Pretty sweet. The bad guys and bears will never get you up there.

I think it would give me some lead time to grab the Ruger or bear spray.

 

[mesquito_creek]

No, it says watts right on the display. Mine's a single zone 40. Dual zones draw more.

I have to figure out how to get mine to do that? Are you using the app on your phone or just the readout directly on the control panel?

 

[Dana757]

I have to figure out how to get mine to do that? Are you using the app on your phone or just the readout directly on the control panel?

the display on the Goal Zero. It shows watts going in and watts going out. One thing I learned is if plugged in to 12V the fridge shuts down when battery is like 85%. Plug it into the 120VAC inverter side and it stays on until the battery runs out.

 

[2Driver]

I think it would give me some lead time to grab the Ruger or bear spray.

LOL you'll need it because now you are trapped in a nylon bag on the roof of your car

 

[mesquito_creek]

the display on the Goal Zero. It shows watts going in and watts going out. One thing I learned is if plugged in to 12V the fridge shuts down when battery is like 85%. Plug it into the 120VAC inverter side and it stays on until the battery runs out.

You can set the fridge's battery monitor to shut off at a certain voltage in order to not drain the battery. My guess is that behavior you see is controlled by that function on the fridge and not the goal zero. You may be able to get it to stay on 12v lower than 85% with that setting.

Page 18 in the cfx manual:

In “HIGH” mode, the battery monitor responds faster than at the levels “LOW” and “MED” (see the following table).
The battery monitor mode can be selected as follows: ➤ Switch on the cooler. ➤ Press the “SET” button (fig. 3 4, page 4) three times. ➤ Use the “UP +” (fig.3 7, page 4) or “DOWN –” (fig.3 6, page 4) buttons to select the battery monitor mode. ✓ Display will be as follows: Lo (LOW), Πd (MED), Hi (HIGH) ✓

The selected mode then appears in the display for a few seconds. The display flashes several times before it returns to the current temperature. I Battery monitor mode LOW MED HIGH Switch-off voltage at 10.1 V 11.4 V 11.8 V

 

[Dana757]

You can set the fridge's battery monitor to shut off at a certain voltage in order to not drain the battery. My guess is that behavior you see is controlled by that function on the fridge and not the goal zero. You may be able to get it to stay on 12v lower than 85% with that setting.

Page 18 in the cfx manual:

In “HIGH” mode, the battery monitor responds faster than at the levels “LOW” and “MED” (see the following table).
The battery monitor mode can be selected as follows: ➤ Switch on the cooler. ➤ Press the “SET” button (fig. 3 4, page 4) three times. ➤ Use the “UP +” (fig.3 7, page 4) or “DOWN –” (fig.3 6, page 4) buttons to select the battery monitor mode. ✓ Display will be as follows: Lo (LOW), Πd (MED), Hi (HIGH) ✓

The selected mode then appears in the display for a few seconds. The display flashes several times before it returns to the current temperature. I Battery monitor mode LOW MED HIGH Switch-off voltage at 10.1 V 11.4 V 11.8 V

you are correct. I just leave it set to Med because it's plugged into the start battery so often. Still works very well on the inverter.

 

[mesquito_creek]

you are correct. I just leave it set to Med because it's plugged into the start battery so often. Still works very well on the inverter.

I geek out on every detail of the camping/overland stuff because I am trying to dial in my rig for up to 5 days off grid without any additional inputs like ice/fuel. I lasted 5 days in my truck in baja fishing the gulf of california this winter. I leave for a 5 day trip to Powell this friday and I am trying to last on the lake for 5 days with as little generator run time as possible. An ice run in my express cruiser could cost me 100 bucks in fuel if I don't plan properly. The fridge is a key component I can run off of solar power and pre cool beer etc to stretch my ice for a couple of days hopefully. My 120 watt panel is putting 7 amp hours back into the house batteries in ideal conditions.

 

[evantwheeler]

My parents just bought a 12v fridge for an upcoming Powell trip. Can anyone recommend a solar panel system to maintain their batteries on the pontoon boat to keep them charged up?

 

[beaverretriever]

Bad ass. Love that color too.

 

[mesquito_creek]

My parents just bought a 12v fridge for an upcoming Powell trip. Can anyone recommend a solar panel system to maintain their batteries on the pontoon boat to keep them charged up?

I have 2 solar set ups. 1 for my truck and one on my boat. Basically, Each is a 18v 100 watt panel with a 6 amp solar controller. Panel plugs into controller and the controller is connected to the battery. I have Morningstar solar controllers but There are cheaper alternatives.

 

[941Punk]

This week I added a new bumper with LEDs, flat fenders with inner fender liners (not installed yet) and the Smittybilt 8.5 x 6.5 awning!

 

[mesquito_creek]

Here is a bit more on my house battery and solar. Because my 2500 chevy is gas there is a spot for the 2nd battery of a diesel version. $28 dollar oem battery tray for a diesel was how I mounted the house battery into the engine compartment. I use a marine "smart isolator" to protect the starting battery from draw down when parked and it charges the house battery with the alternator once the starting battery is at full charge. BTW, I don't know why I haven't thrown out the perko switch in my boat and replaced it with this? I use a "flexible solar panel" on a long set of wires so when I am in the trees I can move it into sunlight. But here is is on my front windshield, where I put it when the truck is not being used or I have no overhead obstructions. I glued the solar controller on the the air filter box and wired it into my house battery.

My dometic CFX50 uses about 7 amp when the compressor is running and the panel max is 5.5 amps. So if the fridge ran a whole hour I would be negative amps on the battery storage, but fridges cycle on and off so conservatively if it ran 1/2 the time I would be positive an amp or two. The forest still is hard to catch full sun, so in my experience I can keep up with my fridge for about 2.5 full days and then I normally need to turn on the truck and get a bit of alternator help before I bug out for the weekend. Mind you I am running a drip coffee maker, led lights and other stuff besides just the fridge.

My battery is a x2Power AGM group 24 with 76 amp hours of storage, but a lead acid/AGM style only has 1/2 of the amp storage available for you to use without damaging the battery so realistically I only have about 35 amp hours available without the solar input.

 

[mesquito_creek]

I monitor the batteries with a dual voltage guage mounted by the tailgate, because that where the beer is so I can't think why you would do it anywhere else? Also under the rear seat is a cheap chinese 1500w inverter. It only does about 1300 watt, so its cheap.. but it will run a drip coffee maker!

 

[rivermobster]

I have a nice Goal Zero kit I used for backpacking and stuff. Worked perfectly!

Check out Kennedy Meadows. They call it the land that time forgot...

Have fun!!