M416 overlanding trailer

[9zero1790]

I like my AC too.

I've been thinking about trying one of THESE for my RTT.

I could sit it in my trailer or the bed of my truck then route the hose into the tent.

They get pretty good reviews.

looks like a good option, not too bad on price either.

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[Dr. Zaius]

looks like a good option, not too bad on price either.

You order one first, and I'll watch ?

 

[9zero1790]

You order one first, and I'll watch ?

i would likely cheap out and get a little 5k btu window unit and a solid extension cord lol. i wonder how much solar it would take to run a window unit if one had a good converter and good deep cycle batt seup.

 

[mtbikernate]

i would likely cheap out and get a little 5k btu window unit and a solid extension cord lol. i wonder how much solar it would take to run a window unit if one had a good converter and good deep cycle batt seup.

a lot. I know people who have done the calculations. and considering the power requirements of the various small a/c units out there, the fact that you have inverter losses, and anything else you want to power, basically carrying enough solar panels with a small trailer is wildly impractical.

you can't forget that this also necessitates a pretty hefty battery bank, too. I'm frankly more likely to run the a/c at night than during the day (I'm not hanging out inside my camper during the day if the weather is nice), and since you're not collecting power then, you'll need to run the a/c purely off of stored power in the batteries at night.

 

[9zero1790]

a lot. I know people who have done the calculations. and considering the power requirements of the various small a/c units out there, the fact that you have inverter losses, and anything else you want to power, basically carrying enough solar panels with a small trailer is wildly impractical.

you can't forget that this also necessitates a pretty hefty battery bank, too. I'm frankly more likely to run the a/c at night than during the day (I'm not hanging out inside my camper during the day if the weather is nice), and since you're not collecting power then, you'll need to run the a/c purely off of stored power in the batteries at night.

agreed it would not be practical at all. a small generator would likely cost less than all the solar and take up much less space.

 

[mtbikernate]

agreed it would not be practical at all. a small generator would likely cost less than all the solar and take up much less space.

all of which is why I don't even have an a/c unit.

 

[Dr. Zaius]

agreed it would not be practical at all. a small generator would likely cost less than all the solar and take up much less space.

all of which is why I don't even have an a/c unit.

I take a USB powered desk fan when camping.

It works really well and easily runs all night off my Solar Powered Phone Bank

You can plug this in to charge if you want, but I haven't plugged it in since the first time I fully charged it.

It sits on my desk and stays fully charged from the lights in my office. When camping I sit it on the hood of my vehicle and it's always fully charged by the time I'm ready to use it.

I have several phone banks and this one is easily my favorite.

 

[9zero1790]

I take a USB powered desk fan when camping.

It works really well and easily runs all night off my Solar Powered Phone Bank

You can plug this in to charge if you want, but I haven't plugged it in since the first time I fully charged it.

It sits on my desk and stays fully charged from the lights in my office. When camping I sit it on the hood of my vehicle and it's always fully charged by the time I'm ready to use it.

I have several phone banks and this one is easily my favorite.

ive seen a few of those on amazon and ebay. ive been skeptical of the claims but its nice to know they are worthwhile

 

[mtbikernate]

I have a teardrop camper for car camping. 100Ah LiFePO4 battery, 240 watts of solar for recharging, 12v fridge, and a fan for the interior does the job.

that's a handy phone bank, though. good capacity, wireless charging capable, solar, pretty cool. if you deplete it, how long does it take the solar to recharge it? I could do without the cheezy compass and flashlight, though.

I have a power bank with decent capacity. I've since tossed the documentation that says how much, but I seem to recall 10000mAh. gotta plug it in to charge it.

 

[Dr. Zaius]

I've never fully depleted it nor really timed it.

I just sit it on the hood or roof and it's fully charged when I'm ready to use it.

There's an LED that lets you know when its charging using the solar panel.

The flashlight works pretty good, but the compass saved my life once so it's now invaluable.

I used it to squash a sketchy looking bug that I'm sure would've been lethal had it gotten to me.

Wait, maybe it was my shoe that squashed the bug?

Anyway, the compass was nearby so it surely assisted in the take down.

It's easily removable if you don't want it. The lanyard is handy though.

 

[Wytchdctr]

Very nice. I have done some truly idiotic things with Army trailers and they made it through. Sometimes I wish I would have gone with the 4wd version of the Ranger for overlanding, but then I remember what the dealer wanted them and how little id actually use it and throw those ideas out. A project car will be expensive enough on its own.

 

[DrPep]

Update:

Did a few upgrades (hitch mounted grill being the biggest one), now we're ready for our first trip!

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