New Member, New Van On Order

[Drover]

Having just got back from the woolly wilds of SW Vic and SE SA, I can certainly say I was happy I had a 3 way fridge as it was getting diffficult at times to get a good charge up on the batteries (crap weather)and thats with the portable 120w panel, my Aldi panel has been doing a great job and a 120w didn't cost a fortune but I did chuck the original PWM reg, only down size with solid portable panels is storage, lucky I don't have that problem......

I certainly endorse having a portable panel as then when off grid you can make most use of the sun, something around the 120w or more though, the amps output stated is never really achieved so work on about 75% and you could be close to what it will make.

While your waiting for your rigs to turn up have a look around your local area, look for a nice place to camp for a weekend, so you can sort out the set up, what gear you need and what needs to be left behind, you will certainly pack too much junk and practice with awning and screens is always good .............. close by means a short drive and more time to camp. You don't want a full blown bells and whistles park they are usually sardine packers.....

Also while the attraction is strong don't go and have a caravan accessory buying spree, most of it will stay at home or never be used, wait till you have a few camps and buy when you really have a need, weight is a big problem so always try to have things that can do a couple of jobs, even dunny paper has a couple...

With a tribe you will find space for fancy chairs and tables will be scarce, don't fall into the trap of we can put it inside the van, you don't really want stuff packed on the floor/seats etc, in the end it will drive you nuts, best to have a minimalist outlook.

 

[Joves]

Thanks again Crusty.

I’m thinking I might get an Engel or Waeco fridge/freezer for the daily beverages/ice and keep the 3-way for food and cooking. This way, the 3-way will only be opened and closed at meal time, which it should hopefully keep up with.

I see Kings have a 200W solar blanket and regulator/cable package for only about $320. I’d imagine, conditions pending, this would be totally suitable for a separate 45L, or even slightly larger, fridge/freezer. Amazing there price difference between a lot of these brands solar blankets. Redarc must be the ducks guts, given that their 112W Amorphous blankets are around $2,300 and their standard 190W Mono blanket is around $2,000. I’m happy to invest in better equipment (buy once and buy properly), but I wonder if these are that much better than a 200W Kings which can be bought for 1/5th of the price?

Much to think about in the “simple” life of caravanning, it would seem....

 

[Joves]

Thanks Rags, glad to hear you love your 12 volt fridge and hope to hear that your new solar blanket does the trick with running it!

 

[Joves]

Cheers DRW, glad to hear from an auto electrician (who would no doubt be best at sorting out alternative options) that the 3-way plus beer fridge works well and very well could be the ways to go.

I’m with you on parking in the shade. In the height of Summer, this would obviously be the best option, particularly the further North we may be. I’d be thinking that in this situation, the generator requirement for air-conditioning in the van would basically compensate battery charging for the lack of sunlight gathered throughout the day. Again, this is only applicable to a freecamping, 12 volt only situation. If at a caravan park, the best bet is park in the shadiest spot possible and utilise 240V.

 

[Joves]

Cheers Drover, good advice also. I’m mindful that Murphy’s Law would see us with crappy weather every holiday if we only relied on solar. The 3-way fridge seems to me to be a no-brainer. I’m sure the larger 12V only Waeco would be a ripper under ideal conditions, but would rather something that gets the job done under all conditions. Again, we are new to all of this, so have no idea how much freecamping we will be doing, but I’d much prefer to allow for it as best as possible now, rather than wish I had later.

Once the tug and van arrive, we will be doing just that. There are plenty of semi-local places we can go to test it all out. Even if there weren’t, I’d be happy to spend a night or two in it in our driveway, just to make sure everything works. I’ve read plenty of reports on new Jayco’s and, whilst I expect it to be up to scratch (given we purchased it new), I’m realistic enough to know that there are likely to be some teething and QC issues. Would like to get those sorted before heading off on a proper trip.

We’ll definitely try to keep our packing as minimal and possible. Luckily, the car itself will have some decent capacity also. Unfortunately, due to the options we have added to the van, the tub/basement storage is pretty well gone. Certain items are absolutely going to need to be kept in the van during transit.

 

[Joves]

Sorry Drover, meant to also ask. What is the second use for dunny paper, if not for blowing noses?

 

[Drover]

You will be amazed after 12 mths how much of the must have stuff is left at home sitting in the shed ...................... checking the dip stick in the tug, plugging the window leaks that will appear as you discover the lack of QC at the factory........ and wiping out the cavity of the Thunder Box when someone gets things wrong.....oh always have a 10lt plastic bucket handy...lol,lol,lol....................... wiping the tears after having a good laugh when you recall something mentioned here happening later on and not believing at the time.....lol,lol.............

Things like screen open and it rains, nothing better than a bog roll to soak things up in a hurry.

 

[Joves]

Haha... Unfortunately, I can almost guarantee every one of those things and more will happen to us!

Luckily my wife has a tendency to overcompensate with the bog roll purchasing, even at home. I picture us saying “excuse me” to stacked 24 roll packets of it as we manouvre ourselves around the van.

 

[jazzeddie1234]

A few test runs are a really good idea. We started with a couple of days, then weeks, then months. Yet every time we head home I change something, tweak what I carry etc. You also find pretty ingenious people on the road and in this forum once you get a feel for your style of caravan life.

 

[Joves]

Thanks Jazz, I reckon at best we will be starting off with a few days and then hopefully a couple of weeks, having a business we have to get back to and run. A few test runs are essential, I agree. We have a sense of what we will need on the road, but I’m sure we will be surprised.

Thanks again, appreciate your input.

 

[rags]

Thanks Rags, glad to hear you love your 12 volt fridge and hope to hear that your new solar blanket does the trick with running it!

Thanks Joves, the blanket is a supplementary solar for when parked up to put a bit of charge into the Prado 2nd battery that runs an ARB 47 litre fridge.
The van has 380 watts of solar charging 280 amps of battery. I have a seperate 160watt folding panel to provide additional support if I'm parked up under a tree. Works great so far.

 

[Joves]

Sounds like a great setup you have there, Rags. Glad to hear it is working well for you.

We will likely invest in a 200W solar blanket, for times when we are parked up in the shade in Summer.

 

[Glen Bundesen]

Hi Aaron and welcome to the group.

Given your exhaustive list, (including your generator) I'd be asking the Factory to increase the ball download and also ATM to the absolute maximum. Better to do it now than trying to get it increased once you take delivery and put it over a weigh bridge.

Glen.

 

[Joves]

Thanks Glen for the welcome.

This has already been arranged with the dealer at the time of order.

Appreciate the advice.

Cheers,
Aaron

 

[Drover]

The sweep will open soon on if the Weigh Ticket matches the compliance plate on delivery ........

 

[Joves]

I’m imagining the odds will be short for them being accurate!

This said, I know the add-on’s add up from a weight perspective, but the vast majority of them really hardly weigh any extra at all. Yes, the generator is a heavy item, but not a permanent fixture, so doesn’t have to join us on every trip. It will obviously stay at home on our trips to powered sites. The fridge has been dropped back to the standard 171L 3-way. The third 82L tank was added to allow for longer freecamping, but again, we don’t plan on traveling with full tanks on every trip.

With somewhat mindful packing and sensible driving, the tow vehicle should be up to the task.

 

[DRW]

@Joves I would imagine the Disco will do it comfortably, the gennie is an interesting one, we carried one half way around Australia without ever using it, in January we were in Tamworth and the Honda 2kva wasn't up to the task in 42degree temperatures so I rushed out and bought a Yamaha 2.2 for 2 grand and it did it with ease, it will probably stay home almost all of the time now, you will be surprised how little they get used.

 

[Crusty181]

@Joves I would imagine the Disco will do it comfortably, the gennie is an interesting one, we carried one half way around Australia without ever using it, in January we were in Tamworth and the Honda 2kva wasn't up to the task in 42degree temperatures so I rushed out and bought a Yamaha 2.2 for 2 grand and it did it with ease, it will probably stay home almost all of the time now, you will be surprised how little they get used.

Agreed (scary, hey). Having a 4 or 5 ltr tank and consuming around 1ltr+ per hour, generators are a very practical continuous use item

 

[Drover]

This last trip mine had a fair workout for a change, running the washing machine a couple of times which meant charging everything up as well and also was run as someone forgot to charge his camera batteries, might also have been to annoy some people who didn't mind smoking us out either..... the Honda has no trouble running my new AC but then who would go to Tamworth in the middle of summer and free camp, really ???????? ..........................

 

[Joves]

Thanks DRW, glad to hear you agree the Disco should handle the task ok. It’s the TD6 as well, so I’d be disappointed if it struggled.

As for the generator, this is a 3kva, so I’d imagine it’ll comfortably run everything we want it to on the occasions where we need it (however seldom that may be).