I’m back showing another piece of my boat’s off-grid power setup. After covering the solar panels and one lithium house bank, this time I’m looking at the second bank made up of two Xantrex 240-amp-hour lithium batteries plus the main 2000-watt Xantrex marine inverter charger that handles shore power or generator charging at up to … Read more
In this video, I give you a look at the new BougeRV Sunflow 60 amp MPPT solar controller installed into my fifth-wheel trailer off-grid power system. The 60 amp controller will be a perfect match for my 940 watts of rooftop solar and eliminate the need for and complexity of running two 40 amp controllers … Read more
We’re enjoying ourselves on the boat again, cruising the BC coast, and I thought it was a good time to update you on this season’s solar panel setup. We made a nice upgrade this year with a pair of 195-watt Renogy ShadowFlux panels mounted on the rail. They have performed very well, especially in terms … Read more
In this first video, I go over the main features and demonstrate a new, lightweight, portable, on-demand propane camping shower from BougeRV. I think this little unit is going to be quite handy aboard our boat this summer. After using it for a while, I’ll be back with a full review video. Built-in constant temperature … Read more
After riding out some windy days in Lady Boot Cove, Anne and I decided it was time for a resupply run. We had been out about two weeks since leaving Campbell River, so we took advantage of a nice weather window on a calm, misty morning and headed across to Port McNeill. The crossing through … Read more
I’m back with another review for Bluetti, this time on their new Elite 300 series portable power station. I’ve previously checked out their smaller AC70 and Elite 100 models, which are great for easy carrying, but this one packs a serious punch. It’s the smallest unit on the market with 3,014 watt-hours of LiFePO4 battery … Read more
In this video, I’m checking out a new power station from DJI, the company famous for drones. They have the Power 500 and Power 1000, but this is their new Power 2000. They asked me to review it. I’ll split it into a few videos. This first one covers the main features and tests the … Read more
I’m back with a first look at Bluetti’s new Charger 2 DC-to-DC charger. If you remember, I reviewed their Charger 1 last winter, did a couple of videos on it, and we ran it all summer on the boat with great success. I was able to draw up to 500 watts from the engine alternator … Read more
In this video, I demonstrate my new hydraulic wire crimper. I needed to buy a new crimper because my old one couldn’t crimp the 4/0 lugs needed for a new off-grid power system project I’m working on. I chose one from a company called AMZCNC. It came with a large selection of dies, ranging from … Read more
Over the years, I’ve had requests to do a video series showing the installation of a typical boondocking system from start to finish. Something a little more basic than the complex systems I usually show. In this first video of a multi-part series, I begin a fresh installation of a Renogy-based off-grid power system for … Read more
In this video, I take a look at and demo a 450W folding portable solar panel from ZOUPW. The panel is very similar in design to the Renogy 400W I’ve been using for the last couple of years. In my mid-January test, it delivered up to 360 watts to my Bluetti Elite 100 power station, … Read more
In this video, I tested BougeRV’s new DC-to-DC alternator charger (model DC600) for charging portable power stations from your vehicle’s battery. They call it a charger, but in reality, it’s a voltage converter that steps up 12 or 24 volts from your vehicle’s alternator/battery system to 15-60 volts for the power station’s DC input. The … Read more
I’m back with another diesel heater to test. This one’s an interesting new offering from Sunster. I’ve been running a BougeRV brand heater under the rig to heat the area and keep the plumbing from freezing. But I jumped on this for its unique features you don’t see much: automatic start/stop to hold steady temps … Read more
So, following up on the BougeRV diesel heater from last video, I’m also testing their new 12V electric heating blanket, 48W DC, with zoned heating (full body, upper, core, foot, etc.), five heat levels, 1-3 hour timer (up to 10 via app), and cape/wrap mode for cozy fireside sits, especially for Anne on chilly days. … Read more
In this first of several planned review videos, I unbox and test out a new portable diesel heater from BougeRV. I show the items provided, hook everything up, and fire it up. The heater runs on diesel fuel, producing a maximum of 5 kW of heating power. 12VDC is used to power the igniter, fuel … Read more