Ninelitetrip
Well-known member
chadx, fantastic write up, with details and pictures, nice. Great to see that OEV is being responsive to suggestions and changes. Really interested to see what you decide on solar going forward.
2020 Overland Explorer Vehicles (OEV) CAMP-X pop-up slide-in pickup camper (renamed "Back Country" as of 2023)
- Thread starter Chadx
- Start date
Ninelitetrip
Well-known member
As these migrate out of the PNW to warmer climes there certainly will be calls for some solution. jmnielsen, any thoughts on which ac unit and how to power it? Staying with the Truma family the do make an AC unit called the Aventa Comfort, however I see it is only available as a 220V system for the European market? Perhaps Truma and others like Victron will see the utility in offering their full catalog for the NA market.
Ninelitetrip
Well-known member
Looking forward to how the camper works for you long term. I think your visitor really liked that new look interior.
jmnielsen
Tinkerer
I honestly would be fine with a 110v unit that was only for use when on shore power. I have, however, seen some 12v mini-splits that are around 8k BTU (http://stores.12voltairconditioning.com/12-volt-ves-series-air-conditioners/) that I think would be good options for something like this, and would give people the opportunity to run them off battery power, if needed.
I'm personally not a fan of roof top units due to the added height, but that Truma does look very low profile, which I would be okay with.
craig333
Expedition Leader
Wow, four thousand dollars for a unit I could run for about three hours. Nearly 50amps on high. I'm betting it works though and if I were camped in the desert it might even work out. If you can afford that you could afford a half dozen lithium batts to run it I suppose 
I haven't a need at this point so I haven't thought about it or investigated. It seems like any weight bearing they like to attach to the extrustions rather than the walls, but not sure if that is a weight limit on the walls or a convenience thing. While one could mount to the walls via bonding or through-bolting, it would be a good idea to check in with OEV for guidance.
As for bonding, I believe it is an automotive-grade epoxy.
Thanks for sharing, Scott. Glad you made it back home safe with some good adventures under your belt. Was fun to visit with you during the install (and thanks for the call-out in the video). Looking forward to your series. And, I can't wait to see that truck/camper wrap you designed.
I agree that a 12v minisplit would be an ideal solution, though you pay for it. It wouldn't take much to keep the small space, of a slide-in camper, cool and the bonus is the insulation factor in these. Cut the direct sun with an awning or tarp and it shouldn't take much. And having the ability to run off battery power rather than only shore power, if one was in the position to buy enough battery capacity and solar, would be very neat setup.
I would be very suspect of a 12V aircon.
Designed for marine use at 48V more likely to be durable, have decent longevity.
There are some, super efficient, but still that's a lot of juice even at only 8000 btu.
Completely impractical to run off stored energy for more than a couple hours, better to just have a couple quiet Hondas purring away, use a big LFP bank and 5kW of panels just to cut down on runtime & fuel usage.
Best of all, go where it's cooler, why we're mobile follow the 60's and park in the shade
Designed for marine use at 48V more likely to be durable, have decent longevity.
There are some, super efficient, but still that's a lot of juice even at only 8000 btu.
Completely impractical to run off stored energy for more than a couple hours, better to just have a couple quiet Hondas purring away, use a big LFP bank and 5kW of panels just to cut down on runtime & fuel usage.
Best of all, go where it's cooler, why we're mobile follow the 60's and park in the shade
Did some quick math to see how practical/impractical this would be. The specs said 45 amps for the 12v minisplits. So 600w - 800watts of 12v solar panels (which are typically about 18v), a MPPT controller that would convert and handle that much, and you'd break even (while the sun is up). I agree. That is a LOT of solar for the small surface area of a slide-in. Using 24v panels would help the footprint, but still, if one needs to run the AC after the sun goes down, you are looking at an impractically sized battery bank. So realistically, in rigs our size, one would need a generator or shorepower whether you are using a 12v or 120v AC unit.
800W (theoretical rating only) of panels **might** give you 250-300Ah in a day of perfect conditions, just cleaned no partial shading.
Depending on latitude, temperature etc
Quite a bit more if kept angled 90° to the sun all day.
And the top power level is 4-6hrs at most in any case.
Going to a high voltage only saves SC money, bit on wiring.
Depending on latitude, temperature etc
Quite a bit more if kept angled 90° to the sun all day.
And the top power level is 4-6hrs at most in any case.
Going to a high voltage only saves SC money, bit on wiring.
The details of solar are probably better left to another thread, but my calculations were based on a 45amp requirement at 13v = 585 watts. 100watt panel will typically produce 5.5 amps at 18v in good conditions (hence 100 watts). With MPPT controller, in ideal conditions, around 600watts of panels would produce the needed 45amps at 13v. I noted 600 to 800 watts of panels to give a 200 watt (25% leeway) for various inefficiencies. It's still a lot no matter what.
I was just pointing out that rather than using instantaneous amps
which will vary greatly throughout the day. and even minute to minute
better to use Ah, since whatever bank capacity will provide a buffer to average things out as the compressor's duty cycle is also varying many times per hour (hopefully).
And that most people grossly overestimate the daily Ah production from their array even in rare "perfect" conditions.
which will vary greatly throughout the day. and even minute to minute
better to use Ah, since whatever bank capacity will provide a buffer to average things out as the compressor's duty cycle is also varying many times per hour (hopefully).
And that most people grossly overestimate the daily Ah production from their array even in rare "perfect" conditions.
4xpedition
Member
Part 2 of my Overland trip to Bozeman to install the Camp-X is now live! I had a remarkable opportunity to spend an entire day (almost) completely ALONE in YELLOWSTONE National Park. Nobody was there as the doors reopened to the public after pandemic closures. This episode has several stunning sequences. I think this one will get your adventure self eager to venture out! Check it out. Stats: over 1000 video clips were used, took about 30 hours of editing.