Birth of My Kimberley Karavan

spressomon

spressomon

Expedition Leader
Hi Brad,

Are you using 100% solar to keep your lithium batteries charged? Or does your alternator provide enough voltage to do same?

Thanks,

Dan
 
Tucson T4R

Tucson T4R

Expedition Leader
SurferJacoby said:
That is really incredible. I had never looked at Kimberley until I saw your unit and must say I was very impressed. Please post more pics of your venture. I will continue going through your thread but I wanted to ask; the forward mounted jerry cans you have, did you create a mount for those or did Kimberley provide mounts? I like that idea; any issues with it, etc? Thank you!
Click to expand...

I'll post up some pics once I get some processed. I am dealing with a sick dog now that is taking my focus. :-(

The Jerry can holders were standard from KK. They work great with no problems.
 
Tucson T4R

Tucson T4R

Expedition Leader
spressomon said:
Hi Brad,

Are you using 100% solar to keep your lithium batteries charged? Or does your alternator provide enough voltage to do same?

Thanks,

Dan
Click to expand...

Hi Dan,
My tow rig does not supply any charge to my batteries. The KK is wired with a dedicated heavy gauge charge wire with an Anderson plug but I never added a dedicated charge line to my 4Runner so I don't use it. My charge is 100% solar unless attached to shore power. In good sun conditions the solar does a grerat job and gets me back up to 90+ percent every day.
 
T

Tazman

Adventurer
Brad, I await July delivery of my S3. I did wire my tow vehicle with the Anderson plug. It was a learning experience, as all upgrades tend to be. I'm curious as to your decision not to wire for it. I hope you are enjoying your KK and the "issues" have been few.
 
Tucson T4R

Tucson T4R

Expedition Leader
Tazman said:
Brad, I await July delivery of my S3. I did wire my tow vehicle with the Anderson plug. It was a learning experience, as all upgrades tend to be. I'm curious as to your decision not to wire for it. I hope you are enjoying your KK and the "issues" have been few.
Click to expand...

Yep, I am loving my Karavan and have not had any major issues other than blowing off my wheels last year which was my own fault. LOL

I guess the main reason I never added the charge cable from my 4Runner to the built in Anderson plug on the Karavan is I was lazy. It would add additional charge current for your batteries while towing. My 160W solar and Lithium batteries have supported me well without it.

If you want the max charge to your batteries, then taking advantage of the separate Anderson plug on the Karavan would be a good idea.
 
Tucson T4R

Tucson T4R

Expedition Leader
nwoods said:
Not sure what happened to your last post, but that first shot is amazing. Total magazine / brochure shot:
https://bgarland.smugmug.com/Camping-Trips/Utah-May-2016/i-B5rcfFC/A
Click to expand...

Thanks for posting the link. :)

And thanks for everyone's positive comments. Yep, loving retirement and plan to focus on taking my photo skills to the next level.

Not sure why but something must have changed in the photo posting process. I tried embedding the image link like I had done in the past and could not see the images. Then I tried uploading the JPG files directly and error messages. So I decided to go give my dog a hug instead of figuring it out. :)
 
T

Tazman

Adventurer
Brad, my wife and I just followed some of your Arizona tracks. We were planning on having our KK but did the trip without. We cancelled our permit to Point Sublime but made the trip without camping. We explored a bunch of the North Rim including all the points west / northwest of the Park. It is the most unbelievable place I have ever been to. We are going back next spring and continuing into Utah. Thanks for the pointers.

By the way, I took 700 pictures. Out of the 700 I might have one that kinda compares to yours. I have a lot to learn but I'm not retired yet. Maybe our paths will cross in the future.
 
Tucson T4R

Tucson T4R

Expedition Leader
Tazman said:
Brad, my wife and I just followed some of your Arizona tracks. We were planning on having our KK but did the trip without. We cancelled our permit to Point Sublime but made the trip without camping. We explored a bunch of the North Rim including all the points west / northwest of the Park. It is the most unbelievable place I have ever been to. We are going back next spring and continuing into Utah. Thanks for the pointers.

By the way, I took 700 pictures. Out of the 700 I might have one that kinda compares to yours. I have a lot to learn but I'm not retired yet. Maybe our paths will cross in the future.
Click to expand...

Awesome. Yes, the back country along the North Rim is amazing and one of my favorite places to explore. I am glad you two enjoyed it. Photography is a journey of never ending education. Keep shooting and you will keep improving. :)
 
Tucson T4R

Tucson T4R

Expedition Leader
Another version of our campsite

Here's another version of our campsite in Valley of the Gods, Utah.

untitled-62.jpguntitled-62.jpg
 
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T

Tazman

Adventurer
We are planning a trip for next May. Thinking North Rim, Zion, Bryce, Capital Reef, and Moab for a month. My team did great at work keeping things running while I was gone for two weeks. We may revisit the Overland Expo because we really learned a lot, met some great people, and enjoyed hanging around people with like mindset. Maybe a Kimberley get together. We will have enough KK owners in the US to have a nice party.
 
Every Miles A Memory

Every Miles A Memory

Expedition Leader
Yeah, another forum I'm on has a LIKE button below each post. Makes it really easy to just click the like button while browsing threads you subscribe to

Killer Shot Brad
 
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