Pacific Northwest yetti
Expedition Medic
Thanks for posting,
I love all the shop dogs. The world needs more dog friendly offices.
I love all the shop dogs. The world needs more dog friendly offices.
Build: 2024 Ford F350 long-bed + Rossmonster Baja
- Thread starter DTAdventure
- Start date
DTAdventure
Active member
Wall panels have been installed and the pass-through has been cut into the rear of the truck cab. Cabinetry is going in as well. Good progress - I love it.
SDDiver5
Expedition Leader
Admittedly out of my league when it comes to this questions so bare with me. You mentioned you have significant power needs. Assuming you mean electrical power, how does the Baja handle those needs vs the OEV? What exactly do you do that requires you to need "significant" power?
I'm a little lost because there are people living out of their 80's vans working remote with a few solar panels.
I hope I don't come off as questioning your build or being condescending, I am genuinely curious for the reasoning.
I'm a little lost because there are people living out of their 80's vans working remote with a few solar panels.
I hope I don't come off as questioning your build or being condescending, I am genuinely curious for the reasoning.
Pacific Northwest yetti
Expedition Medic
The OEV dealer he spoke to, may have made a difference.
Not all dealers are comfortable adding/ designing larger power systems. Or changing much from the stock design. My brother is an OEV dealer, and I know he has had other dealers recommend him if a person wanted a larger power system.
The victron system that is spec in this build is a really good set up. Victron makes some of the best on the market. And I think, way better then red arc. As each component functions independently so you have a lot of redundancy.
Not all dealers are comfortable adding/ designing larger power systems. Or changing much from the stock design. My brother is an OEV dealer, and I know he has had other dealers recommend him if a person wanted a larger power system.
The victron system that is spec in this build is a really good set up. Victron makes some of the best on the market. And I think, way better then red arc. As each component functions independently so you have a lot of redundancy.
SDDiver5
Expedition Leader
So what you're saying is with the OEV, additional power has to be added after the fact where the baja is built in per the customers request?
DTAdventure
Active member
That's a very good question. I like it.
This is less a question of which rig or camper handles it better. I can configure either camper the same way, but Rossmonster allows me to build it as needed from scratch, while OEV does not offer much customization at all. I would have to rip certain things out and replace them with other hardware, wiring, etc. - that means extra cost for hardware and labor and wasted money because the stuff that comes from OEV cannot be resold for the same amount that I would have to pay for. So, that is that.
My work scenario
In regards to my electrical power requirements. I have a full-time job that I can take on the road. I am good as long as I have reliable Internet during normal/extended office hours.
My plan
Travel to a nice destination and camp off-grid (BLM land, National Forests, etc.). Be stationary for up to a week with little or no driving. Rely on solar power and batteries to meet my power needs. Ideally, there would be no need for a generator. Be able to work my full-time job and at night work on my own small side business or watch a movie, browse the web, edit videos, etc. I have two laptops and an external monitor that I use all day long accordingly.
My situation
After having speed and reliability problems with the normal v2 Starlink dish, I chose the Starlink High-Performance dish. The HP dish is extremely power-hungry. It could easily use 25-30% of my 400-ah battery bank in a single day. Combine that with the external monitor, two laptops, lights, fridge, phone, and device charging, and it took me down to 60%battery left every day.
In my previous rig I had 400ah of lithium batteries, 330w of solar and undersized DC/DC and undersized MPPT solar controller. That is how the system was sold. I had not enough knowledge at that and did not realize that I wasn't able to recharge my batteries fast enough. It would take days of not using the electrical system at all to recharge the batteries to 100%. Supertramp had sized the components, including the wiring for weekend usage and a 100-ah battery system. So, not even close to fit the 400-ah battery bank they sold me.
I spent a lot of money fixing/addressing the issues and made it work where I had zero worries left. This is how the system should have come from Supertramp. They used my feedback to improve their electrical setup for new deliveries, but of course that did not help me.
So, when I decided to sell the Supertramp and start over, I had very specific requirements based on real-world experience specific to my use case. In addition, when I addressed the issues in the Supertramp, all the data points were collected in winter: short days and low sun.
With the data (and knowledge) at hand I designed the new system requirements and then oversized it to never have to worry about this again.
Regarding people making this work in old vans - it's very difficult to compare unless you know exactly what their use case is.
I do not drive every day. I set up camp and enjoy the quiet and peaceful nature surrounding me. If I did drive every day, it would mean less power consumption and more frequent DC/DC charging, but that is not my use-case. My Internet needs are high due to the job. My power needs are high due to my IT setup (multiple laptops, external monitor, etc.). I am not messing around with that, as I do not want to risk my job.
And that really is the point. My system is most defintiely over-engineered. Can it be done with less? Probably, but I prefer not to stress about it. I prefer the peace of mind and I am willing to pay for that.
DTAdventure
Active member
Yes, correct. I just added more context in my other response, but that is pretty much what you described. It can be done in the OEV, but some default factory options need to be removed and replaced with better ones. That is more cost for hardware and labor. With Rossmonster it is designed from scratch.
sumnrfam
Active member
👍👆 This…
Sort of,, OEV (I believe) starts with a single 200w (+-) panel, and single 100Ah battery (lithium?), and the customer can option additional up to X-00 watts (probably depending on other options and available roof area) at the time of order. OEV dealers can also order and add additional panels after the fact , like @Pacific Northwest yetti mentioned,, @zerodeclination KP has done tons of upgrades on FWC and OEV campers,
But you local dealer may be different,,
The Rossmonster Baja series ‘STARTS’ off with 600 watts of solar, and 800Ah of Lithium batteries , and uses all Victron components,,
OEV recently moved from Redarc to Vitcron to the ‘standard’ option, which allows more flexibility for the user, and easier to replace an individual component if a failure occurs (mppt charger, dc-dc, etc.)
Dont get me wrong,, the Baja is beautiful,, and also WAYY out of our budget,, we Love our CampX, I removed the original 170w rigid panel (close to 40# with the mounting hardware) added 400 watts of thin / flexible solar (16# total), and pulled in over 2kw in a day after hooking everything up 👍,,
The only other upgrade I would think about,, is swapping out the Manager30 for separate Victron components, allowing greater Dc-Dc current, more solar capability etc.
ymmv,, 😉
DTAdventure
Active member
You describe it perfectly. My shop was willing to do it. We even talked to Arnold from OEV upfront to see if they would allow for more customization from the factory, but OEV was not willing or able to do so.
SDDiver5
Expedition Leader
Appreciate the detailed response!
DTAdventure
Active member
Anytime. Happy to go into more details ;-)
DTAdventure
Active member
Lots of progress on the build. Here we have the countertops being installed. The countertops are Corian and of course not as thick as you would do it in a residential build. There is not cutout for a stove. I am going with induction and decided to use a portable one so that I can also cook outside. This gives me a large food prepping area. You can also see the 2 hinges on the left - that is where a countertop extension will be mounted.
Next - the off-road bumper has been installed. This is aBuckstop Outback aluminum bumper and it also carries a Warn 16.5 Tsi winch and two PIAA LED foglights.
Next - the off-road bumper has been installed. This is aBuckstop Outback aluminum bumper and it also carries a Warn 16.5 Tsi winch and two PIAA LED foglights.
DTAdventure
Active member
I combined the updates that have happened so far into a video with additional commentary and information. Please feel free to check it out.
DTAdventure
Active member
A lot has happened and here is another update. I highly recommend you follow me on Instagram and YouTube to not miss any developments. I am a bit behind with keeping this build thread up to date.
The roof has been installed to the camper. In case you do not know, the Rossmonster Baja roof sits on electrical actuators and goes up and down depending if you are driving or at camp.
The electrical system components are being installed. This rig will use Victron components.
On the next picture you see the location where an external 120V outlet and three SAE solar ports are located. I can deploy my portable solar panels and they have their own dedicated MPPT solar controller as well.
And on the last picture you can see into the camper from outside of the door and you can see the wet bath assembly is progressing as well.
More to come soon
The roof has been installed to the camper. In case you do not know, the Rossmonster Baja roof sits on electrical actuators and goes up and down depending if you are driving or at camp.
The electrical system components are being installed. This rig will use Victron components.
On the next picture you see the location where an external 120V outlet and three SAE solar ports are located. I can deploy my portable solar panels and they have their own dedicated MPPT solar controller as well.
And on the last picture you can see into the camper from outside of the door and you can see the wet bath assembly is progressing as well.
More to come soon