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The rig · off-grid power

Two rigs. One sun.

Snoopy and The Beast go where the plugs don’t. Both run Go Power! PowerTrak systems. Here’s what’s on the roof, what’s behind the walls, and what it keeps running out there.

Watch the install See the numbers
Snoopy the van and The Beast the trailer parked together
Snoopy & The Beast
Straight talk

I’m a Go Power! | Dometic brand ambassador. They supplied the PowerTrak systems for both builds. What I tell you about how it performs is mine, the good days and the bad ones.

The builds

What’s running where.

[RIG NAME] with the PowerTrak 1200 solar array
// PowerTrak 1200

THE BEAST

My Grand Designs Imagine, a 2018 26ft bumper pull trailer. Self upgraded and revised for fully off grid living.

Solar
1,200W, six panels
Charge control
Three 30amp MPPT controllers, linked by PowerTrak
Inverter/charger
AIC 3,000W pure sine, 150A charger, 50A transfer switch
Battery
900Ah LIFEPO4 / GoPower
Monitoring
PowerTrak Screen / BT APP
Watch the 3-part install
[Snoopy] on a Baja backroad
// PowerTrak [400]

Snoopy

My wonderful self converted 2018 Nissan NV High Roof V8 Adventure Van

Solar
400W, 2 panels
Charge control
30amp MPPT
Inverter/charger
AIC 3,000W pure sine, 150A charger, 50A transfer switch
Battery
300Ah LIFEPO4 / GoPower
Monitoring
PowerTrak Screen / BT APP
The system

Sun to fridge in five moves.

The PowerTrak 1200, start to finish. Each piece links to the part.

  1. Catch Solar array 1,200W across six panels
  2. Control MPPT controllers Three 30A units, stacked
  3. Store Battery bank 3 x 300Ah Advanced Lithium
  4. Convert Inverter/charger 3,000W pure sine AC
  5. Run The loads Coffee, Fridge, Starlink, Laptop + 2 Screens, Occasional AC use as needed for sleeping and a fan/air purifier that runs at least 12-18hrs a day

Plugged in?The inverter/charger switches to shore power when plugged into generator or campground power and tops up the bank at up to 150 amps per hour. I usually see it running in at 80-120amps depending where I am getting input from and what else the rig is running while it charges. Solar input also adjusts this number.

Keeping scoreThe PowerTrak Screen shows solar in, battery state, and what’s pulling, all in one place.

The math

What a day actually costs.

Draw versus harvest, read off the PowerTrak Screen. Real numbers, not brochure numbers.

Typical daily power use on [RIG NAME]
What’s runningWattsHoursWh / day
Fridge[—][—][—]
Starlink[—][—][—]
Laptop + monitor[—][—][—]
Camera + drone batteries[—][—][—]
Lights, fans, pump[—][—][—]
A normal day[—] Wh
  • [X] WhIn, Baja full sun
  • [X] WhIn, New Hampshire overcast
  • [X] daysOn battery alone
PowerTrak Screen showing solar input and battery state
PowerTrak Screen, [WHERE], [WHEN]
Field report

Where it earns its keep. Where it doesn’t.

// held up

What worked

  • [The day it saved the trip]
  • [How it handled Baja heat]
  • [The thing you stopped worrying about]
// next time

What I’d change

  • [What you’d wire differently]
  • [What you’d size up, or down]
  • [Where the system hits its limit: shade, cold, short winter days]
Trail Crew

Want the wiring diagram?

Trail Crew gets the full schematic, the parts list with wire gauges and fuse sizes, and the mistakes I made so you can skip them.

Join the Trail Crew

Real. Raw. And sometimes gloriously gritty.

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