Power at camp is one of the biggest challenges that many people face when trying to figure out the best way to set up their campsite.

Issues like which fridge to choose, or whether you need a double or single swag are easily solved however, when it gets to the technical nature of camping 12v power setups can be a difficult beast to get your head around.

We will help you figure out how much power you need at camp and what the best power solution for your camping setup might be.

As with anything, getting your camping power setup sorted is a balance between cost, performance and suitability for your application, so we will give you some tips on what you should look for when setting up your campsite power!

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No matter what setup you choose, you need to consider the total power requirements of your accessories and how much power you can supply to them.
Whilst connecting all of your 12v accessories to your vehicles starter battery can work for a very short period of time, it is generally not advisable unless you have a method of quickly recharging your battery to prevent your crank battery from sulfiding and not being able to turn your 4WD motor over!

As a stand alone durable deep cycle battery , it is really hard to look past the excellent value for money found with the Adventure Kings AGM 115AH Battery it is an absolute workhorse, being able to provide an incredible 115 amp hours of 12v power for just about any 12v camping accessory, coupled with an Adventure Kings Battery Box you have a completely stand-alone 12v power pack capable of keeping a 12v Fridge running icy cold for a number of days straight!

Once, you have a reliable power supply at your camp, its not just as simple as hoping that your cumulative power demands over the long weekend will be met, it is a wise idea to bring with yourself an easy and hassle free method for keeping your source charged and allowing your campsite to run smoothly virtually cost free and without noise!

CHARGING

When staying static at camp, you will eventually need to charge your batteries to keep your campsite functioning smoothly. There are as many ways to do this as there are to swing a cat, our personal preference is to set up your campsite with a regulated 12v solar panel setup!

Solar panels come in many flavors, shapes and sizes, however not all are created equal, offerings of the table, give us the choice of higher output, included regulators, compact folding and even solid mounted systems.

When calculating what kind of wattage is required you need to consider the voltage of your setup, you need to do a quick calculation where we can insert numbers into a formula.

Wattage = Voltage x Amps

For an example the regulated voltage output of the Adventure Kings 200W Portable Solar Blanket sits at 13.7V so with a quick calculation it is capable of outputting a huge 14.6 Amps of charging capability with every hour of direct sunlight.

Of course, this calculation is in IDEAL circumstances and with direct sunlight, we face some issues when the weather is overcast or even if it is rainy, where solar panels obviously have a percentage of sunlight blocked out, resulting in less amperage being delivered to your AGM battery.

With this considered you should always err on the side of a larger solar panel to keep your setup charging even when the sun isn’t shining as brightly as you might want it to whilst you are camping.

Another method for getting more reliable charge out of your 12v Solar Panel setup is to fit an MPPT (Maximum Power Point Tracking) Regulator to your solar panel – M.P.P.T. uses clever algorithms to consistently offer more efficiency out of your solar panels resulting in up to 30% more output during overcast and low light conditions, giving your solar charging setup that much more of an edge!

Whatever your camping setup might be, running a 12v AGM battery and a powerful solar panel will allow you to get out camping for longer, with less hassle, giving you the ability to keep your Fridge Freezer frosty cold almost indefinitely!


For more information call us on 1800 88 39 64 or visit us online at https://www.4wdsupacentre.com.au/products/solar.html