If you’re interested in adding solar-power to your truck camper rig, you’ll want to check out this video of Mello Mike’s 340 watt solar power system. His system isn’t the largest found in a truck camper, but it is effective and keeps him powered up year round. Mello Mike’s solar power system consists of a Zamp ZS-30A PWM charge controller, two Solar Cynergy 120 watt polycrystalline solar panels, one Renogy 100 watt monocrystalline portable solar panel, and two Lifeline 6 volt AGM batteries providing 220 amp hours of power.
Mello Mike is an Arizona native, author, and the founder of Truck Camper Adventure, one of the leading online resources for truck campers and off-grid travel. An RVIA Level 1 Certified RV Technician, Mike has been RV’ing since 2002, restored several Airstream travel trailers, and brings more than two decades of hands-on experience in RV repairs, upgrades, inspections, and consulting. Before launching Truck Camper Adventure full-time, he served 24 years in the U.S. Navy, retiring as a Chief Warrant Officer 3 (CWO3) with a background in communications. Today, Mike and his wife, Karen, explore the country in their custom adventure rig, “Godzilla,” an Elevation Off Grid Black Edition Ford F-550 outfitted with a Bowen Customs bed and Kingstar KRUZR 8 truck camper.
Few couples are more recognizable in the overland community than Gary and Monika Wescott. In fact, you can even say they’re living legends. For more than 48 years, the couple has explored the world from [read more]
Interested in equipping your truck camper rig with a portable solar panel, but lack physical access to the batteries mounted inside your camper? Then you’ll want to take a look at this modification that provides [read more]
We admit it. We are a huge converts. Since we began using solar power and a pure sine wave inverter, we hardly use our Honda EU2000i generator anymore when we boondock. We camp mostly at [read more]
Hey Mike! You finally alluded to the question I have had with all of the Solar Power YouTube videos and blogs I’ve seen, and I even saw one person ask a similar unanswered question on one of the Solar articles on the site.
You mentioned that you had wiring running from the battery bank to the main DC system of your truck camper. Do you have a How-to for setting that portion up? That is the only thing I cannot find with all of the information I’ve seen so far. I assumed there had to be some way to power lights, water pump, etc. off of Solar if you had it, versus relying exclusively off the 12V battery that comes in the outside box of a Lance rig.
If you’re interested in adding solar-power to your truck camper rig, you’ll want to check out this video of Mello Mike’s 340 watt solar power system. His system isn’t the largest found in a truck camper, but it is effective and keeps him powered up year round. Mello Mike’s solar power system consists of a Zamp ZS-30A PWM charge controller, two Solar Cynergy 120 watt polycrystalline solar panels, one Renogy 100 watt monocrystalline portable solar panel, and two Lifeline 6 volt AGM batteries providing 220 amp hours of power.
Hey Mike! You finally alluded to the question I have had with all of the Solar Power YouTube videos and blogs I’ve seen, and I even saw one person ask a similar unanswered question on one of the Solar articles on the site.
You mentioned that you had wiring running from the battery bank to the main DC system of your truck camper. Do you have a How-to for setting that portion up? That is the only thing I cannot find with all of the information I’ve seen so far. I assumed there had to be some way to power lights, water pump, etc. off of Solar if you had it, versus relying exclusively off the 12V battery that comes in the outside box of a Lance rig.
Thanks for any advice you can provide!
Shaun