RedNeck Camper using Military Surplus Equipment Shelter / Utility trailer power system?'s

[jbinpa]

I have a Military Equipment Shelter and a low rail utility trailer that I want to use as a RedNeck "Hard Sided Tent" at an off grid location in Southern WV
near Ghent, as I'm getting tired of sleeping in the cab of my truck.
I'd convert a cargo Trailer but:
A) Decent Condition Used Cargo trailers are $$$
B) I already own the shelter and utility trailer

I may eventually build a tiny house there or park a traditional camper there as a three season weekender hangout spot once I'm sure i like the location which will take at least a year to decide.

Nearest power pole is 1/2mi away over a ridge so running grid power is OUT.
Natural Gas is produced in the area but NOT available anywhere near that site.
Propane is a haul your own deal the local providers won't come in there, and I'm too old to wrestle 100lb bottles anymore so thats OUT.

I tow with a Ford Powerboost F150 so I do not need a seperate genset, I have 7.2KW of pure sine wave inverter built into the truck
which I run my AC tools with as needed during the day, for the jobs the 18V Ryobi Battery Tools just don't do well enough
And I do usually carry 10 Gal spare gas in , enough for 70KWH of truck generator use at full output, more at part load.

Food Refrigeration at this time is a small 12vdc compressor unit from Bouge RV powered from truck cig outlet in transit and from a
Bluetti EB70S (800W inverter-1400W surge 716WH 200W max PV in at 12-28V LiFePo4 chemistry) when parked and truck gen mode is not possible.
It is nice to be able to pull out an ice cream bar on a hot day in the woods.

Lighting / Fans / Phone Charging / Computer Charging / 18v tool Battery Charging can all be done from the Bluetti for what little I use them there
or as a secondary load while I'm running the truck anyway for another reason.
I can Portable Ground Mount 200 Watts of ridgid 12v panel and directly recharge the Bluetti from that for now.

Cooking I've been using a small microwave or an AC Hot Pot plugged into the truck.

Recharging 40v tool batts I have to use AC chargers and either run the truck or run down the Bluetti.

I may want to cool/dehumidify the Shelter Box with a 5000btu window unit or possiblly a portable AC ?
Possiblly locate one of the fabled midea(sp?) window units with a reversing valve for heat?
Shelter is about 200 cubic feet total volume with about r8 of ureathane in the walls and roof so use maybe 2-2.5kwh per day if its really humid?
I cant really add to the insulation as no extra interior space as it is.
I do not wish to run the truck overnight for the AC and obviously the Bluetti is way to small for that use.
I have needed to cycle the truck on overnight to cool down when cab camping so I may need to cool the box.

Heating what little of it I'd need at this time, using a good sleeping bag would be a buddy heater running on 1lb mini's long enough to take the chill off then shut it down

Top of Shelter I'd use is 81 "L x 73 " W so 6x100w panels or possibly 2x 300ish W panels would fit on top without overhanging.
Sidewall of shelter has a wall area above trailer side frame of 43" h x 81" L so maybe another 300W of panels there on a secondary SCC?

PV Sun Hours at that location are 4-4.5 hrs / day in summer.

so 2-3 KWh generated per day depending on total Panel Wattage?
I'd only turn on the inverter when iI needed AC power since Mpp AIO reportedly still charge the batts while turned off which should reduce the standby losses.

While a Mpp 1012 AIO and at least a 100AH 12v Batt would replace the Bluetti for stationary use at this time,
I'd rather over build the AIO/Battery System for down the road so that I can park the RedNeck camper box next to a real camper or build a mini house and use it as a power shed adding additional Ground Mount panels and Rack Batts if needed.

So I'm considering using a Mpp 3048LV MK AIO and a SOK 100AH 48V Rack Battery instead , plus a Bzone 48V to 12V converter from Amazon for the 12v loads
those plus BOS/cables etc, plus panels, not including racking should come in around $3200 delivered ??

Watts24/7 as source for the Mpp AIO and SOK Batt
Panels/BOS from Amazon if 100w panels used bigger panels I'd have to track down a localish source

Am I off in my thinking? Or is this reasonable for what I wish to achieve?

Here's a picture of my uncles RedNeck Hard Sided Tent using a slightly smaller trailer and shelter than I plan to use. he has 4X100w on roof 2X100W on side wall 2X100W on front IIRC they are Harbor Freight Panels since he could check for damage before he left the parkig lot,
he recharges a EB70S from the front or side panels and a Jackery 1500 from the roof .
his wiring is a bit crudely done but other than him disconnecting mc4's hot to swap which arrays he's charging from, its safe.
and I dont think the panels are going to blow off with 6-8 z mounts on each small panel

 

[KITROBASKIN]

Interesting. Where do you get those military shelters?

Consider a portable induction cook top. Toaster oven you might like. We are off grid and use these.

 

[Nobodybusiness]

I have a Military Equipment Shelter and a low rail utility trailer that I want to use as a RedNeck "Hard Sided Tent" at an off grid location in Southern WV
near Ghent, as I'm getting tired of sleeping in the cab of my truck.
I'd convert a cargo Trailer but:
A) Decent Condition Used Cargo trailers are $$$
B) I already own the shelter and utility trailer

I may eventually build a tiny house there or park a traditional camper there as a three season weekender hangout spot once I'm sure i like the location which will take at least a year to decide.

Nearest power pole is 1/2mi away over a ridge so running grid power is OUT.
Natural Gas is produced in the area but NOT available anywhere near that site.
Propane is a haul your own deal the local providers won't come in there, and I'm too old to wrestle 100lb bottles anymore so thats OUT.

I tow with a Ford Powerboost F150 so I do not need a seperate genset, I have 7.2KW of pure sine wave inverter built into the truck
which I run my AC tools with as needed during the day, for the jobs the 18V Ryobi Battery Tools just don't do well enough
And I do usually carry 10 Gal spare gas in , enough for 70KWH of truck generator use at full output, more at part load.

Food Refrigeration at this time is a small 12vdc compressor unit from Bouge RV powered from truck cig outlet in transit and from a
Bluetti EB70S (800W inverter-1400W surge 716WH 200W max PV in at 12-28V LiFePo4 chemistry) when parked and truck gen mode is not possible.
It is nice to be able to pull out an ice cream bar on a hot day in the woods.

Lighting / Fans / Phone Charging / Computer Charging / 18v tool Battery Charging can all be done from the Bluetti for what little I use them there
or as a secondary load while I'm running the truck anyway for another reason.
I can Portable Ground Mount 200 Watts of ridgid 12v panel and directly recharge the Bluetti from that for now.

Cooking I've been using a small microwave or an AC Hot Pot plugged into the truck.

Recharging 40v tool batts I have to use AC chargers and either run the truck or run down the Bluetti.

I may want to cool/dehumidify the Shelter Box with a 5000btu window unit or possiblly a portable AC ?
Possiblly locate one of the fabled midea(sp?) window units with a reversing valve for heat?
Shelter is about 200 cubic feet total volume with about r8 of ureathane in the walls and roof so use maybe 2-2.5kwh per day if its really humid?
I cant really add to the insulation as no extra interior space as it is.
I do not wish to run the truck overnight for the AC and obviously the Bluetti is way to small for that use.
I have needed to cycle the truck on overnight to cool down when cab camping so I may need to cool the box.

Heating what little of it I'd need at this time, using a good sleeping bag would be a buddy heater running on 1lb mini's long enough to take the chill off then shut it down

Top of Shelter I'd use is 81 "L x 73 " W so 6x100w panels or possibly 2x 300ish W panels would fit on top without overhanging.
Sidewall of shelter has a wall area above trailer side frame of 43" h x 81" L so maybe another 300W of panels there on a secondary SCC?

PV Sun Hours at that location are 4-4.5 hrs / day in summer.

so 2-3 KWh generated per day depending on total Panel Wattage?
I'd only turn on the inverter when iI needed AC power since Mpp AIO reportedly still charge the batts while turned off which should reduce the standby losses.

While a Mpp 1012 AIO and at least a 100AH 12v Batt would replace the Bluetti for stationary use at this time,
I'd rather over build the AIO/Battery System for down the road so that I can park the RedNeck camper box next to a real camper or build a mini house and use it as a power shed adding additional Ground Mount panels and Rack Batts if needed.

So I'm considering using a Mpp 3048LV MK AIO and a SOK 100AH 48V Rack Battery instead , plus a Bzone 48V to 12V converter from Amazon for the 12v loads
those plus BOS/cables etc, plus panels, not including racking should come in around $3200 delivered ??

Watts24/7 as source for the Mpp AIO and SOK Batt
Panels/BOS from Amazon if 100w panels used bigger panels I'd have to track down a localish source

Am I off in my thinking? Or is this reasonable for what I wish to achieve?

Here's a picture of my uncles RedNeck Hard Sided Tent using a slightly smaller trailer and shelter than I plan to use. he has 4X100w on roof 2X100W on side wall 2X100W on front IIRC they are Harbor Freight Panels since he could check for damage before he left the parkig lot,
he recharges a EB70S from the front or side panels and a Jackery 1500 from the roof .
his wiring is a bit crudely done but other than him disconnecting mc4's hot to swap which arrays he's charging from, its safe.
and I dont think the panels are going to blow off with 6-8 z mounts on each small panel

Do you have land or will this be mobile?

It’s very doable with the right equipment.

 

[jbinpa]

Interesting. Where do you get those military shelters?

Consider a portable induction cook top. Toaster oven you might like. We are off grid and use these.

I was considering an induction hot plate should be less power draw and wider utility than the AC kettle, right now i'm using the items I have in hand .

The shelters occasionally are available at the bigger surplus dealers like Colemans Surplus near Harrisburg Pa,
The ones my family use/used we bought years ago from a dealer who I believe has retired near Moosic Pa
we mostly used them as portable tool/fuel sheds, they do make good deer stands if you put them on a support structure.
And its actually fairly easy to directly bid on them as Gov't Surplus, if you live close enough to a disposal yard Like Camp Hill Pa.
The smallest ones are only about 300LBs once you strip out the interior bins and equipment.

 

[jbinpa]

Do you have land or will this be mobile?

It’s very doable with the right equipment.

Currently Looking into buying into the off grid WV property, but being mobile doesnt hurt and at least at first I'd take it back and forth between home and camp.
I do own a 24 ft Springdale camper but that I either CG it, which isn't really my thing,
Or run if off the truck in easy access boondocking, But thats a pig to tow for just me.

 

[HarryN]

Sounds like a fun project.

Running the fridge is fairly easy and you have that taken care of.

Just as a reference point, air conditioning takes about 1 kW to run, so 12 hrs of air conditioning needs ~ 12 kW-hrs.

For this area ( San Jose, CA ) a very quick and dirty estimate for power from solar in the summer is:

( solar panel rating ) x ( 50% ) x ( 6 hrs / day ) = ~ kW-hrs / day

So as an example ( 5 kW of panels ) x ( 50% ) x ( 6 hrs / day ) ~ 12 kW-hrs

This is an order of magnitude kind of number. Others can help you with more precision but it lets you know if your setup has any change of working or not.

Wind can also be a useful resource, depending on the location.

 

[jbinpa]

Sounds like a fun project.

Running the fridge is fairly easy and you have that taken care of.

Just as a reference point, air conditioning takes about 1 kW to run, so 12 hrs of air conditioning needs ~ 12 kW-hrs.

For this area ( San Jose, CA ) a very quick and dirty estimate for power from solar in the summer is:

( solar panel rating ) x ( 50% ) x ( 6 hrs / day ) = ~ kW-hrs / day

So as an example ( 5 kW of panels ) x ( 50% ) x ( 6 hrs / day ) ~ 12 kW-hrs

This is an order of magnitude kind of number. Others can help you with more precision but it lets you know if your setup has any change of working or not.

Wind can also be a useful resource, depending on the location.

For the volume of a shelter unit its only about 200-250 CU Ft of volume not SQFT of floor so a 5000 BTU window unit on low is pleanty
proposed location is at 2700 ft elevation, humidity is usually more of an issue than actual heat
for that location 900w of panels flat or vertical not optimum angles x .8 x 4.5hrs = ~3kw / day with good sun but prob more like 2KW most days

 

[KITROBASKIN]

Glad you have something to cook in that way.

Our 1200W inverter handles cooking temperatures described as medium high; plenty hot enough to get things to a boil. Much less power needed to cook/simmer. Curiously our induction cooktop has a roughly 50W idle consumption.

Hoping you will report your progress over time.

 

[Vigo]

I dont own the midea that does heat pump heat but i do know it cuts off at ~45f ambient so might be of limited use depending when you actually start using heat.

It will go below 200w while on low fan and cooling a small area that is already near the set temp. It will go way over 1kw at max power but overnight cooling it will eventually be down to 200w or less for most of the night.

When you say you dont want to run the truck overnight to power ac, let me check my understanding.. isnt it like a typical hybrid that you put in a ‘ready’ mode and it turns the engine on and off as necessary to keep its battery pack in the normal SOC? Because if that is true and the trucks battery is not tiny, it will probably just start the engine periodically for 5-10 minutes stints throughout the night and not actually be running the whole time or use a whole ton of gas. Of course, burning gasoline in general is an expensive way to make electricity so i understand if the above is just not your desired way of deaing with the ac power need.

A 5kwh battery and making sure the structure is kept as cool as possible on ‘free’ solar so that the ac is not having to start with a 120f heat soaked metal box.. 5kwh should work overnight for cooling.

 

[Hedges]

For the volume of a shelter unit its only about 200-250 CU Ft of volume not SQFT of floor so a 5000 BTU window unit on low is pleanty

But a disproportionate surface area compared to volume.
Heat gain from the sun could be considerable. Reflective paint, and insulation, would help.
Insulation inside some thermal mass means the mass gets heated by sun and keeps supplying heat after the sun goes down.
How about exterior foam insulating panels, with reflective surface?

PV panels block some sun, but I really feel the heat standing in their shade. maybe that is IR, so reflective would help.

 

[wme]

Regardless of how you equip it, paint the outside the brightest white you can find.
RV folks use a white elastomeric coating to keep things cooler and dry inside. https://www.menards.com/main/building-materials/roofing/roof-coating/sealbest-reg-white-elastomeric-roof-patch-0-9-gal/1531810/p-1444444996232-c-5822.htm?tid=aad75880-55e1-421e-b134-4a939b50d871&ipos=13&exp=false
Several brands. DONT use fibered aluminum.