Im a full time vandweller. Im on 400w with fla and a generator now. After the holidays im going lifepo4 and no generator. Will have alternator for backup.
Cant wait because my 35 year old van struggles so bad with with full tanks going over them 12k ft, 6%+ grades. This will lighten me over 200lbs and be like losing a full tank of fuel and half tank of water.
I don't throw things out because they get 'Tired', so I know exactly what you are talking about.
When it comes to campers/vans & RVs, I ALWAYS take a ton of crap, so I mostly keep my mouth shut.
Storage (batteries) will always be a struggle, particularly in small vehicles that weren't specifically built for that extra weight...
Transmission/rear gearing is always a struggle, you can have torque to get up the hills,
Or you can have speed on the flats.
When you add a bunch of gearing for both, the weight & complexity becomes the issue...
While I see a lot of people making what I believe to be mistakes using a vehicle alternator for charging secondary/solar batteries (just too much crap on the line dropping the voltage),
When you suggest something like a second alternator dedicated to the secondary batteries, with an adjustable voltage regulator to compensate for charge controller/etc losses/restrictions in the line, people freak...
While dual generators on passenger cars goes back to 1928 from the factory,
And back to 1932 in trucks,
The mere suggestion freaks people out since they (personally) don't have experience with it.
Everyone wants to use the Horror Freight 45 watt or some cheap 100 watt panel on vans/RVs,
And you can NOT make them understand the Watts you DON'T make on the allotted, limited roof space are Watts you can never use.
If the same space can make 100 Watts or 300 Watts, go 300 every time.
Whats your opinion of that forum? I signed up there back in like 2011 and check in periodically. The place has a bunch of info but I have subsequently found so much of it questionable at the least. Especially once I went full time. Extremely resistant to facts or new info and quick to delete posts or even ban anyone. especially if you challenge their "experts."
I don't talk about this much, but I've been studying psychology/abnormal psychology trying to figure out what was 'Wrong With ME'....
All of it was a little general and kind of muddy until I hit the abnormal psychology chapters on narcissists & sociopaths, then it gelled.
It's a BIG concept, so bear with me.
Narcissist & Sociopaths are CREATED (psychopaths are born) through environment.
A child has narcissistic tendencies, their entire world is them, what they 'Want'...
An adult is *Supposed* to grow out of this as their world expands and they can grasp & adopt the concept of society and turn the concept into reality through practice.
A child that was constantly allowed to get away with everything, grows into an adult with no limits...
They just keep trying to get away with everything, and often do.
A child that is constantly either ignored, or told what a useless pain on the butt they are carry those beliefs and insecurities with them.
Combine the two, and you get the highschool bully that hangs out with others that encourage his bad behavior.
See gang members, etc.
If they continue to collage, they join groups that encourage a different set of bad behaviors, but since they have an education in bad behavior along with a degree, they become bankers, lawyers, etc, jobs where they have power to do and say the worst to/about people and get attention/praise for what a good job they do.
These people are often none too well educated, the material only superficially soaked in, so they are often not very good at their jobs, they take credit for work done by people with a work ethic/morals, so they are found in middle/upper management all the time.
Along with taking credit for others work that went well, they will dump blame anyone/everyone that didn't screw things up.
Nothing is ever their fault...
Something/someone else is always to blame.
When they beat their wives, the wives 'Made Them Do It' for example.
Since these people CRAVE attention, positive or negative, and the center of attention MUST always be them,
They HATE any new idea, new ideas take the focus of them and put it on the subject.
It's always the same pattern,
Deny, insult, deflect, make personal attacks.
First you are 'Wrong' (because you didn't support their ego by agreeing with them)
Then you are an 'Idiot', Inbred, Moron, and usually have your race/religion/ethnic background/looks/family dragged into it... Insulting and degrading are hallmarks of narcissists/sociopaths.
Then the deflection begins, anything BUT the subject at hand, some 'Story' that's supposed to either change the subject or prove some point that no one ask about...
This usually ends in reversal, YOU are the overbearing one and everyone MUST agree with you or be an 'Idiot' (or worse).
If you haven't figured out, seen through the narcissists/sociopath by this point, then the threats, worst attacks/insults start...
Keep in mind these are scared/fearful people, and therefore *CAN* be dangerous.
They will take fists to anyone MUCH smaller than them, over a disagreement about anything, no matter how trivial.
They will take a bat or gun to anyone close to their own size/strength,
Revenge, getting 'ONE UP' on anyone they think bested them or embarrassed them is mandatory, a compulsion.
They will NEVER leave the subject alone, just quit...
It's not about ration or reason, it's about ego, either you praise them or you are a 'Enemy' that's sub-human and brought anything they can dream up on yourself... Because it's never their fault...
I don't bring this up much, it brings out the narcissistic tendencies and the full on narcissists & sociopaths.
The one thing a narcissistic personality can not tolerate is someone knowing the 'Secret' they keep, so they fall like a ton of bricks,
en mass since narcissists/sociopaths CRAVE attention, and are scared at the core, they travel in packs...
Once you recognize the traits, it's easy to either outrage or ignore them.
Outrage is feeding your ego, 'Stirring The Pot' is entertaining, but it's not healthy for YOU.
Just make your point, or drop out entirely.
Since they crave attention, just ignoring them is the best for you and the worst for them.
On the internet, they were zero to you before they engaged, and if you break engagement, the become zero again, and you will be a LOT happier!
