I spend nearly 50 nights a year camping in my van. Here’s how I keep it powered

Going off-grid while camping is getting easier than ever. Portable power stations have made it simpler to run appliances and other comforts without electrical hookups, even in a basic van setup. I don’t live the van lifestyle full time like some folks, but I do spend nearly 50 nights a year in my homemade van build. Here’s what I’ve learned about keeping everything powered.

What drains my batteries fastest

Unfortunately, some of the appliances that make camping more comfortable also use the most electricity. Hair dryers, electric heaters and portable air conditioners can quickly drain a battery. Refrigerators vary depending on their size, efficiency and operating conditions.

I once ran the air conditioning, lights, TV and fridge in my folks’ travel trailer for about 12 hours using a massive home backup power station with nearly 6,000 watt-hours of capacity. At almost 3 feet tall and close to 100 pounds, there was no way it would fit in my tiny van.

Even a large power station has limits on how many appliances it can run at once. When we tried adding the microwave, the unit shut down because the combined demand was too high.

When choosing a power station, pay attention to two numbers: watts tell you how much power it can deliver at once, while watt-hours tell you how much energy its battery can store. Both matter when deciding which appliances you can run and for how long.

For food storage, I use a 12-volt Dometic cooler. I’ve left it running off my van’s battery overnight without problems, but the cooler has a low-voltage cutoff designed to help prevent excessive battery drain. It’s still important to protect your vehicle’s starting battery, especially if you’re camping for several nights.

In my experience, the cooler can use roughly 60% of my power station’s charge overnight. Actual consumption depends on the cooler, temperature settings and conditions, so it’s worth testing your setup before a longer trip.

To simplify cooking, I bought a tiny air fryer a few years ago. It’s been a game changer for meal prep. It draws about 950 watts while heating, but it doesn’t take long to cook a meal. On nights when I use it, my power station typically loses about 30% to 40% of its charge.

I also use a palm-sized electric skillet and sandwich press, which draw about 450 to 500 watts each. Because they cook quickly, they’re useful alternatives when I don’t want to use as much power at once.

What uses surprisingly little power

The good news is that some of the simplest comforts use very little electricity. I installed tiny puck lights in the ceiling of my van, and they illuminate the space evenly. After running them for three or four hours before bed, they barely make a dent in my power station’s charge.

My power station also runs a tiny water pump. It uses so little electricity that I barely notice the difference.

I also have a mobile hotspot and a small 4K monitor that run off the power station’s AC outlets. Both have been surprisingly energy efficient when I want to watch a short movie or show before bed.

My laptop falls somewhere in the middle when I’m working remotely from the van. Its power consumption varies with screen brightness, and I’ve noticed it’s a bigger drain on hot days.

How I keep my batteries charged

Depending on the trip, I bring up to three power stations with me. The main one has about 1,000 watt-hours of capacity, while the two smaller ones have around 400 watt-hours each. When I bring all three, that’s roughly 1,800 watt-hours of stored energy altogether. Sometimes I bring an additional, larger station if I expect to run the fridge longer.

My van’s roof also has a 100-watt solar panel. It helps extend the time I can spend off-grid, although that depends on how much sunlight I get and how much electricity I’m using.

If I’m not using solar, I can recharge my power stations while driving. It’s a useful option when I’m moving between campsites, although charging times depend on the vehicle and equipment.

Solar panels are especially useful when you’re staying in one place. In hindsight, I wish I’d gone with a bigger panel of at least 200 watts. It would give me more charging capacity when conditions are favorable. I’d recommend choosing the largest panel that fits your budget, available space and power station’s charging limits.

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