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The Victron is alternator charging only. Generally the DC-DC chargers that support solar don't do a great job of it as the solar is an afterthought and is just repurposing the DC-DC electronics. As a result they typically don't support series panels, and the MPPT algorithm isn't that good...

There seems to be some confusion here, the 'thermal breaker' is the circuit breaker or OCPD (over current protection device). You don't need a fuse or breaker in addition to this. Before wiring this up, how much charge current do you want/need from the truck? Do you plan on mostly using...

Generally 0.25C is safe for the battery, but it depends on the BMS and battery specifics. However, unless there is a need to charge fast it is almost always better to charge slowly - less heat, lighter components, less risk of catastrophe if something goes wrong. I can see where you may...

The difference is the I-V curve for the battery vs the MPPT. You are right that the charger will hit its current limit with battery, then the output voltage will drop, the battery will draw less current and a stable equilibrium will be established. With the MPPT, the current it tries to...

I am not familiar with Renogy, but is there a way to set the maximum current in the solar charge controller? Otherwise it will try and draw 50A from your charger. Can the charger source 50A continuously? This is one of the design parameters in this setup - the boost convert (or charger in...

Which solar charge controller are you using?

The difference between 13.5 and 13.2V is actually surprisingly little on LiFePO4. The 13.5V reading is the 'surface charge' on the cells, and no real energy is stored here. It is kind of like with a lead acid, when you take it off the charges it will sit at 13.xV for a while, but as soon as...

A DC-DC charger can be used instead of the ACR. If you currently don't get enough charge current from your alternator, a DC-DC will fix that. It will also address the issue (although I don't consider it an issue) of the higher lithium resting voltage keeping the ACR combined most of the...

The In Reach is great as it works just as well as an ACR for the true emergencies, but also works for the inconveniences - need a CV joint delivery, need spare fuel, gonna be a few days late but don't call the cavalry. The key thing is to have a reliable person who you can send those...

To be clear, a vented diesel heater is no more or less dry than a vented propane heater (like the standard FWC heaters), neither add or remove moisture from the air. It is only the unvented types (Wave, Mr Buddy) that add moisture in the form of combustion by products.

Are you sure 'most of a month' is enough time? That would be a lot of windshield time relative to adventuring time. That trip is about 4000 miles each way without detours - so 8 days of driving each way until your butt goes numb, leaving less than 2 weeks to actually explore Alaska. It is...

Where in Utah did you see this? Seems a little hot in the lower elevations for any sort of camping. I have definitely seen this before around hunting season as well, but not during 'peak season', not in such prominent and popular areas and certainly not to this extent. Without exaggerating...

We spent the last week hiking in the Bighorn Mountains in Wyoming. While a little late for peak wildflowers, it was great uncrowded hiking and nice escape from the heat. One thing that was really unusual was the large number of abandoned campers (trailers and fifth wheels) in certain areas...

I am not sure where the idea that lithium batteries need 14.6V to be fully charged came from. It is absolutely untrue. There are very interesting (albeit quite technical) results from some actual test that Battery Stream performed on LiFePO4 batteries with their state of charge vs the charge...

I have been using an ACR with my LiFePO4 with no issues for years. The only difference is that it will keep the batteries combined most of the time. But if you ever do start to run the batteries down, the ACR will disconnect. With the solar array you have, your ACR was probably active most...

Your plan sounds solid. I also have 160W on the roof and a rarely used 120W foldable/portable panel. I plug in the portable in parallel with the roof panel through a Victron MPPT 100/20 charge controller. The key thing here is that the 160W roof panel is sufficient to keep everything...

I don't have a favorite DIY article, there really wasn't much info out there when we I did this in 2017, which is why I wrote a long post about it. That said, there really isn't that much to it, particularly when using 4 prismatic cells as opposed to 120 cylindrical cells. You need the...

It is a little confusing. The item for sale is 4 cells 3.2v @280 Ah. If you buy one item, you get 4 cells. The 4 cell assembled in series gives you 280 Ah at 12.8V. I have some friends who have ordered these for their Westy campers, and you do get what is advertised after a 3-5 week...

Jack, you seem pretty electrically handy based on your other posts. Have you considered building your own LiFePO4 battery? There are some very inexpensive bare LiFePO4 cells that have come on the market recently...

Away from the crowds may be the hard part - the CO mountains have been more crowded than I have ever seen them this summer. With that in mind, I would suggest that you avoid anywhere within a couple of hours of the Front Range. South West Colorado (Durango/Silverton) is also lousy with Texans...

Thank you very much for this. Just the sort of suggestion I was looking for.

Do you have the details on what the matching laminate is, particularly for the doors? I have several 'additions' made out of BB, but it would be nice to add matching laminate before installing.

Planning a ~one week long trip from Colorado in either August or September. Given the crazy crowds we have encountered in CO and WY, I am considering heading a little further to Nevada for a bit more peace and quiet. We have been to and enjoyed Great Basin NP, and Basin and Range NM, but I...

I would imagine you can just drive over the curb with no preparation. 4-lo and go slow. If you are worried, stack 4" of levelers in front of the curb for each wheel.

Not to mention some pretty major resource damage.