Power Sources for Camping

[dejones64]

What model/watt is your Jackery. I ran my Setpower 35qt 12v fridge on my Bluetti AC180 for a few days using the 12v port.

I have a Rockpals 300 that I charged with the Bronco 12v outlet. I have not tried charging my Bluetti with the Bronco outlet yet.

I was actually going to test out running the Fridge on the Bronco 12v outlet today. Aren't these "car" fridges supposed to run off the car 12v port?

Sponsored

 

[raqball]

Aren't these "car" fridges supposed to run off the car 12v port?

Yes a car fridge will run off the 12V Bronco port. The rear 12V only stays powered on for like 1 hour after the Bronco is shut off. I believe you can change that via Forscan though.

 

[Arvitrekking]

Taking the Badlands on a 5 week tailgate tent camping trip out west. Have Jackery generator and are thinking of buying a small Bodega or BougeRV 12V refrigerator/freezer dual zone cooler. Can you run AC powererd devices within the Bronco with an adapter? Any advice would be appreciated, thank you.

We have a river 2 max that we plug a 12v refrigerator into. That keeps the refrigerator running at night. The river 2 is plugged into the 12v outlet that is in the center console and charges while we drive. The cheep inverter used for the 110v 400w outlet will not power the river 2. I’m considering swapping that out for a pure sine inverter. The 110v outlet runs the refrigerator ok while driving.

 

[Gypsy]

Get some solar panels for your Jackery and or learn how to charge it from the Bronco power outlet. If your fridge is 12v run it off the Bronco when driving. Use 12v accessories with the Jackery when possible. Keep use of 120v to a minimum, running power through the inverter is in efficient and wastes power as heat, also forcing the Jackery fan to run, further eating power.

I do have the solar panels but they take up so much room. Being gone for 5 weeks planning on hiking, I just don't think I have the room.

 

[dgorsett]

How is it NOT a generator; it generates power, just like a gas generator, only instead of gas it runs on solar when out in the boonies (or an electrical outlet when one is available). I know there are 2 camps on this, but since it does exactly what a gas generator does, minus the noise, it's a generator!

My point was it can be used in a campground that doesn't allow generator use. And technically the solar panels are the generator, the Jackery is a storage device.

 

[Gypsy]

Yes a car fridge will run off the 12V Bronco port. The rear 12V only stays powered on for like 1 hour after the Bronco is shut off. I believe you can change that via Forscan though.

Off topic, I took at look at your build thread. I love your Bronco great color. Traded a Rubicon dr for the Badlands love the 2dr, loved that Jeep. But this Bronco has amazing capabilities. Didn't realize how much till I went to the Texas Off Rodeo. I have been looking for a Safari Bar and I like yours. I will have to wait for mods though.

 

[B Miller]

This is a older video, but explains most options for powering a fridge. Hope it helps!

 

[Gypsy]

Thank you all, I have a lot of great ideas because of you. Plus I am learning a lot about the electrical devices and the Bronco. My trip is in September, by then I hope I will be well versed on the topic or least have a good sense how the system works.

 

[Brian_B]

How is it NOT a generator; it generates power, just like a gas generator, only instead of gas it runs on solar when out in the boonies (or an electrical outlet when one is available). I know there are 2 camps on this, but since it does exactly what a gas generator does, minus the noise, it's a generator!

Depends on what the campsite rules say really

If they just have a noise restriction - sure it can be a generator.

But if they say "No Generators", then nope, it's a battery backup

 

[Gypsy]

This is a older video, but explains most options for powering a fridge. Hope it helps!

Thank you, this is a great video and he explained it very well.

 

[B Miller]

Thank you, this is a great video and he explained it very well.

Very welcome. Glad it helped!

 

[murphtron]

Taking the Badlands on a 5 week tailgate tent camping trip out west. Have Jackery generator and are thinking of buying a small Bodega or BougeRV 12V refrigerator/freezer dual zone cooler. Can you run AC powererd devices within the Bronco with an adapter? Any advice would be appreciated, thank you.

So I just bought a BougeRV fridge and the battery that goes with it. You already have a Jackery so don’t need the BougeRV battery.

I took the BougeRV single zone to Baja for a week + of off-roading. I honestly didn’t think the fridge was going to survive as the build quality is suspect. However it’s cheap! I was with a friend who has a Dometic @ 3x the price. Without question the Dometic is far better build quality. I wasn’t worried if the BougeRV died on the trip as I could poach space in my friends fridge.

I gotta say after the trip I decided to keep the BougeRV fridge. It worked just fine. The battery, while crappy, powered the fridge overnight with no problems and 50%+ to spare. Now I wasn’t powering anything else off the battery and I’m a minimalist (except for the fridge heh).

i had the battery plugged into the 12v power port in the the Bronco rear. And the fridge plugged into the battery. So the car kept the battery at 100% during the day while it powered the fridge.

anyway im keeping the fridge and battery. If it dies in 1-3 years I won’t care as it was cheap. In fact it was free because inexplicably Amazon thought I returned it and issued a refund! I did not return it. That’s a mystery. But whatever. (I did return the first battery because the display died after 24hrs)

Thiis is the fridge I got. It’s the overlanding version that apparently works at extreme angles. I had it tied down with the integrated tie down points that are plastic and will probably break before the compressor dies. It’s junk. But it’s cheap junk. And it was filthy dirty after a week and still worked.

https://a.co/d/c2OruJj

 

[Gypsy]

So I just bought a BougeRV fridge and the battery that goes with it. You already have a Jackery so don’t need the BougeRV battery.

I took the BougeRV single zone to Baja for a week + of off-roading. I honestly didn’t think the fridge was going to survive as the build quality is suspect. However it’s cheap! I was with a friend who has a Dometic @ 3x the price. Without question the Dometic is far better build quality. I wasn’t worried if the BougeRV died on the trip as I could poach space in my friends fridge.

I gotta say after the trip I decided to keep the BougeRV fridge. It worked just fine. The battery, while crappy, powered the fridge overnight with no problems and 50%+ to spare. Now I wasn’t powering anything else off the battery and I’m a minimalist (except for the fridge heh).

i had the battery plugged into the 12v power port in the the Bronco rear. And the fridge plugged into the battery. So the car kept the battery at 100% during the day while it powered the fridge.

anyway im keeping the fridge and battery. If it dies in 1-3 years I won’t care as it was cheap. In fact it was free because inexplicably Amazon thought I returned it and issued a refund! I did not return it. That’s a mystery. But whatever. (I did return the first battery because the display died after 24hrs)

Thiis is the fridge I got. It’s the overlanding version that apparently works at extreme angles. I had it tied down with the integrated tie down points that are plastic and will probably break before the compressor dies. It’s junk. But it’s cheap junk. And it was filthy dirty after a week and still worked.

https://a.co/d/c2OruJj

I looked at the BougeRV but the dual zone. I chose the Bodega dual zone because it measured smaller. I also looked at the Dometic but your right too expensive. I won't be using it every day so the Bodega should be fine for our trip. Thank you for your information, I really appreciate it.

 

[murphtron]

I gotta say I like having the fridge in general. Takes up no more space than a cooler. And could be used as an ice cooler in a pinch if the compressor does.

nice thing is you can keep refilling it with beer/soda and it gets cold in a few hours. The salami and cheeses don’t get water logged.

of course if you need ice you gotta carry that separately. My buddy has a soft Yeti he used for ice. The ice was mostly used for mixing cocktails at the end of the day. Yeah roughing it. Heh. But I’m old. I had a bottle of blanco tequila and fresh squeezed grapefruit juice in my fridge. The ice was a perfect complement!

 

[Gypsy]

I am not a spring chicken either. You are right the Bodega is the same size as our Yeti cooler which prompted me to look for a camping fridge instead. Sounds like a great trip.

Sponsored