We’re taking the grandkids away for a few Months in central Aus next year so your comments are blitzing it for us.

My tip for using excess power, turning the temp on the freezer down as far as it will go. When the excess solar drops off at the end of the day, turn it back up to about -8

Love the detail and approach. You’re legends!

When camping in tent use a small padlock through zippers when leaving camping to go hiking etc.

Another great video. Love the series. Need an episode just on your coffee machine.

Really enjoyed this episode glad others travel and plan the same as us. Thanks for sharing

some great tips given guys - well done. Great real life info on actual A/Hr use of the induction cooker & thermomix.

Great video with lots of info, as usual. Here is a suggestion that might improve the clarity for future videos on this topic. The energy stored in a battery is measured in amp hours, not amps. The energy used by an appliance is measured by the amps it draws multiplied by the time (in hours) that it operates. When talking about an appliance operating it would be clearer to talk about x amps FOR y hours giving an energy consumption of xy amp hours.

Very comprehensive video, thanks.

A fantastically comprehensive showcase of day to day life with saving and spending amps (the new off-grid currency!) The "spend it while it's available" ethos during the middle of the day is GOLD!!!!! Great vid. Cheers, dd

Great information guys, well done

Thanks, greatly enjoyed

Great run down.

Another great video, Simon and Liz - thank you :) Great tip about running the A/C while driving, with the Anderson plug from the tug charging the batteries. Definitely going to try that one! We have essentially the same setup as you, but with the one extra solar panel - so 900W in total - and the 60A TriStar controller to make the most of all that solar. The only thing I'd add to your excellent info in the video is to keep the solar panels clean. They do get a sort of coating of grime and dried water (dew, rain, whatever) on there, and we weren't noticing the gradual decline in the rate of charge, as it happened over a period of time. But we DID notice the sudden increase in the rate of charge when I got up there with my microfibre mop thingy and cleaned the panels off...! Took about 5 minutes of gentle work, but made a significant difference in the efficiency of the panels. Keep the good stuff coming, team Bailey :)

I'm so glad I've just stumbled onto your channel . Very well done . I'm enjoying your off grid series.. it's great... Our van is due this September.. 18 month order time. We've gone 400 amph lithium 840 watts of roof solar 1 dc/dc 50 amp charger alternator dedicated 1 dc/dc 50amp charger dedicated solar. External anderson plug to BMPro .for portable solar management. 3000 watt inverter Similar set up to yourselves. Really interested to know how you store the Thermo for travel ie protecting it from lumpy bumpy roads and its delicate weigh scales etc. Keep the dream alive pioneers !!!

I have a very good understanding of electronics as this was my apprenticeship in 1965. Your explanation was very good and would be easy to understand by your delivery. I was also a teacher teaching safety with Qantas and then sailing in my own business. You have a great gift in the way you explain everything. My wife and I are into our 70’s and love your show.

Great explanations!! We have a similar set up with 400ah and have found it to be great for what we do too! Thanks heaps for sharing your story!!

Great info guys...Thank you!👍👏 I take it another 200 amp lithium is on the cards!😁

Another gr8 ep guys…. Thanks for the info 🤙

I’m learning so much from you guys. I love free camping with my daughter so this off-grid info series you’re doing is invaluable! Also, you just regularly Ozzie’s (in a non offensive way) so love that and love that you’re relatable!!!

Congratulations on a great series of videos on living off-grid - a topic very close to our hearts. Thank you.

Another very handy video we have saved for future reference. We never turn our inverter off so will start doing that. We have about half the storage and Solar you do but we are 2 people with no coffee machine and cook mainly on gas. Good tip about charging things during the day when your batteries are full and the sun is shining. (Already subscribed)

Excellent summary of the whole Off Grid power scenario Simon and Liz, common sense, real life advice which has been learned from your own actual experience 👏👏

Perfect timing on the video…. Went to the Melbourne caravan show on the weekend and got way more information from you guys than I did at the show haha! Planning on turning my family van into a off grid setup 👍

Brilliant video! Love your no-nonsense, practical approach, keep up the good work!

Thank you for making it all make sense, stay safe & be happy, Elaine from Brisbane.

Thank you. We are upgrading our camper trailer to a off road van and these video’s we perfectly timed to remind us of what to check out and discuss what we should upgrade. ❤

Well done guys. You covered the use of solar, regeneration, current draw for appliances used etc. exceptionally well. As an industrial maintenance electrician I was very impressed with your coverage,👍😊

Thanks Simon and Liz for that practical run through of you power set up and how you use it in the everyday. Can’t wait to test our new van out when it is built later this year and see if we got it right 😊

Fantastic video, again enjoyable and informative. Simon, the professor of off-grid vanning and Liz, the sage off-grid appliance use.

Good tip running air con whilst driving.

Yes have sent a e mail.

Finally got to see this episode. Glad I did because its packed full of practical info and I loved the case study. We're are almost at 2 years travelling Oz towing a van also. A couple of things: 1. I heard that Satlink is bringing out a 12v version so no need to use your inverter. Not sure if its true but it's what I heard. 2. I do a fair bit of photography and so I find I do use the car's second battery to charge up a lot of my gear so as not to use the van's battery storage. Great video and thanks for sharing !

Loving the series it is helping consider a lot of things as we think about our van build. One quick question is why do you use the thermomix or inverter to heat water instead of a kettle? I wouldn’t think 300w difference over 5 minutes would be a big difference. Or is it also a space saving issue as it is just another thing that you have something that already does the job?

Hi guys injury your information great job

Another really good one. Of course as the boys get older and up in school they're going to be using laptops as well so your power draw will be even more 🙂 cheers Cheryl

Thanks for another great video. You guys make these thing easier to understand this subject.

Congrats Barry! This is livin!! 🤙🏽

We are still in the planning phase of long term travelling so these videos are super helpful. We now know that we need to get more solar panels 😝

Thanks guys very informative. We are just starting out and took our van for a 3 week holiday we managed fine with batteries 400 a & water but the rain did make charging our batteries a problem we caved and went to a caravan park, paper, rock, scissors made our decision, we're also a lot older than you guys no longer want to worry about air conditioning and heat. (LOL)

thanks for posting. testing our induction cooktop, interestingly, a more watthour efficient device ( for heating water) is a birko or small kettle. also the current draw is less, just takes longer.

Hi Simon and Liz, we really love your videos. You guys are really informative. I just wanted to ask you about your power system and is it capable of running your air conditioner in your caravan. Would a caravan air conditioner consume a lot of power. Any feedback you can provide would be greatly appreciated. Take care guys.

Thank you for another informative video, we’re just starting the process of planning the upgrading of our off grid system and your videos have been very helpful. We look forward to seeing the next one.

Thanks for another great, informative video. Putting power use into a case study / real life situation is exactly what we and probably others needed.

Some great info again guys. Top tip charging during the middle of the day. Have been sharing these videos with my Dad who is setting up his bus .. easy for him to understand. 😊

Thanks guys, made me think through in a bit more detail my power requirements and what I need to consider in the new van build.

Thanks for the tips and tricks for our battery system. Yes we intend to run our air con lots.

Another informative video, thanks Simon and Liz 0:12

Thank you for a great video taking on all these great tips fir when we also hit the road full time with no home to return too very excited but also a little scary, and very appreciative for all your tips, safe travels ❤

Thanks Simon & Liz. Very informative vid, lots to take in as we learn to be off grid more. 💜💜

Another great informative video and so easy to understand and follow. We have a sandwich toaster which is a must have item for me when we are travelling and my hubby must take is his Foxtel box (we have a satellite dish on the roof:)

Great video. We are just starting our journey with solar and battery replenishment. We have a washing machine which we find useful when looking at the money used in laundrettes. Never can find enough coins.

Thanks for the info guys, we have already thought about adding additional solar to our caravan. But found it interesting around having a solar charger seperate to the dc dc 😮. Also I know you won’t remember me. But it was great to meet you at the titanium caravan stand yesterday as we find you both so much more grounded than some of the other families that we have watched in the past. Just keep doing what your doing

Super informative videos. Love watching all your content. it's super easy to get caught up and binge a few eps.

Gee you guys do a great job at simplifying the electrical jargon. We are rushing off to get a DC-DC charger prior to heading away 😊. Thanks again and we are looking forward to the safety and security vid in two weeks time.❤

Great video again! We have recently found our solar system created noticeably more power when we were in the New England (higher altitude with clear air and cooler temps) area, compared to on the coast with hotter temps and hazy skies.

Great episode guys. Lots of useful information & well explained

Good ideas again thanks for the info will have 300amps of lithium with 120 amps in Ute so a lot of testing and checking batteries for a lot of the time.Have been running the fridge in the back of the Ute and after a lot of raining days always checking battery and never goes down below 98% so far.I do have a 250 watt solar panel on canopy cheers🦐🐟🦈🎣

And congrats on the 1,000,000 views!!!!

Hi, we have the same van as you and just wondering if you’ve considered a generator for the AC ? - we find we struggle in 38-40+ degree days only being able to run the AC short term. Enjoyed your tips and tricks 👍🏼

Just waiting on our new hybrid camper we have opted for pretty much exactly same system you have - some great tips - thanks for another informative video. Looked like a very nice beach you were camped at - dog friendly????

Great video very informative using terminology you can understand 👍

Nice work guys. Explained very well. 😉👍🏻

Great episode guys so informative and practical 👏

Have you thought about using a crockpot for some cooking?

Using power when the batteries are full is a no Brainer

Awesome info in real life term guys love it !

Thanks for the tips I'm thinking of how much lithium I will need when I upgrade the old agm batteries cheers

Thank guys well presented and informative keep up the good work 😊😊

What brand is your portable induction cooker? Is it made for travel or just a standard one meant for homes?

Very informative video and clearly expressed. I’m just wondering if you should research dc-dc boosters for laptop charging. It does my head in thinking about the conversion energy wasted in going from 12 volt DC to 240 volt AC back to 15-20 volt DC. Keep up the great content.

Good video just one thing you forgot to mention about charging batteries from car when parked up when your batteries are getting low and you're not producing anything from solar

Another awesome video, thank you so much for sharing all of this amazing information! We have just bought an LC200, which we will now set up for a camping trip through the Flinders Ranges/Simpson Desert next year. Then it will be caravan build time. So these videos are just so helpful in determining our set-up(s). I have a couple of questions if I may: Microwave - what do you use for defrosting or reheating meals if you're not using the microwave? Washing machine - how are you managing your washing when you're off-grid (away from towns) so much? Oven - I can't remember if you have an oven. I was thinking of having a Ziggy/Webber/Sizzler BBQ and using that as my oven. But that does add weight (and the need for gas). But an oven in the van takes up valuable cupboard space. So wondering what your thoughts are in this regard? I have no idea about thermomix or airfryer - never seen or used these devices, so don't really know what they do. We are looking to have the ability to draw water from creeks/rivers so that we can stay in camp for longer (not being forced to move on due to water restraints). Have you considered this option? Again, thank you for your amazing informative videos - you are such an inspiration. Love that you've stayed real all this time. Cheers, Kerryn

Very informative video. I’ve got an18.6 Zone O/road caravan. Have 400ah lithium with 600w solar panels. Also 40ah DCDC charger. I have my iPad (which I carry in the car) linked to the caravan CZone. So I can see what ah’s are going into the battery while I’m towing with the car. I see that it never has more than 29 amps per hour going into the batteries whilst travelling. I’m assuming that that charge is coming from the car alternator only. Should some charge also be coming in from the Solar. With a 40ah DCDC charger I would have thought that the solar panels could also put in the remaining capacity of 11 amps. Maybe I also need to have a MPPT solar controller installed so that solar charge is also going into the batteries while travelling. Maybe you could clarify this for me

great too see another informative video. Off the electric topic, how do you keep your roof so clean? do you just use normal car wash, truck wash with gantry to get to roof, or send Liz up on the roof? Amazing stats for off grid camping, very few nights in parks.

Really helpful tips❣️thanks heaps for take #74 hahaha

Thanks Simon & Liz. Very helpful episode. It was interesting to me that your power needs have, and are changing as you travel. While I realise this would add a cost, if you were desperate for power regeneration and solar input was low have you even considered (or needed) to run the vehicle for a period to regenerate while off grid?

Hey guys, thanks for the power series. You mentioned your fridge. Do you have a compressor fridge and if so is that what you prefer?

New subscriber here Great info guys,looking forward watching your adventures and tips

Hey Guys, great video, really helping us get prepared for our 12months on the road later this year! How much power did your pod machine use vs the Breville?

hi Simon & Liz. Another great video that just simplifies everything. I actually did my spreadsheet after the last off grid video which is so helpful and you again confirmed some of my power usage numbers for most items. my questions is though, and I 100% understand its not perfect, but how much charge should each 180W solar panel(or 4 panels @ 720W) put into your batteries. we have exact sane system as you - 720W solar, 2 x 200Ah Lithium, 40A DC/DC, 2600W Inverter. (We don't have the MPPT Solar Charger- maybe 1 day). I know it depends on lots of variables but what is the starting point?? we also have same wireless monitoring so trying to get my head around the app also!!! thanks heaps.

Imma need that rice pudding recipe link pleeeeease 😘

Thanks heaps. So my rough calc with 4 panels was 36 amps(4panels x 9 amps) x 0.7(efficiency) x 6(#hours) = 151.2 amps. Thus if we were down to around 40% on our 240Ah batteries we would (theoretically) should be back to around 100% after 6 hours????? We are usually down to about 78 to 80% each morning so are well covered based on this I think???????

I won that you guys.

Great episode. What type / brand induction cooker do you use or recommend

Great video guys thanks a question about your solar controller does it turn off or float when the battery is full all the best Ron

Thank you for great videos. However, I do not understand how two separate chargers work at the same time work. I believe an MPPT charger checks output of the PV module, compares it to battery voltage, then fixes what is the best power that PV module can produce to charge the battery. If a second charger is holding the battery voltage (artificially) high, eg 14.5V whilst charging, will the other charger measure this voltage and shut down? To put it another way, I thought smart chargers worked by switching between a charging mode and sampling mode where it gets feedback on the SOC to optimise the charge profile. With two chargers do you still get an optimised charge profile. How do they sync? Love and appreciate your content. Cheers.

Thanks. Great vid. So the big question, how have you been washing clothes for last 2 years?

Great video. Does your Ranger give you ability to charge in the car as well?

Hi, pretty sure laptops will use around 19V and around 3 - 5A/H? depends on the type/model of laptop and accesories?

just thinking 720 watts solar is 60 amps at 12 volts but charger is 40 amps. Seems you could never get Max solar input?

Does the 240v shore power also charge the batteries?

Cant find that Burks Backyard episode :-(

@ 8:28. What about your Air Conditioner as your biggest appliance? 🤣 ROFL. Also, if you had a Victron Multip-lus 3 kva Inverter, the specs state you use up to 20w residual power (which is 1.6 amps).

A lot of laptops have options to get a charger that will run off a cigarette lighter.

Another great video, but can you make your vids a little shorter?. My caravan batteries have just dropped from 92% to 91% after watching this but hopefully they will make it to 93% by nightfall!!!🤣🤣

How do you guys do your clothes washing?