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Here's a 'shopping list' for as light-weight a system that I can think of throwing together from 'off the shelf' components:

>Solar Panels:
Two of these will give you a light-weight solution for 400 watts of power!
https://www.amazon.com/Dokio-Monocrystalline-foldable-Inverter-Controller/dp/B075SZMFP2/

>Charge Controller:
The included controller won't be terribly useful I'm afraid, because it's for Lead Acid, and is a crappy PWM controller anyways. So, let's assume you're going to DIY this a bit and build a weatherproof box for your battery and a controller like this one:
https://www.amazon.com/Solar-Controller-Monitor-Temp-Sensor-Package/dp/B06XNP1BGR/

>Batteries:
Here's where you drop the real cash; At least one but preferably TWO of these guys.
https://www.amazon.com/LiFePO4-volt-Deep-Cycle-Battery/dp/B06XX197GJ/

>Inverter:
If you'll be needing AC power, you'll want something like this:
www.amazon.com/AIMS-Power-Watt-Inverter-Cables/dp/B002AMPHHC/

>Container of sorts:
You'll be needing something weatherproof for all this non-weatherproof stuff to sit inside. Find the 'weatherproof storage lockers' at sporting goods stores, and you can machine them to be what you need for stuff like this. It'll need to fit your batteries, inverter, and charge controller, and you'll need to mount them in there somehow so it doesn't bounce around. Then all you need is some slick weatherproof electrical connectors to mount going through the wall of the box, and you've got yourself a great system. You can even put in things like a 12 socket and weatherproof volt meter to keep an eye on your battery voltage.

Overall, this would cost probably around $3000. But, it'd work well. :)

If you can give me more specs on what sort of weight you can carry, you could have the option of switching to Lead Acid as a battery type; but that would add like 150 pounds of weight to this whole setup, but you'd save $1500 or there about on the batteries, and you COULD use the included cheap PWM controllers... but honestly that MPPT I think would be worth the extra cash.

The comparable product (excluding the panels, and assuming you only got one battery) would be the Goal Zero Yeti 1400 Lithium. It's $1700 and is about the same thing, again excluding the panels.

Honestly, for your purposes, the Goal Zero Yeti looks pretty good if you're not really into the DIY stuff; cause you'd be looking at $1700 plus $500 for the 400 watts of panels, so $2200 total. That's not bad! (Assuming you DIY it like I'm suggesting, and only use one battery, you're looking at around $2000. So, really, not much cheaper if the weight matters to you.)

Argh, no clue how i managed to mess up theblinks there, I’m sorry.
Inremember the expensive ine : https://www.amazon.com/Anker-Charger-PowerPort-iPhone-Galaxy/dp/B012YUJJM8/ref=mp_s_a_1_3?crid=2B1BSRO8HYJYC&keywords=anker+portable+solar+charger&qid=1556487644&s=gateway&sprefix=anker+portable+solar&sr=8-3

Not sure if ghe cost is worth it but it can serve as a benchmark

Just rey and get the most wattage you can confortably fit on your backpack and definiately condider the dual usb charger power banks, they seem really ideal in combo with most of ghe solar chargers out there

The one you linked has usb-c built in which could be really interesting for powering your cam directly. This would be more efficient than going trough power banks, so definiately check that out. Dont be afraid go use your 30 day return policy to test stuff out.

Do report back on your findings and give a shout when you’re heading off! Gl out there!

Thank you! This is exactly the type of info I was looking for.

As far as I can tell, no-one makes a 12V DC pump that actually comes with a decent warranty, and is rated for continuous duty. Mostly, they're made for aerating small tanks (e.g., a cooler with fish you've caught) for a short period of time. The advice I've seen is "buy one, and plan to replace it at least every year".

Still, it might be more cost-effective to replace one of these every year than build the much bigger solar power system that would be required for a 120v system.

To back up a bit, my pond-aeration options are more broadly:

• This continuous solar powered pump that I'm trying to price out here (maybe ~$800 if I go with the DC pump and 2x 100AH batteries)
  
• A battery-free kit from Missouri Solar that would only operate when the sun was shining ($689 for this one)
  
• A windmill-powered pond aeration pump that'd only work when the wind was blowing. We live in a pretty windy area, so I'd guess that average something like 12-hours per day of aeration, and about 2x the volume, at about 125 LPM vs. these pump's 60 LPM. ($1,335 here.)
  
• Tie in to our well power line that goes about 50' from the pond, and have an electrician install an outdoor outlet so we can plug in a traditional 120v aerator. ($300 for the pump since I'd probably get a bit bigger pump with unlimited power available, plus $?? to have an electrician hook up the power, plus ~$10/mo in electricity costs)
  
  This give me the info I need to have a much better assessment of my options. Thank you!
  

Yeah, the cord this is actually the setup I have right now. But it's annoying.

Bulky would definitely be off putting to this, but slow I could handle considering it would always be plugged in, so even when I'm not using the helmet it would be "trickle charging."

Is there a minimum voltage/panel size required to charge the headset? Like you mentioned a garden lamp would have 1.8 volts, what would happen if it was something even less clunky that had, say, an output of 1 volt (25ma)?

A quick look at the technical specification of my headset show that the battery has a charging time of 2.5hrs, I assume this is from a wall outlet using micro USB.

On the other hand, while riding my motorcycle, my current setup runs at 2.1A at 5V and I rode from North Carolina to New York multiple times and it kept my headset at maximum charge just by keeping it plugged in. So following that logic, could a tiny solar panel with a ~1 volt keep the unit charged if it was literally plugged in 24/7.

EDIT: This Mini Solar Panel has a draw of 5V at 60mA at a size 2in^2. Surely something like this would have enough power to keep a helmet charged?

Post here
https://www.reddit.com/r/vandwellers/
Solar is the standard on vans now. Most people are skipping the engine isolator these days.
You left out the fantastic fan which you'll want if you're doing this level of project.
$700 is way easy. Probably can do for half that. Most people are using $30 MPPT charge controllers for example:
https://smile.amazon.com/ALLPOWERS-Charger-Controller-Intelligent-Regulator/dp/B01MU0WMGT/
Are you putting this on a roof box? otherwise why do you need flexible. Bolt on ridgid panels to a roof rack; cheaper.

Your situation in almost identical to mine: I wanted to invest just a few hundred $ and have something free-standing and useful. Here's what I bought:

• $75 battery (35Ah) https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B00H7I0IFK/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o03_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
  
  
• $25 Noco Genius charger for that
  
  
• $20 or so in AWG 10 wire, terminal connectors
  
  
• $25 voltmeter, outlet tester, A/C charge detector bundle
  Now the bad news:
  
  
• $370 AIMS 2000W pure sine inverter ( https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B01E3V66QS/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o05_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 )
  
  For the foot-in-the-door phase, I've read that the inverter is the only thing you should not skimp on. The $20 400-watt inverter in your link is almost certainly a Modified Sine type, and you don't want to plug any electronics into such a thing. Get a Pure Sine, lots of watts, and that will be the one piece of equipment that stays around as you grow.
  
  There's no P/V in my project yet. My goals were just
  
  
• Get a single laptop "off the grid"*
  
  
• Learn about all the components this side of the charge controller
  
  
• Wire them together without killing myself
  
  
• Complete the darn thing, humble as it is, without the months-long sizing/planning phase that -- often as not -- results in thinking "Damn, I spend over a thousand $ on the entirely wrong approach grr!"
  
  Hope that helps. For actual technical advice, almost everyone else in this sub is cooler than me. But I have lots of encouragement to give!
  
  *My e- provider offers free electricity on the weekends, so I use those to charge the battery. This is only off-the-grid in the sense that I don't pay to power it.

Thanks for the responses.. I have ensured that the positive and negative are aligned the same between the lamps. I've connected to each with in sequence terminating at the controller.

This was my first attempt with a solar panel (20W).. Bought this : https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B06XWTKYDC/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o02_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1

​

I see now that I should have purchased on with a variable load output. Any suggestions?

I would this work? https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07G4ZWX3F/ref=twister_B07JW87L4G?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1

​

Again thanks for the help.

I would get whatever speaker you like and run a USB cable from something like the panel below mounted on the roof to the speaker. Unless you are using the speaker for several days in a row or the battery in the speaker is really small I think anything above 10w or so should be fine. A 5v panel is the key.

​

https://www.amazon.com/SUNKINGDOM-13W-5V-Port-USB/dp/B018I0MJT8/

solar panel WITH USB output: https://www.amazon.com/SUNKINGDOM-13W-5V-Port-USB/dp/B018I0MJT8/

if you want to power a lightbulb at night, you'll want a USB battery bank to plug the usb and lightbulb to: https://www.amazon.com/Omars-10000mAh-Slimline-Portable-Compatible/dp/B07G26S5V8/

You only get full power from a solar panel WHILE it is getting DIRECT sunlight. This only happens for a couple hours during the day, depending where it is used.

Smallest USB solar panel? you dont want to go smaller than 10 watts or so, or it will not be enough to charge that battery bank. In fact, the bigger the better. Some solar panels, like the one i linked in here have built-in charge controllers for USB. But most don't. Most larger panels will need a charge controller with USB.

My plan for this winter is to convert my apartment to USB lights with enough power to last through the night. I will be using a car battery, 100 watt panel, a charge controller, ten USB lights, and about 50 feet of cable. Total for that was $160

https://www.amazon.com/Universal-UB121000-45978-100AH-Cycle-Battery/dp/B00S1RT58C/ref=sr_1_5?keywords=agm+batteries&qid=1563890358&s=gateway&sr=8-5 Universal UB121000

I really really appreciate how you responded so fast! I just keep getting that feeling that i need to individually charge these. I originally purchased one string of 4 batteries used them for a bit with the solar (this was before being aware of the noises and using default settings) then a few weeks later got the other string of 4. I just went ahead and did all the wiring without first individually checking them.

I'm handicapped by only knowing English, but that device appears to be the correct item. Is that the same as this? If so, it's the right item.

P.S. I agree with pyromaster114 about the sizing of the system.

I will say that if you DO spring to buy lithium batteries, you get more wiggle room about draining your batteries. If you get to 0% they just turn off, so it's much easier to buy two and then say "nope, they aren't enough" and then just pop another one in.

Also, you mentioned that you don't have enough space on the roof for panels - have you looked into the flexible ones? Something like this. https://www.amazon.ca/ALLPOWERS-Lightweight-Flexible-Connector-Compatibility/dp/B07195WHHX/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=flexible+solar&qid=1563121815&s=gateway&sr=8-1

200w I don't think is quite enough, but 300 is getting there.

Battery Meter. Ive been toying with making one of these for a friend after I finish upgrading my camper. Someone else may be able to offer some more insight.

This is the brand @frothface - https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07429RK43/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1 thanks

Universal Power Group 12V 100Ah Solar Wind AGM SLA DEEP Cycle VRLA Battery 12V 24V 48V https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00S1RT58C/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_EN.MDbTQK4FCC

KRIËGER 1100 Watt 12V Power Inverter Dual 110V AC Outlets, Installation Kit Included, Automotive Back Up Power Supply For Blenders, Vacuums, Power Tools MET Approved According to UL and CSA. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00T564EIY/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_8O.MDbT2DB8FY

I installed this controller: Solar Controller, ALLPOWERS... https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B01MU0WMGT?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share

Hopefully that link works. We are in Ontario Canada.

Products

MPPT Tracer Charge Controller
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B008KWPH12/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o03_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Go Power! 4 Stage Battery Charger
https://www.amazon.com/Go-Power-GPC-45-MAX-4-Stage-Converter/dp/B007GN4VKY

1200 Watt Pure Sine Inverter
https://www.amazon.com/Power-PWRIX120012S-Inverter-Transfer-Switch/dp/B00TI1D5JK

Eco Solar Cool Refrigerator
https://www.ecosolarcool.com/collections/upright-refrigerators/products/solar-refrigerator-12-5-cuft-escr355ge

Trojan T105-RE Batteries
http://www.trojanbattery.com/product/t-105-re/

Solar Panels (Monocrystalline)
http://www.ecodirect.com/Canadian-Solar-CS6K-295MS-T4-295-Watt-Mono-PERC-p/canadian-solar-cs6k-295ms-t4.htm

Depth of discharge.

I'm not sure how you get triple the cost for lithium, even if you can only buy from Amazon and only count up front cost. You're looking at 4x$170 lead batteries or 2x $500 lithium ones (in both cases the cheapest ones Amazon sells), which means $680 vs $1000. For triple the cost ($2040) you could buy name brand lithium instead (Battle Born or Renogy). And of course you're looking at 3000-5000 cycles to 90% DoD from the lithium rather than 300-500 to 50%... that extra zero really does affect the cost per cycle.

Thank you for the response :)

There’s a couple reasons why I wanted to keep them separate. My sister and her husband have a camper as well, and if they are separate systems I can borrow one out. Or use one to charge my electric canoe’s battery.

If I wanted to hook both up simultaneously to a single or double battery bank, would it damage it?

Also are these the norm for wiring in parallel? https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00Q26PC04/ref=sspa_mw_detail_3?psc=1

So if I do keep them separate I should look into a 20amp version of an EPever correct? I’ll have to do some research on the negative or positive ground for my camper. Is that referring to the grounding coming off the battery terminal? I’m assuming all RV batteries are grounded to the frame. Mine is being delivered from Iowa, so not here physically yet :(

There are a bunch of devices like this. For ac and dc. Amaz, ebay, etc

My solar controller gives me the data via the web. I use one of the above for monitoring what goes to the inverter. i could put in a ac ammeter. hmmm. Probably will at some point.

you would put one between your solar controller and batteries ... and another between battery and inverter.

not sure how to send the data to the web.

You should probably get a cheap solar charge controller. They almost always have some USB ports for charging your phone or whatever.

I haven’t yet determined the charge controller. I am currently considering this 40AMP Epever MPPT charge controller : https://www.amazon.com/EPEVER-Controller-Regulator-Backlight-Lead-Acid/dp/B077HHYYHT/ref=pd_cp_86_2?pd_rd_w=RTARC&pf_rd_p=ef4dc990-a9ca-4945-ae0b-f8d549198ed6&pf_rd_r=A30ZESRECHRVT1NXREEH&pd_rd_r=376fa169-36b6-4c2a-a56d-163aa901ad0f&pd_rd_wg=JtZJ9&pd_rd_i=B077HHYYHT&psc=1&refRID=A30ZESRECHRVT1NXREEH

And the Renogy Rover 40AMP MPPT
(Two versions, I can’t tell the difference between maybe being two different years?)

https://www.amazon.com/Renogy-Charge-Controller-Compatible-batteries/dp/B01MSYGZGI/ref=sr_1_3?keywords=Renogy+40&qid=1565635435&s=gateway&sr=8-3

https://www.amazon.com/Renogy-Rover-Amp-12V-24V/dp/B07DNVTJHD/ref=sr_1_4?keywords=Renogy+40&qid=1565635435&s=gateway&sr=8-4

I am very open to suggestions on the charge controller. The ePever comes with the voltage reader and what not, so seems like a good deal. However, through my very limited research, Renogy seems to be a standard go to.

As far as a battery, forgive me, as I am about two hundred miles south of it at the moment, but it’s just a standard deep cycle marine battery I purchased from Napa to work with a battery isolated in my old truck. I believe it has something like 150AMP charge. But it might be as low as 110. It weighs about 50lbs, not that helps anything.

Sunlight is not an issue.

no, the panel is flat on the ground. these are my panels. The temp is 72 deg.

The controller

The battery is a used Tesla Model S battery

Renogy 100 Watt 12 Volt Monocrystalline Solar Panel (New Edition) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07HFMBF3G/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_bTBZDb1FFV9EY

EPEVER MPPT Solar Charge Controller 40A 150V PV Solar Panel Controller Negative Ground W/ MT50 Remote Meter + Temperature Sensor PC Monitoring Cable[Tracer4215BN] https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07429RK43/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_LTBZDbQ4VNMAZ

Universal Power Group 12V 100Ah Solar Wind AGM SLA DEEP Cycle VRLA Battery 12V 24V 48V https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00S1RT58C/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_AUBZDbEKFZ000