Ideas for charging batteries while on long road trip?

Contestedmilk · Apr 6, 2016

I am planning on driving for 7 straight days in a campervan in Iceland. I have a 3DR solo and 5 batteries but I am certain I will need to have all 5 charged each day because there is something amazing in Iceland every 10 feet. I am driving a minivan with standard power options. Aside from stopping to find an outlet to plug into, can anyone think of a way I could charge the batteries? My first thought was a separate car battery but I am not sure if thats a good idea. I do have a power inverter, and I can connect it to the van battery when we are stopped. But that is not ideal as we will be trying to keep moving around the island. All suggestions are appreciated.

Pedals2Paddles · Apr 6, 2016

Just use a small inverter that plugs into the van's lighter plug.

Contestedmilk · Apr 6, 2016

I am concerned about the time it takes to charge one at a time.

Pedals2Paddles · Apr 6, 2016

Do you own more than one charger? You run 2-3 chargers off a lighter plug power inverter. The chargers use about 60-65 watts each. Get a little 200 watt power inverter that plugs into the lighter plug, and plug in 2 or 3 solo chargers.

The only other way to charge multiple batteries faster is with a conventional LiPo charger and custom pigtails to connect the solo batteries. And even then, you'll vastly exceed what the lighter plug can support.

Chuck · Apr 6, 2016

I went overboard with my inverter. It is a 2000 watt, and I have 6 Solo batteries and 2 OEM chargers. I can throw my pellet grill in my truck and enjoy lunch while charging my batteries while listening to my satellite radio on my boombox. It makes for a more enjoyable day. Good luck, Contestedmilk, and welcome to the forum. By the way, me and my inverter are available to accompany you Iceland...

Pedals2Paddles · Apr 6, 2016

Just remember the lighter plug in most vehicles is fused at 15 or 20 amps. As such, you can't plug in an inverter of more than 200 watts. In fact, 200 is right on the edge of what a 15 amp lighter plug can support. If you plan to power a huge inverter for multiple accessories, you would need to wire that to under the hood with it's own power source from the battery.

Dash Hewes · Apr 6, 2016

If you do use the plug, do not leave it unattended just as in any battery charging operations. I know of a vehicle fire and total loss from a battery charging from the lighter plug.

Louis · Apr 6, 2016

For a road trip in Australia I bought a solar panel, put in a second battery and a converter which was excellent set up. I have 3 batteries and managed to work around that. The sun sets pretty early in Australia, even in summer. Not like (I assume) summer in Iceland. That would be amazing.

Contestedmilk said:
I am planning on driving for 7 straight days in a campervan in Iceland. I have a 3DR solo and 5 batteries but I am certain I will need to have all 5 charged each day because there is something amazing in Iceland every 10 feet. I am driving a minivan with standard power options. Aside from stopping to find an outlet to plug into, can anyone think of a way I could charge the batteries? My first thought was a separate car battery but I am not sure if thats a good idea. I do have a power inverter, and I can connect it to the van battery when we are stopped. But that is not ideal as we will be trying to keep moving around the island. All suggestions are appreciated.

jibcamera · Apr 6, 2016

Sounds like a cool trip - cheers
How many chargers do you have? I would buy or borrow a marine battery(or 2) with a plastic battery box carrier thing (cheap) to put them in and a decent inverter....

For your phone and tablet etc stuff I have one of these combo solar/backup battery, works great, will fully charge my phone aboout 7 or 8 times on one charge, and you can charge it with AC as well as charging via solar http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00PWPHS2Q?psc=1

Plus maybe get a larger 3-fold solar panel cell as well, I dont have one yet so cant vouch for quality Amazon.com: Opteka SP-10W Universal 10-WATT Triple-Panel Rapid Solar Charger with 2 USB Ports for Smartphones, Tablets & Other USB Powered Devices: Cell Phones & Accessories

Contestedmilk · Apr 6, 2016

Chuck said:
I went overboard with my inverter. It is a 2000 watt, and I have 6 Solo batteries and 2 OEM chargers. I can throw my pellet grill in my truck and enjoy lunch while charging my batteries while listening to my satellite radio on my boombox. It makes for a more enjoyable day. Good luck, Contestedmilk, and welcome to the forum. By the way, me and my inverter are available to accompany you Iceland...

PLease come join the icey fun!

Contestedmilk · Apr 6, 2016

Pedals2Paddles said:
Just remember the lighter plug in most vehicles is fused at 15 or 20 amps. As such, you can't plug in an inverter of more than 200 watts. In fact, 200 is right on the edge of what a 15 amp lighter plug can support. If you plan to power a huge inverter for multiple accessories, you would need to wire that to under the hood with it's own power source from the battery.

Great advice! much appreciated!!

Contestedmilk · Apr 6, 2016

jibcamera said:
Sounds like a cool trip - cheers
How many chargers do you have? I would buy or borrow a marine battery(or 2) with a plastic battery box carrier thing (cheap) to put them in and a decent inverter....

For your phone and tablet etc stuff I have one of these combo solar/backup battery, works great, will fully charge my phone aboout 7 or 8 times on one charge, and you can charge it with AC as well as charging via solar Amazon.com: Opteka Titan 13200mAh Portable USB Charger Power Bank with 3rd Generation Solar Panel for iPhone 6 Plus 5S 5C 5 4S 4, iPads, iPods, Galaxy Note 4 3, Galaxy S5 S4 S3, LG G3, Nexus, HTC One M8, Gopro Camera, GPS and More: Cell Phones & Accessories

Plus maybe get a larger 3-fold solar panel cell as well, I dont have one yet so cant vouch for quality Amazon.com: Opteka SP-10W Universal 10-WATT Triple-Panel Rapid Solar Charger with 2 USB Ports for Smartphones, Tablets & Other USB Powered Devices: Cell Phones & Accessories

Awesome, Thank you very much!

Rich · Apr 7, 2016

Keep in mind that you should probably charge your Solo batteries while the van engine is running.

There have been cases of people using inverters in vehicles without the engine running and later they didn't have enough power left in the vehicle battery to start it's engine!

Also carry vehicle jumper cables with you in case you need a jump start.

Marich · Apr 7, 2016

I just pop my PowerDome EX in my car. Then I'm all set! I can charge Solo, plug in a TV, inflate a tire, give a car (or my own) a jump, listen to the radio, and charge my phone!

SPP · Apr 8, 2016

I am in fact thinking about inverter too and my search the past few days lead me to Go Power true sine wave inverter, the 300 watts model.
Will need alligator clip direct to battery if I suck all 300 watts, can't do cigarette lighter socket.
If car is small , hence battery is small, I would run the engine for sure if I charge more than 1 solo battery.

I now got 3 batteries and 2 bat charger Solo orgininal for if and when I get to play somewhere open and not in my city and can be there for few hours and while having a rental car.

True sine wave inverter is important for me, so that I can use it other than for Solo charging. Will need oscilloscope to see later when I get this inverter, how smooth is the so called "true sine wave".

It is very difficult googling to get a true sine wave inverter small <500 watts one and good quality.
Too many junk brands today.

If within my own city, I have Honda generator EU1000i, that I can use for charging off grid. But I can't fly to other cities and bring the Honda...

Marich · Apr 8, 2016

The cool thing about the Wagan is that it's just so handy for just about everything, Solo or no Solo. And at around 120-130 bucks, a good deal too.
It has two outlets, too.

jibcamera · Apr 8, 2016

SPP said:
I am in fact thinking about inverter too and my search the past few days lead me to Go Power true sine wave inverter, the 300 watts model.
Will need alligator clip direct to battery if I suck all 300 watts, can't do cigarette lighter socket.
If car is small , hence battery is small, I would run the engine for sure if I charge more than 1 solo battery.
.....
It is very difficult googling to get a true sine wave inverter small <500 watts one and good quality.
Too many junk brands today..

I never broke out the oscilloscope on it, but I've had a Whistler brand inverter (usually direct to a spare car or marine battery) for quite a few years and it works awesome.. they make some powerful enough to even run sustained high startup surge on small appliances... http://www.amazon.com/Whistler-XP3000i-3000-Watt-Power-Inverter/dp/B00HWL4N4Y/ref=dp_ob_title_wld

TaurusCA · Apr 9, 2016

I installed a 1000W Pure Sine inverter in my SUV. Ran 0 gauge wire from the battery to the back. I charge all of my batteries (6), laptop, iPad mini, and galaxy tablet at the same time.

Works great.

JonW · Apr 9, 2016

Contestedmilk said:
I am planning on driving for 7 straight days in a campervan in Iceland. I have a 3DR solo and 5 batteries but I am certain I will need to have all 5 charged each day because there is something amazing in Iceland every 10 feet. I am driving a minivan with standard power options. Aside from stopping to find an outlet to plug into, can anyone think of a way I could charge the batteries? My first thought was a separate car battery but I am not sure if thats a good idea. I do have a power inverter, and I can connect it to the van battery when we are stopped. But that is not ideal as we will be trying to keep moving around the island. All suggestions are appreciated.

Ditto on the 200W lighter plug inverter and buy extra batt chargers. That's what I do and it works for me.

ajdelange · Apr 9, 2016

Pedals2Paddles said:
Do you own more than one charger? You run 2-3 chargers off a lighter plug power inverter. The chargers use about 60-65 watts each.

Just checked mine. Draw is 0.9 A at 120. That's 108W.