Thanks for accepting me to the forum. I have an off road 15' pop top, ensuite van and a 4x4 tug. I rarely visit van parks as I have set it up for off grid camping. Free camps and low cost camps are my main areas to visit. Most travel is from April to October as sitting in a sweat box is not my idea of fun, lol.
Much of my travel is to the VIC goldfields where I prospect for the "yellow dirt". I would like to do more travel to the Flinders ranges and other less frequented areas of S.A. My reluctance is that I am a solo traveler, so exploring some off road tracks can be problematic. Although I have a capable 4x4 wagon, some recovery gear, such as Maxtrax and snatch strap, the latter is of little use without a second vehicle. I don't have a winch or snorkel, as I only do wading depth water crossings.
Happy to hook up with other individuals or small groups that may be interested in travelling at mutually acceptable times.
Regarding the off grid setup - I am a retired elec/mech designer, originally a F&T Toolmaker, and have modified my van to give the following; Diesel heater, additional 5VDC USB & 12VDC outlets, Sat TV connection into the van, a 6M high bull bar mobile phone antenna off the rear van bumper. I also changed out the 100Ah AGM for 2 x 100Ah LiFePo4 house batteries and rather than install an inverter, I use an AC180 Bluetti power station for running items such as the microwave. I also added an external connection for my current 300W of external solar and am about to add another plug to the vans DC-DC for up to another 25A input (375W). I also very quickly got over lifting the pop top as it has an aircon on it, so air lifters were the go and they are great.
For the 4x4 I added a slimline 75Ah LiFePo4 with inbuilt DC-DC, a 375W Victron inverter as another option to charge the power station and a 110W solar panel on roof. The standard UHF is fitted and I also carry a PLB as a solo traveler, for when there is no mobile signal. I have a 40lt Engel combi in the 4x4, 110lt 12V fridge freezer and a 40lt drawer fridge in the van.
Looking forward to reading how the other half live, lol. :)
