Boondocking ladder, expert tier
Expert RV Boondocking Power Setup
Researched from published standards and manufacturer specifications. Updated .
Quick answer
A full-time four-season off grid system uses around 400Ah of self-heating LiFePO4, a large roof array with a 40A or larger MPPT controller, an inverter/charger, a DC-DC charger and a generator for air conditioning. Self-heating is the part that makes winter possible at all.
Who this is for
Full-time off grid living across seasons, including below freezing, where running out of power is not an inconvenience but the end of the trip.
Who should not buy this
Almost everyone. This is a lot of weight, money and complexity, and if you are plugged in even half the time the intermediate boondocking build does the same job for far less. Self-heating batteries in particular are wasted money if you never camp below freezing.
The complete build
Everything needed to make this system work, grouped by function. If you buy this list you can finish the job.
Battery bank
Self-heating is the whole point of this bank. Skip it and the system stops charging in winter.
| Item | Qty | Price | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Redodo 12V 100Ah Self-Heating LiFePO4, Group 31 Redodo Four self-heating packs give roughly 320Ah usable and keep charging when the battery bay drops below freezing. | 4 | $1,115.96 | Buy |
| Victron SmartShunt 500A Battery Monitor Victron Energy On a bank this size, knowing the true state of charge is the difference between managing and guessing. | 1 | Check | Buy |
| Battery bank subtotal | $1,115.96 |
Solar
| Item | Qty | Price | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rich Solar 400W Premium Kit with 40A MPPT RICH SOLAR Two 200W panels plus brackets, so the roof work is two panels rather than four. | 1 | $649.99 | Buy |
| Renogy 100W N-Type Monocrystalline Panel Renogy N-type cells hold output better in partial shade, which is the usual condition on a roof full of vents. | 2 | $205.46 | Buy |
| Renogy Rover 40A MPPT with Bluetooth Renogy Bluetooth reporting lets you check actual harvest against what the array was sized for. | 1 | $197.40 | Buy |
| Renogy Solar Z Brackets, 4 Sets Renogy Mounting for the added panels. | 1 | $37.99 | Buy |
| BougeRV Double Cable Entry Gland Box BougeRV A sealed roof entry. | 1 | $9.99 | Buy |
| Solar subtotal | $1,100.83 |
Aimable solar
| Item | Qty | Price | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Renogy 200W Portable Solar Suitcase Renogy A suitcase can be moved into a clearing while the rig stays parked in shade, which a roof array can never do. In winter, when sun hours are scarce, aiming matters more than watts. | 1 | $322.99 | Buy |
| Aimable solar subtotal | $322.99 |
Charging and inverting
| Item | Qty | Price | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Victron Orion XS 50A DC-DC Charger Victron Energy Published efficiency curves and configurable current limiting, which is what you want when the alternator is a shared resource. | 1 | Check | Buy |
| Renogy 2000W Pure Sine Inverter/Charger Renogy Inverter, charger and transfer switch in one box, so generator runs top the bank up automatically. | 1 | $579.99 | Buy |
| Charging and inverting subtotal | $579.99 |
Generator and air conditioning
| Item | Qty | Price | |
|---|---|---|---|
| WEN 6800W Dual Fuel RV-Ready Inverter Generator WEN Dual fuel means it runs on the propane already onboard, and the CO shutoff sensor is the feature to insist on near a rig people sleep in. | 1 | $798.00 | Buy |
| SoftStartRV Soft Start Kit SoftStartRV By NetworkRV Cuts air conditioner inrush so the generator does not have to be sized for the startup spike. | 1 | $295.00 | Buy |
| Generator and air conditioning subtotal | $1,093.00 |
Wiring and distribution
| Item | Qty | Price | |
|---|---|---|---|
| RVMARINEPAT 12V 250A Busbar, 6 Studs RVMARINEPAT Separate positive and negative distribution for a bank this size. | 2 | $53.98 | Buy |
| BOJACK 200A Inline ANL Fuse Holder with Fuse BOJACK Every source and every major load gets its own overcurrent protection. | 4 | $63.96 | Buy |
| TOPDC 4 AWG Battery Cable Pair, 18 in TOPDC Parallel battery interconnects must be identical in length and gauge, or the nearest pack does more work and ages faster. | 4 | $47.92 | Buy |
| Blue Sea Systems m-Series On/Off Battery Switch Blue Sea Systems A main disconnect rated for continuous service. | 1 | $27.05 | Buy |
| Wiring and distribution subtotal | $192.91 |
Build total
$4,405.68Totalled from the catalog price of every line above at the quantities shown. One or more items had no listed price and is excluded from this figure. Prices change often, so treat this as a planning figure and check each listing.
What you can skip
Telling you not to buy something is what makes the rest of the list worth trusting.
- A 3000W inverter on 12 volts. At roughly 300 amps it is the point where a 12V system stops making sense and the answer is 24V, not a bigger inverter.
- A second generator. A soft starter plus this bank covers the loads that a parallel pair would have been for.
- Self-heating batteries entirely, if you never camp below freezing. They cost substantially more for a feature you would never trigger, and standard LiFePO4 would serve you better per dollar.
What to upgrade first
Rebuild at 24 volts. Everything in this system is fighting the current that 12 volts forces on it, and at 24V the same power moves at half the current with a quarter of the percentage voltage drop. If you are starting from scratch rather than upgrading, start there.
Compare the tiers
Beginner
Beginner RV Boondocking Power Setup
The cheapest honest way to spend a weekend off grid: one LiFePO4 battery, a small solar array with an MPPT controller, a
Intermediate
Intermediate RV Boondocking Power Setup
A week off grid: 200Ah of lithium, a 400W roof array with a proper MPPT controller, a 2000W inverter and DC-DC charging
Different use case?
For rigs that are plugged into a pedestal most nights. The spend goes on protecting the rig from bad shore power and on covering travel days, not on solar. See the campground ladder.
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Frequently asked questions
- Who is the expert boondocking build for?
- Full-time off grid living across seasons, including below freezing, where running out of power is not an inconvenience but the end of the trip. Almost everyone. This is a lot of weight, money and complexity, and if you are plugged in even half the time the intermediate boondocking build does the same job for far less. Self-heating batteries in particular are wasted money if you never camp below freezing.
- What can I leave out of this build?
- A 3000W inverter on 12 volts. At roughly 300 amps it is the point where a 12V system stops making sense and the answer is 24V, not a bigger inverter. A second generator. A soft starter plus this bank covers the loads that a parallel pair would have been for.
- What should I upgrade first?
- Rebuild at 24 volts. Everything in this system is fighting the current that 12 volts forces on it, and at 24V the same power moves at half the current with a quarter of the percentage voltage drop. If you are starting from scratch rather than upgrading, start there.
- Why are there two different build ladders on this site?
- Because RV power has two genuinely different buyers. A rig on a pedestal most nights needs shore power protection and a converter matched to its battery, and gains almost nothing from solar. A rig off grid for days needs usable capacity and a way to refill it without a pedestal. One ladder cannot serve both without giving bad advice to one of them.
Before you wire any of this. Never exceed a conductor's rated ampacity, and fuse every positive conductor as close to the battery as it will fit. A LiFePO4 bank needs a lithium charge profile at every source, and must not be charged below freezing without a low temperature cutoff or a self-heating design. Never connect lithium directly to an alternator. Never run a generator in an enclosed or partly enclosed space, because carbon monoxide is odorless and kills. Permanent AC wiring is work for a qualified RV technician or licensed electrician.