Campground ladder, intermediate tier
Intermediate RV Campground Power Setup
Researched from published standards and manufacturer specifications. Updated .
Quick answer
The buy-once campground setup pairs a LiFePO4 house battery with a converter that has a genuine lithium charge profile. Changing the battery without changing the converter is the most common and most expensive mistake in an RV lithium conversion, because the bank never reaches full charge.
Who this is for
A second rig or a serious upgrade, still mostly on hookups but no longer willing to be caught out by them.
Who should not buy this
Someone who genuinely never leaves a hookup. A single AGM and good protection would serve them for less money.
The complete build
Everything needed to make this system work, grouped by function. If you buy this list you can finish the job.
House battery and charging
Battery and converter are one purchase decision, not two.
| Item | Qty | Price | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Super Empower 12V 100Ah LiFePO4, Group 24 SUPER EMPOWER Two 100Ah LiFePO4 in parallel give roughly 160Ah usable, which is more than three times a single AGM in the same space. | 2 | $365.98 | Buy |
| PowerMax PM3-55LK 55A Converter, Lithium PowerMax A genuine lithium charge profile, which is what lets the bank actually reach full charge from shore power. | 1 | $133.00 | Buy |
| LiTime 12V 20A LiFePO4 Charger Litime For off-season top-ups and for waking a pack whose BMS has shut it down. | 1 | $93.99 | Buy |
| House battery and charging subtotal | $592.97 |
Shore power protection
| Item | Qty | Price | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Power Watchdog PWD30 Bluetooth, 30A Power Watchdog Reports actual pedestal voltage and current to a phone, which is how you catch a sagging pedestal over a long stay. | 1 | $139.99 | Buy |
| RVGUARD 30A 25ft Cord with Polarity Indicator RVGUARD A reverse polarity indicator warns you about a miswired pedestal before you connect the rig. | 1 | $53.99 | Buy |
| Camco PowerGrip Dogbone, 50A Male to 30A Female Camco For 50 amp sites. | 1 | $16.11 | Buy |
| Shore power protection subtotal | $210.09 |
Monitoring
| Item | Qty | Price | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Victron SmartShunt 500A Battery Monitor Victron Energy Lithium voltage is nearly flat across the middle of its range, so only a shunt counting amp-hours can tell you what is actually left. | 1 | Check | Buy |
| Monitoring subtotal | $0.00 |
Wiring and distribution
| Item | Qty | Price | |
|---|---|---|---|
| RVMARINEPAT 12V 250A Busbar, 6 Studs RVMARINEPAT Positive and negative distribution in one part, instead of a stack of ring terminals on the battery post. | 1 | $26.99 | Buy |
| BOJACK 200A Inline ANL Fuse Holder with Fuse BOJACK One for the main feed and one for the converter circuit. | 2 | $31.98 | Buy |
| TOPDC 4 AWG Battery Cable Pair, 18 in TOPDC Battery interconnects and the run to the busbar. | 2 | $23.96 | Buy |
| Blue Sea Systems m-Series On/Off Battery Switch Blue Sea Systems Blue Sea publishes continuous and intermittent ratings separately, which cheap switches do not. | 1 | $27.05 | Buy |
| Wiring and distribution subtotal | $109.98 |
Build total
$913.04Totalled 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 large inverter. On hookups the pedestal runs the AC loads, and a big inverter mostly adds idle draw.
- Rooftop solar. Worth it only once you start spending nights off grid, and then the boondocking ladder is the better plan.
- A self-heating battery, unless you camp below freezing. It costs meaningfully more for a feature you would never trigger.
What to upgrade first
A small pure sine inverter, so the rig can run a fridge and chargers while travelling and during a pedestal outage. After that, solar, at which point you are really building the boondocking ladder instead.
Compare the tiers
Beginner
Beginner RV Campground Power Setup
The lowest cost complete shore power setup: pedestal protection, a correct cord and adapter, and enough battery to cover
Expert
Expert RV Campground Power Setup
A full-time 50 amp shore power system: hardwired EMS protection, an inverter/charger with transfer switching, a large li
Different use case?
For rigs that spend days away from hookups. The spend goes on usable capacity and on refilling it without a pedestal. See the boondocking ladder.
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Frequently asked questions
- Who is the intermediate campground build for?
- A second rig or a serious upgrade, still mostly on hookups but no longer willing to be caught out by them. Someone who genuinely never leaves a hookup. A single AGM and good protection would serve them for less money.
- What can I leave out of this build?
- A large inverter. On hookups the pedestal runs the AC loads, and a big inverter mostly adds idle draw. Rooftop solar. Worth it only once you start spending nights off grid, and then the boondocking ladder is the better plan.
- What should I upgrade first?
- A small pure sine inverter, so the rig can run a fridge and chargers while travelling and during a pedestal outage. After that, solar, at which point you are really building the boondocking ladder instead.
- 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.