The world is in the midst of the great "Off Grid" movement. People are tired of living depending on the grid in order to survive. For thousands of years, people were independent: They owned their own farms, grew their own food, raised their own livestock, and drank from their own water source. There was no grid and people were free. Then came along came the idea to build large cities. People gave up their independent living lifestyle and moved into these cities. The Industrial Revolution came along and electricity was invented. The grid was good. Over time, the world grew more and more dependent on the grid for everything. 

 

Do you want to know the truth?

 

Dependence = Bondage

 

Independence = Freedom

 

When you do not have constraints you are free to live they way you choose.

 

In 2020, my parents purchased a new motorhome and began planning their three month RV road trip across the country.  They were floored by the cost to stay in an RV campground, anywhere between $50-$80/night for hookups.  Do the math and that is an average of $2,000/month to stay in a campground. My dad, having worked as an aerospace engineer for 25 years, began looking for alternative ways to travel inexpensively. 

 

After doing research he discovered that there are millions of acres in the USA where you can boondock and camp for free. These places are Bureau of Land Management (BLM) property and National Forest.

 

He also found that there are two things you need in order to be off grid in an RV and boondock: Water and Electricity.

 

He made a water transportation devise that he could transfer water from the back of their Honda CRV and into the motorhome.  My parents also purchased a composting toilet to reduce the amount of water they would consume.

 

The electrical issue was a more complex problem to solve.  After doing more research he discovered the magic of solar and lithium batteries.  This would be able to power the RV electrical system (lights, outlets, air conditioner, water pump, etc.).

 

Over the next few months (during Covid), he began designing and installing a full off grid solar system on his 2019 Bounder motorhome.  There are many components to a solar system. 

 

• Solar Panels

• Mounting System

• MPPT Charge Controller

• Wire Size

• Breakers

• Fuses

• Bus Bars

• Lithium Batteries

• Inverter

 

Once the solar equipment was installed and connected to the main RV breaker panel, my parents and two of my sisters were able to travel the country and never stay in a campground.

 

Loving the freedom solar power gave him, Dad and I installed a 15kw system onto his barndominium.  He is now able to run his entire house on solar and not have to rely on the electrical grid for power.

 

In 2021, I had been working in the construction industry for four years.  With the desire to be my own boss, I learned RV solar from my dad.  I quit construction and started RVsOffGrid.  My mission is to help free people from the need for campground hookups.

 

There is a lot of solar equipment on the market today.  I found that Victron Energy and EG4 have high quality equipment.  Both Dad and I are also trained by Victron to install systems into RVs.  There are many features the equipment have, such as their integrated app and monitoring your system online.

 

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