RV’s are designed to be off-grid. Propane tanks, LP appliances, generators, water holding tanks and batteries allow most recreational vehicles to boondock (dry-camping away from any hookups like power water or waste) for limited periods of time.

 

But the majority of traditional RV systems have limitations with dependence on costly and non-renewable resources like propane or other petroleum products. With the Land Yacht we don’t want to be dependant on propane, fuel or the, “grid”. So we began looking at different sustainable and efficient off-grid solutions. Our goal is to:

 

• Maximize the amount of Boondocking Time
• Maximize Long Term Affordability
• Minimize the Impact on the Environment
• Minimize the use of Non-Renewable Resources

 

Obviously we have some hurdles to clear but here are some of the sustainable systems and solutions we are using or considering:

 

 

OFF-GRID SYSTEMS & SOLUTIONS

 

[shadow_box]

LIGHTS – LED

A simple step that made a huge impact on our power consumption was converting our lights from standard incandescent bulbs to LED’s (Light Emitting Diodes). LED’s give off great light, use 1/10th the power, emit very little heat and will burn 40x’s as long as standard bulbs. The conversion can be very simple but LED’s are not cheap. We will post an update about our LED conversion here soon.

[/shadow_box]

 

[shadow_box]

WASTE – COMPOSTING TOILET

One limiting factor in boondocking time is your gray / black tank capacity. Once your tanks are full – they need to be emptied!!! We opted for a composting toilet for the Land Yacht and converted our black tank to a gray tank. The composting toilet allows us to boondock for longer periods of time. We have several 5-gallon buckets and each bucket will service our family for 2-3 weeks. (And we always have the option of slipping off into the woods with a shovel and adding valuable nutrients back into the soil.) Our DIY composting toilet was very affordable (around $50) and works perfectly with little to no smell (much less smell than black tanks)!

[/shadow_box]

 

[shadow_box]

POWER – SOLAR ARRAY & BATTERY BANK

Many RV solar installation place panels atop the roof. This is great for hassle free setup and for charge time when traveling as opposed to portable panels you have to setup. There are pros and cons to each. I heard a quote recently that said, “good design is modular”. We are taking this approach with our solar setup. We want to be able to charge while driving and have the ability to park our trailer in shade and still have access to power. So our solar system will have two phases.

 

PHASE 1 – PORTABLE SOLAR SYSTEM

Phase 1 – gives us portability. We have a DIY solar box that houses enough battery juice to power the essentials in our trailer for 1 day. This phase also allowed us to learn the basics of solar + get started without a ton of investment.

 

PHASE 2 – PERMANENT SOLAR SYSTEM

Phase 2 – will be a more substantial permanent solution in the Airstream. The plan is to have a rooftop panel to charge while we are driving and a few portable panels so we can still access the sun when parking in the shade.

 

BATTERIES

We have opted for Trojan T105 6v Batteries wired to get 12v DC. These batteries cost a bit more but they are designed for a much greater charge/use cycle than cheaper batteries. If you shop around you may be able to find these high quality batteries for about the same price as budget batteries (like those found at Costco/Sams). We found the T105 for $100 at a local Golf Cart store.

[/shadow_box]

 

[shadow_box]

COOLING – FANS, SHADE & AC

The Land Yacht originally came with a rooftop AC powered air conditioner. While it functioned well it was big, ugly and required lots of juice to function. To make this a suitable cooling solution we would need to purchase a suitable generator which requires fuel. No thanks.

 

FANS

So the first step in attempting a comfortable interior was to install 2 fantastic fans. These little 12v DC powered fans use a modest amount of power and can really move some air. We have one fan in the front and another in the rear.

 

SHADE

Summer in the Trailer was HOT! The location we were parked the majority of the summer was full-sun during the hottest part of the day which left the interior blazing! We are looking for a portable solution that could easily be set-up and act as a sun-shade when we are parked away from any useful shade. Another option I have seen is a white painted roof. While this seems like it would help…I think a physical barrier would work much better! Plus an portable roof could also protect the trailer from other elements like rain and serve as a medium to catch rainwater.

 

AIR CONDITIONING

I have yet to find a good DC powered Air Conditioner that would be a suitable off-grid solution. Meanwhile we purchased a small window AC unit that helps take the edge off. While this is not a sustainable off-grid solution perse depending on how big our array/battery bank is we may be able to run our small Air Conditioner off the solar panels during the sunny summer months.

[/shadow_box]

 

[shadow_box]

HEATING – SMALL WOOD STOVE

When it comes to heat there is really only one feasible off-grid solution – a small wood burning stove. Wood stoves provide a great source of heat and small bits of scrap wood can easily be gathered in most areas. Traditional stoves are much too big and heavy so smaller specialty stoves specifically designed for small spaces are a perfect fit. We have installed a Salamander Hobbit. This quality little cast stove is from the UK. The Hobbit is classy, efficient and the perfect size for our small space. (And as a bonus you can optionally add a boiler to the stove to heat hot water.)

[/shadow_box]

 

[shadow_box]

COOKING – PROPANE & WOOD STOVE

The Land Yacht is outfitted with a propane range/oven combo for cooking. While propane is not necessarily off-grid, for cooking, it’s pretty cheap and readily available. As a off-grid solution we have the option of cooking on our tiny wood stove.

[/shadow_box]

 

[shadow_box]

REFRIGERATION – DC SOLAR FRIDGE

Traditional RV refrigerators run on propane and AC power. A more sustainable (and better option for us) is a super efficient 12v fridge. These fridges are super insulated and their compressors run on 12v power which can be serviced by a single deep cycle battery and solar panel.

[/shadow_box]

 

[shadow_box]

HOT WATER – SOLAR HEATER & BOILER

The suns energy is good for more than just power…solar hot water heaters are simple and work very well (in the right conditions). In the summer we are going to use a solar hot water heater and the winter we will use the boiler in our tiny wood stove.

[/shadow_box]

 

[shadow_box]

WATER TANKS

The trailer is outfitted with a 29 gallon fresh water holding tank. The tanks capacity will last for 4-5 days of boon-docking (if you really conserve – 2 gallons/person/day). To increase our water capacity we are going to install a separate water tank in our truck so we can ferry more water to the trailer.

[/shadow_box]

 

[shadow_box]

LAUNDRY

These days there are specific RV model washers and dryers that can fit in fairly small spaces. That said these models require a significant amount of AC power to operate. For us we are taking a more minimalistic approach…a little water, Shae’s homemade detergent, a bucket, simple hand operated agitator and some type of wringer or spinner to remove excess water then hang to dry.

[/shadow_box]

 

Thanks for checking out our Off-Grid Airstream plan! Did we miss something? Do you know of a solution we missed? Place your comments and questions below!

 

Cheers!

-NICK