I searched a bit and didn't find specifically what I'm asking for, so I figured this thread may help some people in the same boat as me. The wife and I are going to go cross country, mostly camping in national parks in our GX. I'll be outfitting an ICECO fridge, running power to the rear, and will be wanting lights and some charge-ability for small devices at night. The air compressor, aux lights, and powerstation charging will be done while the vehicle is on and moving, since we'll be driving a lot. There will be a few days where we'll set up camp for 2-3 days. All in all, the trip will be 3 weeks.

To get to the point - with what I'm planning on doing (camping using limited power for a few days), do I need a dual battery setup, or can I use a deep cell battery like a Northstar?

 

i think a 27F northstar will do just fine as long as you dont exceed 3 nights of no driving. the 27F has slightly more capacity than the factory 24F. you will also need a voltage diode to make sure you are fully charging the battery - https://trail4runner.com/2019/01/30/...oster-4runner/

you should also run at least a 10 gauge or lower cooper wire for power to the rear. and dont forget a jump starter just in case you do end up fully draining the battery - unlikely since the iceco sips power.

 

I appreciate the advice - And no, we would not exceed 3 nights straight. If that were the case, I might even look into the battery box from Kings or a similar product to mount in the rear in case I needed it. Would the 27F also be able to handle LED string or scene lights for a few days? And at that point, would it just be best to use a powerstation to charge the devices overnight?

 

i think it can handle a few lights without issues as long as you are not keeping them on all night.

 

depends on how much energy you will pull from the battery. a deep cycle can endure cycles where it goes low in energy and then is recharged, the standard auto battery can not handle much for these cycles.
with dual batteries then you would want an isolator.

probably easier to just get some type of separate battery bank/powerstation device. still need to determine the energy wanted to get a proper sizing.

 

Sounds like a 500W power station may suit your needs. It will run a fridge and accessories for a couple days at least, is portable, and some models can be charged via solar. You could set up a panel to charge while in use at your camp site. I am happy with my Bluetti AC50s, but there are other models out there, e.g Jackery, Rockpals, Ecoflow, etc. I'm not electric wiring-inclined, so this is an easy solution for my needs.

 

the watts are the power, the watt hours are the energy.
watts tell you how big of a thing, electricity use-wise, it can power.
watt hours tell you how long it will last at an energy out level.

a 50W continuous fridge on a 200W/500WH supply will run for 10 hours.

 

That's assuming a continuous draw, right? Fridges cycle on and off, depending on use and ambient temps. I tested my fridge when I first got it and it ran for almost 72hrs on the 1 charge from my 500w battery. That's a perfect world scenario, with cool ambient temp and no opening and closing. I would imagine I could get close to 2 days use in real world use. Any longer and you would likely need a solar panel or running off your car battery.

 

Best setup for your use case is solar. If you're sitting through multiple days without your vehicle running, just get a portable solar setup with clamps and hook it to the battery. If you want to be streamlined, hard mount a solar controller and use quick connects to the solar panels.

 

yes they cycle. an average continuous is needed to do the math unless you want to calculate areas under functions.
the fridge manufacturer will generally spec the average, they usually dont give a value for compressor on, compressor off, etc.
some do list a range
some even have charts https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/03...f?v=1587403602

 

I vote for a big single battery, with a lithium jump starter as backup. Simple is best.

 

Took yours and others' advice and went with the GoalZero Yeti 500X with the Boulder 100 briefcase panel pre-wired with the controller so I can charge either the GZ Battery or the Starter battery. Came out to be cheaper than a dual battery setup and a lot less wiring and labor on my part.

 

I did the Bluetti 500w with a 100w solar for day charging. My Iceco 53q has a ~35w in eco mode once cooled. I fill it a day or two before and run it in the house before putting it in the GX to save battery. I have the battery hooked to 12v charge when the vehicle is running.

 

I am doing jackery 300 and iceco jp50. iceco is plugged in to jackery. jackery is plugged in to 12v adapter and charges when vehicle is on. when vehicle is off i switch over to using the 100w solar panel to charge jackery to run fridge. i did a week through AZ recently and never once had a power issue. the jackery alone can run the fridge easily 15 hours (i had one test of 26 hours). at one spot we used solar for 7 hours. the jacker stayed at 100% and fridge at 28f.

i did not want to do a dual battery setup and went this route. the other plus. the jackery can jump your car (i carry a trickle charger with 12v attachment). it can charge phones. run lights. charge laptops. camera batteries. lot more versatile