12 Volt Accessories and Solar Applications

For Overland & Expedition travel, there is nothing better than 12 Volt DC to fill your needs for camp lighting, trailside repairs, recharging laptops & cameras and food preservation. It can be replenished and stored during the day while you drive or by Solar Panel and used when needed at night. Here’s a few of our favorites choices:

ARB 4X4 Adventure Light - 12V, 13 Watt Fluorescent

This rugged little beast comes with its own handy carry bag, a strap for the cord. It is equipped with a 12V plug that fits into both conventional cigarette lighter plugs as well as Hella style accessory plugs. We like that the plug has an LED light on it to verify power at the plug. It also has a nice switch on the cord near the light so if you are hanging it in your tent by one of the two convenient hooks, it’s a snap to turn on/off. Low amperage draw of 1.08 A/H.
$53.25

This is a heavy duty lamp that produces a lot of light, the manufacturer rates it at 5 watts but in our testing it only drew 3 watts.

The lamp could ideally be used for setting up camp or for roadside repairs. Although not DOT certified it would also make a great off-road reverse light.

The lamp produces a round 160 degree light pattern. Most of the light directed in the inner 40 degrees around the center of the lens, so there is significant side light.

FEATURES:
Ultra-white brilliance in an even, round pattern
Built to stand up against punishing conditions
LED technology in a sealed-beam lamp
10 super-high-output white LED’s
High Vibration resistance
Hard-wired for durability
100,000-hour diode life
Does not attract bugs
Low amp draw

Wattage: 5
Amp draw: 0.39
Output Lumens: 150
Lumens/watt: 30

4.75" Diameter (inc. housing)
2.75" Deep (inc. housing)
1/4" x 20 x 1 1/4" stud mount
Weight: 1 lb
Overall height when mounted: 6”

This LED utility lamp is made by a reputable US manufacturer

$95.00

Frustrated by flimsy 12 Volt sockets down at the local auto parts store? Do you find your GPS and other accessories coming unplugged on the washboard? Need to surface mount a socket but can’t find a solution?  WE HAVE IT! Our Socket Box is two pieces of 16 gauge steel that once assembled is bomb proof (okay, almost). 
Socket Box $ 12.95
Marine Locking Socket $ 9.99
Marine Locking Plug $ 6.99

Marine Grade Battery Chargers

Components are completely sealed in durable, corrosion-proof, waterproof thermal potting compound.
Full 3-stage charging for fast, full charging and maintenance.
Potted components are fully impact protected.
Shockproof and vibration-proof.
Built-in electronic overload protection, with automatic reset.
Reverse polarity and ignition protected.
LEDs indicate state of charge.
"Smart" technology can be left on without harmful effects to battery.
All models may be used for storage/maintenance.
Thermal protection for extreme ambient temperatures.
Models for 12, 24 or 36 volt systems.
For flooded or gel cell batteries
2 year limited warranty

6-amp output, Single Battery Charger.
12V system, 8-10 hours recovery time
Full-time maintenance function
Waterproof, fully-encapsulated electronics
Lifetime warranty against internal water damage

Price $92.95

20-amp output, Double Battery Charger (10/10)

High performance charger for 12 or 24 volt systems
20-amp output
5 hour recovery time
Full-time maintenance function
Waterproof, fully-encapsulated electronics
Lifetime warranty against internal water damage

Price $284.95

Solar Panels

A solar panel can make a lot of sense for remote base camps. Instead of simply listing different sizes and prices of solar panels, at Adventure Trailers, we prefer to have a consult with you about what you plan to run and how large a system you will need. Often the easiest and least expensive option is to simply double up on your batteries, other times, a solar panel will do the trick and others a generator is the only solution. Our goal is to see to it that you get a system sized correctly for you.

Most commonly where a trailer is being base camped for a week or more, running a few efficient lights, a fridge and a lap top periodically, we find an 80 watt panel in combination with a Group 31 battery and solar controller we can keep the beer cold and the lights on. Call us to help you calculate your energy needs.

Tips for Evaluating 12 Volt Power Requirements

In the same way that we plan our trips revolving around our MPG and miles per tank, we need to do the same for calculating our auxiliary electrical needs. It’s really quite simple: The key is Ohms law. It is a basic equation that can be read a few different ways depending upon what number you need to crunch:

Volts x Amps = Watts
Watts ÷ Amps = Volts
Watts ÷ Volts = Amps

Let’s say you want to know how many Amps an ARB 13Watt, 12V fluorescent light is going to consume per hour. Your answer is 13 Watts ÷ 12 Volts = 1.08 Amps per hour of usage.

Understanding Deep Cycle Battery Basics

The Group 31 Valve Regulated AGM Batteries that we favor in our trailers and vehicle conversions are very stout. A general rule of thumb for calculating available power from these 105 Amp hour  batteries is that no more than a 50% discharge (52.5 Amps) will give you the longest battery life and the most cycles. A cycle is each full recharging occurrence. Unfortunately, often we need to discharge beyond this 50%. A deep cycle battery is considering completely discharged when it reaches about 10.5 volts. Below 10.5 volts, most 12 volt appliances stop working. This is approximately 80% (84 Amps)

So here’s the math again. Using our 105 Amp Battery and the ARB 13 Watt, 12V Fluorescent light as an example:

(105 Amps X .80) ÷ (13 watts ÷ 12 Volts) = 77.7 Hours of burn time.