Southern Ontario to B.C. and back again - The little SX4 that could

[WagoneerSX4]

Your setup sounds a lot more complicated than mine! I just have a 110amp/hr class 27 deep cycle with 10w flood LED's (one inside the trailer, and then one on both sides and the front). I have them hooker up to a marine switch panel which also has a 12V outlet. Then I have a 800w inverter with USB outlets for the phones and 2 120V outlets for the computers and camera batteries. We weren't very careful with power consumption on this trip but the deep cycle never dipped down below fully charged on the meter. I also had two 40w panels that charge at 7amps max always set out, but never specifically moved them to be pointed at the sun or anything.



So far I'm really happy with it. I built the whole trailer on simplicity and efficiency. I'm only a couple grand into the trailer even factoring the RTT, upgraded axle, springs, tongue, etc. Value-wise you can't beat a setup like this!

 

[PirateMcGee]

Great report! thanks a lot for sharing!

 

[calicamper]

Your setup sounds a lot more complicated than mine! I just have a 110amp/hr class 27 deep cycle with 10w flood LED's (one inside the trailer, and then one on both sides and the front). I have them hooker up to a marine switch panel which also has a 12V outlet. Then I have a 800w inverter with USB outlets for the phones and 2 120V outlets for the computers and camera batteries. We weren't very careful with power consumption on this trip but the deep cycle never dipped down below fully charged on the meter. I also had two 40w panels that charge at 7amps max always set out, but never specifically moved them to be pointed at the sun or anything.



So far I'm really happy with it. I built the whole trailer on simplicity and efficiency. I'm only a couple grand into the trailer even factoring the RTT, upgraded axle, springs, tongue, etc. Value-wise you can't beat a setup like this!

Mine is a micro version of yours.
Total weight is about 15lbs including the panels.



Yes your right for the $ the small gear trailer with RTT is hard to beat.
My base platform idea to be towed by dads G35x.
Great example of what I'm going to try and snag for a trailer.

 

[WagoneerSX4]

That's great how it all fits into the ammo box! I've been meaning to pick some 50cal ammo boxes from my local surplus store, they have so many camping uses! I'm thinking about replacing a lot of my soft cases with those, just for the durability.

 

[calicamper]

That's great how it all fits into the ammo box! I've been meaning to pick some 50cal ammo boxes from my local surplus store, they have so many camping uses! I'm thinking about replacing a lot of my soft cases with those, just for the durability.

For sure the ammo box works great for lots of uses. This one was via Amazon Prime brand new the seal and everything is brand new. $30 quality is pretty good. Worth comparing prices with your local surplus store. The picture is a little misleading the wiring mess in the box are three power leads semi coiled and tucked down between a small 6 fuse fuse box mounted with the two visible nuts on the front side and the solar controller so it looks messy. One lead with two plugs for the two 10watt panels, then a second lead with heavier gauge wire using a RC Heli battery connector plug for our charging hub device - then a 3rd lead with a simple automotive low voltage water proof connector for the LED lights in the tent which are all sort of tucked into the box in that picture. So in the set up mode I typically have the box almost closed with three power leads running out of it two go into the tent via a velcro flap and the other to the solar panels which have about a 5foot wire on them and I can prop them up in the tongue box with the lid open which sorta keeps them out of sight but in the sun which is a nice option I discovered, or I found my self setting them on an extra camp chair and would adjust the chair once in a while when walking by vs where the sun is headed etc. Seems to work OK. Tops we see about 1.2amps out of the panels 7 amps would be Fridge, icecream and cold beer action! Might have to up the power game for the trailer build idea ;-)

 

[WagoneerSX4]

Yeah it's surprisingly how much littler power you actually need when you're recharging every day. I think even if we get a bad stretch of weather with 3 or 4 days of overcast I still think this setup will do us just fine. I thought for sure the 80w of solar would just barely get us by but they kept us topped up for the whole trip!

But then again I don't have a fridge running the entire night like most people do. If I ended up getting a fridge down the road than I think the 80w of solar would be cutting it close to keep the 110amp/hr battery topped up completely.

 

[NoDinero]

Great report. One tough car! Thanks for the pic of Chutes PP. We plan Milwaukee (Wisconsin) through Sault Ste Marie to Montreal to Boston and back in September-October. Any other camping recommendations along the 17? Nippising, Algonquin? Thanks.

 

[Bushcoat]

No dinero, if you would like a nice campground on lake Nipissing, beaucage park is your spot. Its on first nations land, turn off is about halfway between sturgeon falls and north bay. You do know its cold up here September/October, right? Most summer attractions have shut down and people are out moose and deer hunting, trying to fill their freezers for winter.

 

[zzz150]

Great report. One tough car! Thanks for the pic of Chutes PP. We plan Milwaukee (Wisconsin) through Sault Ste Marie to Montreal to Boston and back in September-October. Any other camping recommendations along the 17? Nippising, Algonquin? Thanks.

If you do decide to go into algonquin let me know and I can offer a few suggestions off hwy 17.

 

[Bushcoat]

If I may, I'd suggest missing out on Algonquin and investing time into a loop north from Sault ste Marie to wawa, north/east on 101 through (past) chapleau, and onward 129 east/south reuniting with hwy 17 at thessalon. The scenery is great, there are a lot of great hikes and parks, chapleau is home to the worlds largest crown game preserve. It would likely add 5-6 hours (a guess) to your travel time, but going south through Algonquin I'm sure would add a few hours. Either way, if you are into hiking and whatnot, another nice side trip is Killarney park about an hour south of Sudbury toward Toronto is the Killarney park turn off, and another 40 or so miles in to the town.

 

[WagoneerSX4]

Great report. One tough car! Thanks for the pic of Chutes PP. We plan Milwaukee (Wisconsin) through Sault Ste Marie to Montreal to Boston and back in September-October. Any other camping recommendations along the 17? Nippising, Algonquin? Thanks.

Killarney is fantastic if you enjoy beautiful rocky shorelines. Definitely worth renting a canoe if weather permits. Chutes was okay. It had one hiking loop, which was a very nice and quiet hike with lots of river crossings, but I don't think it's a park I would have wanted to spend more than one night at. Brent Lake in Northern algonquin is also very beautiful with lots of trails and is a great fishing/canoe lake with lots of little inlets to explore. It's really the only campsite I would visit inside of Algonquin unless you're back-country camping. All the rest have become very touristy. The old guy that runs it comes off as grumpy at first but he's a real softy. He has two of the friendliest rotties I've ever seen. They played with my lob/collie cross for hours.

And you can't go wrong with anything around Nippissing. If you're sick of camping you can stay in one of the endless lodges with cabins for a day and rent a tinny and do some fishing. All of my most memorable fights with +40" northern pikes and muskies have been from Nippissing. They seem a whole lot bigger and seem to fight 10x more when you're in a 12ft boat. I honestly had more fun fishing the shallows from one of the smaller arms or inlets of nippissing rather than trolling for wallye out in the open deep waters. And again, no matter what arm or inlet you choose, you can't go wrong. It's one of those lakes where you can sit in a boat all day and not catch a thing and still drive home with a smile on your face because of the beautiful scenery all around you. Just watch out for rocks. We've bent/cracked two props on Nippissing. It has a lot of spots where it goes from 40ft deep to 2ft deep in a couple feet. But those are the places you'll want to fish.

 

[Arto Holappa]

Thanks for sharing,i was born in Alberta and lived in Edmonton for 17 years before moving to Finland.used to go with my dad to Banff,Jasper and the rockies and have fond memories of the places.I would love to take my family there one day and show them the great places.The mountains in any country are Outstanding places to visit.We are planning a road trip through Europe next year with Our D2 through the alps and Pyrenees,cant wait.

 

[rkj__]

Thanks for sharing experience with us all here.