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Thanks, all. I do have a volt meter, but couldn't find it by the time I went in to AutoZone so I just swapped out the battery. The test said "bad battery," but as noted, it probably depends on the operator. Either way, at 10+ years, it's sounding like it was time for a replacement anyway. Thanks...

Thank you. I didn't realize they can test your battery quickly at an AutoZone or similar. They also have some deep-cycle AGMs for around the price of a hotel room, so I might go with one of those for this imminent trip (and probably keep it for a while). Now that it's mid-day and the frost is...

Just realized my house battery is dead based on the Morningstar Sunsaver 20L showing a red light. The battery is a 10 year old Deka Intimidator AGM. I have no idea how long those are supposed to last, but that seems like maybe it'd be the battery? There is a solar panel on top, and it seems to...

Bought in 2013 or 2014 and used until late 2016. Ultimately, we decided to go with the bigger HS 2800 for winter camping at elevation. It works. It occasionally takes multiple clicks to ignite, and maybe 2-3 times ever I've had to reset (by cycling the thermostat/power) when it thought there...

That makes sense. Thank you. I guess it could be hard to fit two pieces of 2-3" strap into one hook and make it secure.

I'm slowly adding to my recovery setup (don't worry, it'll get lots of practice before I try a real recovery - which will hopefully never be necessary). I've got a come-along (Wyeth More Power Puller) with Amsteel blue cable. Let's say I've got a tree strap or tow strap with built-in loops at...

One more opinion for you... Personally I'd get the furnace if you want it to be warm in there. If you're good with "backpacking in your truck" then you don't need it. Nothing wrong with backpacking in your truck -- it's simpler, quieter, and less expensive. I end up using mine in the winter and...

Here's what I did. I more or less copied Lighthawk's (previously linked) version. There is some discussion about what I learned after putting them on (try to stop the door swinging with a tire...). I still like it. Only thing I'd do different is put some kind of screw-on-able bracket behind the...

Thanks again -- that's good to know about the front. This thread is like an old favorite book I can come back to and enjoy every few years... Always notice something new.

Welcome home (or maybe it should be "I hope you get to head back out on the road soon"). Love me some Rabbit Valley... sounds like you were having a good time out there. A question on your lifting struts: I hear conflicting answers about the internal lifting helpers. Do you think those help you...

Thanks dwh. For some reason I imagined that the charge controller would make it look like the system is at a high voltage, but I suppose if things were really that dumb they'd never work (it would always shut itself off). Of course, I'm still learning things...

Thanks for asking this jebers53, I had just been wondering something similar recently... So, assuming you're driving around on a sunny day, does that mean you'd hardly get any charge from the alternator (Because the battery system voltage would presumably be high -- possibly as high as the "bus...

I think the trick is to have the buttons on your phone down when you take the picture (whether you're doing a vertical or horizontal shot, keep the 2 volume buttons down lower). That should seem counterintuitive, like you're holding your camera upside-down, but it seems to work 80% of the time...

Thanks - good to know that your experience is the plain-old wire might hold up just fine. Guess I have to take my chances on one or the other: overheating, or wire that might need replacing someday.

Ok, so now I'm quite a bit more worried about heat than I was about voltage drop... as I probably should be. So the alternative that I see other people using is basically something like 10 gauge wire that has (as far as I can tell) no protection against the sun. Most people seem to use these...

Thanks Dave. So if I'm understanding, the thing I care about is the wire temp with zero current (sitting in the sun it might be hot) plus any temperature increase that comes as a result of the current. And I want that to stay (comfortably) below the rating of the wire. I haven't seen...

Thanks Oddvaro, The thicker wire on the ends is already in place – so the money has already been spent on copper by me or somebody else. So I guess I'm wondering if small wire is like a “weakest link” problem (which it sounds like you're saying), or if it's more like a...

I'm installing a panel on my roof and wondering if 1-2 feet (maximum -- ideally it'll be more like 8 inches) of 16 gauge wire will mess things up. The reason I'd use it is to get the wire through a small hole and through the roof. I've got a side-entry cable clam that can accept wire up to 7mm...

Looks good. I'm really curious about the bike mount though. Does ATC do that or did you build it yourself? Not to go off topic, but I'd love to see any photos...

Interesting, thanks. That led me to the side-entry Cable Clam, which I really like the looks of. Not sure if two 10 AWG PV wires will fit through the side-entry version, but if not I'll consider splicing and using a short section of smaller wire to go through there.