Warning: ancient thread revival! Back again and still a Base Camp owner two years and counting. Aside from some trips last year, the trailer has been in the garage and only moved a few times for maintenance and to ensure the tires don't get flat spots. Disappointing that I haven't been able to get out, but I do have a good excuse since we celebrated the birth of our first baby girl last Sept. So, coupled with an extemely short summer, there haven't been many opportunities to get out.
My wife and I were out last summer for 4 days in Tennessee. The one 120w solar panel provided all the power we needed and more. We ran the fridge the whole time, had a radio playing, hot showers every morning, and had more than enough lighting in the evenings. The 230w panel never came out, so I'm very happy that this setup worked so well!
That said, there's still work to be done. We just began our polyurea operations at my shop, so you know what that means! I understand the "cooling" concept of the white paint, but a flat-black polyurea coating will be more incognito when out in the woods and tough as nails. There's a ton of disassembly to be done to accomplish this, however, so it'll most likely be an all-winter project given my lack of time.
Aside from the coating, I'm really rethinking the rooftop tent. That whole assembly is heavy and deploying it can be a back-breaker. I'm contemplating removal of the top half and fabricating either a lighter clamshell design or some sort of pull-out platform (haven't thought the specifics of that one out yet). I'd really like to run a different tent but can't throw that kind of money at it right now.
To answer some of the above posts....regarding the solar, I also prefer to park in the shade. I understand the concerns about damage to the panel, however, I've had branches whipping by and it's come out without a scratch. In addition, the 230w panel can be deployed up to 50' away when needed.
fullofdays, you probably already figured this out, but if you haven't please PM me and I'll shoot you over the diagram. The only thing that isn't running throught the Base Camps plug is the charging line, which was reserved for the Toad Charge. Unfortunately, I had a nearly-catastrophic event when the plug end of the Toad Charger on the JK shorted, caught on fire, and nearly took the Jeep with it. The "breaker" that they provide never switched, so I won't be using their products again.
Anyways, that's all for now. Stay tuned as I make it a blacked-out Base Camp, and happy trails in the meantime.