Our Budget-Friendly RV Solar Setup for Boondocking!

Compared to most RV solar installs, our setup is tiny! But this minimal approach has saved us thousands on the initial install AND in daily campground costs. This budget-friendly investment paid for itself within the first year! Here's all the details about our boondocking setup mixed with shenanigans at White Sands National Park and the best deli in New Mexico.

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00:00 What is Boondocking?
00:41 Minimal Off-Grid Solar Setup
05:07 Our Solar System Costs
05:57 Our Secret to Not Running Out of Water
08:59 Portable Waste Tank System
11:42 Best Deli in New Mexico
13:05 Dog DNA Test
16:49 You Need This for Boondocking
19:15 White Sands National Park
21:34 RV Projects
26:14 Change of Plans!

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Hey there! We're Joe + Kalyn!

As online entrepreneurs, we thought, "why not work from home... on the road"? So in 2019, we bought and renovated a 2005 Jayco Designer Fifth Wheel, which took us to every state in the lower 48. But the economy hit our business especially hard after the 'vid, spurring us to pivot in new directions and try different strategies, including various RV work camping jobs!

Follow our full-time RV Life journey as we build back our bank accounts in order to fund the biggest RV trip of our lifetime—Alaska.

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REAL-TIME UPDATES + STORIES FROM FULL-TIME TRAVEL ⤵️

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[OpenRoading]

Want a unique way to support the channel? Sign up for our Alaska Postcard Club for a handwritten hello this summer!

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[M.Campbell]

A window in the
Gives new meaning to the term "sh__ show".

[shanemaddison]

I think Trinity is part Rottweiler and perhaps Labrador. I think she is a beautiful dog.

[mattcrain]

Trinity made a great pick adopting you two! She looks so much more comfortable, and is showing who is in charge.

[redwolfexr]

The trick to being able to run Air Conditioning is to use DC units off the 12V instead of the 110 volt units that are typical. Most of them were designed for big diesel rigs. Plus not cooling the whole trailer - for example not cooling the bedroom during the day or the lounge during the night. Seen a few setups that managed. They are not cheap though.

It probably would not hurt you to double your panels while keeping the same battery, from the looks of it your controllers and wiring would be sufficient to handle it. You would just have the cost of the panels themselves. Add them to the existing daisy-chain.

[GregPrince-iocb]

Soft start for your AC.... Saves juice

[freedomreigns]

lived in Alaska for 3 years…and I wholeheartedly agree with a previous post…the mosquito is the Alaska State Bird

[terraderbi]

Hello from Turkey. I am one of your international viewers. Every other year when I visit the US I rent an RV and travel. Learning a lot from you guys. I signed up for Alaska Postcard. Looking forward to your Alaska adventure.

[darleneinch]

I think Trinity should be allowed on the couch. 💛

[daniellegratton]

I think Trinity is part Catahoula or Cur. She such a beautiful girl and I’m so glad you both took her in!

[SavorTheJourneyDave]

"So even though everything might not be exactly perfect, it's working, and the RV hasn't burned down yet." 🥰😍🤩 + 😂🤣😂🤣😂🤣😂🤣😂🤣

[MyBackyardScience]

After a strange day, including experiencing our first earthquake, it was such a joy to watch your video tonight! You guys packed so much into this one! It's nice to see Trinity settled in on the couch! I think she has a Bernese Mountain dog look, maybe mixed with lab. The White Sands visit was amazing, and it was so great that you got to bring Trinity along! It looked like the three of you had a great time! So glad the hand rail flip worked out! It was fun seeing our comment on that pop up on the screen! Have a great week! 🙂 🐕

[driveaboutworld]

Great video. It’s all a compromise. There’s a dark side to solar that no one ever talks about. For roof mounted solar panels to do their thing one is going to have to park out in the sun. Here in the Midwest shady oak trees are my friends on a warm summer day. If the hardware is configured correctly one can charge up the batteries using a portable solar panel set, roof mounted solar panels and via a generator, all at the same time. Let the solar panels do their thing as the sun moves across the sky, then fire up the generator for an extra charging boost if needed.

[Piper]

MOPEKA propane tank sensors. They are fantastic. Always know your tank levels. I’ve had them for 5 years now. Work great.

[Keith]

You had the same problem I had with my two huskies trying to do their DNA tests, but totally worth it to find out what your dog is. I use wooden match sticks with a little glue to hold the stick in place for any wood screw that strips..

[bkrajewski]

We were stationed at Holloman AFB a couple of times when my husband was in the Air Force. You pronounced Alamogordo perfectly.

[billpenning]

Damn Joe, you need one of those more ride slide out in your basement. That’ll fix that mess.

[larrycouch]

You folks are the regular folks dealing with camping life love you guys hey trinity that dog came to you guys for a reason lucky dog

[randyfredricksen]

I love the solar video! I went the Will Prowse direction with the 24 volt 200Amp hr. Lifepower 4 rack lithium battery ($1500)..a 3000 watt Growatt inverter (built in charge controller) for $750 and 4 used 305 panels from Santan Solar at $80 each. They produce 1200 watts at peak sunlight. I'll shut up now as I could easily text for an hour about this stuff..I love the off grid lifestyle. 😅

[bryanspayde]

Went sled riding at 115 degrees! A good time .