CHOOSING A SITE
Once you ’ ve arrived at a campground , it ’ s time to choose a site . If the camp is crowded , you may not have a lot of choice , but if the place is empty then you can be a bit fussy .
Most caravanners will set themselves up to have the best view or be close to a waterway but , if you ’ re free-camping and relying on things like solar panels to recharge batteries , or you want to have access to satellite TV , these may not be the best sites to choose .
For instance , in summer , you may want to face the front or rear of the van to the north to minimise exposure to the sun , heating the interior . In winter you may face the non-awning side of the van to the north to take advantage of the natural heating of the sun . It may also ensure your solar panels have maximum exposure to the sun without fixtures like the airconditioner or roof hatches casting shadows across them .
If you park your caravan underneath trees , you will need an alternative source of solar power as the ones on the roof will not work effectively . More about that later .
In the morning winter sun , a standing solar panel can be aimed for better charging than flat panels .
ELECTRICITY
The thing that caravaners struggle with the most is maintaining their batteries ’ state of charge ( SOC ) high enough to keep up with their power demands . It ’ s amazing considering many new caravans come with decent lithium battery systems complete with a few hundred watts of solar panels on the roof .
The problem is , many owners completely underestimate just how much power they use , especially if they are running highwattage appliances like compressor fridges , big TVs and even household electrical appliances through an inverter . What ’ s more , they rely on rooftop solar panels that , even in the peak of summer , may only provide highamp charging for five hours a day .
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