Dan's Blog

  Down2Mob did this video, a high-level general tour https://youtu.be/JGZP5CTbqOU OutofOfficeCamping, water leaks in GFC? Fixes? https://youtu.be/Dn8XZIK5d4s      

      March/April 2023 Arizona/Utah trip https://www.flickr.com/gp/mountainwocky/AU67ySn34L   Dec trip Vermont https://www.flickr.com/gp/mountainwocky/AYnV1h5zN5    Sept trip https://www.flickr.com/gp/mountainwocky/7Jq4nFxmL8

  I made a new Surfski bag using my sailrite lsz1 sewing machine. The one I replaced was the very first thing I'd ever sewn using cheap nylon fabric from Jo-Ann Fabrics. This time I used Sunbrella and PTFE thread with a lifetime warranty. Also, this time around I sewed the zipper to run along the bottom of the boat. All the commercial ones, like these , have the zipper on top. Hopefully i don't regret this, but it makes more sense to me to have the zipper on the bottom. You lay the surfski on the stands so it's off the ground, roll out the cover on top, then pull the zipper underneath the boat, lifting it as needed to get over the stands. My surfski only weighs 35lbs, so it's easy to lift. So far having the zipper along the bottom works great, but you do need the stands. If water gets into the bag when driving through rain, the water can now drain out via the zipper along the bottom. The con is you need stands and long monkey arms like mine, but ...

  This 45 watt Lensun Hood solar panel is actually for the Truck's battery. I've notice when I'm home and just doing short trips to the grocery store, Home Depot, etc; The auto start stop almost never engages on the Ranger, and I often get the alert via my phone that the Remote features in the FordPass app have been disabled to conserve battery power. I think the blackvue dashcam and the sPOD as well as the remote features for the FordPass app are draining the battery when I don't take it for a 30 minute drive often enough. This hood solar should keep the truck happy, and this will be important when I leave the truck parked for awhile for future backpacking/bikepacking outings where I leave the truck parked for a few days. It has its own bluetooth MPPT controller. So far I've only seen in provide 20 watts in full sun. so I'm guessing it's the angle on the hood. Also, the MPPT controller is just ziptied on the driver side up near the wiring I'v...

From my trip I realized I'd done a dumb thing by wiring up the RV distribution panel's battery charger. So when the breaker was on, it would add a 500 watt draw whenever I turned the Victron inverter on. Easy to fix by turning the breaker off, but in retrospect, it was dumb to wire it up. the Shore power plug has 10gauge wire going to the Victron inverter, and then the Victron inverter has 6 gauge wire running back to the RV distribution panel to supply AC power. You'd think having the shore power go to the Victron inverter first would have clued me in that I didn't need the RV panel's battery charging board. I think my familiarity with the Micro Camper threw me off. Anyway, I'm hoping I might be able to re-use the RV panel's battery charger in the micro camper. it has a similar rv panel there, but no Victron inverter. In fact in my Micro Camper, the shore power plug goes directly to the 30 amp breaker in the Micro camper's RV panel. ...