Easy-Ryder: Making the Camper Run on Sunlight
The 1978 Toyota Pickup wears an Easy-Ryder camper shell, and after a full remodel it's become the most-used vehicle in the driveway. The remodel itself is straightforward comfort stuff — but the part I actually care about is that the whole thing now runs on sunlight.
The remodel
- New carpet throughout the shell
- Fresh sound system (because a pickup is an acoustic cavity)
- New dinette cushions
- Shower install with its own hot water heater — yes, in a 1978 truck
The power system
| Solar array | 320 W of panels, roof-mounted on the shell |
| Battery bank | 300 Ah LiFePO₄ (≈ 3.9 kWh usable at nominal voltage) |
| Solar charging | Victron MPPT solar charge controller |
| Driving charge | Renogy DC-DC charger from the alternator to the bank |
Lithium was never really a debate. LiFePO₄ gives you roughly double the usable capacity of an equivalent lead-acid bank, a fraction of the cycle-life anxiety, and — for camping — the ability to run deep without cooking your plates. The DC-DC charger is what makes it feel like a normal car: drive all day, sleep with everything charged, and the solar array tops it off while you're parked in the sun.
Real-world numbers
- [ ] Average daily generation on a clear day:
- [ ] Typical night draw (lights, fridge/fan, phone charging):
- [ ] Hot water heater runtime on full bank vs. solar-only day:
- [ ] Victron settings that worked / didn't work:
Next up is wiring the shower's heater to a proper low-voltage cutoff and putting metering on everything so this post stops having placeholders.