Overlanding: Power Consumption & Camp Mode

[AirCruiser]

5 stars here for the air cruiser. I've had mine about 3 weeks and couldn't be happier.

Jake - a question for you: do we need to be concerned about the tent getting hot while packed up and sitting on the truck I've done a lot of kiteboarding and one of the PITA maintenance issues is degrading adhesives in the bladders Bladderrs being the airtight balloons that go inside the fabric structure.

My hunch is the air Cruiser is actually built differently, not like a kiteboarding kite. If heat was a concern you probably would not be shipping with a black cover.

Including a picture here Of the bed with a packed up air cruiser. In case anyone is curious there is Definitely enough room on a rivian to include a rooftop style bike rack like the yakima highroad with the air cruiser. small bike fits with wheels on. But for an average to large adult with twenty nine inch wheels, it's going to have to be a fork mount

Thanks for the feedback Burr, it's appreciated buddy.

You'll be fine, the Air Cruiser has been through extensive temp testing and has been field and lab tested up to 150°F.

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[WSea]

Love your setup. How did you attach the panels to the rooftop tent? Which panels did you use? Would love to hear more about your setup. Looks similar to what I am thinking of doing. Do you run a fridge, lighting on the Bluetti? What other gear do you recommend? Thanks

VHB tape along the long side to allow some air flow underneath with these panels Amazon.com: Topsolar Flexible Solar Panel 2pcs 100W 24V/12V Monocrystalline Bendable - 200 Watt 12Volt Semi-Flexible Mono Solar Panels Charger Off-Grid for RV Boat Cabin Van Car Uneven Surfaces : Patio, Lawn & Garden

 

[sagebrush2]

That's all great info and thank you for getting into that level of detail. Are you running a rooftop tent setup? What solar panels are you looking at (recommend)? I would like to mount them on top of the hardshell rooftop that I get and wire it to the battery bank I end up buying. I think that will be a better option to avoid battery drain from the Rivian and using the onboard outlets. Might be a perfect setup if you are doing a weekend trip, but it sounds like extended time with the truck on trips would benefit from an external battery source. Any and all info is appreciated. Thanks

I have the Crua Aer softshell fold out RTT mounted above the pickup bed. I don’t have much of a solar setup, just two panels. No good mounting options yet. I could try and put them over the cab, but I might actually mount it under the bars and tent and above the tonneau cover. For now they would just go on the ground when the sun is out.
I bought my panels 4 years ago and the exact model is t sold anymore. But this one is the same brand and appearance. I have no complaints about them. They work for me.
SUNGOLDPOWER 2pcs 100W Solar Panel Monocrystaline Solar Panel Module Grade A Solar Cell,Black,SG200WM
https://a.co/d/0fWXJzWw

 

[DROCK]

I have the Crua Aer softshell fold out RTT mounted above the pickup bed. I don’t have much of a solar setup, just two panels. No good mounting options yet. I could try and put them over the cab, but I might actually mount it under the bars and tent and above the tonneau cover. For now they would just go on the ground when the sun is out.
I bought my panels 4 years ago and the exact model is t sold anymore. But this one is the same brand and appearance. I have no complaints about them. They work for me.
SUNGOLDPOWER 2pcs 100W Solar Panel Monocrystaline Solar Panel Module Grade A Solar Cell,Black,SG200WM
https://a.co/d/0fWXJzWw

Thanks for the reply and info. I appreciate it!

 

[sizotty]

If anyone isn’t already paying attention, there are some massive sales going on right now for portable battery banks.
the EcoFlow I use is down to $379 from $599 https://amzn.to/462Lr5k

The larger Delta 2 is also on a big sale to $499 from $999 https://amzn.to/3xWDG4w

 

[Here2there]

If anyone isn’t already paying attention, there are some massive sales going on right now for portable battery banks.
the EcoFlow I use is down to $379 from $599 https://amzn.to/462Lr5k

The larger Delta 2 is also on a big sale to $499 from $999 https://amzn.to/3xWDG4w

Can almost run a hairdryer off of that thing. It'd be nice to just run off the vehicle and not have to lug the EcoFlow on a roadtrip. Been looking at the new Anker Solix too.

 

[Blackrock2014]

I was averaging about 6-7% SOC loss per 24 hours on a 3 day camp trip (with the large pack). We had an induction stove, cooking for breakfast and dinner, and a Euhomy 35L electric fridge, set to about 38F degrees. We would be popping in and out of the cab and the frunk and the gear tunnel throughout the day. When we remembered we would set the Display to Off, and camp courtesy mode to try and minimize the lights turning on. (anyone know if there is a way to turn off the frunk light? We stuck on one of those battery lights on the hood, since the lights buried by all the stuff in the frunk didn't do anything). We turned the climate control to off so that also wouldn't turn on. And we turned off our phone bluetooth at night so it wouldn't keep detecting it.

I experimented with a 500Wh portable battery for the cooler and that seemed to run the fridge for about 24 hours. When I did that I turned off the outlets, except to cook and that seemed to reduce the drain a couple %. I think having the outlets on, even if there isn't any draw, still burns power. The fridge doesn't run constantly, it will draw about 40-50 watts for a few minutes, then shut off, then turn back on. It will do this several times an hour (probably depends a lot on how fast things heat up inside). So I think the thing to do is to run the fridge off the portable battery, and charge it via solar or the truck when we are using the stove.

I need to do more experiments and take better notes. I have some solar panels that I got that I want to try out, that I think would be enough to keep the fridge powered up. And I may want to get a bigger portable battery.

We have experience basically the same.

I have done a few overlanding trips now with my Rivian R1T, Performance, Large Pack, with 20's AT's. We have an iKamper mini 3.0 mounted on the bed racks (OEM racks).

I too considered getting a battery pack, but for the cost of them and considering space is a premium, we decided to see how the onboard inverter performed.

Both trips included 3/4 out of 10 difficulty 4x4 off-roading. They were both for 4 days 3 nights. We ran (the entire trip) our ICECO 79L Frederator/Freezer, also our Starlink Gen 3. We also charged up all our battery accessories like phones, lights, etc. The first trip the temperatures were in the high 90's and low 100's. The second trip was in the 70's.

We averaged about 6% to 8% battery drain per day. So, for us on a smaller trip like this, as long as we charged up enough at our last charging stop before heading up to the camp spot, we were more than good enough running off the inverter the entire time.

We may consider getting a EcoFlow Delta 2 with a couple panels in the future. Though, we would only need this if our travel into the wilderness was for more days and/or for longer distances.

P.S. We were surprised that we burned a lot less % of battery than expected in off-road mode.

 

[CarlM408]

Oh, hey all, yeah we're here, thanks for the shout-out Sarah...

On our R1T PDM Max, if the AC inverter is turned on we see about 1MPH drain, which adds up to like 3-4% per day. This isn't actually drain from the inverter or what's plugged into it, it's drain from the vehicle computers being powered on and unable to go to sleep. Word is the R1 Gen2 Rivians with their totally reworked electrical and computer systems will be 'better' about this, but I haven't seen anything conclusive yet.

So that being said, you're out on a multi-day camping trip, how to put your R1 to sleep to preserve your battery:

1. Turn off proximity locking and use your keyfob, you don't want your truck wasting time 'listening' to your phone and proximity sensors.
2. Use camp mode to turn off the vehicle as much as possible, keeping screens and AC off.
3. Keep the cabin doors closed, again you're helping the vehicle sleep as much as possible and a closed door is one it doesn't need to think about.
4. Use a 'camp' battery to provide power whenever you don't really need to fire up the vehicle and the AC inverters. We use a Bluetti EB70S to power our cooler and tent heater, and even minor electrical cooking needs. Top it up with solar panels or feed it from the R1 when you drive or as needed.

And a couple videos for fun to illustrate:

 

[rivvvvyourengine]

I am going on my first camping trip in a few weeks with my Rivian and I wanted to test the battery drainage, so I left my car overnight outside from 9pm to 7:45am in camping mode. Car was leveled, manage energy set to stay on. I set the AC to 67 degrees and the outside temperature was 61-64 degrees. Starting battery 93%, ending battery 69%. Overnight my Rivian used 24%. I have the standard pack.

 

[Kgomez777]

I’m gonna chime in on my own experience and being new to the Overlanding/Camping scene. Before getting my truck I never went off-roading, overlanded or camped. I wanted that to be my goal and now especially since my son was born to bring him along for the ride.

Personally it’s taken me some time to really figure out what I needed versus what I wanted. Of course I wanted everything but began to realize and focus on the things I could now and envision how to use it in the future.

After some thought I feel like I’m really getting close to getting my stuff dialed in. I recently did an overnight trip with some other Rivian owners in Johnson Valley. I used my Rivian travel kitchen (for one meal) and powered an electric blanket overnight for about 8-9 hours and saw a 5% in battery loss. Obviously not the most demanding of electrical things but just giving my experience. I plan on eventually getting a battery power bank of sorts to power those other odds and ends to help conserve as much as I can.

Here’s a video I made as well of some of the things on my build if you’re curious. There’s a ton of owners with some great set ups and have a lot more knowledge about many things so hopefully you find your answers in the forums.

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