7 RV Mods, Accessories, & Upgrades I Regret Making on My Travel Trailer
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- Опубліковано 5 сер 2024
- Here's a link to my video about my 12 favorite RV accessories under $50: • 12 Must-Have RV Mods, ...
Here's a link to my video about my 10 favorite RV accessories and upgrades over $50: • 10 Must-Have RV Mods, ...
And here's a link to the top 20 off-grid products purchased in 2023: • Video
The 7 RV accessories that I regret buying in 2023 include (in ascending order by price):
1) Save-a-step brace by Camco
2) Double-sided 3M tape
3) 3-shelf hanging closet organizer
4) Carmteck RV surge protector
5) EcoFlow Delta Mini
6) Battle Borne 100ah 12v lithium battery LiFePO4
Here's a link to my video review of the Renogy Rego 400ah 12V lithium LiFePO4 battery: • How to Upgrade an RV f...
Here's a link to get 8% off the Rego battery: www.renogy.com/referral-invit...
Here's a link to my video review of the Anker Powerhouse 767 solar generator: • Anker Powerhouse 767 ...
Anker Powerhouse product: amzn.to/48vlFqI
Surge Guard surge protector by Southwire: amzn.to/3Hb47nL
#rv #rvlife #rvlifestyle #offgrid #battleborn #ecoflow
0:00 Introduction
0:58 Qualification
1:29 RV Step Brace
3:07 3M Tape
4:02 Closet Organizer
4:42 RV Fridge Fan
5:28 Surge Protector
6:17 EcoFlow Delta Mini
8:00 Battle Born Lithium Battery - Навчання та стиль
Wow, this guy is a sure fire cure for insomnia 😂
Thanks, should I add ASMR to the title? :)
I really appreciate the way you handled the brand vs. the product. Some brands are generally great with a few poor products. Thanks.
Thanks, I appreciate the kind words!
I’ll edit this comment, but you started out scaring me😂…with a full screen Amazon page that told me when I last purchased your first item. After I realized it was still the video, I stopped worrying about identity theft, etc…lol.
That’s funny! Thanks for watching!
That's an outrageous price for that 12v 100ah battery. Good choice to return.
Yes, it really is
Welcome to the new world... a TON of people are buying the name. It's like buying a Yeti 60qt cooler for $600 instead of an Rtic for $350. Battleborn are definitely quality but hugely overpriced.
@@ibMoose2u 100% Truth! Sometimes you need to stick with brand named items but for the most part, an off brand is made just a well and gives you a better bang for your buck. My grandfather told me Cheap is a representative of quality. Inexpensive is representation of price.
For the battle lithium battery, you don’t need all those things. You can do a drop-in. You don’t even need the charge controller. The battery will not fully charge on a normal charger but you actually don’t want to keep them fully charged. If your normal charger is between 13.4 to 14.4 volts, you are good.
That didn’t seem ideal and wasn’t recommended
@@MIoffGridAdventures yes, not ideal
If you heat up the double sided tape with a heat gun or lighter just to the point the adhesive surface gets glossy/wet looking, it adheres super well.
Great tip, thanks. I'll try that!
We have 2 EcoFlow Delta 2, and the extra battery a total of 3000wh. Super fast charging, 5 year warranty, good for 3000 cycles at 100%, and then it goes to 80%. With every day use that’s 10 years.
I think you would have been happy with a Delta 2 or larger EcoFlow.
Good video 👍 thanks.
I agree. I’m sure I would’ve been happy with the larger one. Glad it’s working so well for you. I might be in the market for another one so I’ll look into that more. Thanks for watching!
@@MIoffGridAdventures If you sign up for email alerts from EcoFlow for their Flash Sales you can save up to 39%, also Amazon had a sale for all EcoFlow products last week, so we got another Delta2 with the extra battery for $1098… sale might still be happening?
Thanks for the tip,@@Dachshund-Nator !
Hi from the Yoop.
Our camper came with 4 battleborn batteries heated, and we love them. Customer service has been top notch. Manufacturers installed ours so I didn't have to DYI them. Cost was rolled into cost of camper, but dealt with their customer service 3 times now and they always go out of their way to explain things in layman terms. We're going on over a year with them and love them. I'm big on customer service, anybody can sell you something, but it is service after the sale that matters to me.
Really glad to hear that! Customer service is worth a lot when it is high quality like that. Must have been a bad day for me.
@@MIoffGridAdventures sorry you had that happen.
I've gotta say, your first choice is my favorite. I get it if you never move your rv, absolutely 2 pieces of wood or even build a wood structure under steps. Though, I stay more on dirt/grass than I do pavement and it's always uneven. At 6'3" 280lbs, I absolutely LOVE having the ability to put 2 of the adjustable steps under my bottom step so as to not bend/break my steps. The adjustability is mandatory even for those pavement glampers as not every spot is absolutely level. I knew when I bought my TT brand new in 2019 that I needed 2 of these. Every time level out my trailer wherever I go, I love the peace of mind having these under my bottom step.
Glad it works so well for you. Thanks for watching!
I built a plywood shelf too! :D I love it, so much better than hanging clothes, and a much better use of space
Glad it worked for you. Since the video, I added two cheap motion lights to the door. They help a lot since the corners of the RV can be dark. Here’s what I used amzn.to/43E79vc
I really appreciate your run down on these products. I also love that custom shelf you built in your closet.
Thanks so much for watching and your feedback!
I purchased the Lippert Solid Stance RV Step Stabilizer last year, and love it. Easy to install, easy to implement, and works great.
Glad there are other options! Thanks for watching!
Fridge airflow wise, in the past I’ve glued a sliding switch to a small computer fan, zip tied that to the bottom of one of the wire shelves. I stripped one of the conductors off some RC servo wire so I had two conductor 20ga wire. Slipped wire through one of the existing holes/gromet for thermocouple to an inline fuse attached to the fridge’s positive and negative…
In my experience just a hint of airflow helped keep the fridge more even.
Great idea!
@@MIoffGridAdventures Previously I’d tried one of those light blue plastic fridge fans that took D Batteries. Though it did seem to help even the temperature, it was noisy and it consumed D batteries.
Thanks! Gonna go check out the REgo battery now!
This is the first lithium battery I have g had any issues with. I hope it works well for you too.
Thank you for your honesty. Great information.
Thanks for watching and for the kind comment!
Thanks I really appreciate the feedback. I oversee a large rv Facebook group and always try to share valuable feedback. So I’m glad to hear the product is good.
Thanks for watching!
Thanks for your tips and honesty!
Thanks for watching and for your comment!
I never thought I'd pay nearly 1000$ for a 100ah 12v battery. After my first year with Deep cycle lead acid batteries, they crapped out. Figuring on Battleborns 10 year warrenty, they are cheaper in the long run. And 3 fit in just over half the space that two lead acid batteries took up. That was 4 years ago, still happy with them.
Glad they’ve been good for you!
In 2018 I put a BB battery in our Casita TT - It's worked like a charm, It was a good purchase for us.
Good video. Battleborn batteries have fallen way behind in the battery market, IMO. I purchased an EPOCH 460ah battery for my RV, it was 1699 and is far superior to BB in features in every way. LI Time is also a great product.
Great to know, thank you!
You are very honest in your purchase reasons and return reasons. Great video!
Thanks you so much for the kind feedback. You made my day!
I made an A-frame stabilizer with 2 pieces of 2x4, some I bolts, and a ratchet strap, to go under the base of the steps, not under the bottom step. It doesn't move at all when someone uses the steps, and stabilizes the camper front to back. Super cheap and fast to put up.
Sounds perfect
Glad you found a solution for your battery. I bought a lithium over two years ago with built in cell heaters. So yes, expensive, especially back then. Old camper so I had to add the shunt and a new converter. I full time RV and knew even though I’d be down south for the winters that it still got down in the teens. What I didn’t think about because having a fiberglass trailer with the battery box in the rear corner; I thought I needed the heated version, only To find out the battery never got cold enough for the heaters to kick in.
Nice to know they are there though.
Yes, everyone’s situation is different.
Thanks for watching and sharing your experience. Curious, do your batteries still hold a similar charge as they did when you bought them?
@@MIoffGridAdventures sorry not over two but a little under. new year, old age! My Relion RB 100 LT battery will be 2 years old this June.
Still going strong. I boondock/ dry camp 3/4 of the year. Of course the amount of discharge varied; only a few times I’ve had it discharged down to about 10%. No noticeable change. Still says 100% when charged and holds/drains about what I would expect overnight.
Thanks for the info!
Thank you for watching!
Battle Born having issues with the terminals becoming lose and eventually causing it to short out, or melt the top of the case. Lot of guys over on DIY solar forum were talking about the issue. When they tried to get Battle Born to warranty it they blamed it on the customer for over torquing which was ridiculous because the terminals as you can see are not bolts sticking out. Customers expected good warranty service since these cost so much, but later found out not to be true. Spending the most money on something doesn't always mean get the best quality.
Interesting. I hadn’t heard that but I can speak myself that the customer service was poor
To do business in a Communist State like Commiefornia requires cost cutting to remain competitive.
I can relate to two items, for the steps we found the orange stabilizer blocks work well under the steps and you can add as many or little as you need and their solid. As for the battery I went with the Lion Energy UT 1300, I did change out the charge converter with the new PD 9300 series and as far as needing to hook up a battery monitor its built in the battery with Bluetooth, I can just look on my phone with the app and it tells me everything I need to know about the battery.
Good to know about other options!
I've had very good luck with the 3M VHB tape. Way better than any other double sided tape I've worked with. It does work best when stuck down with pressure on surfaces which do not expand/contract a lot.
Must have been human error. Thanks for watching and commenting.
LiTime makes great batteries. 100 amp hour with all protections (overheat, overcharge, over discharge, low temp, etc) for 269.00. It's the one marked TM that's rated for higher amperage that you can also use as a trolling motor battery. I think their heated batteries are 80 dollars more, but I haven't found the need for that option. Don't get the smaller group 24 mini batteries, they have pouch cells instead of Grade A EV hardcase cells that the group 31 batteries have.
That sounds great, thank you for sharing!
The Group 24 battery has the standard prismatic cells, not pouch cells. The LiTime Mini 100AH has pouch cells.
Wow. I LOVE the 3M very high bond tape. I use it a lot. You do have to have a clean surface and you need to really establish the bond with pressure to make it work well. There’s stuff that is still attached with this stuff after 4 years of full time travel in our skoolie.
Yeah, I’m starting to think this might’ve been user error.
@@MIoffGridAdventures I have been guilty of this many times. There are things it’s not a good fit for, but worth another try.
Fellow MI Neighbor here subbing. Great video.
Thanks neighbor!
With the 3M double sided tape which I purchase to use when I replaced the battery in my SENA motorcycle Interco/headset but found that it was not necessary. However I used it in another project and it is recommended to use "3M 4298UV Adhesion Promoter" liquid to prep your surfaces prior to cleaning. In my application it worked well!
That must’ve been the problem
@@MIoffGridAdventures I meant subsequent (after cleaning). Why I said “prior to” , I must have been thinking ‘using/mounting’ with tape.
Freeze water bottles and stick them in your fridge while driving down the road. Works good for us
Great idea. Thanks
We get dry ice and that works quite well too.
@@MIoffGridAdventuresfreeze water with cotton
@@story1234 Haven't heard of that. To solve our problem of a warm fridge, we just leave it on all the time now. The gas usage is low, and since we don't move our RV, it works better and is nice to be able to have confidence that our fridge and freezer are always cold.
@@MIoffGridAdventures The cotton trick is on UA-cam. Quite amazing
I bought a set of those step braces and was also disappointed. But I ended up using them to support my slide-out during travel, so I kept them.
Good idea!
very informative
Thank you for watching and commenting
The VHB tape works very well, you just have to install it correctly. First you must clean the surfaces to be bonded with acetone or some other solvent that removes grease and doesn't leave a residue. Secondly you must use a roller, like the ones for wall paper seams and roll the tape to make it adhere. If you don't follow directions and have a good substrate many items won't work well.
I cleaned the surface but didn’t use a roller. Thanks!
What I used for a DC refrigerator is to put ice packs inside the refrigerator, that way it’s always cold for longer, especially if your batteries are running low.
That’s a great idea! Thanks
@@MIoffGridAdventures
You can get just about any shape and size so it doesn’t take up too much space.
I’m gonna do that. Thanks again!
Ya, Battleborn is not the way. It's great that you are happy with the Renogy, I had some bad experiences with their stuff. I currently have a different brand of battery now, it has remote power switch, heat, data ports, bluetooth, and its own power remote battery monitor display, though it's also connected to a Victron display. Love the power switch, it turns everything off in one go. Best of luck with everything, Cheers.
Awesome, what is it?
@@MIoffGridAdventures Epoch 460AH. It will charge at 230 Amps, so I don't even really need my DC charger anymore, but its also my solar charge controller.
the beach lane fan is part of a system. We used it and it did help. When we are in HOT Arizona or Texas We have learned we have to have our fridge not in the setting sun. We will be hooking up another part to the system soon. If that does not do as good as I am expecting there is a 3rd part to the system I will buy. Its a fan that goes behind the fridge to keep air circulating better. I will come back and let you know if the 2nd part helps more.
Great to know about the system! Thanks for educating me. I’ll try it. I still have the fan
That tape works great on smooth non porus places. The step saver is good for bed frames made of aluminum frames. Place at each intersection to keep from bending and cracking.
Thanks for watching and commenting. I am sure that either I got a knockoff tape from Amazon or I didn't apply it properly. Good to know there's other uses for those step savers.
people love battleborn but i couldn't justify the costs especially with the flood of cheaper but compatible quality brands like li time or power queen. I created a large home system for just a fraction of BB costs. 10 year warranty too
I'm running a 48V 20KWh power queen array right now, they are holding up just fine. 4 24V 200Ah batteries cost about the same as 2 of the BB's with half the capacity.
Now if I could get my Sun gold hybrid to accept voltage from the Onan generator.😒
Thanks for watching and the comment. I’m very happy with my Rego 400ah battery after a few months of use.
Good point. Do you think BB will need to adjust their pricing eventually?
@@MIoffGridAdventures Doubt it as they will probably niche themselves as a high-end product. I sure they must be losing a lot of market share with the ton of competitors out there.
@@philc.9280 I wanted to join the hype and like the Battle Born battery, but nothing about it was a good experience. I thought their telephone sales and support was supposed to be stellar, but I didn't find that to be the case. What really upset me was when I later found out that they sold me the wrong converter just because they didn't have the right one in stock. The salesman should've admitted that and directed me elsewhere (the old Miracle on 34th Street method), but instead he sold me a part that would've required changing my rig to fit it. That was disappointing.
The camp cot step support works excellent if you fasten the bottom plate to a 10 inch piece of 5/4 x 6 wolmanized deck wood. Only 1 is needed.
Good idea!
With VHB tape surface prep is essential. We have solar panel mounts held on with VHB tape for more than ten years.
Maybe I didn’t do it right
Yep, the hardest part of installing VHB tape is the pre-cleaning of the surface. Then you have to roll it once installed. My tape is stuck TIGHT! I think it will be a big job removing it, lol.
I agree, if installed correctly it wont come un-stuck.
@@jamescabaniss5857I actually don’t have much trouble removing it, it tends to peel right off once you get a corner up. It’s pretty crazy considering how well it holds. You can’t just pull it off but peeling works well. The only thing I’ve ever had trouble with it sticking to is other sticky things. I have some Velcro tape that wasn’t sticking well so I put VHB tape on it and that worked for a good year or so then I have to replace it, which wasn’t hard. But that’s the only time it’s had trouble staying stuck. I had my old microwave held down with just a couple squares of this stuff for 4 years. Crazy good stuff.
Yes Battle Born is probably one of the best Lithium batteries on the market but also the most expensive. I bought the LiTime 100ah Lithium battery for under $300 and they were easy to install and took up very little space.
Haven’t heard of LiTime. Thanks for the tip.
VHB tape holds our solar panels on fiberglass with no fastener and you better lay them exactly where you want, or you are scr... Our Delta Pro works awesome and allows us to be totally self-contained, and we do have a RV 30amps connector. Thanks for not bashing the products and giving just your experience.
Since posting this, I went back to EcoFlow with the Delta Pro and haven’t had any problems
I started snowbirding winter of 19/20 and purchased four 6v deep cycle lead acid batteries for my rv. I 99% boondock in AZ and have 300 watts of solar, now 5 years later the old batteries still working great. But i do maintain them religiously. I will go to lithium when these die.
Thanks for sharing. Glad they’re working for you
Alien tape double sided tape..
Best I have found
Great to know - thanks!
I got four they work grate and I use a BLUETTI AC 200 max it’s got the 30 amp plug and does put out 30 amps
Glad to hear it. Thanks for watching!
VHB only has a 24 month usable shelf life. Your screenshot says it was from "EMITEVER" store, I'm willing to bet it was either a poor quality knock off or new-old-stock that was way out of date. I'm going with the former since even the roll in the screenshot has reversed lettering on the inside of the roll. VHB is good stuff, please give some from a local hardware store a shot.
Great observation and point. I’ll try that. Thank you!
5:10 I designed and printed a holder for an 80mm 12v fan that friction fits over the fins. Wired it to the light so it only runs when the fridge is on.
Sounds like a great solution. If only I had a 3D printer, knew how to use it, and knew how to wire something into the fridge lights. I'm too intimidated by that last step.
VHB Tape is awesome. Prepping the surface is critical. VHB is holding 3 100 watt solar panels on the roof of my fiberglass camper now for 3 years.
Sounds like I did something wrong
@@MIoffGridAdventures maybe. You could have gotten a bad roll of VHB.
Love the VHB I wonder if you bought a counterfeit roll because I’ve been using it for years and never had an issue.
I must have based on all the feedback. Thanks for watching and commenting! @@kayoedowner6711
If I use the proper wipes that come with the vhb tape then it works amazing. If I just use a regular cloth to wipe down the surfaces then it fails quickly. My last roll of vhb didn't come with wipes so had to buy separately and they cost more than the tape did.
Huh, I used #M VHB tape to mount my solar panels on the roof. No problems after several years. I do have a metal roof and cleaning (with acetone NOT alcohol) is critical.
Glad it worked for you
I installed a small computer fan worked great ran wire through drip hose
Hadn't thought of that. Thanks for the idea.
I did the same thing, clipped it to the cooling fins, wire thru the drip hose
The eocoflow and battleborne these are both lithium batteries. You have to always smart charge these items. I agree with the complexity of the battleborne. Even though I have 500 units of stock in it, I just don't want to engineer out the whole system when I already have a goalzero. Thats a bummer about the ecoflow, I'm looking at the ecoflow wave 2 with a eco flow 2000w battery pack plus duel 200 watt solar panels to run separately than the goalzero. Still looking at that setup.
What do you mean by "smart charge"? I'd love to know more. By the way, I need to post an update soon, because my Anker Powerhouse quit on me. Super heavy paperweight right now. So, I'm actually going back to EcoFlow, but this time the Delta Pro, and I bought it from Costco because of their amazing no-questions-asked return policy if it breaks. The Anker Powerhouse has to be shipped back and will take weeks before I have it back. When it is fixed, I'll just sell it to compensate for the cost of the new EcoFlow. Thanks so much for watching and the encouraging feedback. I appreciate it!
@@MIoffGridAdventures Your Anker quit? Oh that's a bummer, we use lots of Anker products at work, I'm a Network Engineer. Let me use my Goalzero as an example of smart charge. Some customers complain that their Goalzero will not charge to 100%. What I mean by smart charge is that you can't leave a lithium battery like this on a shelf unplugged, it will loose its charge and turn into a brick. Ok, now onto smart charge. You can plug the goalzero into 110 wall cable into house power and it will manage its own power. It will charge up, stop, let it drop by 1 to 3% and then charge again. Cycling the charge. This will keep it healthy. Now if you plug a battery like a battleborne into a 110 wall outlet without something managing it, you will over charge it, it will not fluctuate and it can also turn into a brick. Right now I have my Goalzero in my trailer hooked up to solar with a couple of fans running. How were you managing your ecoflow and your Anker?
@@gandalfthemead3121 Thank you for clarifying. The Anker Powerhouse's display lights up but it won't charge or discharge using any charge method or any of the discharge ports. I had this happen with the first one and had to replace it it the moment I received it. I believe it is related to their firmware update, because it happened immediately after the update both times. Seems far too coincidental. For both the EcoFlow and the Anker Powerhouse, my use is to leave it with a constant discharge on low wattage devices like a Starlink router. The EcoFlow worked perfectly for a few months and then it would start shutting the discharge off automatically (every few seconds), making it impossible to use (especially with a Starlink that has to boot up every time it powers back on).
I’m just about to mount a video doorbell, I was told the 3M tape would hold no problem. I’m curious what you were trying to hold with it? I don’t want to make the $20 mistake if I can avoid it!
I was using it to attach a solar panel to a metal roof. I have received a lot of feedback saying that I must've done something wrong, so if you follow the directions, you'll probably be good.
I have the cheapest surge protector there is, and I've never had a problem with it.
Glad to hear it!
Sorry to hear the VHB tape didn’t work for you. I’ve been using it for years with great success. Others have already mentioned surface prep but there’s also minimum clamp time before you can achieve 100% adhesion. This is the same stuff used on external trim and lettering for automobiles. Full bond happens at 72 hours clamped.
That’s new information for me. Perhaps that was my issue!
What exactly was the problem Carmtek surge protector other than it was cheap?
Lacked any readouts because it didn’t have an LED display. My RV was very expensive so I stand by my point that spending $40 more to get a higher reviewed one with more protection was worth it.
I used Home and Office Decor (indoor) tape on the roof. 😅
Thanks for watching
The RV Fridge Fan from a different manufacturer was something that we always used. I don't know if it made much diffence. The fans that I installed on the back of the Fridge for the Coils seemed to help out a lot. If you have a 3 way Absorption Refrigerator that can be part of your problems. I will never have an Absorption Refrigerator again. I'm currently using a 2 way 12volt/120volt Compressor Refrigerator.
I have no idea what that means even but thanks for the education. I’ll look into it!
@@MIoffGridAdventures Absorption Refrigerators use an Ammonia solution that is heated either by electricity or by propane. Yes, they have a freezer in them but most unit's can only maintain a Box temperature difference of 55° below Ambient Temperature. A Compressor Refrigerator uses Freon and has a Compressor, Condenser and uses an Expansion Valve and an Evaporator. The Compressor is driven by an Electric Motor and can either be 12V/120V.
Any Refrigerator that uses Propane is an Absorption Refrigerator that uses Heat to make things Cold.
The same brand fan he used, Beech Lane, has a fan that attaches directly to the evaporator fins and it is much more effective.
Thanks, I’ll look into that one
There's a lot of fake 3M tape out there . On the picture from your video the manufacturer is not listed as 3M. It was not real 3M tape which you used
It said 3M on it and on the packaging
www.amazon.com/gp/product/B093PZHX9P/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1
A common problem with power stations and people saying they "just randomly shut off" is they accidently turned on ECO mode. This is a mode that turns the unit off if the load is too small or non-existent.
That wasn’t the issue here, but is a great point
Interesting... You must be taking cold winter scenery routes to need the LiFePo4 batteries to maintain heated internal cells?
It’s in a fixed location on my offgrid property
At 100ah the Battleborn is a ripoff compared to Ecoflow and Anker. I recently purchased an Ecoflow Delta 2 With 1024 ah that came with a dual sided solar panel 200/175 for $1k. You can get add on batteries for far less that have an additional 1024 ah or you can even add the Delta 2 Pro extra battery which has double the capacity. After looking extensively Eco Flow is the way to go.
Thanks for watching and commenting. Good to know those options!
I just looked at the price for the rego lithium battery…did you really spend $2500 for a battery?? Looking for a good option for our geopro 20bhs for boondocking but don’t wa t to spend that much?
It’s a 400ah - like 4 batteries in one.
I agree - the electrical is intimidating! Will check out the Renogy battery you mentioned.
Thanks for watching
Hi, you can add computer fans inside your refrigerator I mounted two on my cooling coils and went to the bottom side of the fridge and drilled a hole through for the wires, I also have a speed controller so I can turn it up and down, they work great. Good luck!
I actually tried that but wanted it to run without the generator
On my old fridge I used a 12v computer fan with a switch. I ran the power wire through the back of the fridge next to the sensor wire using the same grommet. Then connected to the fridges 12v power source.
Found my new fridge works great without one. (4 cubic foot)
As for using cooling fans on the coils in the back to help vent heat? For my situation on my old fridge it helped, but, in my case I mounted it between the coils and the vent. There was no wiggle room and I believe it was the vibration and flexing of the camper that caused a refrigerant line to break.
My biggest mistake and waste of money was a flame king propane heater. Ive gone back to my reliable buddy heater.
Not sure I’ve heard of that one
Don't buy one , they're junk.
@@MIoffGridAdventuresLittle buddy heater is really good reasonably priced heater...I second that suggestion.
3M VHB is an extremely good adhesive tape. They use it in vehicles OEM to hold vehicle trim on the exterior for 100-200k miles. The fact you are saying it didn't stick to bare metal surfaces makes no sense. If you had tried to stick it to say a poly propylene plastic surface it would be one thing, but not bare metal. If you ordered it off amazon, there is always a good chance to got a counterfeit product. Just food for thought.
That could be it
You don't technically need the shunt or battery monitor or even the heater for most people unless you camp when the temps get below freezing and you actually need to charge. You just won't know your exact state of charge of your battery. But that being said most people just use their camper at campgrounds with electrical and nobody that only does that needs a fancy battery.
Good point. I needed it though and I never go to parks.
Get a BLUETTI ac200 max
And if you need lithium ion batteries get the time usn lifpo4 battery born for rvs
Thanks for watching
About surge protectors one piece of advice I have is to stick with name brands from reputable companies. I am not saying Carmtek is not one of those, this piece of advice is oriented more toward the really cheap ones. I am an Amazon Vine reviewer and often get electronic goods that come from some random named "company" that has zero company information on the actual package. Two examples, I got a household power strip surge protector that had a rattle in it. I opened it up and there was zero surge protection circuitry inside. It was just power directly to the plugs and the rattle was a loose piece of wire. The second example was a 50 Amp RV surge protector. The text on the label was spelled "Surge Gu ard". It was an obvious attempt to mimic the Southwire "Surge Guard" unit. There was no company information on the unit or the package and that unit is no longer available on Amazon. I didn't open that one up to see what was inside but there was no way I would have trusted it to protect my RV. Plus there was no company to stand behind anything.
Wow, that’s awful!
Bulldog is the Best
Best what? Haven’t heard of that before
The double sided adhesive tape says that it's for home decor in the description so that probably means it's not meant for outside use. I suspect people have been using it to stabilize decorative items inside the RV
That’s just one of the uses but the description and photos on the listing are for outdoor use too
Don't buy dog bone style surge protectors. Buy a hardwired solution. They're typically the same price or cheaper in some cases, easy to install inside tour RV and aren't an attractive nuisance waiting to be stolen.
Not sure what you mean. Can you link to an example please?
Freeze milk jugs cools frig and can have ice water later.
Good idea, thanks!
Is the Renogy Rego 400Ah really $2600 or am I looking at the wrong item on Amazon.?
It goes on sale for much less if you can wait
I just built a Caleb cell 10kwh 48 volt 16s battery with 300A BMS and spent less than a single battle orn would have cost. Ten times the storage for the same price and with brand new Caleb cells. Screw battle orn. Only suckers fell for that.
Nice! Sounds like a great setup!
My worst ever purchase was a Fuggati (same as RecPro) tankless water heater. You need 2.5 gallons per minute flow to activate the heating function.
This would be OK for a "full hookup" situation, but we have already adapted to/adopted "frugal" water usage habits (conserve water supply & gray tank space!) this item will NOT work in that paradigm! I had to sell it at a loss on FB Market. (Then I had to reinstall my old Atwood/Dometic unit w/a new (updated: yet another "story". . .) inner tank. . . {:]
Wow, that sounds terrible
You didn't explain what was wrong with the CARMTEK Surge Protector? You just said "buy the expensive one". Did you have any problems with it? Are there features in the expensive one that this one doesn't have? The reason I purchased this very one is because it did the job...and wouldn't hurt so bad if it was stolen.
I can’t recall but there were many differences. Glad you’re happy with it!
There are many great and affordable options for surge protectors on the market. I don't agree with needing to have the absolute "best" here and thats just one mans opinion.
You return as much stuff as my wife! Indecisiveness affects 1 in 5 Americans.
Never said I was returning it and don’t know why so many people care.
@@MIoffGridAdventures Great idea for video, thanks. 6:40 You mention returning several of these products.. ?
I wouldn’t buy a lot of stuff online if I couldn’t return. Pics can misrepresent, sometimes intentionally. I bought a couple hangers that were surprisingly small. Went back to site to check my error, they had clearly photoshopped pics to appear bigger. 🤨
@@markoshun Thanks for watching and commenting. I've never felt apologetic in my life about returning things, but apparently it is something to hate on with social media. I do more research than most before making a purchase, but you still can't tell until you have it and use it. That's why I buy most things from Costco or Amazon. Great return policies!
Looks like you bought the fake of the 3m vhp tape. That could explain the junk, but its all hard to release the red backing. 😊
I’m not sure why I keep getting that comment. It had 3M on it and in the title. Just because third party sellers list something doesn’t mean it isn’t OEM.
@@MIoffGridAdventures when I looked at the actual label that you showed, it was a fake lookalike "3m", and not actually 3M VHP Tape. Just going off what you showed in video. If others have pointed out the same fake, and happen to be familiar with it, and your not and already threw it out, then maybe, just maybe we know what we are talking about. Hmmm...
People still buying battle borne, STOP. They were outdated before we heard about them. It's not worth $299. It's not. Every other company out there has a better battery with BMS, and heat, and Bluetooth. And all 12v, 9x10x12 batteries all have the same cells inside. All only worth $299. If you pay more, your not researching. Don't buy battle borne, at $999 you should get 4, with BMS for that price.
Just an add to your comment. There are 3 different types of LiFePO4 Battery cells. Prismatic, Pouch and Cylindrical. BattleBorn uses the Cylindrical Cells that are more expensive and claimed to withstand more Off Road Shock.
They don't all use the same cells and there are grade A, B and C cells supplied by all manufacturers.
Personally I have an SOK 12V 206AH LiFePO4 Battery ($900 in 2022) and I use a Victron BMV-712 Shunt Monitor for battery SOC.
Good to know. Thank you. I'm not sure which kind is in my Rego, but it is working great.
You make a good point, and being most of them are from China and are probably custom branded to whatever distributor orders them, makes wide pricing swings but essentially are the same product.
Watch a few battery tear-downs. There are many differences.
How many of those cheaper batteries are made in the USA?
I own an EcoFlow Delta 1300 and River mini…. Each weekend camping I regret having spent a whole lot of money on this brand. There are many other (sometimes less expensive) brands that deliver much better.
I agree. Hard lesson learned.
You get bigger ecoflows that is bigger than the anker as well. You just bought a too small one.
Sure did, but since the video, I switched back with the Delta Pro
Theres a setting buried in the Ecoflow app that turns off AC and DC ports after a length of time even with a load. Guarantee you left that tirned on and it was going to sleep on you.
I wish that was it but it wouldn’t ever stay on more than a few minutes
@@MIoffGridAdventures Did you update the firmware? That was an issue with an old firmware release on some devices.
Yes, I did that too. Sometimes you get a lemon
@@MIoffGridAdventuresThats odd. Usually they are pretty reliable. The Delta Pros are generally good and reliable. Had one for years.
It's just my luck. I had a defective Anker Powerhouse too - replacement has been perfect@@iammattjones
Eco flow delta pro 5700$ champagne taste beer pocket book
Mine was the mini.
Clean out when ever there is ice on the ceiling between the door and the ceiling
Mine has never built up ice like that. Interesting!
NEVER pay more yhan $1/watt
Haven’t heard that rule. Thanks for sharing!
If you bought the VHB tape off Amazon you probably got a Chinese knockoff instead of the real thing. The copies have flooded the Amazon market, can't tell them from the real thing.
Good point. That’s very possible
Yup, amazon is getting bad for fraud products
Having sold the 3M VHB for 28 years I can tell you there are SPECIFIC instructions that must be adhered to for it to work. Whether you like it or not IT IS THE BEST of its kind & WIDELY used by OEM automotive manufacturers worldwide. BUT I will also say for its use to mount solar panels direct to the the roof - 3M ABSOLUTELY DOES NOT recommend its use!
Remember the golden rule... just because its randomly 'recommended' online doesnt make it true & accurate.
Was “adhere to” a pun? Clever! And thanks for the feedback
VHB tape is insanely sticky and will rip off paint and veneer surfaces....you must have not preped the surface well. the delta MINI is WAAAAY too small for an RV. lol you broke it by overworking the poor thing.
Probably did a few things wrong for sure!
use fake spot to filter our counterfeit reviews. also, I suspect the 3M VHB you bought was a knockoff, sometimes the seller reviews are just as critical as the product reviews
Good reminder!
most of your assessment are probably true
I don’t agree with myself half the time
Time USB
Thanks for watching
I'm sure the Battle Born fan boys will be chiming in soon with their justification for their asinine priced batteries. There are excellent LiFePO4 batteries out there for much less money. Lion, Li time, Dakota Lithium, Renogy, etc all have great offerings.
Good to know of other options, thank you!
Another beautiful day in Michigan? Ugh....WAY TO COLD
True, it was cold, but I enjoyed this winter more than any I can recall in recent memory. It felt like last summer was too warm, and when it's hot, there's not much you can do to get comfortable outside. In the cold, another layer can do the trick and you can get back out there.
If you are intimidated by a lithium upgrade, you should not own an RV! An RV is not a passenger car. DIY maintenance and upgrades are a must because RV dealers cannot be trusted to do it right. Unless you can find a friend or family member that is handy, I suggest you sell your rig and go back to tent camping.
Harsh and untrue. A lithium upgrade is a massive undertaking if the rig wasn’t prepped for it in wiring, fuse panel, location, or charge controller.
It's true that lithium upgrade is a big project but it's a must have. I can't imagine using my trailer with a lead-acid battery now! If you really can't handle drilling holes, cutting stuff with Sawzall and pulling wires, you will have to pay some RV dealer to do it and It will cost an arm and a leg.
Thank you for sharing your experience with these particular products, hearing honest evaluations does help other RV'rs. But you talk in such a monotone with no emphasis or expression, I kept waiting for you to fall asleep during your presentation. Please keep making the videos as they are helpful but perhaps consuming an energy drink before filming would help.
I appreciate the feedback. I’m very new to UA-cam and am still learning. Thanks for watching.
Battleborn suck.
I’m surprised that most people feel this way. I thought I’d get a lot of pushback from fans.
Hardly. They are over priced because to do business in a Communist shitehole like Commiefornia requires paying the corrupt Communists off first.
Did you give BattleBorn a call on their Help Line. I have never had a Help Line go to the extent to help out with a problem even though it wasn't their product that was causing the problem.
Yes, I did but wasn’t given a very patient person