What to know BEFORE buying an Airstream - SOLAR & LITHIUM! 

Reality is that the power issue is not just Airstream. It’s almost any RV. You always have to put money into upgrading/installing a solar system but it’s not really an “Airstream” problem.

Dude, first off, lots of good info. Secondly, the video production was outstanding. Great cuts, humorous clips and I appreciate your dedication to content creation, I don't know if I would have spent the time to take the whole bed apart to show the inverter, lol. Great job.

Use a “soft start” on the ac and carry 10 gallons of fresh water. These is are not just Airstream related, any RV will most likely have them.

Nice video, well put together and highly informative. It is much appreciated.

Very clear explanations, thank you!

Great presentation highlighting what is needed for power if you boondock.

Very informative helpful video I shared it with the shop doing my airstream up. So fingers crossed I will get the right system too👩‍🔧

I think this applies to all smaller trailers including my inTech. Thank you for posting this. Ill be upgrading my InTech trailer to this system.

Nice video dude! I do lots of lithium and Victron installs on airstreams. Your spot on with this info, nice job of explaing things

The convenience of having a generator at the push of a button is the main reason why I’m going from an Airstream trailer to a motor home. I’m currently on my second Airstream and I enjoy all the compliments I get, all the good trailering manners and I’m about to enjoy the excellent resale value that Airstream is famous for this coming fall when I’ll list it for sale.

🙌You guys sure put your minds together finding the likenesses to incorporate into your review! 🙌

Great presentation style and tons of info! Thanks !

Once we figured out we needed all these extras added on to go explore the way we want to we were a little let down but decided to take things one step at a time and get all the parts as we go.

Thank you for the info- very helpful. 👌🏻

Thanks for a very well done, informative video. And I loved the added graphics.

BRILLIANT! GOALS! Thanks for the great information.

Hey Scott, Love that you added 3 Battle Born batteries, inverter and solar. That is a great fit and ability to boondock wherever you want . We love your vlogs and tips, since we meet you and Collette in Coalinga, CA in late December 2020. RVing for Debbie and I has temporary came to a holding patern as we had to return to work .... but hopefully we will be out on the road in late March early April 2021.

Nicely explained. Thanks

Excellent video, but this is a power issue that is common to almost all RVs & Trailers and not at all unique to Airstream. This is because almost all campers do stay in RV parks and the extra cost of making a true boon-docker wouldn’t be worth it for most people. All in all Airstream is a great way to go if its in your budget. Even if you want to upgrade the boon-docking capabilities, Airstream is an excellent platform to do so. I wouldn’t position this as an shortcoming video, but rather a how-to video to amp up your boon-docking capabilities.

super fun video, thank you!

Great info!

Amazing!! Thanks!!

I also have Bambi 22ft, this video is my bible for upgrade to lithium battery system. Thanks a lot!

This is super helpful. WIth COVID, we aren't traveling like we used to and so we're getting the itch to do SOMETHING. With that I thought I would start to look at RVs to just start to go anywhere...somewhere! I will spend months looking at EVERYTHING so when hubs and I make a major purchase, we are pretty aware of pros and cons and best practices, etc.

Thanks!

Beautiful sharing and thank you 👍

Great editing, really useful video to know the true power requirements for boondocking!

Great video very informative I love how you did the solar

Nice place and awesome descrption........well done guys!!!!!!

Dude, super cool and really informative. Tell it like it is..... Hard to find people who do that. Enjoy your Stream!

Thanks for the heads-up on Airstream. Planning on retirement soon. And I'm hooked on Airstream trailers. 😎👍

We live in a bus conversion, and Lithium+Solar has made off-grid AC possible for us. Your setup, 300Ah@12V = 3600Wh or 3.6kWh, so yeah, 1-3 hours runtime given you will only ever generate 200W from the sun. Our bus conversions' system, 220Ah@48V or 10.6kWh, gets us through a single night. But we've also got 3000W of panels on our roof- during a sunny day, AC is "free" directly from solar. Problem is, you don't always get sunny days... so we're upgrading to 6000W on the roof and a 43kWh battery, which should give us at least 3 days of standby. Keep in mind our electrical was 100% DIY... But I honestly don't understand why more RVs aren't shipping with at least 500W to 1000W out of the factory. Lithium batteries in the last couple years have really closed the gap with AGM in terms of cost per watt, so here's hoping that RVs 10 years from now will have capable solar generation/storage systems.

Just found your channel. Great job. Clear, concise and to the point. High five:-) -keith

Great video. Thank you

thanks for the info tips, I was looking into get this bambi model one.

Finally I found someone telling the truth and real-world experience with their Airstream. Thanks. Subbed.

this is not just an airstream issue, I keep reading in the comments. Ahhh, for the money spent on an airstream that cost should include the battery upgrades and solar. Notice I said, INCLUDE. Nice video and format was fun!! Merci

Well done video, good information, but the only thing we occasionally need when off the grid is our AC. We have a 2018 Bambi that uses the older fridge that runs on propane. We carry 2 yeti coolers. Timed our limited off grid so we did not need AC. I think I will continue to contemplate a 3400 watt duel fuel generator

Brilliant video! RV'ing for Dummies must watch!

For generators you can convert the carburetor to burn nat gas or propane. This saves having to keep another fuel source and there is no oily mess.

Be safe in your travels

Great video. I need to reconcile the part about battery powering AC with other sources who claim longer run times.

Awesome video! Can you show the solar and provide detailed specs?

Came for the Bambi upgrade info. Stayed for his absolute adorableness. ❤👍

😂 love the editing in this video!

Thanks for the good info. I'm thinking of getting a trailer and info is power. In the long run the batteries upgrade is good idea. Again thank u for sharing.

I want to make my Airstream a Basecamp Boondocking Bandit! Thanks for the great info.

My solution I’ve been brainstorming is the Point Zero electric generator. It’s about $7,000 with 2 huge batteries, has 30amp plug, solar, and you can use it elsewhere. It’s all contained in a modular unit that can be added on to. I think it’s 2,000-3000 wh.

Glamping 101 ,, boys love it

First time to your channel...I have the same Sport 22. Excellent explanation of the power system.. Thank you

There's a company in AZ that makes an AC unit that's not typical it uses a 'chiller' mode which only uses the compressor to cool a water tank into a sealed forced-air piping system. The idea is by using the compressor to freeze the block overnight, you use the lowest power rates and during the day only used forced air to provide cooling. Now - the weight of this would preclude putting it on the roof - but it'd be interesting to see if they could make an RV model. It'd be a huge market for them to consider. (I've researched it for a commercial building and when combined with a water feature to tie into a heat-exchanger for additional cooling on the compressor the power savings are massive).

Very informative…..

Nice video and definitely agree with the lithium upgrade. I'd recommend moving the two batteries from your A-Frame to the space under the bed next to your third one. If you find yourself camping when it's freezing out size your those batteries will stop working at -4ºF and won't charge if below 28ºF. Having them under the bed solves this because they stay warm from the house heat. They don't offgas so that's not a problem. Of course you loose a little storage. You also have the added benefit of keeping your batteries a little more secure. We've had a vintage Caravel and a '14 25ft Int'l and have gone smaller into the Basecamp. Loving it so far and the lithium batteries are inside the camper now. Hope this is useful and keep up the great videos!

Great video, direct and to the point. I have a 2019 Sport 22 with the factory installed single panel solar (I believe it is 80 or 90W). The comments don’t appear to be searchable, but would you please share info on how much your setup cost and whether you installed it yourself or had the work performed by a shop? If you had the work done by a shop, what shop did you use. Thanks!

Excellent video. Concise, well done and very informative. I’m also thinking of upgrading our travel trailer from lead-acid batteries to lithium. Our batteries are located in the traditional up-front-outside spot. Many people I talk with say the Battle Born batteries need to be installed inside because of environmental conditions (heat and cold). Apparently you haven’t had any issues with the lithium’s being outside. Can you comment on that? How do you keep them in the narrow temperature range they “require.”

I'm through camping. Way too many people doing it now. All the campgrounds are full during summer time.

Love your video my wife and I have a 16th Bambi what works for us 2 wet cell batteries 2 100 watts portable solar panels a Honda 1800 watt companion generator with a 30 amp plug in , in eco mold a/c will start in low after start up turn a/c to high and run with no issues . Have boondocked the southern states , also high way rest stops , and also full hookup rv parks. Took us 2 years to reach this point your statement you could only run your a/c maybe 2 hours confirm the we have gone . How much did you spend on the upgrade ?

Thanks for the battery breakdown. I live a few miles from an Airstream dealer and many of the RV's are still using those lead acid batteries. I forgot, I think they up charge the customer for swapping the batteries or I think the salesman said charge for the solar and include the batteries.

F-150 Powerboost ? and Yes like the others said… Great Vid ! Well Done 👍🏻

Great video, thank you for sharing! Since you go off grid have you experienced any problems with having just one axle?

I would level of my motorhome out to fill the water tanks because I noticed if I was on a little slow the tanks weren’t selling up all the way

Excellent and geeky stuff! Our plugs here are 240 volt; I wonder how much difference it would make if you were doing this in the U.K.! Also, congratulations on 50,000 subs 👍🏻😀

The best thing about Airstreams, you pay the huge price, use it for 10-15 years and still recoup most of you money back when time to sell. We are looking to get a globetrotter 23fb with the rear hatch.

Somebody went to uni to be an engineer and it’s paid off. nice going Scott.

I own a top of the line (Classic model) 2007 Airstream. It comes standard with an inverter BUT the inverter’s job is to change 120VAC to 12VDC so as to keep the two batteries charged and to run all the 12VDC appliances (such as all the internal lights). So, you are correct, the Airstream is designed to go for one RV campground to the next. 120VAC is almost mandatory.

Now we have the Airstream Tradewind which is a real boondocker. If you’re independently wealthy, go for the Bolus Electra. Hyper expensive but has an insane battery bank.

We have a 25' Flying Cloud with a 30amp set up. On our last outing, our Boondocking neighbor had a 50amp 25' Flying Cloud with two AC units on the roof, as well as a $5000 dollar after market solar system add on. Ewe were considering solar before talking to him. We have no Solar at present, but we travel with a 3500w RV Ready Inverter Generator with remote start and w/100' power cord. After talking with him, I wouldn't trade our set up for his. Not in the heat near Joshua Tree or the endless days of cloud and rain near Vancouver BC or Seattle. Our set-up, for 1/5 the cost of his provides all the power we need 100% of the time.

Added 400ah of lithium batteries and a 3000w Multiplus to my AS Flying Cloud. Game changer. 360 w of solar also helps. Use Battle Borne batteries and Victron electronics. More $ but worth it in quality

A good rule of thumb for depth of discharge (DOD) is that AGM batteries have a 50% DOD and Lithium batteries have an 80% DOD. So 3 of those Battle Borns in parallel will give you 240Ah (300Ah x 0.8).

I really love you guys! Me and my husband are deciding to buy a Bambi. My one question what are you have how are you are finding those beautiful places of the grid?

The new inverter style dual fuel generators gas/propane (4500/4000)amp would be handy too to augment your 3(100) battery set up🌻I really like your video as we are in early planning stages of getting a Bambi ( 19 foot) should suffice ❗️

Our current truck camper has 2 lead batteries no solar power no inverter but it does have a 2500W generator on board. We are trading this camper in on a new 2022 Lance 1172 truck camper that we ordered last November. This one will have 2 100W solar panels 2 lithium batteries and a generator. Lithium batteries are better and also weigh less. We prefer boondocking.

Would've loved to hear more about the insulation of it, like how it retains heat or cold air as well as more about the solar, and solar potential that it's capable of handling.

Hi guys! Love your channel. Thank you so much. We have a Bambi 22FB on the way and thought I saw in a prior post that you did your battery conversion installation with Sutton in Eugene Oregon. Is this the case? This is who we are buying our AS from And I’m basically looking to duplicate what you have already done. We have already ordered the battle born batteries for them to install on our behalf. Curious about whether it comes with a converter or not that will work for these batteries or we also have to have the dealer replace this for us? Just curious your experience in this regard?

Excellent job on the video (both content and production). Since Lithiums can be charged below 32 degrees did you consider putting all 3 indoors?

If you’re willing to spend the money there are some super quite generators. I keep one just because sometimes solar isn’t an option.

What a clean install!! Did you that yourself?

Nice summary Scott; very informative. The Airstream is expensive out of the gate to purchase so what's the rough budget to add the battery upgrade and solar? Did you install yourself or have a pro do it? When you added the battery upgrade how did you add the 110 plugs for your devices? Did you have to mod the inside of the rig to install plugs in different areas? Sorry for all the questions...just trying to learn some of the details.

Hi thanks for the info. Did you buy everything from airstream and have them install it, or did you buy everything from Amazon and install it yourself?

Good afternoon and thanks for the great video. Very informative! We just bought a new 22FB Bambi last week and we're looking to do a lot of boondocking. Now that you've had your install in for several months, is there anything you'd do differently, i.e., more solar on the roof, higher wattage on the investor, etc? Also, did you do the install yourself? If not, can you share who did he work, your satisfaction level with their work and what your were charged for the installation? Thanks!

I see you have a fairly new truck, but I wonder how many of your power issues would be solved by one of the new hybrid f150’s with the pro-power onboard options

Did you do the upgrade yourself or did someone else? Please recommend someone 🙏this is excellent information thank you

Do you guys think rock guards are a good option? Standard with the Caravel but a dealer option for the Bambi’s…

How much did all the battery, inverter, solar and the labor cost?

Well that is perfectly clear!?

I have a remarkably similar setup with a 3000VA multiplus inverter and I can vouch that the results are identical to what he says. I can run the big AC with a 13A generator running and most everything else without the generator. The multiplus allows me to run the AC without a soft start which is amazing but I am thinking of getting one anyway to eas the load on the batteries. Excluding the AC we can camp the same as if we were hooked up for 150AH per day getting us 2 days. WE typically run the generator for about 2 hours a day at 50 amps charging or we can recharge from dead zero in about 3.5 hrs. I have 320 watts of solar that gets me 15 amps of charging or maybe 75 AH per day with ideal sun. This reduces the generator run time accordingly. Solar alone will keep the lights on and 12V frig on indefinitely but that is about it. On travel days I get 20 amps of charging from the truck so usually no need for generator unless it is short time on the road.

Do you really need to run an espresso maker and microwave when boon-docking? A stove top pressure espresso maker and learning to do real cooking with flame solve both these problems for less than $20.

That new hybrid F-150 7200w generator is a game changer.

There are problems with all types of habitations, Airstreams included. As a current airstream owner and the former owner of 5 others types, i can say they are superior in almost all aspects. But the best part is their great resale value. Go ahead and buy one of the other poorly constructed brands. You will definitely “save” money on the day you buy it. Later well, not so sure..

Hope you can wait a year for your airstream and another year for a spot to put it

with that inverter under your bed, I bet you have some nice toasty feet on winter nights. There,s gotta be some heat coming off that

No problems who wants to camp in direct sun? I have it made in the shade baby plug me in baby!

Nice explanations, thank you. Does this mean you have to have a generator to run ac?

Victron make a 200AHr 12V lithium battery that has the same footprint as the typical lead acid 100AHr battery. ( the same (single) battery slot can be used for a significant capacity and peformance upgrade). These batteries require a seperate Battery management system (best from Victron) One aspect often overlooked is when running higher power devices (eg inverter with a toaster or kettle) is that many of the cheeper lithium batteries will not deliver the required power output due to the design of the battery and its (usually inbuilt) Battery Management System (BMS) - so you can get a cheep say 10 or 200 AT battery that will only deliver say 50 or 100A Max output - no good for toaster or kettle etc. and there is not much you can do about it. for caravan batteries (regardless of lead acid or lithium type), for effective charging from the car or tow vehicle - you really do need a competent dcdc charger (needs to cope with the particular alternator type and the type of battery) - this means additional dedicated wireing in the car and the caravan (16mm2 wire, it think 5 or 6 gauge in the USA is recomended, as, if you undersize this wireing, the charger may get confused due to the voltage drop under load). I recomend 50A genuine anderson connectors for this. I have seeen the cheep knockoff anderson plugs mechanically fail. Also, 200W of solar ( without generator or mains topup) is not going to cut the custard if you are cooking with the battery system on a daily basis, It just cannot keep up with the daily demand and the batterys will run down and need to be topped up with generator or grid power. - 200W of solar is ok for fridge, lights, phone charging etc. I live in the tropics with really good sun, 100W with just the fridge and my battery will run down slowly ( > a week).. In places of not good sun or shade or snow, the panel peformance would be reduced.

We have the same inverter, but I don't see the function in my app that yours has for the power assist mode. Was that a separate device you installed?

Downsides for the silver suppository: Hail storms? Storage? Price?

Careful that hot-water heater doesn’t leak, could create a big issue!

So if you're off the grid and only using what is in your inverter and batteries, how do you get comfortable in hot weather conditions? where you need the AC at night?

But how much does that cost?... Why would you not mention the cost of the batteries snd inverter setup?

I wish airstreams still made motorhome versions of their trailers like they did in 1977