Power Without a Hookup

Walk into an RV dealership asking for roof solar, lithium batteries, and an inverter so you can camp off-grid, and the service counter will hand you a $3,500 to $5,000+ estimate — often without asking what appliances you actually run.

As a $9.90 add-on to your $19.90 main guide pack, Gene Mercer shows you across 46 A5 pages how to plan, size, and budget an off-grid 12V power system step by step before spending a dime.

What you get inside (46 pages A5 + 5 printable sheets):

- Your Real Daily Power Budget: Exact 12V DC and 120V AC amp-hour table (furnace blower, 12V compressor vs. absorption fridge, CPAP with and without heated humidifier, laptop, coffee maker) + 1 printable Power Budget Worksheet.

- AGM vs. LiFePO4 Batteries: Usable capacity (50% vs. 80–90%), 10-year cost per cycle, U.S. converter compatibility (WFCO Auto-Detect trap vs. manual Li switch, Progressive Dynamics), Battle Born / Victron / Renogy / Epoch / LiTime specs, and 32 °F low-temp charge protection.

- Roof & Portable Solar: Official NREL PVWatts daily yield table comparing the Midwest/North vs. Sunbelt (Arizona, Florida, SoCal), flat roof panels vs. 45° folding solar suitcases, MPPT vs. PWM controllers, and leak-free mounting on EPDM/TPO roofs with Dicor Lap Sealant.

- DC-DC Charging & 120V Inverters: Protecting Sprinter, ProMaster, Transit, and Ford E-450/F-53 alternators with a DC-DC charger (Victron Orion XS, Renogy), plus NEC Article 551 / NFPA 1192 rules for pure sine inverters, transfer switches, and GFCI safety.

- Wire Gauges (AWG), Fuses & 3 Complete Builds: 14 AWG to 2/0 AWG sizing table (ABYC E-11), Class T 20,000A fuses, Master Wiring Schematic, 3 complete packages (DIY $340 / $1,320 / $2,650 vs. Dealer $1,250 / $3,450 / $4,850), and 4 printable campsite diagnostic cards.