While off-grid, a 50 watt solar panel is connected to my "house" battery.  

Boondocking and Solar Power

I prefer dry camping (boon docking).  I like the solitude of Forest Service, BLM and other open spaces. A few weeks ago I towed my rig from it's winter home in Southern Utah to some beautiful land in Southwest Colorado.  At this location I have amazing views of the West Side of the La Plata Mountains, horses to hang out with, and a wood shop and art studio.  I use my camper dining table for making art, but while at this location I can also build in my shop and paint with oils too.

Running power tools 

I have no power at many locations, while camping I keep my batteries fully charged with a 50 watt solar panel.  It's very sunny here in the Southwest, so solar is the way to go.

While woodworking in the shop, I use my cordless power tools and charge up my batteries using a small inverter plugged into my jeep lighter, or I bring fully charged batteries.  I have a cordless skill saw, and cordless drills. But I need more.

As I looked at the process of converting my shop to solar, and to keep it simple, I searched for  a usage chart online to get some idea of the size of the Power inverter I would need for most of my tools.  Initially, I plan to power up my batteries for cordless work, light up the studio with a few CF bulbs, run my small iPod stereo speakers and power tools.

I learned that smaller tools like sanders, drills, and jig saws don't draw a lot of continuous power, they surge when they start.  Other tools like my chop saw and table saw draw more power and surge on start too, and will have to wait for a bigger inverter.

For less than $100. I ordered the Power Bright Inverter from Amazon prime.  I thought I'd get started with the 1100/2200 inverter and upgrade to the Powerbright 2300 next year.  I will need the bigger inverter for the big saws and welding.

The setup includes:

1. 50 watt panel and 35 watt panel, parallel connection if needed.  I will start with the 50.
2. 12volt deep cycle marine battery (just like our RV battery)
3. 30 amp charge controller
4. 1100/2200 Power inverter - Powerbright PW1100 (Modified Sine Wave)

What will I use this power for?

Lights (compact fluorescent)

Music (iPhone stereo speakers)

Chop Saw

Table Saw

Bisquit joiner

Palm sander

Orbital sander

Angle Grinder

Jig Saw

more

1. The inverter will be connected to 12v DC battery (deep cycle)
2. The inverter will supply 110v to tools, light, etc
3. The solar panel will keep the battery charged
4. The charge controller will shut down the power coming from the panels to avoid overload.

There are many helpful sites online and youtube videos to show how simply I can power my shop.

Links:
Watt usage chart for household and shop appliances

About Boondocking

Solar Toolman

Winter Camping in Utah

Exploring in Southern Utah, Muley Point Keyhole

Owning a travel trailer has extended my camping to 4 seasons.

There have only been a few weekends since the winter began that I've missed camping out in Utah.  Although the nights can be cold, and it's a bit more of a challenge to star gaze, having a camper with a heater makes all the difference.  I keep my Sunline Saturn at the Cadillac Ranch RV Park in Bluff, Utah.  Driving out to my "second home" from Durango is easy, just a little over two hours.

Renovating the Awning.  It was funky, so I removed it.

The campground is not too busy in the winter, and my favorite site is very private, south facing, and great for campfires and the dark night sky.  Diana and Tim, the owners of Cadillac Ranch are becoming fast friends, and I enjoy chatting with them when not in my "private", solo, mood.  I bring a bike, and enjoy a ride around town, or just take it for a drive, and don't use it at all!

I removed one of the bunk cabinet doors and installed blackboard.  Artist in Residence.

From my base camp in Bluff, I drove each day to a nearby trailhead for some photography and watched rocks grow old.  Within 5 miles of camp are some of the most awesome landscapes and Ancient Puebloan ruins around.  Folks travel from all over the world to visit Valley of the Gods, the Moqui Dugway, Muley Point and Monument Valley.

Just a few miles from camp, Comb Ridge is a 75 mile long "snake".
The hike up to this big view takes about an hour, and although there is
no designated trail, exploration is endless.

RVwest Magazine features a story about My Adventures and RV Lifestyle

RV West Magazine Article about Kit Frost

Kit Frost's Photographs and Camping Adventures Featured in RVwest Magazine 

My rig at the Watchman Campground in Zion National Park

I was thrilled to get a call from Jessica Kirby, a writer for RVwest Magazine.  What do you think of the story she wrote about me and my life of adventure?
Click here to read the story.

Dry Camping in the San Juan National Forest, near Durango, Colorado

RVwest Newsletter - eNews about RV travel, product Reviews and Photography

http://www.rvwest.com/campaigns/html/11762

Comment below please.  I'd love to know what you think of RVwest.

Time Lapse Photo Sequence: Zion National Park

One of the things I love the most about travel and photography is the luxury of time.  Time to watch clouds pass, time to watch rocks grow old, time to watch changing weather.

While camping at the Watchman Campground, I spent each morning taking a series of still images with my Nikon D300 and D5100 and set the timer on the camera to make a photo every 10 seconds or so. Later, at home, I uploaded the images to iMovie, set the time each image would last for .2 seconds, added music and here you see the results.

Here's a link to an article from petapixel.com about 5 people doing Time-Lapse Photography  I'm impressed by the photos, the use of the "rail" and the subjects too.

And check out this recent National Geographic interview and Time Lapse by Michael Shainblum.

What do you think?

A Collection of Recent Photos

Take a few minutes to enjoy some mellow music and my photographs.

Video: Loving Making Art in my Camper on a Rainy Day

RVWest Magazine featured story this month: Kit Frost, Photography

Camping at Sand Island Recreation Area, beside the San Juan River, in Utah

The current online issue of RV West Magazine features an article about my life, RV, photography, what inspires me and my reasons for purchasing my rig, and a story about how I combine photography and adventures.  Let me know what you think.  I love comments on my blog.

After entering the RV West photo contest in November, and winning, the editor called to suggest an article about my path to loving RV and Adventure travel in combination Chase the Light Photography Adventures.  Check it out.  The article includes a cool slideshow of photos taken of my rig while camping in Utah, and Colorado.  Most of the time, I'm out exploring and making photos and then I return to my camper at night for comfort and warmth.

Kit Frost doesn't just just seek adventures, she creates them!  Link

Thanks RV West for the wonderful article.