One of the best ways to go on nature adventures, 4×4 camping can be an incredible experience, regardless of how little or how many cool accessories you have, especially if you are safe and if you are with the right people or alone if that’s what you prefer. However, cool accessories are fun and very useful and some can even be indispensable. Moreover, accessories can have a huge impact on your 4×4 camping experience, regardless of whether you have been doing it for years, or this is your first ever trip.
You Get the Panel, the Sun Will Bring the Power
If you want to be able to save some money on your trips and make them last longer, if you want your to always be comfortable and allow yourself some guilt-free luxuries and, more than everything if you care for nature, you should look at off grid solar home kits, and find what suits your needs perfectly.
Sunlight is one of the best sources of energy that humanity knows how to harvest, to date. It’s free, it’s renewable, it’s renewable, it’s clean, it’s green and it belongs to every one of us. Of course, to use it, we need solar panels. Solar panels are amazing inventions that allow us to do just that – harvest sunlight, store it and transform it into electricity. And with the advancement of solar technologies, nowadays it is possible to bring a solar panel on a camping trip, and use it off the grid.
Essentially, as the name suggests, off grid solar home kits allow you to install a solar power system that will function entirely independently of the main grid. Apart from that this system works more or less like all other solar power systems.
Sunlight is the fuel that’s “poured” into the power system, and then, simply put, the solar panel converts the solar energy into DC (or direct current), which is then converted into AC (alternated current), which is essentially the electricity. The off grid power system will include many different parts and features. Most importantly if the system generates more energy than what you have used during the sunny period of the day, they will store it, allowing you to use it during the night, or at any time of day when there isn’t sunlight.
This great invention is one of the best investments a 4×4 camping or “road-tripping” enthusiast can make. However, if you like travelling during colder months, or in areas where there aren’t many sunny days, you should always make sure that you have a backup generator, especially if you like spending more days far from civilization. The good news is that you can also get a transfer switch, which is an accessory that will help you alternate between sunlight and the source of energy your backup generator uses.
You Are Not a Solar Panel, Bring Some Shade
So, while camping with your 4×4 you want there to be sun, not only if you are using an off grid solar kit, but also to stay warm if you are travelling during colder months. However, while the sun is important to us, even crucial for our very survival, as you know it can also be very harmful. This is mainly due to the ultraviolet rays the sunlight contains, which can seriously damage your skin – making it age faster, irritating it, burning it, and in some cases even causing cancer.
To protect themselves from the sun, and also other weather-related issues, such as rain, people who go camping with their 4×4 vehicles regularly invest in 4×4 awning tents. Installing an awning on the roof of your vehicle is extremely useful and practical, as it will protect you and other people joining you on the road trip, your equipment, or your tent from the elements.
4×4 awning tents are very easy to use, as they are mounted and permanently installed on one side of the roof rack, so all you need to do is open them. Of course, their role is to provide you with shade and shelter whether you are taking a break from the ride, spending a day at the beach, camping or you have had to stop for any reason. If you are camping it can serve you as a tarp, sheltering the tent under it, or if you like sleeping in the open, with a sleeping bag or a bivvy bag and your sleeping mat, it can protect you in case it starts raining. The 4×4 awning can also protect you from the sun while you are at the beach, it can act as a roof under which you and your family or friends can sit in your camping chairs, and so on.
Like with any type of 4×4 accessories, when you are choosing an awning, you should aim for the best quality for your budget. Another important thing to think about is the size of the awning. To determine the size, you should take the necessary measurements, and besides taking the length of the roof into account, you should also think about how you are going to use it – are you going to set up your tent underneath it, or you are simply going to use it to sit in the shade.