Building a Simple Off-Grid Power System for a Pop-Up Camper — What I Bought, What It Cost, and Why It Works

There are cleaner, more efficient setups out there. This isn’t one of them. This is the practical, budget-conscious system I put together that handles everything we need for a long weekend off-grid.

I knew we had a lot of things that plugged in. Phones, lights, hand warmers, portable speakers, laptops, iPads, Starlink — there were a lot. It adds up fast. Luckily I hit the Black Friday sales with the idea I wanted a decent power station that would last several days anywhere we didn’t have a place to plug in to shore power.

The Anker SOLIX C800 X hit the sweet spot. I was familiar with the brand, 768Wh felt like enough to keep us going over a long weekend even before I picked up the solar panels to keep it topped off. That felt like a pretty good setup. Then I found the Gendome Go 300. 288Wh was the perfect fit to keep the kids’ items up and running, parked on their end of the tent, and allowing the adults to utilize the Anker for laptops and our phones without thinking about it.

When we purchased the pop-up camper, things evolved quite a bit. Same basic theory with the power station but the camper battery was long past its prime when I purchased it and a new Power Queen 12V 100Ah Lithium Battery set up perfectly. Honestly, for a long weekend camping trip, this is plenty of power to keep us up and going.

The camper battery runs lights, the three-way fridge panel, the water heater and pump. As it doesn’t actually power the 110 plugs in our camper setup when we are without shore power to plug in to, it has plenty of power to keep everything running, and we used the power stations to plug in all of the little things. The real consideration is the 12V refrigerator and Starlink. This is where this setup is great.

Portable solar panels really hold their own if the weather holds and you have sun. Our setup has two sets of Anderson connectors running off the camper battery. One set of cables — a JacEnergy Anderson connector fridge cord kit connected via a XRDS-RF 8AWG extension cable that runs through the bunk canvas — goes from the battery and directly powers our BougeRV 42-Quart 12V Fridge within the camper. If you want the full breakdown on the fridge, we reviewed it here.

Now for the other cables, you will need to purchase a charge controller. We use the Victron SmartSolar MPPT 75/15 which we keep in a small weatherproof junction box on the trailer tongue that converts the power from the solar panels before feeding it to the battery. Two sets of Anderson cables — one set connecting directly from the battery to the charge controller, and another set from the charge controller to your solar panel. Pretty easy setup once you know what to buy and helps keep your lithium battery charged to run the fridge over multiple days.

The Starlink Mini runs directly off of the Anker C800 and if you are considerate of your use time and turn the Starlink off when you’re not using it, this system will keep you up and running for nearly a week. You can always top off the Anker via the solar panels as well if you want to switch it out.

In the end, many of our trips are to places where the camper has hookups and we don’t even need the battery, while the power stations are more for mobile convenience. If we were boondocking for multiple weeks, it would be difficult to keep the fridge and Starlink up and running, but our typical 3-4 day trip power needs are completely handled with this setup. That’s not how we camp.

MLD Field Note — The Three-Way Fridge Trap

If your camper has a three-way fridge, run it on propane when boondocking. The 12V setting uses a heating element, not a compressor, and will pull 8-10 amps continuously. That will drain even a good lithium battery in less than a day. Save the battery for lights and water. Let propane handle the cooling.

The System

All products linked with midlifedad-20. Prices vary and deals are available — especially around Black Friday. What we paid is noted where relevant in the verdicts below.

• Anker SOLIX C800 X Portable Power Station
• GENDOME GO300 Portable Power Station
• Power Queen 12V 100Ah Lithium Battery
• MARBERO 200W Portable Solar Panel
• Victron SmartSolar MPPT 75/15 Charge Controller
• Anderson Connector Cables 50A — Set 1 (battery to controller)
• Anderson Connector Cables 50A — Set 2 (controller to solar)
• JacEnergy Anderson Connector Fridge Cord Kit
• XRDS-RF 8AWG Extension Cable (battery to bunk canvas)
• Weatherproof Junction Box
• BougeRV 42-Quart 12V Fridge — reviewed separately

MLD Standard — Quick Verdicts

Anker SOLIX C800 X — Pass. The anchor piece. Handles Starlink, laptops, and device charging with capacity to spare for our use. Recharges fast when shore power is available. Typically in the $370-$400 range — worth watching for deals as Black Friday pricing can be significantly lower. One honest note: 768Wh works well for our setup but if you’re planning to run a 12V fridge or extended Starlink sessions off the C800 alone, consider stepping up to a higher capacity model. I’ve thought about it since.

GENDOME GO300 — Pass. Around $130 and does exactly what a secondary unit should do. Keeps the kids’ devices running without cords running across the whole camper.

Power Queen 12V 100Ah Lithium — Pass. The biggest single upgrade in the system. Lighter than the AGM it replaced, charges faster, and includes Bluetooth monitoring so you can see exactly what the fridge is pulling from your phone. Approximately $250 at current retail — deals are available and worth waiting for.

MARBERO 200W Solar Panel — Conditional Pass. Performs well in good sun. Most people run 100W panels — 200W is a meaningful step up and worth the modest price difference if you’re serious about off-grid range. Not a replacement for shore power but a significant supplement.

Victron SmartSolar MPPT — Pass. The piece most people skip — and shouldn’t. Manages solar input to the battery correctly. Bluetooth app shows real-time production and battery state. Buy this before you buy the solar panel.

Anderson Cables + Junction Box — Pass. Unglamorous but essential. Weatherproof the connections at the controller.