The EXPLORE MINI Overland Vehicle Wiring Kit is a comprehensive 800VA overland vehicle electrical system that includes everything you need to power your camper. From the inverter and charger all the way down to the lugs and mounting screws, we’ve included it ALL.
The EXPLORE MINI Overland Vehicle Wiring Kit includes:
12V Victron Phoenix 800VA Inverter
Optional 270Ah Battle Born GC3 Battery (System Requires 100Ah Minimum Battery Bank Capacity)
Up to 400W Solar on Single Charge Controller
Multiple Configurations Available
Victron Orion XS 12|12-50A Alternator Charging
30A/15A Victron Blue Smart Charger
And EVERYTHING needed to install these components - wire, fuses, lugs, heat shrink, mounting screws, etc.
Full list is provided on the product page as well as the wiring diagram
One of the main goals with this kit was to utilize one size of wire. This kit is 95% 6AWG wire in an attempt to keep cost in tools to a minimum and be much more user-friendly for the DIY’er. This is also why the components are sized the way that they are. The only ‘non-6AWG’ wire is the 10AWG PV solar wire and then the branch circuits.
For those who are not familiar with our YouTube channel: EXPLORIST.life
Our mission is to provide the most complete and easily understandable mobile, marine, and off-grid electrical education. We will be releasing a video later this year showcasing how this kit can be installed in a variety of ways. We currently have 3 GFC owners within the company, 2 of which are not yet outfitted with an electrical system. One will feature this kit mounted on a molle panel (semi-permanent) and the other will be installed into a Milwaukee Packout (portable). Stay tuned for a release date on that…
Feel free to reach out with any questions! @OverlandKyle is also part of our team and may chime in to help with questions as well. Original post was made under @Hawaiiantyle13
I’m the one that already has an electrical system mounted in the GFC…… a National Luna DC25 with a 100ah Battleborn…… if I didn’t already have that, I would absolutely be going with this system.
In one version, all of the components are mounted on the Molle panel at the front of the GFC and in another, everything is in a Milwaukee box…… in my opinion the Molle mount leaves more open space for transport but the Milwaukee box is truly all in one and portable and could be put under the bed once at camp
Is the molle mount version against the wall of the bed or is it the molle mount panel attached to the GFC? What is the weight of all those components and how are they attached to the panel including the battery? Self-tapping screws?
I’ll let @EXPLORIST.life-Chad chime in here as he’s the actual builder…… I’m just the guy looking over his shoulder armchair building and drinking a frosty beverage as he does so.
I went through the same thought process during my build. Their included components are very similar to my setup (the kit is legit, I wouldn’t change anything). Two recommendations if you’re looking to make it as small as possible.
Omit the 120v and inverter. I’ve gone three years and still not installed my inverter. You would be surprised how few things actually require 120v in a rig.
Victron offers a IP67 rated battery charger. I put that in the engine bay to save space. But you could install it pretty much anywhere out of the way.
The components will be mounted to the panel with either molle-specific mounting hardware (depending on how the Victron component mounting holes line up with the molle panel) or they will all be mounted to small boards that are mounted to the molle panel. The weight is not too significant. The largest component by far, which is the Victron Phoenix 12/800, is only 12lbs. The battery will be secured to the bed of the truck. Most of the wiring connections will be Anderson Powerpole connectors.
The portable box will definitely take up more space than the molle system but the goal with that one was portability. The systems also do not need to use the large Battle Born 270ah GC3, 100ah batteries will also suffice.
Hey @Chuck.D , that setup is saweeet! Is the battery in that other packout box below? I would have loved to utilize the smaller packout boxes and that was the initial idea (battery and AC charger in one, all components and distribution in the other) but for this video we are using the Battle Born GC3 270ah batteries which have a much larger footprint.
Great ideas as well! I can definitely understand not needing the inverter, but we wanted to include that option for those that decide to go that route.
I strongly discourage putting a bunch of Victron components inside a portable box, there are specific mounting instructions in terms of location of their fan and vent openings, , and top and bottom clearances for proper cooling. For example, the Inverter VE Direct and the solar controllers require a minimum of 4" clear space on ALL four sides. The inverter generates a lot of heat during operation, but a GFC owner is unlikely to use it heavily, unlike in a big RV that has a microwave… But the solar controller does generate some heat over a long period of time. A DC to DC charger gets HOT, almost 200 degrees F, and its waste heat discharge must be considered, and this cannot be placed inside a plastic box! If you must put a bunch of electrical items in a box or restricted space like a galley cabinet, be sure to add forced ventilation such as a high flow computer fan (and inlet grill) to keep the parts from overheating. For the box, keep the lid closed and the fan running, and park the box where it doesn’t get hit with direct sunlight.
A portable setup sounds cool, but it is huge theft risk, it is better to have all your expensive parts out of sight, completely! That way you can leave your camping site and not worry about any of your stuff getting taken, except your portable solar panel, which you should secure to a fixed object with a high test chain and a good padlock.
Victron stuff is good, but it isn’t even water resistant. Redarc makes some very robust DC to DC chargers that can be mounted in the open, if proper waterproof connections and splices are used. I am not familiar with their other products.
If this had been something around a year ago I’d totally jump on it. I’ve got half of that setup on my truck now. I’m trying to figure out the best day to add in the DC to DC charger for the secondary battery so I can charge when driving.
@JohnEDavies Hey John! We appreciate the concern, as Victron distributors, we are aware of the manufacturer recommendations and are incorporating best practices into our systems with proper ventilation. Really no different than the systems we install in the tight external storage boxes of RV’s. We are also using the new Orion XS 50A which does not produce as much heat as the Orion 30A. Cheers
I had a chance today to look at the final product…. Both versions and it is slick!! Looking forward to the release of the write up and the video down the road for everyone to see!
