Mini Van Ideas

[MN C Van]

Interesting point.
Minivans are ubiquitous AND 'invisible'; I've headed for someone else's in a parking lot on a few occasions, mistaking theirs for mine!!!

And i truly believe most people just don't 'see' them. The ultimate in generic.

MN plates might stand out in AZ or CA, though.

[TWIH]

Thanks Heidi and MN C Van for the replies.  What Heidi said about the full-sized conversion van being a target in a highly dense urban area vs the anonymity of the minivan is what I have thought about for a while. Every time I see a cargo or passenger full-sized van in the neighbourhoods I frequent it stands out so much, while the 6-8 minivans parked along the street are totally ignored.

That’s a reason I can’t see mounting the rigid-framed solar panels on the roof like MN C Van posted, it’s way too different looking for a urban neighbor to not notice. Noticing = bad.

The fact that Heidi powered a fridge off of an alternator/solenoid setup suggests a fair amount of driving or idling needed daily. Of course the PNW is hardly what we would call “prime” solar territory, especially during the winter months. 

Sigh, always problems with every choice.

You’re also correct that living “in” vs “out” of a minivan is very difficult. I’d be just as miserable trying to spend any waking hours in my Prius, there’s no room to do anything but sleep. That’s why I stay in urban areas so as to have options to fill the hours of the day when not working.

In summary, glad for you Heidi that a trailer is working out for you. Probably your best choice for now.
Thanks MN C Van for the picture of the solar panels on the roof of your minivan. As can be seen there’s no room for any kind of vent, and installing a traditional 14x14 roof vent would be another giveaway...  It works if you are a rural or BLM/Forest Service area camper but that’s about it.

As for me, the search continues. 

[Snikwahjm]

We now have solar panels and a roof vent on our Chevy conversion van. I’m sure it stands out... it is what it is until we can afford to make a change. I don’t think two of us would be comfortable in a mini or a car. It would give better gas mileage and yes, be somewhat stealth. I have seen people sleeping in their cars at rest stops. Believe me our van is much more private. We have thought about driving something smaller though.

[Heidi Mull]

The fact that Heidi powered a fridge off of an alternator/solenoid setup suggests a fair amount of driving or idling needed daily.

I did tend to drive a fair bit daily, but I'd also have stretches where I wouldn't drive at all for several days. And I wouldn't dream of idling; I was barely affording gas as is! (More than once I went hungry in order to fill my gas tank, but I digress.)

To the best of my recollection, I could usually go approximately 36-48 hours before the fridge would shut off from battery being too low. Of course, it does take more than just one hour of driving to bring it back from that low a point, so it's not like I could do that all the time with little driving. It would depend too on how much I was using the rest of my electronics, e.g. 12V fan, both our laptops, both cell phones, a hotspot, and also how much the fridge had to run (time of year, how much we were opening it, etc).

[TWIH]

Got it, I’ve read too many of SternWakes battery and charging posts to believe that a magical 20 minute drive would refill a depleted house battery, well, a motocycle sized one perhaps.

The full-size (fs) cargo, passenger or conversion van is about the minimum size for a couple, some YTers claim they do just fine being in a minivan but really? Think about it, there’s little enough space for a single person. Also the fs doesn't look so out of place with a roof vent and solar, some because the roofline is above most peoples vision. That’s a problem with a minivan, even I at 5’6 can see the roof.

Some say that stealth is entirely over-rated, well that depends on where you park, what you drive and what you do when inside. I still maintain that people know their neighbourhoods and if a truly ‘different” vehicle is parked there, it will draw attention. Same with lights at night nside.

Maybe in a motel or an apartment lot you could get away with it but those managers aren’t totally ignorant of their surroundings either.

[Heidi Mull]

The full-size (fs) cargo, passenger or conversion van is about the minimum size for a couple, some YTers claim they do just fine being in a minivan but really? Think about it, there’s little enough space for a single person. Also the fs doesn't look so out of place with a roof vent and solar, some because the roofline is above most peoples vision. That’s a problem with a minivan, even I at 5’6 can see the roof.

Oh that's another factor I forgot to mention! We're both pretty small framed people. I'm 5'2", he's 5'5", and we're both under 100 pounds.

Before I built my bed in the back out of PVC pip, corrugated plastic and pink insulation foam, I was using an XS massage table for a bed. It was exactly 24 inches wide. We both slept on it. Together. Side by side. Every night.

...I may have accidentally pushed him out of bed a time or two.

[MN C Van]

That’s a reason I can’t see mounting the rigid-framed solar panels on the roof like MN C Van posted, it’s way too different looking for a urban neighbor to not notice.

Nobody has ever, once mentioned them. Never. I've had to point them out when they came up in conversation-
I'd guess it's an 'extension' of minivans being invisible; anything on a boring minivan is boring.

Obv a trucker or someone looking out a 3rd floor window would have to see them.

Surprises me with the amount of popular interest in solar- someone WOULD ask about them if they noticed; perhaps luggage rack bars do hide them, in addition to the 'Minivan invisible' thing.

Noticing = bad.

[MN C Van]

and, 300w is way too much- I was into the BW's my solar is bigger than your solar advice at the moment of decision
300w was just silly to run a little fridge.

100w would likely do it. And that you could truly hide, plus a vent.

Do different panels have different extrusion frame heights? Perhaps some are even shorter.

[TWIH]

Glad it works for you, I’d try a single 100W flexible and a good solenoid system. A fridg draws about 20+ amp hours if left on 24 hours (unknown variables like the compressor cycle time, inside temps, any insulation usage and the set point of thermostat) and you might be able to replace that on solar alone (100W panel figure 5 amps max times the solar hours available, maybe 5 = 25 amp hours if a sunny day). If you drive and charge that helps, but if you run into 2-3 cloudy or rainy days you might have a problem. I think she said after about 2 days her low voltage cut it off...

Most conventional panels are about the same sizes, Amazon products normally give dimensions.
You can get small ones (<40w) in skinnier vs square sizes but you pay more to assemble 100W worth. Course you can “jigsaw” them better.

In the end its whatever you can afford and make work. The advantage of roof racks is that you could suspend the panels inside the racks, by using angle steel/aluminum, and then they wouldn’t stick up. 

One these days I’ll actually have a van and about $500 in solar parts to play with.  Someday...