Use case · Week 2

RV / caravan shore-power loss (fridge + lights)

Powered site goes dark, breaker trips, or you unplug early: size a portable station for 12 V / AC fridge and lights until shore returns — plus a solar tip. Broader van builds: campervan NZ · vanlife week power.

Shore-loss vs freecamp pages

  • This page = temporary gap when you expected hookups (park outage, late arrival, noisy neighbour generator ban).
  • Campervan NZ = ~1 kWh head-to-head for vans (weight, max solar, fridge ports).
  • Vanlife week = multi-day freedom-camp Wh + cloudy buffer math.

Confirm 230 V NZ/AU SKUs with local retailers — US links below are for specs. Specs from manufacturer pages (checked Oct 2026).

Shore-loss load budget

  • RV fridge (absorption on gas / 12 V / AC). If you can switch to gas or 12 V house battery, do that first. AC compressor fridges often average ~40–80 W cycling — surge still matters (see fridge runtime).
  • Lights + USB. ~10–25 W evenings.
  • Don’t run the roof AC on a mid-size station. Same honesty as heatwave AC — Wh empties in under an hour at kilowatt loads.

Typical shore-loss stack (fridge cycling + lights): about 50–100 W average.

Solar tip when shore is dead

  • Park for sun: unshaded foldable on the picnic table beats a panel under the awning.
  • Match panel watts to station max solar input and voltage window.
  • Alternator / tow-vehicle charge on drive days helps (EcoFlow-class car paths) — don’t idle for hours in quiet parks.
  • More kit math: solar bundles under $1,500.

Wh estimates (label: estimates)

Hours ≈ (rated Wh × 0.85) ÷ average watts.

Lights + USB only (~20 W)

~12–87 h

286 Wh ≈ 12 h · 1,024 Wh ≈ 43 h (estimates)

Fridge + lights (~70 W)

~3.5–25 h

286 Wh ≈ 3.5 h · 1,024 Wh ≈ 12 h · 2,048 Wh ≈ 25 h (estimates)

Pulse strategy

Run → coast

Recover fridge cold for 1–2 h, then shut doors — stretches shore-loss nights.

Comparison: shore-loss stations

Filter by gap length. Prefer fridge-friendly surge + solar headroom.

Model Wh · max solar cue AC / surge Est. fridge+lights Shore-loss note Approx. USD
EcoFlow RIVER 3 Plus Lights 286 Wh expandable 600 W (X-Boost 1,200 W) ~3–4 h light fridge if surge allows (est.) Evening lights + phones; short fridge pulses only. ~$180–300
Jackery Explorer 1000 v2 Light carry 1,070 Wh · 400 W max solar 1,500 W / 3,000 W surge ~10–14 h @ ~70 W (est.) Overnight shore-loss classic; solar ceiling is the trade-off. ~$499–589
BLUETTI Elite 100 V2 1,024 Wh 1,800 W (lifting 2,700 W) ~10–14 h class (est.) Quiet overnight in a crowded park. ~$380–500
Anker SOLIX C1000 Expand 1,056 Wh → 2,112 Wh 1,800 W / 2,400 W surge ~10–14 h · double with pack Add battery if the park stays dark a second night. ~$400–600
EcoFlow DELTA 3 Plus Solar 1,024 Wh · 1,000 W max PV 1,800 W / 3,600 W surge Overnight solo; multi-day with panels / extras Best shore-loss → freecamp bridge; car charge path on tow days. ~$600–900+
BLUETTI AC200L Buffer 2,048 Wh 2,400 W class ~20–25 h @ ~70 W (est.) Heavy floor unit — strong multi-night fridge buffer without expand day one. ~$800–1,100
Anker SOLIX C300 288 Wh 300 W class Lights / USB; skip full-size AC fridge Day-bag electronics while house battery / gas fridge carries food. ~$200–280

QuietWatt is independent. Runtime figures are estimates. Verify surge against your fridge label. More freecamp depth: campervan NZ · vanlife NZ week.

Where to buy (affiliate placeholders)

Tracked affiliate links will replace these placeholders once QuietWatt is enrolled in each program. Until then, use the official product URLs in the table above.

Buy via EcoFlow Buy via BLUETTI Buy via Anker Buy via Jackery Buy via Amazon

Placeholder anchors: #aff-ecoflow, #aff-bluetti, #aff-anker, #aff-jackery, #aff-amazon.

Sources