Cheap tricks and solutions - product modifications, DIY, or repurposed items- not on-sale items

NevetsG

Active member
It is easy to go to the store and spend thousands of dollars stocking up on the ultimate camp kit, but why?

I'm of the camp, who asks, why would I spend that much money? Is there a better or cheaper solution. I don't care about name brands, I care about what works, and what gets me out of the rat race.

Please share your cheap solutions, repurposed items, product modifications/improvements, and or DIY projects.

Pictures, descriptions, and instructions are preferred.
 

NevetsG

Active member
I currently designing and building a 40amp hour (480watt hour) Li-Po battery box using 18650 batteries in a metal ammo box. My hope is it will be less then 30-40% the cost of a comparable $600 retail version.

Once complete I will post pictures, wire diagram, and shopping list.
 

Yarjammer

Wellreadneck
Camp cookware- Use old pots, pans, and silverware that your wife has destined for the donation bin or pick up a set someone else got rid of at a garage sale or secondhand store. Leave the fancy stuff to the raised pinky finger and backpacking crowd.

Recreation- I like to have a game or two when in camp vice out exploring so I rattle-canned a checkerboard on top of one of my large cases. I use bottle caps for checkers and picked up a set of chess pieces at a secondhand store. Two foot-long rebar sections or spare long steel tent stakes and some recovery shackles make a decent impromptu horseshoe set...

Camp lighting- Raid the discount bin after Halloween and Christmas for solar or battery powered strings of lights
 

NevetsG

Active member
Camp cookware- Use old pots, pans, and silverware that your wife has destined for the donation bin or pick up a set someone else got rid of at a garage sale or secondhand store. Leave the fancy stuff to the raised pinky finger and backpacking crowd.

Recreation- I like to have a game or two when in camp vice out exploring so I rattle-canned a checkerboard on top of one of my large cases. I use bottle caps for checkers and picked up a set of chess pieces at a secondhand store. Two foot-long rebar sections or spare long steel tent stakes and some recovery shackles make a decent impromptu horseshoe set...

Camp lighting- Raid the discount bin after Halloween and Christmas for solar or battery powered strings of lights

Nice, junkyard toys - Love it!
 

NevetsG

Active member
that's quite a few batteries; D cells?

No, 18650's are 3.7V LI-Po, and they are commonly used inside, USB battery packs, laptop battery packs, tool battery packs, vape boxes, and high intensity LED flashlights. Best description would be skinny size C that is 1.5x longer, and more the 2X the voltage.

Oh, and to answer you question. A total of 48 18650 Cells in 2 parallel 24 cell groups at 16V each with a buck converter to drop the voltage down to 12V.
 
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NevetsG

Active member
https://www.amazon.com/Lithium-Battery-LifePo4-charger-Solar-Marine-RV-GolftCart/dp/B01M66AHP0
50 ah, 15 pounds
LiFePo4 batteries are neat.

As for trying to save money, I usually try to buy quality items, last year's model, on clearance.... Or find employee discounts.
And I tend to make my own stuff too. I built all the shelving inside my Jeep from left-over steel and wood from other projects.

The battery you linked too is really nice, and it is typically made from the batteries I'm combining or flat batteries w/ balancing circuit boards. Downside is the quality of the circuit boards is a point of failure long before the batteries actually fail. With an open system (DIY only), I can track down the $2 or $4 failure without having to replace the whole battery. I'm considering getting one of these for my motorcycle, but they are still are overpriced.
 

Hilldweller

SE Expedition Society
The nice thing about a LiFePo4 battery is that you can run it for its full amperage rating and the voltage stays constant. Charge it back up when convenient, all the way or part of the way, and it doesn't care. If you treat an SLA or AGM like that you'll kill them.
 

NevetsG

Active member
The nice thing about a LiFePo4 battery is that you can run it for its full amperage rating and the voltage stays constant. Charge it back up when convenient, all the way or part of the way, and it doesn't care. If you treat an SLA or AGM like that you'll kill them.

Pros and Cons. Li-Po runs consistent, but you can't run it dead, you MUST cut the power when it hits a certain voltage, or suffer permanent damage. And good batteries or power supplies have this built in. SLA and AGM batteries can be run dead, dead, dead, without protection, and can be brought back to life, not good for them, but it can be done.
 

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