Three years ago I performed the phase one update on our trailer (38foot 5th wheeler) I put in a Victron converter/inverter, shunt, Cerbo (HMI) and 4 100ah LiFePO4 batteries. The trailer has a 5500 generator and 3 ACs.
I wanted 2.5 days of power, not including AC, as I'd run the Jenny when needing AC
Solar is (was) coming at a future date with something in the 1200 watt range.
What I found was that we were boondocking roughly 8 nights a year, needing about 2 hours of generator each day to top off the batteries. (FWIW, there's a LOT of power to a gallon of gas) I can charge at home before we leave, exercising the generator is good, because I can rely on it when I need it (where if we right or over-size the solar, you might go a very long time before really needing the generator.
So, I'd like solar (it's quiet), but the $2500 or so to install it probably doesn't have a reasonable ROI. And I really like having AC the few days it's needed away from shorepower.
I've got a generator now, which can recharge my tiny battery in about an hour. The generator can run the AC, microwave, whatever I need. It's loud, and I often camp in primitive-but-not-remote sites which either have limited generator hours or where it would be rude to run one. That's a big reason I want maximum solar and battery. Even if I'm boondocking far from people, I don't want to listen to a generator all day. You're right about the energy density. I can run my 3000W generator for about eight hours on one 2.5 gallon tank of gas, depending on how much power I use. I've run the AC for a few hours that way.
I wanted 2.5 days of power, not including AC, as I'd run the Jenny when needing AC
Solar is (was) coming at a future date with something in the 1200 watt range.
What I found was that we were boondocking roughly 8 nights a year, needing about 2 hours of generator each day to top off the batteries. (FWIW, there's a LOT of power to a gallon of gas) I can charge at home before we leave, exercising the generator is good, because I can rely on it when I need it (where if we right or over-size the solar, you might go a very long time before really needing the generator.
So, I'd like solar (it's quiet), but the $2500 or so to install it probably doesn't have a reasonable ROI. And I really like having AC the few days it's needed away from shorepower.