Power Setup for Vanlife Nomads

Digital nomads living in campervans face a unique power challenge: their work equipment (laptop, monitors, hotspot, NAS) runs continuously during business hours while traditional van lifers might use their systems only part-time. The numbers are different, and the system needs to be sized accordingly.

Real power consumption for a full-time remote worker van build: Primary work laptop (60-80W × 8h = 560Wh), secondary monitor (18W × 6h = 108Wh), desk LED lamp (12W × 6h = 72Wh), Starlink Mini connection (45W × 8h active + 25W × 16h standby = 760Wh), phone + accessories charging (30Wh), 12V compressor fridge (380Wh/day), evening lighting (40Wh), water pump (15Wh). Total: 1965Wh/day.

That is nearly double what a typical weekend van lifer uses. Sizing for a 2000Wh/day base requires: 300Ah LiFePO4 minimum (3600Wh × 1 usable day before solar kicks in), 500W+ solar array, 60A+ MPPT controller, 30A DC-DC charger for driving days.

The working hours solar production alignment matters: in summer, solar peaks 9am-3pm (6 hours of high production). If you work 9-5, you're consuming heavily during peak production — your system is in equilibrium or even surplus during work. After 5pm you draw from battery. This is actually ideal: the workday's solar production offsets the workday's consumption in real-time.

Battery management strategy for digital nomads: Set a morning alarm calendar reminder for non-work days to run the engine 1 hour if battery drops below 40% SOC overnight — or automate it with a Victron Cerbo GX generator start relay connected to the DC-DC charger enable pin. This avoids the "stayed in a forest for 5 cloudy days and now I need to find a campsite with power" problem.

Critical infrastructure details: Ethernet over 12V PoE injector (avoid WiFi bottleneck), monitor powered via 12V-to-laptop PSU (not via inverter — saves 15% conversion loss), separate 12V USB-C PD charging ports for devices (avoid inverter standby waste of 10-15W). These three pragmatic choices save 80-100Wh/day without changing your work habits.

For video calls: a stable background matters as much as stable wifi. A Hiplok DX cable lock anchoring your van at your worksite prevents it from rocking during calls. A Joby GorillaPod + ring light (18W LED dimmable at 12V) costs €60 and makes video calls look professional regardless of your backdrop.