⚡Vanilla Unplugged: My Epic Camper Jam 2025 Power Setup (A Nerd’s Guide to Off-Grid Glory)

Welcome, fellow festival frolickers, vanlifers, and tech tinkerers!As I gear up for Camper Jam 2025, nestled in the glorious greenery of Weston Park, I thought I’d share a no-holds-barred, cables-everywhere deep dive into how I’m powering my campervan Vanilla (the essence of freedom and volts). Whether you’re a fellow camper geek, a festival first-timer, or just here for the watts, this blog is for you.

Let’s switch on.

⚙️ The Mission: Powering 4 Days of Off-Grid Bliss

From Thursday 2pm to Sunday 2pm, I’ll be running my beloved Vanilla completely off-grid. No hook-up. No generator. Just solar panels, power stations, and cunningly-charged gadgets to keep everything from the air fryer to the dashcam ticking over like a Swiss watch.

The plan?To power everything safely, quietly, and completely independently — and to do it in style, comfort, and full stereo Sonos surround.

🔋 The Power Arsenal: My Festival Energy Dream Team

Here’s the full line-up of power sources I’m taking to Camper Jam:

⚡1. Vanilla’s Leisure Battery System

• Type: 110Ah Lead-Acid

• Charger: Victron Orion 30A DC-DC

• Controller: Eco-Worthy 30A PWM Solar Charge Controller

• Solar Input: Built-in 60W panel on the roof

• Main Use: Campervan fridge, LED lights, 12V sockets

🔌2. Jackery Explorer 1000

• Battery Capacity: 1002Wh

• AC Output: 1000W (2000W peak)

• Ports: 3 x 230V AC, 2 x USB-C, 2 x USB-A, 1 x 12V

• Main Use: Cosori Air Fryer, Nebula Capsule 3 projector, induction hob

🔌3. Jackery Explorer 240 (Mine)

• Battery Capacity: 240Wh

• Main Use: Charging lights, phone, Wi-Fi router, fans

🔌4. Jackery Explorer 240 (David’s)

• Battery Capacity: 240Wh

• Main Use: Running David’s Alpicool XD35 cool box

⚡5. EcoFlow Delta 2 (Borrowed from David)

• Battery Capacity: 1024Wh

• AC Output: 1800W (Surge: 2700W)

• Recharge Time: 80% in under an hour via mains

• Main Use: Sharing high-load duties (air fryer, projector, induction hob)

🔋6. Anker 165W Power Bank

• Capacity: 25,000mAh (roughly 90Wh)

• Ports: 2 x USB-C, 1 x USB-A

• Main Use: MacBook Air M3, iPad Air 4th Gen

🔋7. Anker Nano Power Bank

• Capacity: 10,000mAh (about 37Wh)

• Built-In USB-C Cable

• Main Use: iPhone 16 Pro Max, Apple Watch Series 6

☀️ Solar Inputs: The Sky’s the Limit (Literally)

In addition to my built-in 60W solar panel on Vanilla’s roof, I’m taking:

🧲 Jackery SolarSaga 80W Foldable Panel

• Main Use: Topping up both Jackery Explorer 240s and the Explorer 1000

• Expected Output (average UK summer sunlight):~50Wh per hour x 6 hours/day = ~300Wh/day

☀️ Vanilla’s Built-In 60W Roof Panel

• Main Use: Leisure battery via PWM controller

• Estimated Output:~40Wh/hour x 6 hours/day = ~240Wh/day

🧮 GRAND TOTAL: How Much Power Do I Actually Have?

Let’s crunch those amps, watts, and glorious volts. Here’s the theoretical maximum available stored energy and solar generation across the full festival (3 full days + Thursday afternoon):

🔋 Stored Power from Power Stations and Power Banks:

Device	Capacity (Wh)
Jackery Explorer 1000	1002Wh
Jackery Explorer 240	240Wh
Jackery Explorer 240	240Wh
EcoFlow Delta 2	1024Wh
Anker 165W Power Bank	90Wh
Anker Nano Power Bank	37Wh
Total Stored	2633Wh

☀️ Solar Contribution (Thu 2pm – Sun 2pm):

Jackery 80W Panel (4h/day x 3.5 days at ~50W):

= 4 x 3.5 x 50 = 700Wh

Vanilla’s 60W Panel (4h/day x 3.5 days at ~40W):

= 4 x 3.5 x 40 = 560Wh

Source	Capacity (Wh)
Jackery 80W Panel	~700Wh
Vanilla 60W Roof	~560Wh
Total Solar	1260Wh

✅ GRAND TOTAL AVAILABLE POWER FOR CAMPER JAM

= 2633Wh (Stored) + 1260Wh (Solar)= 🔋 3893Wh of power!

That’s nearly 4 kilowatt-hours of pure, off-grid energy to play with. Enough to run a mini electric rave inside Vanilla if the mood takes me.

🔌 What I’m Powering (aka: The Glorious Drain)

Now let’s break down what will be leeching off my precious volts like a queue of charging festival-goers with dead iPhones:

🎥 Nebula Capsule 3 Laser Projector

• Use: Movies in the pop-top

• Power Draw: ~55W

• Daily Use: ~2 hours

• Daily Consumption: ~110Wh

🍗 Cosori Air Fryer

• Use: Chips, sausages, toasties, hash browns

• Power Draw: ~1500W

• Typical Use: 10 mins x 2 times/day

• Daily Consumption: ~500Wh

🎵 Sonos Roam (Stereo Pair)

• Use: Music all day

• Power Draw (combined): ~10W max

• Daily Use: 8 hours

• Daily Consumption: ~80Wh

🧊 Vanilla’s Fridge (12V Compressor, built-in)

• Power Draw: ~45W on cycle

• Duty Cycle: 30%

• 24hr Consumption: ~350Wh (drawn from leisure battery)

🧊 Alpicool XD35 (David’s Cool Box)

• Power Draw: ~45W

• 24hr Consumption (30% cycle): ~350Wh (drawn from David’s Jackery 240)

💡 Lighting (LED roof, Biolite, torches)

• Power Draw: ~5-15W depending on usage

• Total Daily Usage: ~40Wh

📱 Phones, Tablets, Watches

• iPhone 16 Pro Max: 20Wh/day

• Apple Watch: 5Wh/day

• iPad Air: 30Wh every 2 days

• MacBook Air M3: 50Wh every 2 days

• Total Daily Charging: ~50-80Wh

💻 Wi-Fi Router (TP-Link M7350)

• Use: Streaming, Apple Home, drone uploads

• Power Draw: ~5W

• Daily Consumption: ~60Wh

☕ Jetboil Zip (Gas, not electrical)

• Power Needed: None! Cheers, butane!

🧠 Clever Energy Strategy: How I’ll Make It All Work

Let’s face it, it’s not just about how many watt-hours you have. It’s about how you use them. Here’s the battle plan:

🎯 Load Distribution Plan

Device	Power Source
Vanilla Fridge	110Ah leisure battery + 60W solar
Air Fryer	EcoFlow Delta 2 + Jackery 1000
Sonos Roams	Jackery 240s + Anker banks
Nebula Projector	Jackery 1000 / EcoFlow
Cool Box (David)	David’s Jackery 240
Wi-Fi Router	Anker Nano / Jackery 240
iPhone/iPad/MacBook	Anker Power Banks / Jackery
Lighting	Leisure battery / Biolite gear

🔄 Charge Cycling

• During the day:Solar feeds leisure battery and tops up Jackerys

• Evening:Draw from Jackerys for high-load appliances like air fryer and projector

• Night:Let the leisure battery keep fridge ticking and Biolite lights glowing

🔒 Redundancy Built-In

• Two Jackery 240s means one can run the Wi-Fi and lights while the other is topped up

• If power gets low, David’s EcoFlow is the muscle-flexing back-up (1800W output? Oh yes!)

• Vanilla’s built-in fridge is lean and solar-fed, meaning it should never go warm

📈 Real-World Usage Estimate: Will It Last?

Yes. And then some.

Let’s model a worst-case scenario (with maximum gadget use and 2 rainy days):

• Air fryer: 500Wh/day

• Fridge: 350Wh/day

• Cool box: 350Wh/day

• Projector: 110Wh/day

• Lighting and Music: 120Wh/day

• Gadget charging and Wi-Fi: 80Wh/day

Daily Consumption: ~1510Wh3.5 days = 5,285Wh (EEK!)

But don’t panic! With smart rotation, staggered cooking, and selective laziness (toast instead of air fryer), I’ll scale down usage to ~1000Wh/day, which means:

Target Use Over 3.5 Days: ~3500WhTotal Power Available: 3893Wh

✅ We’re golden.

🛠️ Bonus Nerdy Accessories Coming Along

• Victron SmartShunt – For obsessively checking battery stats via Bluetooth

• Solidline ST7R Torch – Because dramatic lighting makes everything better

• Biolite Alpenglow 500 + Mini + 250 – For ambiance, mood, and serious lighting envy

• Leatherman Signal – Not electrical, just cool

• Ring Doorbell Cam – Because I like to spy on squirrels at 2am

🎪 The Final Countdown

Camper Jam 2025 is more than just music, bacon rolls, and sunburn. It’s a technical ballet of amps, volts, solar rays, and perfectly timed power banks. I’ll be toasting waffles at dawn and watching 80s movies in the pop-top at night — all powered by sunlight and the quiet hum of Jackery lithium.

If you're at the festival and spot Vanilla (look for the Indium Grey T6.1 with the orange-accented ‘VANILLA: The Essence of Freedom’ logo), come say hi! I’ll be the one hovering over a Victron app like a NASA engineer.

💬 Questions? Comments?

Hit me up on johnsdrones.net or shout across the field at Camper Jam. I’m always up for a natter about solar strategy, LED lighting atmospherics, or why the Cosori air fryer is the most revolutionary invention since the spork.

Stay powered, stay weird, and enjoy the freedom. ⚡

Let me know if you want this turned into a poster, infographic, or printable checklist for Camper Jam!