Charging from 12 volt

Hi Greg,For my boat and Patrol I use a phone charger I bought from Dick Smiths,just plug into cig lighter,same for lap top,thats all I used on a 7 week RV trip round US recently,no problems at all,also no worry about differing voltages,have a great trip
Auskiwi

People get by using inverters. They are OK when you have plenty of battery power to spare. However they waste power (at least 7% and could be up to 25%.) My recommendation is to use chargers/power supplies that work straight from 12 V.

Yes, and they usually come with clips. My Jaycar one did anyway.
Regard sPhilip A

More important then the size of the inverter is the load you are going to draw. My 150 W model working through a cigarette lighter will only supply a 90 W power supply for a laptop but when you add the modem it collapses in a heap. It will run both both from a good connection.

In other words you can run an inverter capable of supplying heaps of power from battery clips or a cigarette lighter plug if you only very lightly load it. If you wish to draw significant power (over 100 W) from an inverter then heavy cable and good plugs are required. I would suggest 6 square mm cable (and not 6 mm auto cable) and at least Merit connectors for 100 - 200 W. For higher power or runs longer than 2 metres I suggest better plugs and heavier cable.

Thanks Philip & Peter, I'm looking for a method of running a small 240V freezer roadside overnight. I have just about reached the conclusion that the cost is not worth the benefits. Instead we will travel with a block of ice in the freezer and if we decide to do a free camp we will move the frozen food to the Waeco and the drinks into the freezer (use as an ice chest) until we are back in a caravan park.
The Waeco will run for three days as a freezer on our batteries. I'm probably better to spend my money on better wiring to the van batteries and fitting a DC to DC charger if needed to make sure the batteries are as charged as possible by the end of the day. And maybe one day a solar panel.
Kevin

Did you consider a 3 way fridge when you bought the Waeco?
Having access to gas when free camping, which really drags the temp down quickly, is a big benefit.
I have a 45 litre Dometic, and I can keep half of it frozen with a partition and the rest cold.
I sold my Waeco as it took too much power out of the battery. Especially if I stopped for few days.
Buying a gas bottle instead of a solar panel was a no brainer.

Cheers

Bill

When we bought the van it had a 3 way fridge and a 240V freezer. The Waeco pre-dated the van. We have looked at every conceivable scenario to overcome the problem but none pass the "powered site/night" test. That is, how many nights do we need to stay out of a caravan park to pay for it. Swapping freezer and cold drink fridge roles has the best financial result by far.
We prefer a caravan park but want some flexibility on long distances in more remote locations. e.g the Nullarbor or NW WA.
Kevin