The "free of mains power" 4WD touring lifestyle is bigger than ever — but it relies on getting your power setup right. Solar panels, generators, inverters, battery chargers, charge controllers — too many options, lots of jargon, real consequences when you get it wrong (flat batteries, fried electronics, no fridge).

Here's the practical guide to off-grid power for camping. What each component does, how to size it for your setup, and what to actually buy.

Photo by Stephen Irwin on Unsplash

Solar is the modern Aussie touring power source — quiet, free once installed, increasingly affordable. Three reasons it's taken over: panels keep getting cheaper and more efficient; many national parks now ban generators (so solar is the only option); and modern lithium batteries handle solar charging beautifully.

Sizing your solar:

1. Calculate your daily power draw: appliance amps × hours used = amp-hours per day
2. Example: 12V fridge drawing 1A average × 24 hours = 24Ah/day. LED light 1A × 5 hours = 5Ah. Total = 29Ah/day
3. Add a 30% safety margin for cloudy days = ~38Ah/day
4. Pick a solar panel that supplies that. Rough rule: 100W of solar = ~25-30Ah/day in good Aussie sun
5. So that example needs ~150W of solar minimum, 200W to be comfortable

Brands worth it: Hard Korr, KickAss, Dometic, REDARC, Allspark. Folding solar blankets are the most popular form factor — pack flat, deploy on the ground or roof racks.

Generators run on petrol and produce 240V — useful for caravan air conditioners, microwaves, power tools, full hairdryers, anything that solar/inverter combos struggle with.

• 1000W — basic campsite (lights, TV, radio, charging laptops)
• 2000W — small caravan with one A/C; bigger campsites; power tools
• 3000W+ — multiple A/Cs running simultaneously, serious workshop use

Inverter generators (Honda EU22i, Yamaha EF2200iS) are quieter and produce cleaner sine-wave power suitable for laptops/medical equipment. Standard generators are louder and produce modified sine wave (fine for most appliances, problematic for some sensitive electronics).

Many national parks now ban generators or restrict to specific zones. Check the rules before relying on one.

Photo: Trevor McKinnon / Unsplash

An inverter converts your 12V battery DC power into 240V AC mains power. Plug a small inverter into a cigarette socket and run a laptop or charge a phone via the regular AC charger.

Two types:

• Modified sine wave — cheaper, fine for most devices but causes minor buzz on radios/TVs. Good for general use
• Pure sine wave — more expensive, clean output, required for sensitive medical/audio equipment, variable-speed power tools, laptop battery chargers (some)

Sizing: add up the watts of devices you'll run simultaneously, then add 50% for startup spikes. Example: laptop (100W) + DVD player (100W) = 200W → buy a 300W inverter minimum.

Wiring: small inverters (under 300W) work fine on cigarette sockets. Bigger inverters need direct battery connection with thick cabling — proper install or auto-electrician.

Critical: inverters drain the battery fast — monitor levels. Without solar/generator/alternator topping it up, you'll flatten the battery within hours of running serious AC loads.

A quality deep-cycle battery is expensive ($300-1500). A good charger keeps it healthy. A bad charger ruins it.

• The standard automotive charger (the cheap "trickle charger") is inadequate for big deep-cycle batteries
• Smart chargers — multi-stage chargers that go bulk → absorption → float automatically. Connect-and-forget. Brands: CTEK, REDARC, ProjectaIC
• For touring, a 10-amp smart charger is the minimum useful size — bigger is better
• DC-DC chargers (REDARC BCDC, Renogy DCC) are essential if you have a modern vehicle with a "smart alternator" — they regulate voltage so your auxiliary battery actually charges from the alternator

Smart charging extends battery life from 200 cycles to 1000+ cycles. Worth every cent.

Photo: Trevor McKinnon / Unsplash

A solar regulator (also called charge controller) sits between your solar panel and battery. Without one, the panel can over-charge the battery, boiling the electrolyte and killing the cells.

Two types:

• PWM — older technology, cheaper. Fine for small systems (under 200W solar)
• MPPT — newer, more efficient (10-30% more output from same panels). Required for serious solar setups (200W+) or panels much higher voltage than battery (e.g. 24V panel into 12V battery)

Most decent folding solar panels come with a built-in regulator. Permanent solar installs need a separate regulator. Match the regulator's amp rating to your panel's output.

The classic Aussie 4WD touring power setup:

• Auxiliary deep-cycle battery (100Ah AGM or 100Ah lithium) wired separately from starter battery via an isolator or DC-DC charger
• 200W folding solar panel with built-in regulator — deploys on the ground or roof racks during the day
• 300-600W pure sine wave inverter for occasional 240V (laptop, phone fast-charger)
• Smart charger for plugging into mains when at home or at a powered campsite
• Voltage monitor on the dashboard so you know your battery state at a glance

Total cost: $1,500-3,500 depending on battery type and component quality. Lasts 5-10 years. Powers a 50L fridge, lights, USB charging, modest 240V indefinitely off-grid.

For the modern Aussie tourer, solar + lithium battery + smart DC-DC charger has replaced the old generator + lead-acid setup. Quieter, lighter, cleaner, longer-lived. Spend the money on quality components — they'll outlast your current vehicle.

For pairing with a 12V fridge specifically, see our 12V Fridge in a 4WD guide.