Best products from r/skoolies

We found 29 comments on r/skoolies discussing the most recommended products. We ran sentiment analysis on each of these comments to determine how redditors feel about different products. We found 113 products and ranked them based on the amount of positive reactions they received. Here are the top 20.

6. ZOSI 1080P Security Camera System with 1TB Hard Drive H.265+ 8CH 5MP Lite HD-TVI Video DVR Recorder with 4X HD 1920TVL 1080P Indoor Outdoor Weatherproof CCTV Cameras ,Motion Alert,Remote Access

    Features:
  • 【H. 265/H.265+ 8CH 5MP Lite HD-TVI DVR】--With the advanced H. 265 technology, which could double the data compression ratio, keep the high quality video even with low bit-rate, it allows you to maximize storage space and enjoy ultra-long recording.
  • 【Expandable camera system】-this is 8Channel 4-in-1 DVR which supports analog HD-TVI CVI AHD camera It provides you the flexibility to extend additional cameras You can add more 4pcs 720P or 1080P Bullet or dome cameras
  • 【Built in 1TB Security Grade Hard Drive】-- Support ultra-long continuous recording and backup by USB. Dvr can be set to automatically overwrite the oldest internally stored footage or you can transfer those video files by USB to a memory stick or external hard Drive.
  • 【IP67 Weatherproof Camera,80ft Night Vision】-- This Camera use Aluminum Metal materials, can effectively prevent rust,Can be installed in almost any outdoor or indoor place. ,Built in 24pcs IR LEDs, Get a sharp and crisp image day or night with the camera's automatic IR-CUT filter, Up to 80ft night vision in total darkness and 130ft Night vision in ambient light.More than 3.0Lux the night vision is color.
  • 【Privacy Protection and Mobile Viewing】 You can block out select areas on each camera. This is to grant privacy in situations. People can not view of certain areas or activities. You can remote access simultaneously on smart devices(IOS/Android) at any time, anywhere with Wi-Fi/ 2G/ 3G/ 4G on smart Phone, tablet, and PC. You’ll never miss out on a moment with remote and local playback, no matter where you are
ZOSI 1080P Security Camera System with 1TB Hard Drive H.265+ 8CH 5MP Lite HD-TVI Video DVR Recorder with 4X HD 1920TVL 1080P Indoor Outdoor Weatherproof CCTV Cameras ,Motion Alert,Remote Access
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Top comments mentioning products on r/skoolies:

u/CaptSnap · 2 pointsr/skoolies

First, You need to add up all the energy youre going to use in an average day. This is critical and no one else can really do it for you.

Theres a couple of ways to do this. You can buy a kill-a-watt meter and plug a power strip into it and then run everything you would want to run in a day off of it. This is it on amazon It will tell you how many watts everything has used.

Or you can go to a solar calculator on the web.....type in all the things you will use and what their rated wattages are. If you dont know them you can find them ..usually...on a label on the back near the power supply of each appliance. Or just google and use the larger number of their examples. Type in their wattage and how long you will use them. This too will tell you how many watts youre likely to use during a day.

Second, you need to size your solar array and your battery bank.

Lets say in your calculations you find that you use 2000w a day (2kw) that would be about 60kw a month if you want to compare it with your electric bill (which is pretty low but not unrealistic since you arent using a/c or any large appliances). For solar panels the math is pretty simple. If you get 4 hours of direct sunshine you would need 500w of solar panels to get your 2000w for the day under ideal conditions and assuming no loss. (never plan for ideal conditions and never assume zero loss but you get the idea) If you think youre going to get 8 (youre not) then you just need 250w....and so on.

You will probably never achieve this, I would shoot for 60% more solar on the bus than you think need on paper. For this example I would do my best to get 750 to 800 watts of panels. It is fair complicated and very build specific to try and calculate how much loss you will incur in your wiring and in panel placement. Since you can only have two panels the simplest and most elegant solution is to just buy panels that cover as much of the space as you have left as possible.

Panels also are never as efficient as they are the first year. If you size perfectly this year in a year or two you will be undersized.

For batteries you have to consider amp hours. Watts are amps * volts. Batteries are usually 12 v. Lets continue our example that you use 2000w a day and want to have enough reserve power to cover a full day. 2000w at 12v is 167 amps. An amp hour is one amp or one hour. We can take our 167 amps and know that you need 167 amp hours because youre using it over time. Im oversimplifying but thats the smallest amp/hour rating that will suffice. A good rule of thumb is to never drain lead acid batteries below 50% so now you need a 330 amp hours battery bank at the minimum. As an example that means you would need between 3 and 4 of these For lithium ion I think its 80% so thats 210 amp hours of lithium ion.

Your battery will never be as good as it is the first week so in a year's time neither of these banks will provide enough reserve energy if you just do the minimum required right off the bat. You will have to overbuild to account for this or add later.

If you want to work backwards then its a little less elegant. Lets say your coffee maker is 5 amps but its rated at 110 V thats 550 watts. Lets assume you use it for 15 minutes so thats ~138 watt hours. Your inverter will need to draw (138 watts divided by 12 V) about 11.5 amp hours out of your battery. If you have a 100 ah battery bank, that gives you 50 ah effective use...that 15 minutes of coffee making just used over 20 percent of your battery.

Charging your house batteries off the alternator can be very simple. This is what I used Put a switch in the cab and run a wire to the small terminal. When the small pole is energized it will connect the two larger poles. Wire one pole to one battery bank and the other pole to the other battery bank, use thick wire for the large poles 2/0. When the small pole is not energized the two poles will not be connected. When you want one bank to charge the other bank turn your switch on. When you want one bank to not drain the other bank, turn your switch off.

Im partial to this brand but you may find a cheaper one.

There are dozens of gauges that will tell you your battery voltages. Here is one example if you have everything wired correctly when you flip your switch to connect your two battery banks you should see their voltages come together.

u/CascadesDad · 2 pointsr/skoolies

Modified boating stuff:

A fuse box like this https://www.amazon.com/Blue-Sea-Systems-Blade-Block/dp/B001P6FTHC/ref=pd_bxgy_200_2?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=B001P6FTHC&pd_rd_r=X7BNG9NJZ9ZBBRRTJBR3&pd_rd_w=eatpQ&pd_rd_wg=QSpKm&psc=1&refRID=X7BNG9NJZ9ZBBRRTJBR3 which connects to this https://www.amazon.com/Marinco-On-Board-Charging-Inlets/dp/B000NI38MG/ref=pd_sbs_200_3?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=B01K9KDXOA&pd_rd_r=7194DMW9QGPTN4P39QBA&pd_rd_w=jkXDk&pd_rd_wg=IiMzj&refRID=7194DMW9QGPTN4P39QBA&th=1 connected with this https://www.amazon.com/AmazonBasics-Vinyl-Outdoor-Extension-Cord/dp/B00OS7ETIA/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1525991665&sr=8-5&keywords=extension+cord. In fact some Skoolie people prefer using extension cords over romex entirely.

Our fuse box has a female plug coming off of it, allowing us to physically switch between sources - from battery to generator to shore power. To do 30/50 amp power is similar, but you need a lot more stuff, and is like wiring a house. I basically just added a fuse box to an extension cord. You drill a hole through the side of the bus to mount the second piece. It's pretty cool, to be honest.

Any RV owner will tell you that water is pernicious. Skoolies are the same way. You need to caulk your bus yearly - or at least go over it and look. We replaced the running lights, and did a wonderfully poor job of it, and I didn't caulk it. Then we walked on the roof, which the metal parts had no issue with, but the front of our bus is fiberglass and it separated from the metal, allowing a leak point.

Honestly, a cleaned and then painted roof (using Henry's RV paint for example) will make life very easy. You know how you can get by a couple years between coats of paint on your house? And how house roofs can go 15-30 years? Well, imagine if you drove your house around. It will need some attention before then. Just keep a can or three of silicone or paintable caulk on hand, and you'll be good.

Also, a very handy (if ugly) thing to get is butyl tape. Overpriced version is called flex seal, or you can hit up home depot for the roofing version. It's got a silvered back, and it's great at sealing holes... and sound proofing.

I no longer can put links in as words? I dislike the new reddit layout.

u/for_a_girl · 6 pointsr/skoolies

I think so. Here's a much cheaper and simpler package after tax:

$200 in mounting hardware, glue/sealant and cables.

$3200 for a Goal Zero Yeti 3k that has inverter, charger, monitor, and all the other shit built right in to the box that holds a 3kwh battery (should be plenty) and is completely portable so you can use it wherever and safely keep it outside the bus when not in use. May easily charge it at home or on the road by plugging it into a wall if you drained it and wanna charge it quickly as well, and you can tuck it wherever you like on the bus rather than having a whole closet of components.

$370 for 4x of these wildly popular and over-performing 100w poly panels that punch above their weight.


That's less than $3800 for a package that is gonna charge far faster and allows you to take your power with you. Will also take up far less room in the bus and is extremely easy to "install". Properly bolt the 4 panels to the roof, run the power cable into the cabin, then plug that sucker right in to the yeti. Done. If you really need more power just get another yeti or even a battery expansion pack. Still way cheaper than your deal and will only take an afternoon for you to install, same time you'd spend fucking with your installation guys and driving the bus around.

But honestly, even that's a little rich, before I moved to a yeti for the portability (I use the yeti as a power source for my film equipment which goes everywhere and charge it with the bus panels), I just had an old inverter, a dirt cheap charge controller and about 400ah in lead acid batteries, all of which with 400w in panels cost me less than a thousand bucks installed and worked fine.

10 grand definitely seems too rich imo. I'd pay 5k tops for 4.8kwh of lithium batteries and 340w panels with charging and inverter, which is what you're getting. Mostly because with the yeti I get 3kwh, 400w of panels and a great portable system for less than 4, installed, after tax.

u/gettinskooled · 1 pointr/skoolies

We're still here! Our family had an opportunity to travel the world that we simply couldn't pass up. Of course this basically set us back a year on the skoolie project. But maybe everything happens for a reason? Just as we start to get going on the project again, the wife comes across a bus that is everything we were every looking for (we compromised on our first one to meet our budget.) We go and check it out, and of course end up driving it home that day.

Super excited for many reasons. One being that we were just about to install our flooring and house electrical system. Now we don't have to do that twice :) If anyone is willing to look at my first-ever wiring diagram, this noob would love some feedback. I'm hoping to start the electrical install this coming weekend. Two things come to mind for me.

  1. Do I need a 50amp breaker box between the shore-power connection and the inverter/charger?
  2. Does something explode if the engine is running and charging the house battery, and I plug in shore-power before turning the engine off? The inverter/charger we're using is this Renogy 2000W unit.

    Getting back to your original comments u/CascadesDad, I compare to other similar communities I'm in. Specifically the air-cooled VW community. It's like the tides. Folks come and go, and maybe even move to other platforms, but the passion and interest is still out there.

    Peace
u/EmmaTheRobot · 1 pointr/skoolies

Ah okay, so the Inverter converts the DC battery charge into useable AC. That makes sense.

So in this scenario how much power would I need to get 3x the amount. A 3000W Inverter like you have? I'm fine with spending a little extra, but as long as it's actually worth the extra cost. Although I can't imagine spending over $600 for an Inverter. Seems like that would be a good middle price.

Is the automatic transfer switch something I can buy on the side? Like, get a basic inverter, then add the features on the side that I know will be more reliable?

(Just thinking aloud here) Maybe Costco or another place with a great warranty will have an Inverter for sale like the $750 one you had that failed.

..

Yeah, that one is a bit too much. Maybe if I come across a ton of extra money, I'd buy that, but $1500 for an Inverter is just something I can't afford.

What about something like this? or was this something like you bought before that ended up failing.

this one on Amazon looks like an good buy too.

I wish they made a DC Air Conditioner. That would kill my need for an expensive inverter!

u/neoneddy · 2 pointsr/skoolies

Toilet type issues can be solved easily and cheaply, but there are draw backs.

We have one of these - just a port-a-potty really. But until we get blackwater tanks and everything sorted this does the job.
https://www.amazon.com/Camco-41541-Portable-Toilet-gallon/dp/B004SFKJIQ/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1501018052&sr=8-1&keywords=porta+potty


Running water? Get a manual pump that connects to a 5 gal water tank. https://www.amazon.com/Wealers-Camping-Gallon-Manual-Drinking/dp/B00QLRCTUU/ref=sr_1_cc_1?s=aps&ie=UTF8&qid=1501018150&sr=1-1-catcorr&keywords=manual+water+camping+pump

We started our build in May and we've camped in it twice now... each time it's less like camping and more like a home.

We have a fridge, 4 bunks, master bedroom, bathroom (walls only) shower (walls only) living area, kitchen (no water yet). We're probably $10k into it and I've been working on it an average of 10-20 hours a week every week since may.


Bus, RV and Van all have pros and cons.

One article that turned me onto a bus was http://www.technomadia.com/2011/06/why-a-bus/ Specifically the heading A Bus???

If you have room, time, money and know how and want to make something uniquely yours, a bus would be a good fit.

If you want to move into something right away an RV could work out nice.

If you both want something uniquely yours but have less time, money and space, van dwelling can be a nice step into this type of living.


u/tatibati · 1 pointr/skoolies

Oh wow, I haven’t heard of phifertex, thank you!

Our fans are not fixed or window mounted. We were debating window mounted, but I would really prefer to maintain the beautiful views through the windows.

For this summer, we ended up using arctic air swamp coolers and a big box fan. The box fan takes up a lot of space... so not ideal for long term, but it suited our needs for camping this summer just fine.

The arctic air coolers are basically mini swamp coolers. It’s a fan with a small tank to fill with ice water. They are not meant to cool down large areas. Two of those in our short bus helped make it more tolerable for us when we were unable to park in the shade. They work best in dry climates. Again, these were more of a temporary fix until we can upgrade our solar panels and look into a long term A/C option.

u/jrshaul · 2 pointsr/skoolies

Thanks for the detailed explanation!

>We used electric heat at first but running on 15amps instead of a 30 or 50 amp power source from campground

I'm building mine for shore power, but that's a really good point. Getting 120V is easy; getting more than 18A, not so much. (If only we had 220V...)

\> We're using 12v for everything we can

I'm leaning towards this as well - even on shore power. Gutting an RV or camper is by far the cheapest option for fixtures, and efficient 120-\>12V power supplies for server use are a dime a dozen.

\> I'm going to see if I can get a USB wifi card with awesome range and see if I can hop on that.

You want a [BIG damn 2.4 ghz antenna.](https://www.amazon.com/TP-Link-Directional-Parabolic-Connector-TL-ANT2424B/dp/B003CFATOW) In addition to boosting the signal in *both* directions (improving your card is worthwhile, but only for transmission!) it reduces noise - it can't "see" anything it's not pointing directly at. You can also build one with a soup can and a satellite dish.

u/Mehrune_dagon · 2 pointsr/skoolies

Absolutely on windows. Works really well on the original bus windows. I always recommend resealing the original windows. This stuff is like 7 bucks for 30 ft on Amazon. The windows is a place where you can prevent air from creeping in, Atleast through the mounts. I also recommend it for aftermarket windows as well. Really recommend it for anything that you need to seal. It's great stuff.

Edit: here is the link
Dicor BT-1834-1 1/8" x 3/4" x 30' Butyl Seal Tape https://www.amazon.com/dp/B001FCB4JS/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_W5MlDbBND9RNN

u/Slave2theGrind · 1 pointr/skoolies

So I have some thoughts on this.

1- Insulation - I am putting in 4 inches of spray foam insulation behind wood panels with reflextec against the wall. The areas of the part of the windows that open have flip down ports. I have also set a partial wall from one side to the middle to separate the sleeping area. The sleeping area also has velcro points that help me put up sleeping bags to section off the area. I also have heavy curtains covering the front. Also put a piece of Reflextec under the bed.

2- Wood stove - These are great, but the stove I have will warm 3 buses in 15 minutes on a single pinecone. These last for about 3 hours. - https://www.amazon.com/Guide-Gear-Outdoor-Wood-Stove/dp/B0155324VO/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1539368535&sr=8-3&keywords=Wood+stove -

3- Blankets - There are two types - electric is a great way to warm bed up, and then wool blankets keep the heat in.

4- Little buddy heater - always have one and it works (keep a monoxide detector handy). I crack a window in the morning and use this to heat up the bus.

​

u/StealthCamper · 2 pointsr/skoolies

You are correct in that I didn't answer your question. My advice, and take it with a grain of salt as I am not a mechanical engineer, is this:

If you are trying to monitor the outside of your bus from the inside of your bus, it is very doable. There are a host of battery powered cameras that do not need to be tied to shore power and are able to be monitored remotely (At least the setups I have seen are). Most are motion activated which helps to save battery life.

https://www.amazon.com/ZOSI-Security-Recorder-Weatherproof-Smartphone/dp/B00MP57IOY/ref=sr_1_6?crid=1WYCL3K85MPVL&keywords=remote+security+camera&qid=1574011642&sprefix=remote+secu%2Caps%2C150&sr=8-6

The issue is this, I believe that these are tied to WiFi and require a stable connection. Hard to do on a mobile bus without it being tied to shore power and a wifi connection. This is why it is important to know WHY. If I knew a little more about your setup, I could offer better advice.

I personally would recommend using a hardwired setup. Harbor Freight has them pretty cheap. No need for WiFi or battery power. But that is assuming that you have onboard battery setups.

Happy to help however I can, but I am limited without any further information.

u/LesterBigalow · 1 pointr/skoolies

Get yourself one of these some oxy-guard and shrink tube. It's a fun project that you can do. putting the oxy on the wire before crimping will give you protection from corrosion. Enjoy. https://www.amazon.com/Hammer-Battery-Crimping-American-Gauge/dp/B07DBQZPNJ/ref=sr_1_5?keywords=hammer+crimper&qid=1558604672&s=wireless&sr=1-5-catcorr

u/gl21133 · 1 pointr/skoolies

I did, though I'm happy to unaffiliate. The Amazon affiliate program has yet to net me a single penny. https://smile.amazon.com/AUTO-VOX-M1W-Wireless-Waterproof-Rearview/dp/B07425TPBT/ is the regular link.

ETA - I've basically resorted to using the affiliate bar as a link shortener...